The desire to lose weight is one of the most universal and emotional issues in America. Millions of overweight women and men are constantly seeking a ‘silver bullet’ that will rescue them from the torment of failed efforts. So when GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare set out to market, alli®, the only FDA-approved weight-loss product available to overweight adults without a prescription, they knew they were entering unusually challenging territory. They needed a way to understand the rational and emotional tugs of war overweight adults face everyday in order to help the company develop, and inspire, a new behavioral model, while carefully managing consumer expectations.

A first-of-its-kind OTC drug launch required a new approach to listening to, and understanding, weight-challenged consumers—new ways that would get at consumers hearts and minds and provide an intimate experience, which  allowed the company to go deeper than ever before. GSK Consumer Healthcare partnered with Communispace spanning 2+ years to create five private online communities that became the center of gravity for the entire multifaceted market launch of alli.

On July 25, 2007 GlaxoSmithKline released its second quarter earnings statement reporting that sales of over-the-counter alli hit $155 million in just six weeks, since its launch on June 14, 2007. On October 23, 2007, the company announced that it had sold more than 2 million alli® starter packs at retail, and that alli users are enthusiastically embracing alli and its proven track record of helping people lose weight gradually.