Marketing is about expecting the
unexpected! When marketers dive into
creating value offerings, they confront one of the three situations:
a)
A
me-too crowded market
b)
A
me-too niche market
c)
A
novel market
The above image from here.
Each of these situations requires a
different marketing treatment!
When there is a novel product, it
entails market building effort. The
diffusion of innovation becomes a challenge.
Locating early adopters becomes the necessity. There are after all those doctors who look to
provide novelty in their practice. One
has to win the confidence of such trend setting doctors. Providing enough clinical experience and
trial data becomes the order of the day.
Such doctors are ready to risk new products in their practice, provided
they buffet their decision making practice, through hard and dependable
confidence building clinical evidence.
Doctors need to see beyond the jargon and obtain confidence through
pertinent scientific material. Other
conservative doctors prefer to hitch onto the novel product bandwagon only
after the product has shown its mettle over time.
A niche product has a narrow spectrum of
users. The number of prospects is
limited. Hence, a niche product is
focused through targeted marketing approaches.
For instance, a monoclonal antibody such as trastuzumab for Herceptin
positive breast cancer patients, is a totally niche product. Only highly qualified oncologists can recommend
the use of this product to appropriate patients.
Entering a larger crowded me-too pharma product
market is a different cup of tea! To
gain even a small market share and hit breakeven is a challenge to such a
product manager or mini marketing manager.
To make a mark through the me-too product, the communication mix becomes
handy in providing messaging differentiation and gain mindshare of potential
prescribers.
The communication mix includes:
a) Packaging
and labelling – with some novelty (even simple 3 D printing innovation with
spot UV lamination on the pack, perhaps on the brand logo, can act as an
impelling point to make the prescription decision)
b) Personnel
selling by trained MRs who can create attention value through attention
grabbing talking points. A related point
is unique set of in-clinic activities supported by creative collaterals, which will
work to help gain mindshare
c)
Sales
promotion (aka bonus offers and bundled gifts to pharmacies or dispensing
doctors)
d)
Advertisements
to indulge in messaging in a non-obtrusive manner, yet effectively achieving
brand registration and brand recall (eg., mobile based permission sms
messaging, permission email messaging, product website, banner advertisements
in therapy oriented web properties, social media viral marketing approaches, strategically
placed medical journal advertising, mailer advertising (enclosing simple
utility items for engagement, eg., pens), “influencing the influencer through
other personal influencers” mailers (eg., sending interesting appeals through
mailers to wives of doctors or parents of doctors), courier mailing of samples
to doctors, and patients on recommendation of doctors, patient education
material mailers to consumers, phone marketing through call centres etc.
e) Publicity
through CMEs, medical journal articles and other media articles, e-articles for
surrogate word-of-mouth of the focused me-too brand
It is not possible to ride only on the
winds of niche products and novel products, a large market is me-too products
of proven moieties. It is better to
understand this reality and penetrate the me-too marketing through awesome
communication mix.
Ribonyl: the azalide antibiotic with
better patient compliance
Ribonyl is the brand name of
azithromycin, a macrolide antibiotic or antibacterial. The idea was to develop messages that are
differentiated and will provide a cachet to the brand.
Brand name potency: Ribonyl comes from
the word ribosome (protein factories of cells).
Azithromycin acts as an antibiotic or antibacterial by disrupting or disturbing
protein synthesis on the 50 S (S = Svedberg unit) ribosomal subunit of susceptible
bacteria. Azithromycin halts protein
synthesis through preventing action of peptidyl transferase, this enzyme is
involved in attaching appropriate amino acid to the growing polypeptide chain
on the 50 S ribosomal unit. This way
azithromycin provides bacteriostatic effect, and bacterial population stops
growing, WBCs find it easier to exert phagocytic activity on these weakened
pathogenic bacterial colonies. Hence,
the new brand of azithromycin is named Ribonyl, which has vigorous brand name
potency. (Note: the main competitor
brands of azithromycin have brand names such as Azee, Azithral, Azimax, Aziwok,
Azibact, ATM and so on).
The very name Ribonyl is attractive, scientific;
explaining the name itself gives some time to engage the doctor, and
compellingly offers an off-beat name and prescription secrecy.
Brand positioning statement: the azalide
antibiotic with better patient compliance.
Azithromycin belongs to the azalide
sub-class in the chemical class of macrolide antibiotics. By bringing out this fact the word azalide
has additional attention catching potential.
It is all about riveting the mind of the potential prescriber to the
brand name and registering the brand name.
The other brand positioning statement: ‘the
triple benefit antibacterial’ brings out the three cardinal benefits of
azithromycin:
a)
Broad
spectrum of action
b)
Convenient
dosing (once a day)
c)
Patient
compliance
The above are placed in the three sides
of triangle brand logo in visual aid and communication literature.
Talking points for Ribonyl: it is
essential to build a professional story through some off-the-routine talking
points. A repertoire of talking points
was built for use in appropriate printed material:
a) Ribonyl
is effective against pathogenic typical bacteria (Gram positive and Gram
negative) and Atypical bacteria. Typical
bacteria are those which are easily stained through Gram staining
technique. Atypical bacteria are those
that are not easily or can’t be stained through Gram staining. Azithromycin is active against atypical
bacteria such as Chlamydia trachomatis and Mycoplasma pneumoniae. Hence, a talking point generated was Ribonyl
is effective against pathogenic typical and atypical bacteria. This not only highlighted the unique aspect
of Ribonyl, it also served to register the brand among prescribers
b) Ribonyl
is not affected by beta lactamase. The
latter is an enzyme produced by resistant bacteria and renders beta lactam
antibiotics (such as penicillins, cephalosporins, monobactams and penems)
ineffective. Since Ribonyl does not have
a beta lactam ring, it is not broken down by beta lactamase, Ribonyl is
potentially active against beta lactamase producing bacteria as monotherapy or
in combination. This point was also a
cachet for Ribonyl
c) Ribonyl
concentrates on phagocytes, and is carried to infected tissues, where it
achieves manifold higher concentration compared to plasma
d)
Ribonyl
has short duration of therapy, high compliance (due to once-a-day therapy, in normal
cases) and is cost effective.
The above four main talking points were
used for brand building communication in various printed material and while
presenting Ribonyl to potential doctors.
The foundation of uniqueness in Ribonyl branding
and presentation has provided robustness for its success journey.
In pharma marketing, brands form a
preferred approach for gaining business.
By making novel presentations, marketers can create the unexpected and
gain mindshare of potential prescribers.
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