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.