DRUG BRAND PROMOTION STRATEGY

Marketing in pharmaceuticals: create, pitch, sell, cure

Medical marketing is a much more subtle science than food or car advertising. It is important not only to creatively present the idea and purpose of a certain drug, but also to attract customers to pharmacy products. Promotion of a healthy lifestyle and timely treatment of diseases is of little concern to most people. Promotion of medicines requires care – some drugs are in stable demand due to their specific action or necessity for certain chronic or seasonal diseases, such as antihistamines or cold remedies.

Drug advertisements can highlight the target disease not as a flaw, but as a common problem that needs to be addressed as soon as possible.

Integrated pharmaceutical brand

Marketing of pharmaceutical products implies a complex and sensitive approach to the development of a drug brand. It is important to pitch each drug as an effective, easy-to-use and safe means of treating diseases. Let’s consider the main points in the promotion of pharmaceuticals.

1. The properties and purpose of the medicine. A key point in pharmaceutical marketing, as most people visit pharmacies not in search of the cheapest option, but the most effective one. Complex multi-purpose drugs have a long list of properties: “analgesic effect”, “prolonged action”, “anesthetic effect”, “lower blood pressure”, etc.
2. Advantages of the drug. Proper promotion of pharmaceutical products will creatively “wrap and tie” the advantages of any drug. Convenience of use, increased volume of packaging, a wide range of action or fruit flavor can be one of the advantages, the emphasis on which will attract additional customers.
3. Value – different medicines have different target audiences. Insulin or other vital medicines have a stable number of customers and still compete with each other. The cold and antihistamine segment requires a creative approach, as demand is seasonal.

The marketers at KOLORO will make “just another cough remedy” into a comprehensive cough medicine with instant action, pleasant taste and quick effects.

Specifics of prescription drug advertising

Promotion of pharmaceutical products requires a different approach. Functional characteristics are important in such medicines:

• Efficacy of a drug – determines the benefits to patients of using that drug in a particular pharmacologic group.
• Safety – the presence of side effects, their frequency, their correlation with the beneficial effects of the drug and the risk of occurrence compared to other similar drugs.
• Convenience of use – dosing regimen, form of release (tablets, drops, solutions, etc.), information with recommendations for use. When promoting prescription medicines, the mode of administration can be a key factor of choice for customers, as many prescription medicines require strict and complicated administration.
• Cost-effectiveness. On average, the cost of prescription drugs is higher than over-the-counter drugs. This is especially true when a new drug is introduced to the market and promoted.

Pharmaceutical marketing is not only the creativity of creating a brand, slogan or package appearance, but presenting the drug as the most effective and optimal for treatment in its pharmacological group.

SWOT analysis of a pharmaceutical product

A SWOT analysis of a drug product involves looking at four main indicators.

• Strengths – The advantages of a drug over competitors in the same pharmacological group. This may include an improved mechanism of action, a broader range of beneficial properties, and an optimized dosage form.
• Weaknesses – side effects, high cost, specific course of action, etc.
• Opportunities – all the factors of the drug’s positive effects, additional “cosmetic” improvements (e.g., new package design or multiple flavors) and other features of the drug that can be used in promotion.
• Threats – Hazardous or harmful effects on the body, such as use with other medications, specific side effects of certain chronic diseases, etc.

A comprehensive SWOT analysis of a pharmaceutical company involves a more in-depth examination of operations:

• The most popular drugs produced;
• Competitiveness Analysis;
• A study of brand reputation in the marketplace.

The SWOT analysis of a medical institution also takes into account the professionalism of the staff, the level of technical support, and the availability of advanced diagnostic equipment.

SWOT analysis of a medicinal product: an example

As an example, let’s consider the results of a complex analysis of the drug for normalization of intestinal function “Forlax”.

Parameters S (strengths) and O (opportunities):

• High efficiency;
• Expanded spectrum of action;
• High security;
• Convenient packaging;
• Over-the-counter sales;
• Availability of direct sales channels;
• Affordability;
• High volumes of the pharma group market.

Parameters W (weaknesses) and T (threats):

• A large number of competitors;
• It should not be used during pregnancy and breastfeeding;
• Restrictions for use by children under 15 years of age;
• Lots of contraindications.

The effervescent dosage form of the drug is seen as both a strength and a weakness – some people find it more enjoyable to mix the medication with their favorite beverage, while others find it easier to pop a pill.

Promotion of medicines on the pharmaceutical market

One of the most important stages of strategic marketing of medicines is working with the target audience. The target audience is not only consumers, but also pharmacists and medical professionals. More than 70% of OTC medicines are purchased on the advice of an attending physician, so it is important to conduct a broad information campaign among a wide range of medical institutions and pharmacies.

The answer to the banal question in the pharmacy: “What do you recommend?” determines the lion’s share of sales of drugs in the most demanded pharmacological groups – medicines for colds, allergies, digestive aids, creams and ointments for burns and cuts. An experienced doctor or pharmacologist will pay little attention to advertising on TV, on the Internet or on bright packaging – he will advise the most effective medicine in the right price range.

The promotion strategy of pharmaceutical products and brands should include not only popularization of the drug among customers, but also promotion among health care professionals.

Examples of successful promotion strategies for pharmaceutical products and brands

The share of healthcare marketing spending on the Internet is relatively small. According to Kantar Media, of the 4.3 billion dollars spent on pharmaceutical advertising in 2010 in the United States, only 203 million were spent on online promotion of medicines. However, promotion in the network for a pharmaceutical company significantly increases sales in the segment of therapeutic drugs.

Most customers do not know 3-4 medicines of the same pharmacological group and use the ones their parents used to treat them. Therefore, marketing of medicines in the form of a video, a series of promotional posters or a redesign of packaging can be a decisive factor in increasing sales.

Advanced technical design can be ordered on our company’s website.

An effective strategy for promoting pharmaceuticals in most cases involves the development of a slogan and visual accompaniment of the advertising campaign. Here are some interesting examples of marketing in pharmaceuticals.

1. advertising of means for increasing potency in men stands out with special creativity. Here all the imagination of creatives goes into battle. For example, the products of the company Vita Farma combines simplicity, humor and directly relates to the action of the drug. Scratched back of an old man – simple, angry, interesting, understandable.

2. an interesting strategy for selling the cough medicine “Carbocisteine” was created by marketers of the Philippine company Dentsu Jayme Syfu. Model the situation – during the speaker’s speech someone in the audience so “cough” speech that all the audience left, demonstratively leaving the chairs turned towards the culprit of the “celebration”.

3. an interesting solution was proposed by the creatives to market a new drug “Kitadol”. It is intended to combat the manifestations of premenstrual syndrome in women. The slogan of the advertising campaign is “Bring her back!”.

The campaign idea is reminiscent of the leitmotif of Snickers campaigns – “You’re not you when you’re hungry”.

Marketing in the pharmaceutical business has quite a bit of freedom. There is a possibility of promotion of medicines with the help of participation of companies in various charitable events and holidays. For example, the largest pharmaceutical company Pfizer offered manufacturers of potency products to sponsor a lovers’ march in New York. This was a successful decision – the sales figures of medicines on February 14 increased significantly, and the march received advertising support from large companies.

Read also: Creating provocative ads: conscience agony vs. the chance for explosive sales

Effective marketing of the health center can play an important role. Drug companies launch advertising campaigns to inform about effective disease prevention and the importance of annual check-ups. Decorating the lobby of medical centers with creative promotional products informs consumers about diseases and advertises products or companies.

Creative marketing professionals from Koloro branding agency will pleasantly surprise you with interesting ideas. With us you can order advertising design, website branding and many other services to promote your company. Our strategy on the chessboard of the market is always winning.