Food for thought I

"It's about what we do for society, about how we build that social license, how we remember that the value we add back to society is what allows us to operate."E. Neville Isdell, Chairman and CEO, The Coca-Cola Company; Co-Chair, World Economic Forum on East Asia

Powerful and inspiring statement from a business maestro.

Food for thought: If the beverage industry can profess itself to be civic-minded and sentimental, why not pharma? for certainly, there is a more tangible link of direct benefits between pharma products and the result on the enduser than sweetened, fizzy drinks, no?

Tongue-in-cheek: 10 commandments for drug reps

1. Do NOT leave the office later than 10.30

2. Do NOT wait until closing day for your sales manager to chase you for the month-end projection

3. Do NOT covet the incentives of your colleagues from other teams

4. DO NOT disregard the SAPI code (sleep, eat, breath, s**t compliance)

5. Love your competitors

6. Honour your product managers even if you think they are crap

7. Do not give your sales managers a weak projection even if you have loaded your clinics with 3years worth of stocks

8. Make sure your car is visible in the hospital's carpark even if you are physically not

9. Do NOT give lame excuses on why you have not reported on yesterday's calls

10. Do NOT yawn/fall asleep/roll your eyes/ask intelligent questions/talk to your neighbour/deface the cycle materials when the bosses are presenting at the cycle meeting.

PR case study- Beyond media relations (Novartis)

Novartis Institute of tropical diseases
www.nitd.novartis.com/


The dengue epidemic is headlining all the dailies and news station for weeks now. it has reached somewhat of an alarming level. Not since SARS have we seen the MOH, NEA and the government taking such rigorous measures to contain the disease which seem to be worsening by the day.

Public education of prevention and treatment is also at its all-time high. I even see photocopies of news articles pasted all over my residential compound reminding us to take special care to prevent the breeding of the darned mozzies. I've received a rather thick package of what i believe (i kinda threw it away without reading) to be similar information in my mailbox sent out by the NEA, there are TVCs, radio announcements, and all forms of public disbursments related to this problem.

If you had bothered to read beyond skimming through the news, you'd have noticed that everytime an expert opinion is sought and quoted, besides the spokesmen for the authorities, the 'dengue experts' tend to be from the Novartis Institute of tropical diseases.

Set up as a public-private partnership with EDB, the NITD focuses on finding new drugs for tropical diseases and have set their sights on dengue and tuberculosis research. so far, they have some publications to show for its efforts, although there hasn't been any significant breakthroughs yet, it is said that a vaccine is on the horizon.

well, if there is a company i would like to be employed with right now, its got to be Novartis. i mean, who wouldn't like to be associated with a hero? I'm sure that when it planned the NITD as a corporate citizenship project, building a positive company image was a top priority.

With all the bad rep that pharma worldwide is getting, it does make perfect sense to portray oneself as a 'caring', 'give-back-to-the-society' pharma. it is a definitive differentiating factor across the industry. although most other companies have tried to employ such tactics, it is often too contrived and consumers are apt at detecting hypocrisy.

so what you may ask? that's a global initiative, not that it would have any bearings on the local business side of things. but i beg to differ. positive consumer sentiments is not easy to achieve. it may be opportunistic PR, but the amazing goodwill that has been generated is not to be scoffed at. as of now, almost every singaporean (who reads the news- i know plenty in pharma that don't!) will know of Novartis as the company that invests heavily into R&D and are experts on diseases that matters in this part of the world, and this could include doctors who may prescribe other novartis' products.

thing is, the NITD has now become a leading authority on dengue and would have the ability to influence policy making pertaining to the disease. and if a vaccine should avail some time soon, NITD would have scored on both commercial and PR fronts!

Most local pharmas engage PR agencies as part of their marketing campaigns (tends to be brand specific) and usually requests for as much media hits as possible. this forms the bread and butter of the firms and they are quite able to deliver on it. however, if i am going to be spend a good portion of my a&p in PR, i would write my own press releases to maximise my budget and exploit their competence to consult them beyond media relations (what is it? i may blog but i don't give out free advise!) PR now has evolved beyond the media to become an essential business tool, its about time pharma evolves from its old-skool form of marketing too.

Sex, drugs and rock and roll

Yesterday over lunch, my friend who also happens to be a sales manager in a pharma firm was grousing to me about 'reps these days'.

she'd observed in a recent party, hosted by a high-profile GP during which he'd invited many pharma reps to his clinic, that almost all of them had brought alcoholic drinks (SAPI-are you listening?) and later went on to shamelessly solicit for business during the continous rounds of drinking. When the GP asked them to drink up, they'd audaciously agreed on condition that sales of a minimum of 100boxes of whatever they are touting will precede.

this sales manager also noted that most of these reps belong to big, established companies and consisted mostly of young, attractive female reps who are not hesistant in flanking the sides of the GP to get his attention amidst the din of the revelry (and debauchery some might add)

so what exactly is it that had incurred her disapproval i queried.

it's the absolute inappropriateness of everything. from the alchohol, to the open solicitation for sales, to the tight white tops the girls were wearing, she adds. since when did we ever had to resort to such overt sexuality to peddle our drugs in the past!? she heaves.

maybe times have changed? perhaps we have become, gasp- old? as for using sex appeal to sell... i do feel that a teeny dose of sex appeal in a subtle manner may enhance the selling process if it is able to get a customer to become more receptive towards a rep. let's face it, the world is full of sexual overtones and sales people in particular, are acutely aware of this, some industries, like banking, have taken full advantage of it to great success, and if one can harness and package it in a sophisticated manner to achieve their end objectives, why not?

however, i do agree that in pharma, an ethical (or percieved) disposition is important. this is because we are dealing with products that is meant to extend and enhance human lives. to embark on a less respectable way of selling would be trivialising this greater purpose.

with millions, billions of dollars poured into providing sales support with clinical trials, adequate marketing and improved processes, it is unnecessary, seemingly wrong even, to consider a need to resort to less savoury methods.

Sure, market is tough, and getting increasingly so. government reimbursements are limited and contentious, lack of product innovations, NCEs are having difficulty getting from bench to bed, reduced consumer confidence in pharma, escalating costs and decreased yield. but with such challenges facing the industry, shouldn't it be bracing together to create a new identity which can propel it into a new era of consumer confidence through ethical r&d, public/patient education, social responsibilty programs, etc

As marketers, we must be careful to ensure that lever spends are being put to greater use than in excessive wining and dining. and if need be, to enforce compliant entertainment practices that is consistent with the brand equity and protective of the corporate image.

And for the less-clued in rep, do give some thoughts to the kind of image you'll like to project and retain in the customer's impression. self-respect and restraint does more good for the soul than incentives can. and if the latter is so important, perhaps you should consider a sales career outside of pharma. the meagre incentives in pharma are hardly worth tolerating the humble doctors' bad jokes, tantrums or idiosynracies

Tongue-in-cheek- Doctors... make yourselves useful

Amongst the various stakeholders who exists in the pharmaceutical industry, doctors are undeniably the single most important. without doctors, there can be no pharma.

Pharma and doctors share a highly ambivalent relationship. pharma represents commercialization and profits, while doctors are synonymous with ethical and moral impartiality. but the reality always tend to lie in the grey between black and white.

Doctors rely on pharmas to provide educational grants and financial support towards research in the pursuit of clinical exellence while pharmas are dependent on doctors to prescribe and endorse their products. How these objectives are achieved by either parties are sometimes not as straightforward as it appears. One thing, however, is certain. the two are unable to exist without each other. whether anyone like it or not, it is a perfectly symbiotic relationship.

In this industry, client servicing is arguably the most critical element in ensuring positive sales output. doctors are a diverse bunch and reps are often very adept at profiling and dealing with them.

Some companies employ complex programs in the profiling of doctors, but i prefer to liken them to common household items:

The Sponge- You know this type, the one who will graciously open the door to his office to you, engage in friendly banter and flashing his wide grin throughout the sales call. Just as you are about to let your guard down, he asks if your company is taking anyone ( meaning him) to so-and-so conference in europe this year. every visit will be followed by a request (suck, suck, suck) for a regional sponsorship, lunch, golf game, printing of his clinic namecard, new stethescope, all your samples, pens, your lunch box...

Leaky tap- usually a GP during his lull period. before you have the chance to introduce yourself, he will be showing you around his empty, barren clinic, lamenting about the bad economy, inflation, high rental/overheads, poor patient load, etc. His sob stories are so excrutiatingly painful that you'll end up buying a bottle of vitamins/milk powder/wound dressing from him so that he'll let you off.

The Kettle- there is bound to be one in every product's KOL list. this demanding doctor needs plenty of attention that you have to keep watch 24/7 over him. he has such a low boiling point that he is constantly blowing steam. and when u do not react in time to switch off the antagonizing factor, you will be sure he will be making hellava lot of noise.

The Dettol- tends to be a specialist practising in a public hospital. may be a policy maker or has high influence level in the hospital. has a purist streak that causes him to drone on and on about the importance of evidence-base-medicine, shooting off references from clinical trials, clinical guidelines, etc. craves to be perceived as a academic and will often adopt a moral high ground when dealing with pharma whom he considers as a toxic contaminant to be eradicated.

The Crystal Ware- reps require special prior approval from the bosses before taking this doctor out for a simple lunch. for this high-maintenance doctor, there is NO simple lunches. most of their clinics are located at Mt Elizabeth and the favourite place du jour is iggys at regent or tatsuya at crown prince hotel. no meal is complete without a 1978 vintage bordeux or a nicely brewed sake. don't even think of getting a glimpse of this doctor if your A&P is not within the top 10.

The toothpaste (aka squeezer)- ahhh...i shan't go on. we are all pretty familiar with this one.

The search for innovation

Big players in infocomm

Wonder if they'll ever introduce sexily-clad models in medical conferences?

If you haven't been living in Timbuktu, you'd known that Singapore is playing host to the mother of all infocomm convention in this part of the world this week. I made a brief trip down to the expo just to busk in the exhilarating air of innovation and rapid advancement (albeit in the technological -ahem?? field)

For a regional event, describing it as massive seems to be an understatement, it is goliath, more impressive than most of the international medical conferences that i have attended. And this is merely for the expo, i did not register for the lectures.

If pharma is a trillion-dollar industry as quoted by oprah winfrey, then infocomm must be a mega-hexa-bazookazillion dollar industry. As i walked around the booths, i smell money, an obscene amount at that! What intrigued me most was that many companies (no small players) are offering their products and services for free! it is absolutely mind-boggling. i wonder about the invisible revenue streams and if i'm missing out something that these tech geeks have sussed out.

before i proceed, let me clarify that i am not posting in the wrong blog, i have not digressed to a non-related industry. my attendance at communicasia was to learn about the ever-evolving and highly morphological industry who is always at the forefront of things. While it is important to keep abreast of clinical and scientific information, one must be able to spot trends in an increasingly-converging world. and infocomm plays a big role in the current and progressive future of healthcare. http://www.ida.gov.sg/Infocomm%20Adoption/20060406150532.aspx

have i gleaned anything useful? plenty, but i'm not about to go into details with the techy stuff. instead, i gathered some perspective (which are always useful) about how disparate pharma is from the rest of the other industry. And even within the industry, how dissimilar pharma marketing is across the globe.

for you see, in pharma, things are pretty mundane and predictable. our product offering (drugs, devices, nutritionals, supplements, etc) business models, sales channels have remained the same since civilisation began trading. with the immense amount of governance the industry is subjected to, hardly anyone dares to challenge conventions. this in turns, stifle business innovations and marketing creativity.

This fact is even more glaring in Singapore, unlike US, where DTC promotions are permitted. Without the advertising portion, how then do the PMs spend their A&P? sponsorships (primarily, in various facades), marketing collaterals, samples, sales incentives, etc. Big YAWN for the consumer marketer.

It would be convenient to blame tight compliance for the lack of brilliant ideas, but surely a good marketer should be at the forefront of trends to understand market dynamics and identify opportunities. Looking around, you'll spot the typical PM spouting endlessly of strategies but when it comes to executions, they consider a trip out to the field as gathering market intelligence and holding a CME as action superieur.

Its about time too, that this industry sheds the grossly inadequate title of product managers in this age when IMC is being embraced if they expect their effectual outputs to include the rest of the 6 P's.

Brand Planning I- Tis' the season...

Mid year. Its the time of the year again... brand planning season for most companies.

Late nights in the office, meetings after meetings of brainstorming and strategizing, phone calls overseas afiliates to gather last minute information and tips, video conferences with bosses on key deliverables, rushing to complete the slidedeck, dry runs after dry runs with the direct report, making harried changes to the final marketing plan and with bated breath (some fingers crossed) preparing for the main presentation to the management team.

Typically, this is the most dreaded time of the year for the average PM. having to slog through at least 2months from initial planning to the roll out during a cycle meeting. What the sales team gets to see during the kickoff meetings are usually far from the primary plan. It would have already been through a series of information gathering, thorough analysis, assumptions and projections, many layers of changes and approvals before the plan is deemed refined enough for execution.

But if you think the PM's life is tough, consider the marketing managers' torment, of having to sift through tons and tons of rubbish masquerading as strategies. (of cos this is not entirely true, there are some marketing managers who can't tell the difference too!) this is also the time whence the marketer gets to prove their mettle, but sadly, most plans remain generic, even textbookish! strategies are usually weak and tactics unoriginal and uncreative. (There are brilliant exceptions of cos' but they don't make for very good blogging. I'm referring to the crappy majority which we can all identify with.)

There are hardly enough given to market analysis and vision in spotting trends and opportunities are sadly lacking. Assumptions are usually made intuitively rather than analytically. Most marketing plans are cut-and-paste versions of the old, expansion of the globally provided long-range plan or rip-offs from other brand plans.

organizations should set some kind of expectations in place. to have a check measure to ensure that their marketers fulfil the minimum competencies and skills, but importantly (and sadly overlooked), to possess critical reasoning that is essential for delivering the best results.

Regional Integration- at what cost?

Take a look at the business cards that you've received recently and you'll notice that quite a number of companies would have SIN/MAL+/-INDO/BRU following the title. Regional integration have become commonplace, with SIN/MAL being the most prevalent.

Integration surely has its advantages, most regional offices would have researched and studied widely into its feasibility before embarking on such an approach. Having been implemented into so many companies just goes to show that the pros probably outweighs the cons.

Detractors may argue that the markets are vastly different, in terms of product mix, pricing due to currency differences, LCM, etc. But the underlying impetus for such a integration is cost, the need to reduce cost comes at a time when the global pharma industry is facing increasing challenges and a relativey dry pipeline. Merging countries that are geographically, culturally and commercially similar (identical is an impossibility) does make excellent business sense.

The difficulty lies not in the integration process. (this is afterall a top down initiative) but rather, the development of a viable business model that is able to transcend any potential differences, form operative synergies and complement the styles of the various countries.

Many organizations have attempted and others exploring. Depending on the objectives set, these organizations have seen varying levels of success measured in terms of overall cost reduction. Some companes adopt a SBU model, one company makes its senior managers travel between the countries, another company makes its marketers cover two countries. Ultimately whatever approach the management decides to implement, it should give serious considerations about how the integration is going to impact the existing business and workforce. Some amount of analysis would be useful in determining if whatever cost reductions would be significant and sustainable.

Most importantly, my personal mantra is "if it ain't broke, why fix it?" if an organization is already running on a cost-effective model and productivity is optimized, meeting projected profits with minimal spend, following best practice guidelines, why go through all the hassle?

Take one large pharma for eg. a couple of years ago, this company saw a couple of new product launches which yielded grand profits and staff motivation was an all time high. When the company announced a merger with MAL, the GM equivalent was reassigned, almost all the product managerial positions went to MAL candidates, a couple of SIN PMs retained their jobs but are required to cover both countries, some PMs were demoted to reps. The marketing dept were made to report to the Marketing director in MAL while the local director was given another regional posting. The sales were relatively unaffected. Almost overnight, staff morale plummeted. While there weren't any noticeable job cuts, the indications were clear. career development is limited. besides competing locally, the talent pool has just gotten wider and its obvious MAL calls the shots. Existing managers who kept their jobs were penalised by having to work harder, to learn about another market, devise strategies and cope with the demands and pressures of new bosses.

What followed was an exodus of some of its brightest talents, weak sales, loss of market share and poor customer relations. 2 years on, the split of operations finally occured. Much to the delight of many still in the company, the damage persists. the company may have regained its momentum in the sales of its products, but in terms of its HRM, it has failed miserably. the original strong team of marketers have now been reduced to a group of quickly promoted and inexperienced reps who may not have the strong market insights necessary to manage a successful brand. i lament the unrealised potential of some of its megabrands and wonder if it would ever recover from a bad case of integrative mismanagement.

My point is. Singapore may be a small market, but it is still a highly individualised market with its own regulatory authorities, healthcare system and policies. DO what is best for the individual setups first before considering integration. The true cost to the company may not only be in dollar and cents.

Another bites the dust

Pharma's big brother, FDA yesterday released the recommendations of its endocrinologic and metabolic advisory board who met to ascertain the safety of Sanofi's Acomplia. The panel of 14 experts have unanimously given Acomplia a shake of the head due to increased suidical rates observed in its clinical trials. (http://money.cnn.com/2007/06/13/news/companies/sanofi/index.htm) While the fate of this once-highly-touted-to-be-the-next-blockbuster drug now hinges on FDA's final decision on its approval, the ground seems to be fast sinking from beneath Sanofi's feet.

Although it is already available in Europe and few other countries, Singapore's HSA usually looks towards FDA before reviewing any products for local approval. this turn of event is bound to implicate the approval process locally.

Besides the tedious reanalysis of the NCE's projections, etc, etc. any company caught in a similar situation would be fumbling with issuing corporate statements and internalizing communications. while most non-approvals tend to affect the immediate share prices rather than the ongoing business, it is still a hassle to deal with.

After the Vioxx incident, FDA has certainly tightened its regulatory reins, this has resulted in many pharmas having to delay new product launches/ indications to produce more data. most big pharmas have experienced at least one major setback in the aftermath. AZ chucked the very promising warfarin-substitute, Exanta, after FDA's failed approval despite usage in most parts of Europe. Pfizer quickly released Torcetrapib without even attempting a FDA approval. BMS's muraglitazar was meant to be the first DualPPAR alpha-gamma ligand which at its late stage, was shoved down the bin by its maker and supposed partner, MSD.

Needless to say, non of these drugs made it to our sunny island.

I often question why local companies would commence their pre-marketing activities so prematurely. Surely, the agonising difficulty in having to salvage the companies' image to the customers after building up such excited levels of anticipation amongst them is deterrent enough. but i still see companies hosting extravagant dinners and sponsoring offsite meetings to pre-empt the impending arrival of the so-called blockbuster. more importantly, instead of counting your chicks before they hatch, shouldn't the marketers be more involved in the strategic planning and determining best forms of market access instead of singing about how the new cure-all compound would finally bridge the unmet medical need...

I have little sympathies for these PMs who will may now have to face the uncertain fate of handling a less glamourous product (best case scenario) alternately, the company may just reassign them to cover SFE until the next pipeline dream comes along.

Tongue-in-cheek- It's a jungle out there

Drug reps. What will the pharma industry be without them? Indeed, with the strict regulations and restrictions imposed on the promotion of ethical products, personal selling remains the most fundamental of the promotional mix. This industry is awash with drug reps, all tasked with the very important responsibility of conveying marketing messages to the customers (mainly doctors) while marketers pray that they stay as close to the original intentions as possible.

Pharma reps are often one of the highest cost on the corporate balance sheet, and this may explain why management would want to look into maximising their output by means of SFE (see previous post) however, pharmas are still very reliant on this form of selling approach as it is perceived to be the best form of CRM (although i beg to differ- that will be a different story altogether). Well, if anything, i think drug reps do bring alot of personality and identities to the companies who employs them.

And while they are often supposed to be out ploughing the field (that's what the market is called) i think it is more reminiscent of a jungle. And here are the various types of animals that you will associate with. (although most reps would often possess a combination of traits):

The werewolf: you will only get to see this rep during a full moon (ie closing day) the rest of the time, its a complete mystery where s/he would've been. This rep would completely vanish once the budget is achieved, otherwise, it would be lurking around the clinics searching for any scraps of sales that would sustain it till next month.

The grasshopper: This rep will be handing you a business card from so-and-so company this minute and another company the next. In this industry, it is hardly surprising to see reps playing merry-go-round-and-round-and-round...

The elephant: it is not difficult to spot this rep from afar. s/he will be clambering along with huge branded (of specific product of cos!) paper bags stuff full of product gimmicks and/or candy bars/chocolates/other goodies (often with a product sticker stuck over it- tsk tsk) towards the doctors' offices. There the rep will unload all the loot gained from the PM with great delight onto the poor doctor. you would know that an elephant had just been to the physicians' office when you see piles of rubbish (likened to spam) pouring out of the doctors' pigeon holes

The peacock: Usually a new-comer to the industry. tends to strut around with minimal trade tools (detailing aids, clinical papers, samples, etc) Armed with a BSc (hons), law degree (no kiddin') or a staff nurse registration (not jokin') they consider their superior intellect to be best when dealing with just a regular bunch of doctors. their conceitedness would more often than not (except for the SRNs) guarantee a short stint in pharma

The orang-utans (plural): note that this group of reps cannot exist in isolation. you will see them congregated for a time of social gathering throughout the day. their usual hangouts are Ikea (alexandra), great world city, paragon, lucky plaza. the close proximity to various hospitals really helps!

The cow: tends to be a senior or experienced rep who knows when to work the field and how to deflect the heat from management by always being able to deliver the goods. however, this hard/ smart worker will find him/herself being milked (with little chance of career advancement) till the day it is led to the abbatoir

The dolphin: aka the sweet young thing. perhaps the most nauseating of the lot. one particular company has the reputation of employing this genre of reps presuming perhaps that doctors are really a bunch of lecherous fools. the dolphin goes around acting cute and bimbotic all the time, flirting, powdering her nose while whining to the doctor about how slowly her drug is moving, thinking that her good looks will keep the scripts going. i think NOT!

The fly: as the name suggests. this rep simply will not go away. s/he will hassle the doctor or purchaser (especially on closing day) with all the tactics under the roof (buy kueh kueh, run errands, walk the dog, do data entry, and when all else fails, beg beg beg) just to meet the target. Its pathetic, but management don't really care as long as they bring in the sales.

Tongue-in-cheek- Pharma 101

Non-industry people tend to have a very macro view of the pharma industry. Just the other day, my hairstylist called me up and asked if i will be popping by for a haircut anytime soon and that she has an important issue to consult me about. Imagine my dismay when she takes out a bottle of herbal remedy,(readily available in the pseudo medicinal section beside the toiletries in watsons i'm pretty sure) and asked if i am able to procure a few bottles for her on the cheap. "It's really great for my joints" i quote her.

It's difficult to explain to the layman why is it that, although we are selling drugs, we don't actually 'sell' drugs. A couple of misconceptions that i often find myself having to explain:

1. Herbal remedies, mushrooms and other icky animal parts are NOT typical pharma products

2. Drugs can only be dispensed with prescriptions
3. Only doctors are able to prescribe and/or sell drugs
4. Drug companies only market and promote the drugs and do not do any direct selling, which is done through a distributor
5. You do NOT need a prescription to purchase herbal remedies, mushrooms and other icky animal parts.

On the campaign trail- Part II

Over the weekend, Wyeth's Prevenar held its inaugural PAW walk at Bishan Park. I'd picked up the flyer at my child's music school. I'd almost decided that it may be nice to take my child for a stroll in the park, afterall there aren't many outdoor events organized for babies and toddlers (so what if i may be assaulted with messages telling me about the ills of pneumoccal infections, how vaccination is finally able to help, blah blah..), until i realised that it starts way too early in the morning.

Admittedly Prevenar has mananged to run an excellent post-launch DTC campaign, it has all the hallmarks as far as outbound marketing is concerned, the right segments were targetted effectively, well defined value proposition, great promotional mix, clear and consistent PR and communications.

As a consumer (my kid got vaccinated even before it was listed in most of the institutions), my first exposure to Prevenar was from a TVC of a poignant cartoon clip which told of a child suffering from the aftermath of a pneumoccocal infection. thereafter, i started seeing similar toned ads in the dailies, parenting magazines, and other below-the-line media.

When my doctor told me there's a new vaccine in town (besides Rotarix-which GSK didn't seem as keen on aggressive promotion), i'd already known all about Prevenar and its indications. I have no need for the glossy brochure he handed me detailing the benefits of the vaccine.

It would all have ended there, after all AIDA had been satisfied, and the company would've pocketed a neat profit. but Wyeth ploughed on, i continued to read (although by now, i merely skim through) about the various manifestations of pneumoccocal diseases, causes, treatment, prevention, etc, etc from Mind Your Body and other heavyweights in healthcare publications. Any dissonance, should i have it, would have totally sublimated by now.

Soon these messages started appearing in numerous popular local websites. nevermind that not all of them are parenting nor healthcare sites. the very wide penetration and prevalence of using internet media is for the first time being seen in a pharmaceutical product. While other brands have created internet sites for disease education, etc, Prevenar is using e-marketing as an advertising tool for a wider reach.

This is especially so when they were publicizing the PAW walk. I am sure the media vehicle had swung into action, everywhere i turn, i see a (e-) brouchure in the GP/specialist/hospital clinics, .com and even .gov sites, dailies, trades, the list goes on.

The repetition has gone to me. I soon found myself sharing Prevenar information with other parents. I have become the ideal consumer.

Sure, other pharma brands have used internet marketing, public relations and creative communications before. but what makes Prevenar stands out is that it has managed to keep its IMC tight and seamless. While most other brands tries to dip their toes into PR and retract when they have satisfied the no. of hits to justify the spend to the senior management team and then quickly change tack to run a patient program or a clinical trial which is perceived to have a more rapid and direct impact on sales, Prevenar perseveres and continue to build upon its selling story. Most marketers understands that a successful campaign needs time to develop.

i have a hunch that there are a lot more synergy between their pharma and consumer divisions who has a long standing tradition in paediatric nutrition amongst other products. However, in terms of pharma marketing of an ethical drug, i consider Wyeth to have scored a real winner with this campaign.

The revival of SFE?

SFE.
Last week alone, i heard the mention of this almost obliterated acronym from a pharma veteren who was talking excitedly about how her company is driving towards SFE innovations,increasing bottom line profitability by improving sales productivity and another co-worker who was being headhunted for a job as a regional SFE champion. this week, in a kind of deja vu, a senior ex-colleague highlighted that SFE has become his one of his core responsibility for his role in his organization's new structure. incidentally, all three of them were speaking for descriptively smaller companies.

Few in pharma would not have heard of SFE, whose ubiquitous spread, sometime back in 2002 within the industry caused many a drug reps sleepless nights filling up tedious forms to identify their customers, separating the KOLs from the laggards, profiling and classifying them into ABCDs or HMLs customer groups, studying their purchasing patterns, sorting out their level of influcence, sussing out their brand advocacy/support, etc.

Many organizations also created a new position in the sales division within the Singapore offiice- the SFE manager. whose immediate task is to draw up a spankng new SFE blueprint after studying the sales forces' productivity and practices and explaining why the existing system is not good enough. After intense research, the SFE manager will propose, develop and introduce (often to the dismay of reps) new methods, programs, initiatives, expensive hardwares and whatever other fancy ideas (with even more ludicrious KPIs) that will intensify the sales forces' efforts and hopefully, propel the company to profits haven.

Fast forward to present day pharma, most of the original SFE managers have gone, without replacements. The amount of raw data collected have yet to be crunched nor input to any viable SFE systems. many of the half-hearted initiatives launched have not yielded any positive returns for the companies which had invested relatively vast amounts into what may well have only been an idealistic pursuit.

The problem with most local SFE initiatives were that they were primarily customer centric. tactics were planned to exploit the customers' projected potential into maximum returns. little emphasis were placed in building and developing a strong sales force that could do the above and exceed the customers' potential beyond their projected limit by forming positive CRM

SFE does have its success story in capitalistic US, where big pharmas are pouring good money to hire specialty consultants to design proprietary products and solutions to engage their customers and optimise their sales foces' effectiveness. many local set ups opted for the more economical approach of employing someone whom they consider with adequate sales experience and insights to lead SFE. there are bound to be exceptions to this case. the success of any effective sales force cannot simply be attributed to any one style or methods.

The sales force is a dynamic entity and is essentially about people, the way sales people work, their beliefs and motivations, the workplace environment and culture, their interaction with external parties- doctors, purchasers, HC authorities, etc

With many of the larger companies having had a bite of the SFE pie, i now hope that it will not leave a bitter taste to the others coming into its path.

What's in a mascot?

There has been an interesting trend of late. There has been more pharmaceutical brands employing the use of mascots in their campaigns. While there has been an upsurge in the use of mascots and brand characters lately (these last couple of years), it is not entirely new to the market.

Several years ago, Zoloft (which has since gone off patent) had used the familiar bright yellow smiley face icon to great success. Even till this day, psychiatrists and patients still bear a warm affinity towards the brand.

Recent local pharma campaigns have seen the creation of (to name a few):

The Protectors (GSK- vaccines), a group of children cartoon characters out to save and rid the world of naughty viruses
the Seretide dinosaur (GSK- seretide), another purple dinosaur, resembling nothing like its richer cousin in showbiz
the Nicorette man (Pfizer- nicorette), see above. 'nuff said
the Thrombus man (SanofiBMS- Plavix), a giant reddish blob of lard (mainly nasty LDL deposits)
Pneumo (Wyeth- Prevenar), a cute cuddly blue teddy bear albeit with a darkened patch over its left eye (not a side effect hopefully)
and of questionable 'taste', Mr Cucumber head (Pfizer-Viagra), this one has yet to prove whether it has 'staying power'- puns intended.

many of us have grown up with watching our mothers sweeten our morning beverage with the dutch lady milk, devouring breakfast cereal with tony the tiger promising a great start to the day, taking photos with the colonel outside KFC restaurants... the list goes on. consumer brands are rift with mascots. Mascots are great for creating a brand identity, sometimes encompassing the features of the product. besides capturing consumers' attention, they also create an emotive association with the brand and when done nicely, will essentially lead to an enduring relationship with the consumer.

with its sudden increase in popularity in pharma, i am forced to ponder about the true value of a mascot in pharma marketing.

marketers in drug companies are expected to prep the local market for launch of a new product by finding an unmet need in the treatment of so-and-so disease, penetrate the segments in which the product is indicated for, increase market share year-on-year, manage the PLC, strategize and gain market share against competitors, prepare for threat of new players, and eventually entry of generic substitutes, and depending on the pipeline potential of the company, may still be expected to grow the drug past patent expiry if the organization's survival depends on it. All these have to be done within a decade. Unlike consumer brands, drug patents only run for a maximum of 10 years in most countries. Pharma marketing is like marketing fast forward. with hardly any time to optimize profits, creating a lasting brand equity through (in this context,) the mascot seem like a real fantasy to me.

which is why i find most pharma mascots to be such a sad waste of creative effort. i believe that many are done with the intention of amusing for the short-term rather than as a real brand identifier for the long-term. and looking at how many are introduced from the mid to late stage of the PLC, it serves to ask what the brand managers are hoping to achieve in their objectives.

on a last note however, mascots can be fun and have definitely injected some level of color and excitement into this (at most times ) rather dull industry. In any case, Viagra's Mr cucumber was a real 'head' turner (apologies- just can't stop the puns!) i dread to imagine what mascot Servier would serve up for Daflon! egad!

On the campaign trail- Part I

i applaud Pfizer's latest campaign for its painkillers as evident from today's issue of MYB. the entire OBC was of a striking cartoon of an old man in pain and invertedly, one of a smiley face. it is an ad calling for contributions of testimonials from the public on their battles with pain. contestants can stand to win up to $2000.

in this highly and increasingly regulated industry, DTC is a strict no-no. and under normal circumstances, Pfizer's competitors will be questioning if there has been any breach of compliance. Does the offering of prize money equate to inducement to prefer a certain brand of painkiller to another?

but what makes it legit is that this contest is held under the auspices of two organizations- with strong medical links and relevance. the corporate involvement is reduced to purely one of a financial sponser, unbeknownst to the consumer that this whole campaign was probably drawn up in the boardroom of the drug manufacturer.

further inside the same issue of MYB, there is another ad for a public forum that costs $10 including light refreshments. having been a sufferer of chronic pain (not just in the neck from too much corporate wrangling) i too, was interested in registering to attend until i realised that it is a pharma sponsored talk (similarly endorsed by the same organizations) i decided not to attend as i can already anticipate the pitch and flow of the talk in my mind. but i have no doubt it will be a successful event even without my humble participation.

i am not criticizing Pfizer for its efforts. instead, i think its brilliant. its about time the pharma industry try to push the boundaries wrt its marketing. it has been too conservative for too long. i love the simple and understated approach that Pfizer have taken to steer a human interest angle towards as uninspiring a condition as pain. i have no doubt the company will launch into a full scale PR campaign hereafter to highlight the plight of chronic pain sufferers (and how only a particular brand of painkiller will have the perfect blend of feature and benefits to alleviate their suffering.)

this is not the first of its kind in pharma marketing, nor the most creative, but it is by far, one of the most succint. too many brands try to encapsulate too many objectives into their campaigns and this often leads to consumer confusion.

Pharmaceuticals are unlike FMCG. the consumer doesn't have to make informed, conscious decisions when it comes to buying shampoo. for drugs, without the possibility of DTC in this country anytime in the next century, pharma companies have to educate the public on the medical conditions which warrants a specific type of treatment. this will undoubtedly elongate the already complex consumer decision process. and when a pharma campaigns tries to educate the public on a highly specialized subject such as disease and treatment, it has to make it easy to relate a certain treatment to a particular disease. this is more complicated than it seems, and even the best executions will fail to sustain an overloaded campaign.

Setting the scene

Singapore, in comparison with many other countries, may be small in land mass. but her dimunitive size has not diminished her giangantic dreams. What Singapore wants, Singapore almost always get (think F1 racing)

it is encouraging indeed to see how it has, in the mere span of 40 years been transformed from a laid-back kampung to the technologically advanced, economically competitive first world country that it is today.

Many of the regional offices of phamaceutical companies are located in Singapore. the government has gone to great lengths to woo the biomedical companies. the big money spinner for them is in manufacturing, contributing to $18b in 2005 alone.

pharma companies exist here not simply to promote their drugs but also to exploit the fantastic infrastructure and support committed by the government in this era of globalization.

And in the dawn of China and India rising, cosmopolitan Singapore may be in an advantageous position of bridging the gateway between the west and the immense markets up south.