Pharma learnings from Kingfisher and Indigo

In the above picture we see that the organization is an entity that creates an output (satisfying customer requirements). An organization refers to a group of people working towards a common goal. The output created by an organization is in line with the firm's vision and mission. The identity of the firm, it's survival, growth and image, and the destiny of the firm - all depend on the output. It is important to constantly understand what the output of a firm is from the customer or prospect's point of view. It could be a -

"value-for-money preposition", or it could be the

"services in exchange for prescriptions" or it could be

"hi-quality product preposition" or it could be

"R & D or intellectual image of a company" or

"ingenious products like patented electrolyte energy drinks in Tetra Pak technology or patented sterile haemocoagulase topical solution etc"

- the output of a firm is both TANGIBLE AND INTANGIBLE.

Understanding these aspects, shapes future activities of the firm. Finally, it is the output which is responsible for the financial picture of the organization.

In the above, we see marketing as a function that provides value addition and creates brand identity, brand image, brand equity, communication, and facilitates value delivery.

Marketing deals with the 4 Ps: product, price, promotion, and placement (distribution and availability). Marketing also deals with the communication mix which include: sales promotion (bonus offers), personal selling (MR efforts), packaging, advertisements (eg., in medical journals), and publicity (activities which result in word-of-mouth particularly in target doctor or target pharmacist circles).

Marketing includes the physical evidence, process and people too. Finally, marketing helps increase throughput, market penetration, facilitates sales, stimulates and catalyzes the exchange process, helps retain current customer base and nets in more customers through conversion of prospects into customers and strengthens brand equity.

There are many other dimensions of marketing: such as product positioning, developing an emotional bond of trust, modifying the lifestyle or prescribing behaviour or even the therapeutic style or approach and ensuring improved quality of life for society and patients (ie., reducing morbidity and mortality).

Operations is an all encompassing function that envisages creation of value added outputs that satisfy all stakeholders including customers. Operations includes sourcing (of raw materials, outsourcing or own manufacturing), processing, marketing and other operations in providing the output. It is a wider perspective of things.

Operational focus varies from firm to firm. For instance, Mankind did not devote energies to set up a US FDA manufacturing facility (as was the trend), its operations was to focus on improving market share and brand sales. The operational focus makes the difference.

Many a times, firms do not know what output they are actually creating or what they are supposed to create (as per customer requirements) - they are going by the established LEGACY OPERATIONS. For eg., a firm like say, Indoco or Franco Indian has its legacy - and operations are embedded in this legacy. Now are the operations in tune with the contemporary market reality? Or are the operations having some unidentified strengths (parts that are not exploited) that can help bring in more revenues? If the analysis is done not just from the marketing angle also from the operational perspective, this will provide more insights to firms.

Akums is an interesting business plan, this firm offers latest formulations on contract manufacturing basis. The output of Akums is about helping pharma marketers create better outputs - Akums is aiming at this synergy and this is Akum's operational focus.

There are several ways to introduce a new product. The most common way, is to look into the IMS market reports (for promising markets, where there are market gaps) and see the 'best-fit new me-too product'. This product should fit into the company operations or company marketing coverage and style. The idea is to introduce the new brand hoping to hit a gold mine in the marketplace.

This approach does work and has worked - but one should analyze if the new brand is the best fit from the marketing angle or operations angle of the firm? This is the call that one has to take through analysis.

Investors, futurists, product developers, marketers, entrepreneurs, customers, prospects, intermediaries ... all have one question on their mind - which is the next big thing round the corner? From where will my next big growth come from?

Everyone instinctively knows, although they may not like it, there is no product or service (or for that matter - organization or human being) that is permanent - things will not continue to be the way it is now. The fact is, there are changes happening continuously which will rewrite the future and people want to know the future before it swamps them! Now this curiosity is OK after all it is a part of the survival instinct!

20 years back no one thought that the typewriter would get obsolete. I remember how my sister went for early morning typing classes when she was in pre-university. Today, the keyboard has replaced even the electric typewriter which was considered a durable invention. Things are getting smarter and even smarter!

Smart trend is to stay

The future bet is on continuously creating smart products and smart working - here smart chiefly means intelligent or thoughtfully done: Apple has done it - Google has done it, Microsoft has been trying to do it, but it goes by LEGACY OPERATIONS this is their handicap!

There should be a sense of ingenuity in the output that appeals to the prescriber and/or patient. This will create the winning horse (CLASSIC EXAMPLE: ELECTROLYTE ENERGY DRINK FOR Rx MARKET IN TETRA PAK PACKAGES). And the smart product ought to smartly fit into the overall operational paradigm of the company. The me-too market is big in pharma but very crowded and fierce-some. Smart products may or may not be in the me-too product market.

Hypothetical example:

Let us say, Sun Pharma is strong in the OBG and neuropsychiatry segments - and presume they have two options: (a) let us say Sun Pharma has a product for the mass GP market and (b) the have one more product for the critical care segment (which is also a specialty market).

Which product will Sun Pharma invest in (in the current market scenario)?

From the marketing angle the GP oriented product is definitely attractive, however, from the operational angle it is probably more sagacious for Sun Pharma to invest in the critical care segment oriented product. Chances of making it big in the critical care segment is better for Sun Pharma.

The above hypothetical discussion differentiates between operations and marketing based approaches.

Consider another hypothetical example:

Imagine Himalaya Drug Company, which has a powerful herbal based company image, now, what if they deviate from this herbal active based business and launch into allopathic anticancer range? After all the company has money, requisite pharma experience, good brand image, and the market too is attractive. Perhaps there is also marketing sense in this approach, however, is there operational wisdom in this move? That is the point between being marketing oriented and operations oriented.

OPERATIONAL SUCCESS VERSUS MARKETING SUCCESS: The Kingfisher and Indigo example

Today Kingfisher airlines is in deep deep debt and really in red. Whether this is management blunder or an artificially created crisis - one will never know. However, was it a great idea for Kingfisher beer brand to fly as the Kingfisher airlines - now this is easy to analyze and comment - since it is hindsight wisdom (!), but probably the top management mindset of Kingfisher airlines was not operationally tuned to succeed in the airline market.

Mr. Mallya is a good marketer but operations probably, was not his tastiest cup of tea, now this is just loud thinking - and hindsight wisdom (which is the easiest form of wisdom!).

On the other hand Indigo seems to have its operations recipe just right! INDIGO IS GREAT FOOD FOR THOUGHT: Is the success of Indigo a marketing success or operations success? Probably both (but mainly operational excellence at work!).

What about Kingfisher? The answer: a great marketing success, but A WORRISOME OPERATIONAL DISASTER.

Operations management is a very interesting discipline encompassing planning, product selection, product design, service design (since all product companies also have associated services), organizing, control and conversion process. Excellence in operations management, ensures organizational outputs that meet customer requirements at the lowest cost.

There was a time of hefty margins in the pharma business. One could launch me-too brands of generics with the maximum growth in the market without looking too much into operational aspects, the operational framework would develop according to the marketing requirements and results. However, now, creating operational infrastructure is costlier, competition is hot and margins are thinner. Price undercutting, competitive clutter, freebies, cash incentives and very aggressive bonus offers ... all these make the concept of marketability just one of the considerations. Operational rationale of a new product launch is critical and operational excellence is very important.

The roots of the operations structure of a company is in the DNA of the firm. For eg., Mankind played with a new operational structure, Mankind focused on outsourcing (rather than own manufacturing), processing, providing the product along with impelling services to the prospect prescribers - the value of the output was such that the output value helped create maximum market share and brand growth for Mankind. Zuventus, Mcleods, and Eris Lifesciences are also in this game.

The challenge ahead in pharma India is relooking at LEGACY OPERATIONS (which could be the Achilles heel) and creating OPERATIONAL EXCELLENCE ALONG WITH BEING MARKETING SAVVY. Operational aspects are as vital as marketing in the current scenario.

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Era of operations

Above image from here. The missing emphasis in many pharma companies is OPERATIONS. It is time to look at things anew - from the operations angle to regain the competitive edge!

In the dynamic field of pharmaceutical marketing, there have been distinct phases:

a) Upto the 1980s: it was production led marketing approach. Pharmaceutical companies vied with each other to offer quality products with a competitive fervour, and took pride in creating world class production facilities. However, slowly this backward integration was no more interesting in the clinic - nor did it lend any competitive edge ...

b) From the 1980s to late 1990s: there was a strong selling and marketing flavour in pharmaceutical company activities. The approach was to create a tantalizing bundle of satisfiers to target doctors and pharmacies, and this boosted sales and market share.

Now it is the era of operations in pharma...

With the rise of H & H, Mankind, Mcleods, Zuventus & Eris Lifesciences - who have burst onto the national pharma scenario - a new trend is on the rise. People think their success lies only on aggressive pricing, sales promotion (bonus offers) and customer relationship management (communication, sponsorships and freebies to doctors). The answer is yes and no to these points, yes - the above activities have mattered, yet there is more to their story ...

It is not just about manufacturing and quality, nor is it only about marketing, it is about these companies also having THE OPERATIONS EDGE, for competitive success.

What is operations?

Operations is about managing the operating core of organizations. It is about managing the activities related to creation, production, distribution and delivery of organizational goods and services (which matters a lot in pharma marketing). Operations management is using resources efficiently and meeting customer requirements effectively.

Operations is the process through which goods and services are created. It can be through self-owned factories or through third party manufacturing. It is interesting to note that Mankind and such other fast growing firms rely on third party manufacturing to a significant extent, the focus is on ultimately creating goods and services that satisfy wants of target audience. This emphasis has helped create a new energy in such firms and they are enjoying high growth thanks to their operations management, not just manufacturing, sales or marketing management alone.

Operations is defined as the process of changing inputs into outputs (goods + services) and thereby adding value to some entity; this constitutes the primary function of virtually every organization.

By focusing on operational excellence, fast growing pharma firms have laid emphasis on this primary function - hence they have gained lustre in the market. Operations can thus be understood as a conversion process. Operations converts resource inputs into useful outputs. The idea is to do it with least wastage ie., highest efficiency.

Operations produces goods or services in required quantities and of prescribed quality at a minimum cost - that has been the cachet of Mankind, Mcleods, Eris... To have operational excellence, the bedrock is planning. It includes product selection, process selection, facilities location, material handling systems, and capacity planning.

This is what such companies did. They went on investing only on those activities that yielded better market share and brand growth, verily, they succeeded through operations management rather than marketing or selling activity alone. Marketing focus of Mankind was a part of their overall operations management strategy. Today, Mcleods, Eris and such other companies are growing rapidly through their savvy operations management strategy. It is about keeping processes efficient, cost-effective, and yet meeting customer requirements ably.

CAVEAT: One may wonder whether above thoughts are random and without basis. As such, one can say the above thoughts are of a keen pharmaceutical practitioner and hands-on manager. However, it would definitely be nice if a deep management study of above companies is done by way of gathering data, analyzing their working and other parameters. Nevertheless, the plain truth is that such companies are growing fast, outbeating competition, and this cannot just come through plain marketing and selling (something that companies like Micro and such others should note) - it is the era of operational excellence now in pharma India!

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Hijacked in Varanasi

We pose in front of Kashi Vishwanathji temple

Waiting for the start of Ganga arati at Dashashmavedha ghat

The atmosphere is devout, peaceful and enchanting

The Ganga arati is a magical experience - the mood is ethereal!

At Varanasi a Govt. owned shop sells Bhang (a psychotropic substance), it is considered a substance favoured by Shiva

Our stall was the best! Our stall was admired by many in the crowd. Above: Dr. Medha Dongre - skin specialist, (wife of Dr. Kishore Patwardhan, Dr. Kishore is MD in Ayurveda and Ph D, this intelligent man is at BHU - Benaras Hindu University, and is doing very good in his career. In fact I had blogged about him, earlier - click here!) poses with her children at the first floor of our stall. Dr Kishore was off to Tokyo for a lecture series, so he could not see our stall.

The mysticism of Varanasi: A Yogi Baba with a foreign couple on the banks of Ganga at Dashasmavedha ghat (we were transfixed and watched them for about an hour at night)

The interesting yogis loved smoking ganja!

One of the most fascinating cities is Varanasi or Kasi or Benaras. The crowded lanes, the gullies, ghats and the dirty but holy river Ganga beside Varanasi was a memorable experience. Although it was biting cold at Varanasi - with stinky rooms to stay for our night, our AICOG 2012, Varanasi in-stall activity was nevertheless, truly memorable.

Our transactions with doctors was superb, the crowd of doctors was overall excellent - they were very academic, mature, sober and affectionate (perhaps because the place was Varanasi, a very high quality doctor crowd was attracted to Varanasi); our stall itself was a landmark one, and the night visits to temples of Kashi Vishwanath, Tulsidas, Sankat Mochan and early morning visit to Shri Kaalbhairav were elevating and sobering.

Kashi is a backward holy city. Yet there is something special - very special about the place. In spite of the awful stay facility and other backward features of Varanasi there is something special about the place, there is truly something very great - the vibrations are spiritual and elevating. Kashi is anachronistic.

Kashi is a place where you would want to go back again and again, alone and perhaps incognito. It is a place where you see life in reality - that life is ephemeral. People at Varanasi are quite simple, perhaps that is why corrupt politicians have looted them!

Today, it is the era of doctor in the pharmaceutical profession - this trend is very firmly rooted. Earlier was an era of the MR, since the MR's in-clinic activity was very vital for sales generation. However, it is the doctor who generates the sales today. There is a change in the ethics paradigm. To engineer sales:

a) offer personalized services

b) provide non-clinical services in exchange for sales (like insurance premium payment of doctors' children, payment of hostel fees of children studying medicine and whose parents are doctors, payment of electricity bills etc)

c) think of going beyond MR activity, today there is pressure on MRs to ensure gifting to doctors and exhaustion of budgets as planned!

d) development of intimate relations has become a necessity!

Hijacked!!

AICOG, PEDICON etc are all medical events that are hijacked! The medical men are no longer in control of these events. They are hijacked by pharmaceutical companies with their agendas, and event managers all eager to get a pool of doctors so they may profit from the setting. Event management companies block hotel rooms in thousands, pharma companies buy these rooms and mobilize doctors to visit the places, tourism is an added attraction for attendees ... the idea is to create an opportunity to oblige prescribers. For the 2013 Mumbai AICOG, Mercury Travels has already booked 2000 rooms and is in the process of blocking more rooms!! So if you want the rooms, don't contact the hotels, contact these middlemen! Even the organizing doctors ask you to contact the middlemen (I wonder why?!)!

Contrast this to the earlier days, where the medical personnel were in charge of such events, medical panel discussions were not the agenda of pharmaceutical companies ... and in-stall activity was the only commercial face of the event. Today, medical events are hijacked by other stakeholders, doctors are just actors playing their role on the platform created by the middlemen and pharma companies.

AICOG, Varanasi has the dubious distinction of attracting negative press in the Hindi daily Amar Ujala - Dr. Lalji Singh, VC of BHU was sad with the state of affairs - he thought it was a pure scientific event. The District Magistrate of Varanasi, too launched an investigation into the alleged acts of omission and commission by middlemen during AICOG, Varanasi.

Still... the AICOG, Varanasi event was an overall successful one for pharma marketers. It was great to promote to some of the very excellent doctors - the place attracted the best people in the OBG profession.

Recommended readings (books one must read before dying!):

1) Autobiography of a Yogi, by Paramahamsa Yogananda

2) Himalayan Masters, by Swami Rama

3) Apprenticed to a Himalayan Master, A Yogi's Autobiography by Sri M

4) Swami Vivekananda, A Biography by Swami Nikhilananda (Published by Ramakrishna Math)

5) A booklet: Powers of the Mind, by Swami Vivekananda (Published by Ramakrishna Math)

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Reflecting on the Pedicon 2012, Gurgaon experience

A foggy start to PEDICON 2012, Gurgaon

Sales is the outcome of many a factor. The conversion of goods to cash and the monies entering the cycle of production is a sequence of several steps. In the pharmaceutical profession, the standard thinking is: 'THE MR is the traditional demand creator. His efforts in presenting the product with its features, advantages and benefits - motivates the prescriber to offer the product(s) to his patients. The MR is a crucial link between the product and patient (through the prescriber, stockist and chemist)'.

Things started to change...

As the no. of manufacturers started increasing, mere salesmanship (regularity, detailing, sampling and communication elements) of the MR was not sufficient to produce sales results.

The paradigm shifted to other elements of the marketing mix: sales promotional offers (ie., bonus offers), site (credit) facility, packing innovations, flexible pricing, distribution management, other communication media and platforms.

Cartigen from Pharmed stormed the market solely on the strength of advertising in medical journals. Cipla retained its market share during field force unionism related problems through courier based marketing approaches.

There have also been changes in the in-clinic activities with the flow of time. Upto the 1970s, the accent was on scientific presentation of the brand with the help of communication aids and providing samples for triggering prescribing behavior. Next, with the advent of multi-brands of the same generic, the focus shifted on brand presentation, with less focus on scientific matters, the emphasis was on brand benefits and gifting practices.

The FIRST – MOVER advantage in gifting practices was also vital for successful companies. Those bold companies who first redefined ethics of pharma marketing, showered practitioners with gifts and deals for increased prescription share, got better sales outcomes. A classic case study is the growth of Himalay Drug Company, whose rise in the pharma firmament was through sophisticated clinical study literatures backed with high quantity gifting. Doctors would wait eagerly for the “gifted Himalaya MR”.

With a wider spread of such dealing and gifting practices including from companies like Aristo, Micro and Alkem, the other pharma companies also wizened up to the market practices and joined the gifting bandwagon.

Gifting and dealing helped empower the MR, so his involvement also increased; it helped the MR gain valuable bargaining power. So it was not the MR’s scientific expertise and communication skills that alone mattered, what became important was also his negotiating and follow-up ability to see through deals with prescribers and meeting demands of both the provider (his employer company) and the doctor.

Thus, in the 1980s to almost up to 2000 the growth of companies started on the platform of gifting and dealing: many an Indian firm gained through such strategies.

NOW IT IS THE ERA OF MAN-TO-MAN DEFENCE!

The sizzling growth of Mankind brought one more facet to the gifting and dealing practices. It was about doing the gifting and dealing more intensely, focusing on the core customer relationship management. Not all products had to be profitable, the overall company topline and bottomline (profits) only mattered.

Now, with the rise of Gujarat based Eris Lifesciences we are witnessing another historic event of pharma marketing. Eris is now the latest case study and is being talked about on the same lines as Mankind - about 5 years back. Micro, Eris, Alkem, Aristo, Zuventus, Mcleods, Intas … and such other companies are now operating in a predatory market. Each is vying with one another to snatch prescriptions for survival and growth.

Will it lead to marketing strain or will the learnings from Eris and such other companies create new marketing energy?

The fact is that the growing Indian pharma market has abundant potential. There are patients waiting to be diagnosed, there is more investment in medicare and healthcare with rise in incomes of people. There are a billion patients there! Each person is a patient one way or the other!! It is clear there is space for more Eris like companies.

In basketball, there is a strategy called man-to-man defence. Opposite team members stick to each other and battle it out for the ball. It is now the era of man-to-man defence in pharma marketing! It is about focusing intensely on a band of doctors and tight servicing, so that prescribed brands roll out in favour of the marketer - avoiding predatory efforts of competitor marketers. This is the era of intense marketing.

SALES comes from MR or doctor or other promotional items?

This leads us to the basic question: what is the influence of the MR on the process of sales generation in a company that has mapped doctors on its IT infrastructure? Is the MR’s presence generating the sale, or is it the gift or is it the sweet deal or is it the bonus offer (1 +1!) which has generated the sale? How do we rate each of the market demand creating factors? How do we allocate company resources to each of these factors?

The current marketing challenge is: how to relook at established marketing notions? What is the influence of each of the factor of marketing:

a) MR's scientific expertise and communication skill

b) MR's or customer service agent's negotiating ability to strike a deal
c) Bonus offer
d) Gift
e) Deal
f) Sponsorship to medical conferences
g) In-stall activity

For which brand and to what extent has each of above factor influenced the sale of the brand?

Each of above marketing factor has an influence on the selling process: the executive judgement is to understand which factor and to what extent does it influence the selling process?

The answers can be found. But what is required is an open mind! Also required is courage to face the market truths!

PEDICON 2012, GURGAON

The annual meet of paediatricians at Gurgaon was a good one – the cold and foggy weather did play spoilsport, reducing the expected no. of delegates. But it did not dampen the spirit of learning, connecting and marketing (through in-stall activity).

The rise of Eris Lifesciences who took over a strategic place (the central lawn) for their marketing activity was THE marketing fact of Pedicon 2012 event. Once again the rise of Eris shows how deep the pharma market of India is, and how necessity creates aggressive strategies for survival and growth. Each company has a DNA which is responsible for its presence in the market jungle. Marketing follows only Darwinism: survival of the fittest and most adaptable!

THERE ARE MORE ERIS LIKE COMPANIES WAITING TO BLOOM IN THE PHARMA MARKETING PLACE! Pedicon 2012 was a great marketing learning experience too!

At Pedicon 2012, it was inspiring to see young and upcoming doctors (who are no doubt commercially savvy) but also hungry for knowledge. It was also great to connect to doctors like Dr. Deepak of Shimoga (whom we met last Pedicon 2011 at Jaipur) who once again spoke on a frontier topic: Windows 7. The knowledge sessions had improved attendance by delegates and the sessions were well appreciated by attendees.

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Organizational reliability & customer satisfaction: two sides of the same coin

The above excellent image representing trust building was taken from here, where the blog writer elucidates on the importance of trust in day-to-day marketing activities.

The desire to achieve organizational success – which is defined, based on attainment of preset performance parameters - is what drives work in an organization. The top management personnel of any organization define the concept of success for their firm, set parameters of success and monitor progress towards this picture of success. This movement for success is from the point of view of employers and employees.

Now, the point to ponder: what is it that defines success of an organization from the customer’s and outsider’s point of view? Success may mean many things:

a) For a competitor salesman, the market share, movement of products in the market, market goodwill, stockist opinion of the company, customer comments and brand image are probably his parameters to measure the success of a competitor company
b) For a financial analyst, a firm’s sharevalue growth, profit margin, sales value, earning per share, future growth prospects, dividends offered and cash reserves are probably the measures of success
c) A person from the production field will surely be impressed with the technology of the machinery, plant layout, material flow systems and other operational aspects of the competitor firm.

So the moot point: is there a common denominator for defining success? From the above paragraph, success apparently means different things to different people.

NEVERTHELESS, THERE IS ONE WORD WHICH IS THE COMMON DENOMINATOR OF SUCCESS … IT IS:

RELIABILITY (or trust)

If you ask a superior why she regards a particular subordinate or colleague valuable, again the point that the superior will emphasize is RELIABILITY of the subordinate or peer or colleague! When a customer finds that the product or service of an enterprise is consistent in meeting expectations or requirements, then the firm is regarded as reliable by the customer. An employee has implicit and explicit expectations from the employer company, a firm that meets these employee expectations, will find the employer company reliable. So finally, reliability factor is what makes a firm (or even an individual) successful.

How to be reliable?

The first interesting aspect of reliability is that it is a moving target (what is defined as reliable now may not be the same tomorrow, since competition will set new standards. However, basic elements of performance will remain steady). When a Raymond’s fabric product is purchased, there is a certain expectation of quality, durability, look and feel of the fabric, from the purchaser. The day Raymond’s stops meeting this set of expectations, the firm loses the customer.

Reliability is thus about ‘being at it’! Understanding the performance expectations and meeting the same consistently. Reliability is a continuous operation; it is not a one-off process.

So are there any sutras or guidelines to build trust or reliability in an individual or organization? Reliability sutras are common for an individual personality or organizational personality. Let us explore the reliability sutras with respect to a MR:

1) The reliabile MR is one who shows up regularly! Consistent communication or messaging and being there, builds trust ie., reliability image.
2) Reliability is not built through big-ticket expenses; it is done through the small things (thoughtful activities on a day-to-day basis). A small thing like providing the required samples on a monthly basis to the target doctor, for personal use, will prove the MR more reliable than the boisterous and flashy competitor MR who lavishes the doctor with freebies and praises.
3) Promptness and the element of involvement with concern for the work on part of the employee or MR, is a feature that will build the picture of a reliable person.
4) Avoiding giving excuses: blaming on the season, or extraneous reasons for a negative development, passing-the-buck, may help a person get reprieve, however, this creates a cycle of working based on excuses and alibis, by the MR or employee, and this makes the MR create a sense of unreliability about him/herself.
5) Reliability is: ‘not crossing the line’. Maintaining the decorum in any relationship or at any setting creates a sense of reliability about the person.
6) The message of reliability is also put across in the dress, mannerisms, body language and communication of a person. A smart MR who regularly shows up clean shaven, with a tie and looking very presentable will surely have a better appeal of reliability.
7) Familiarity: is said to breed contempt. However, familiarity also creates a sense of reliability about a person. Familiarity also builds confidence. When Jane Goodall would study chimpanzees in forest settings, the first thing she would do was being still, simply observing and recording the proceedings. She would sit still for hours together in the forest setting near the chimpanzees. This helped Jane and the chimpanzees develop a bond of trust. The chimpanzees did not sense any threat from Jane. The cornerstone of Jane’s research success was reliability.
8) Skill set and relevant knowledge base: in a MR or employee is the core of creating reliability about a person or organization.
9) Empathy: is a quality that could have come in point no. 8 (skill set), however, it requires a special mention. The ability to empathize or imagine oneself in the other person’s shoes, will make the MR behave appropriately with the doctor/chemist, this will improve the reliability rating of the MR.

The same sutras seen above apply to organizations for achieving reliability. Consistent and regular communication, doing small things with promptness, being constructive, not giving excuses but having a dialogue and negotiating, being responsible, having requisite skill sets and knowledge management at the organizational level, and having organization-wide empathy - all these are fundamental sutras that drive reliability organization-wide.

An organization’s survival and growth depends on the image of reliability. The foundation of all organizational success is trust or reliability. Organizational reliability and customer satisfaction are verily the two sides of the same coin! A RELIABLE ORGANIZATION ACHIEVES CUSTOMER SATISFACTION!!

A firm has to be trusted or found reliable by customers and other associates, this is the end-point of all organizational processes (and also the requirement for individual success). Unreliable individuals or unreliable companies do not taste durable success.

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KALAM MAGIC

The name Dr. A P J Kalam conjures up an image of a scholarly person. And of a person of vision and dedication. However, it was also fascinating to observe his rock-star status among the youth, recently, at a function.

It was my good fortune to help play a role in organizing, do some brand promotion and participate at an event in a medical college. Dr. A P J Kalam was the chief guest at this function. Dr. Kalam’s down-to-earth attitude, humility, ability to strike a chord with the audience, scholarship, genuine concern, tone of a dedicated person … was all awe-inspiring. Dr. Kalam’s presence created an inspiring thrill amidst the gathering. Dr. Kalam, the scientist, administrator, policy maker, winner of all the top three civilian awards of India (ie., Padmabhushan, Padmavibhushan, and Bharat Ratna), past-President of India - comes across as a highly integrated personality. There is integration between his thoughts, words and deeds. And this last rare quality creates an aura that is ethereal.

SO WHAT DOES BRAND KALAM STAND FOR?

Brand builders and marketers have a lot to learn from Kalam - the brand persona. Standing aside and observing the crowd of listeners and Dr. Kalam - it was a lesson in marketing!

Brand Kalam is an attractive story teller: Brand marketers are alluring story tellers. The narrative is gripping. Brand marketers lure people towards their wares through their words. They promise brand benefits, build trust, grip the target audience, command their attention and inveigle brands into the lifestyle and verily into the thought construct of the target audience. Brand marketers are lifestyle modifiers. Brand Kalam started with the most arresting lines that made people listen with full attention:

Brand Kalam said: ‘Here I am addressing medical students in a college which is celebrating its silver jubilee. So what does that mean? It means that in the past 25 years, the earth has revolved round the sun 25 times – Shri Devaraj Urs Medical College (SDMC) has also revolved round the sun 25 years or 25 times!’

This very scientific opening to his talk was a superior attention getter. People listened to him with rapt attention! Kalam successfully commanded the attention of his target audience!

Brand Kalam is serious and dedicated to his target audience: Dr. A P J Kalam announced that he would read a speech prepared for the audience at SDMC. His Excellency then proceeded to read the title of his prepared speech (it was on medical practice and compassion). The fact that Dr. Kalam had prepared an exclusive speech for this event, this itself made the audience bond with the speaker. When a person says there is an exclusive speech for the audience, there is a lot of significance. It means that Dr. Kalam has given a lot of importance to the audience. It implies Dr. Kalam has dedicated his thoughts, energy and time for the audience in preparing for the event’s speech. That affirmation itself created enthue among the listeners.

Brand Kalam simplifies complexities: Brand Kalam has a keen sense of humour and ability to simplify complex issues. The lucid presentation gelled well with the target audience. Simplicity is the height of sophistication. Making things simple requires a person to go deep into the problem and understand. Dr. Kalam has excelled in the art of simplification.

Simple things have only one destiny: they succeed enormously. Think of all successful brands and products: iPad, electrolyte energy drinks in Tetra Pak package (in Indian pharma market), Wikipedia, google, coke … they make a simple promise, they offer convenience, they are simple, understood easily by target audience members, and they become a part of the lifestyle easily.

Brand Kalam is knowledgeable: The philosopher – saint of India, Swami Vivekananda, has said: Man’s search is not just for comforts, it is in fact for knowledge. When brands have a knowledge base and communicate insights, knowledge, wisdom, and information they gain the confidence of prospects and customers. Take any brand, they may be simple but they enjoy reliability or trust because the brand is backed by knowledge. Coke is a big brand: it has become big through the knowledge of customers and brand promotion based on this knowledge. Kalamji is a person of knowledge. He believes in knowledge absorption and dissemination. Kalamji speaks with tact and in a people or customer friendly way. The knowledge is not intimidating. It is packaged in a user-friendly manner. Knowledge is consumed easily when Dr. A P J Kalam speaks. Google is a big brand, this is because, google offers knowledge to seekers in a friendly approachable way. Knowledge makes a brand big, presenting knowledge with user-friendliness makes the brand bigger, this is why Brand Kalam is larger than life!

Brand Kalam is stern: Brand Kalam is not about being funny and humourous – it is seriousness with a sliver of humour. This makes Brand Kalam appealing. Brand Kalam is not boring, thanks to the anecdotes, humour, ready repartees and one-liners.

During the speech, Dr. A P J Kalam administered an oath for the medical students regarding ethics, and to focus on rural practice also. This was amazing. Brand Kalam was being stern when required; Brand Kalam made people adhere to a certain value system. Brand Kalam is about certain values, principles, ethics and a code of conduct. This makes Brand Kalam enduring.

The Bhagawad Gita is an enduring book of wisdom: the timeless values encased in this book makes the ‘song of the divine or Bhagawad Gita’ enduring. Values espoused and practiced by Kalamji make him an enduring brand. Values make a brand enduring.

Brand Kalam is purposeful: Brand Kalam is a brand with a mission, which is based on a vision. Kalamji is an empowering brand, so that as per Brand Kalamji’s vision, finally, India will emerge a developed country by 2020. This sense of purpose makes brand Kalam big. Brand Kalam inspires guides, provides a sense of direction to those who connect with the brand, empowers, satisfies, delights and gives hope for the future.

So the lesson for us brand marketers by observing Brand Kalam is here in a nutshell: Make the brand say an authentic story, make the story alluring, use excellent attention getters, be serious about your dedication to the target audience, simplify complexities, be elegant, ensure that the brand is a mine of knowledge and wisdom (for eg., Van Heusen shirts not only talk about the brand benefits, but the advertisements also present technicalities showing that the brand is knowledge based, this helps generate customer confidence), be stern when it comes to standing for certain core brand values and ensure that the brand has an integrated personality (the brand promise and brand performance should match).

End of article thoughts:

The development of totally drug resistant TB in certain cases here in India is a serious happening. The Govt. of India needs to relaunch a health awareness campaign on TB and its treatment with zeal.

There is an excellent article in Economic Times, 8.1.2012, page no. 18, on the importance of Vit. B₁₂ (cyanocobalamine). The article has highlighted that Vit. B₁₂deficiency, more common in vegetarians, leads to many debilitating diseases. It’s worth reading, I expect pharma companies to see a market gap here! Vit. B₁₂ prices – will shoot up due to increased demand in coming months?!

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WISH YOU ALL A HAPPY NEW YEAR 2012!!

Me @ 63rd IPC, Bangalore

The most favoured brand event for pharmacists, in fact, this 'event brand' is a legacy brand with a great emotional bonding for pharmacists, it is the INDIAN PHARMACEUTICAL CONGRESS (IPC). This annual event is a time to RELEARN, RECONNECT AND REINSPIRE. The IPC is held every Dec, this year's edition was at Bangalore (16.12.2011, 17.12.2011 and 18.12.2011). Bangalore is my place of stay since 1990 (when I came for studying M Pharma in Pharmacology at Govt. College of Pharmacy, Bangalore; I have come to Bangalore from Mysore my birthplace, Mysore is located 160 km from Bangalore; however, my family roots (ie., my parents' native place) are in Durga village, Karkala, Udupi district).

Naturally, the excitement level was very high since the IPC was making its presence in Bangalore almost after a decade.

Above: a long range view of the inaugural session

Our encouraging JMD

Thanks to the encouraging JMD of my employer company, our registrations to IPC were ensured and thanks to his support I could engage in useful relearning, reconnecting to my classmates and other acquaintances, and participate in the scientific session through a poster that I put up.

In above photo I pose before my scientific poster

In the above image I receive my certificate for poster presentation from Dr. Asha of Al Ameen College of Pharmacy, Bangalore who was the Chairperson of K series poster presentations (on pharmaceutical management)

The above is my certificate of the paper presentation (ie., scientific poster presentation)

My scientific poster was on THE LONG TAIL STRATEGY IN PHARMACEUTICAL INDUSTRY. Chris Anderson proposed a concept: companies are offering many unique products sold in smaller quantities along with major brands. This, he said, contributes to a boost of marketshare, ROI and profits. In my scientific poster, I have extrapolated this concept to the pharma industry. I observe that companies (particularly MNCs) in the absence of blockbuster brands, are adopting a strategy like the long tail strategy to enhance marketshare or achieving other corporate objectives.

In the above picture I am with my company and industry colleagues. The gentleman with blazer is Mr. S G Biligiri, VP - Technical in my company and

a prominent member of the local pharmaceutical community.

Mr. Biligiri was also an active person of the 63rd IPC's local organizing committee. It was fascinating to go around with Mr. S G Biligiri during the IPC event. With every two steps he took, three individuals would come up to greet him and talk to him! Such is his network!!

During the 63rd IPC, Bangalore I could also reconnect with dynamic Mr. Madhusudhan (third from reader's right, ie., next to me on my right side, the gentleman wearing suit, wedged between me and Mr. Biligiri).

Mr. Madhusudhan is one of the leaders of Karnataka pharma industry. When I was a pharma student in the late eighties and early nineties, Mr. Madhusudhan was very active in the pharma circles of Karnataka as a leader of the corporate world. I had represented Karnataka in the national pharma elocution contest, three times - during my final B Pharma, first M Pharma and second M Pharma, and during all these years, the person who used to motivate us students - and take special care of us was Shri Madhusudhan. Golden memories!! When I met him, after all these years, Shri Madhusudhan remembered me!!

I listened to his illuminating lecture, during the IPC, on 'data integrity and other manufacturing concepts as practiced in USA and India', (on 18.12.2011 at Cassia hall). Mr. Madhusudhan is currently based in USA.

During the inaugural session, the Chairperson of 63rd IPC, Bangalore, Mr. Subodh Priolkar, General Manager of Colorcon gave an outstanding talk on the growth prospects of the Indian Pharma Industry.

Later on, during the day, a talk by Ms. Aditi Kare Panandikar, Wholetime Director of Indoco Remedies, Mumbai, was riveting. Her professional commitment and scientific training was stark clear, this young professional was at her inspiring best. Her incisive analysis backed by hard data gave a precise view of the developing trends in Indian pharma, and the opportunity for new business models. Truly, she has a 360 degree view of the developing pharma business, and has kept herself abreast with the latest happenings of the pharma world.

By George, Dr. George Patani, Director, Inga Laboratories, Mumbai was at his oratorical best. The attention getter example in his presentation, of the legal definition of land was very striking. He went on to present his concerns and views in a persuasive way - such as the challenge on the pricing front faced by Indian pharma industry.

Both speakers highlighted that since outsourcing of pharmaceutical work was at every stage of the value chain (ie., CRAMS (contract research and manufacturing services)), Indian pharmaceutical industry was at the cusp of another exciting growth phase. This they have reiterated will demand well trained professionals...

Mr. Ganesh Nayak, the pharma leader from Zydus Cadila group, was at his authoritative best talking on strategies and business models available for pharma enterprises in today's context. Mr. Nayak presented his talk on 18.12.2011, however, I could not listen completely to the talk, since I had to be there along with my scientific poster too.

Dr. R B Smarta, a consultant spoke on an interesting concept of pharmacoeconomics. His talk was well illustrated with graphic elements. This emerging concept deals with pricing vis-a-vis therapeutic benefits offered, and consequently looking at the cost of therapy from a holistic angle.

Mr. K Kiranshankar, a veteran marketer of the pharma industry, spoke on the current status of the pharma market from the 4 Ps point of view: product, price, promotion and placement. It was a ringside view of a practicing marketing artiste!

A pleasant surprise was the speech by Dr. G Parthasarathi, Head - Pharmacy practice, my B Pharma alma mater. He has grown rich in stature today, a leader and academic expert. He has also edited a text book on pharmacy practice, which I plan to buy shortly! His talk was well received and made high impact in the audience.

Dr. B R Jagashetty, Drug Controller of Karnataka, also lent his majestic presence to the show.

Dr. Saranjit Singh, Dean, NIPER, Mohali gave a thrilling lecture on the level of impurities and their impact on exports. He gave exciting case studies on how a small change in level of impurities in a pharmaceutical formulation can become a barrier to selling in regulated markets!

All in all, the IPC was inspiring, all about learning sessions, and reconnecting. I would have liked to listen to all the lectures, but it wasn't possible to be everywhere at the same time! Moreover, visiting the Pharma Expo requires a lot of time! So time is/was a constraint.

The food and other arrangements were 'overall good'. IPC @ Bangalore was a memorable one!!

Good old memories!!

Above I am seen with Dr. K M Bhat Phd of QA dept., College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Manipal. Bhat was my B Pharma classmate and later on during my Bangalore years, he was my roommate . He went on to do PhD from Gujarat, and is now a well placed Associate Prof. at the above college, which is a few kms from his hometown! While I was submitting my scientific poster, he was an evaluator for another series of scientific posters at the 63rd IPC, Bangalore! It was nice connecting with him at IPC, after 18 years, although we have been in touch through e-mail and phone. We are seen (above) next to a table of vegetable carvings in the

dining hall during IPC.

Self with company colleagues at IPC, Bangalore (in above two photos)

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