What's in a brand?

What attracts the average consumer to a brand? Renuka Vembu tackles the theme—brand pride

Think of one word that connects the following—status symbol, superior quality, flamboyance, style and pride, durability and sustainability, convenience, effectiv-eness and appeal. The answer that comes to mind is a brand.

It acts as an effective style statement, it distinguishes you from others, it makes you comfortable in your own shoes and confident while in front of others, and it symbolises your socio-economic status as well. Well, these may be true in the FMCG sector, but will they hold true in a sector like pharma? Perhaps not, and this is what defines and differentiates the pharmaceutical industry from others. Since this specialised segment literally deals with the lives of people, what is of utmost importance, apart from the product itself, is its ability to connect emotionally with the audience. Emotions are feelings that are universal in nature, and so, developing and promoting a brand that has an inner connect with the consumer and is sensitive to their needs is imperative for business to succeed in the pharma industry.

Let us not forget that the theme tackled here is basically drawn towards the pharma and not the healthcare sector, which is comparatively less diverse and spaced out. Says Vishal Bali, CEO, Wockhardt Hospitals, "Healthcare is more focused in terms of medical community, medical educational programmes, and direct consumer activities, etc., with the basis of its foundation on communication. Here, brand is the service delivered for the satisfaction of the consumer, and retaining the brand means effectiveness of value on deliverables and comprehensiveness of services.” He adds, “Healthcare delivery is the delivery of life, the provider just comes as a transaction, so families are emotionally bonded with the kind of care that is delivered." Bali also adds that there are a few similarities with the pharma sector, like success being an ongoing parameter determined by a standard list of clientele, company's expansion plans and expanding the networking in large locations across boundaries, assuring seamlessness of brand irrespective of location, and successfully integrating new areas of specialities.

So focusing on the pharma sector will throw some light on the fact that it is unique in more than one way. The buyer may not always be the consumer. There are two categories that the drugs fall into—

• Over-the-counter (OTC) drugs, which are commonly used as normal medication for regular illness, like cough, cold, fever, sprain, pain, etc., and are directly accessible at the chemist stores, and
• Prescription drugs for the sicknesses that need a doctor's attention, opinion and treatment.

While OTC drugs need to appeal to the sensibilities and requirements of the buyer/consumer, prescription drugs should be different or be a value-addition, apart from its core function. This would propel the medical practitioner to recommend them over their competitors. The onus is also on chemists, as it is very necessary for them to be equally aware of the medicines they are selling and provide due information/caution to the concerned buyer. Prescription drugs should not be sold without recommendation from the doctor.

Scripting a success story is often difficult, and more so when it critically deals with healing, rebuilding and enhancing the lives of people. Consumer satisfaction and happiness is linked with the effectiveness and timely cure provided by the medicine in question. In this edition, we are essentially concentrating on the urban market. The reason behind this is that the pharma spread in the rural sector has been very meek and it is still considered as a privilege to get timely basic medical attention. Lack of penetration by companies in the remotest markets, where there is hardly any means to understand or access healthcare, is one of the biggest and gravest challenges that this industry faces. Rural India is a totally different story which needs to be handled with special care and attention, since they still largely rely on the traditional household healing therapy. But companies like Flamingo Pharmaceuticals are embarking on efforts on this front. They promote their entire medical kit to doctors and also employ medical representatives, who are familiar with the local language to help the rural masses.

Thereby, placing the spotlight primarily on the urban pharmaceutical industry will highlight that a major percentage of the drugs do not make it to the market. Those which manage to find their way through quality tests and safety checks have a long way to go. So what makes the brands in the pharma sector a success? Why and how to draw an emotional connect with the consumer? Does this industry need to market the product or product information? And what are its responsibilities in keeping the interests of the larger society intact?

Once the product is given a go-ahead and developed, it all starts with appropriate branding. Branding is the process of aligning and communicating what people want, with what the company is offering. Ashwin Thacker, Chairman and Managing Director, Flamingo Pharmaceuticals, says, "A brand is an idea in the minds of the consumer and this idea is created by what the company says (marketing) and does (operations). Branding is a means of distinguishing one firm's products or services from another's , and of creating and maintaining an image that encourages confidence in the quality and performance of that firm's products or services. Maintaining a consistency in quality, distribution, product related services and innovative marketing strategies are all factors that go in to building a successful brand."

A brand is an ambassador of the company that has built it. It needs to be communicated clearly, concisely and effectively to the customers. Similar to marketing, branding also needs to take into account the target market and all its characteristics. In addition, it also has to support the company's image and reputation that have been hard-earned over decades of hard work. Anjan Sen, Director, Pharmaceuticals Marketing, Pfizer India adds, "Brand communication is the art of bridging the gap between our target audiences and the organisation (or product or service) that is being promoted. Brand positioning is essentially about customer perception. All elements of the promotional mix need to be used to develop and sustain customer perceptions. The initial challenge is to build awareness, then to develop the brand personality and reinforce the perception."

Then comes, marketing the product and its features. While a doctor may be well-versed with what is on the offer table, advertisements for the OTC drugs should carry the proper message across to the viewer. The primary aim is to make the idea not only interesting, but also to be informative and educative.

They should highlight the ill-effects/side-effects of the drug, warn patients of proper dosage depending upon the age category of the person or the intensity of the ailment, and any other precaution to be undertaken during the time period of consumption of the medicine. All these mean that there is need for a simple yet effective branding measure and marketing strategy.

Pharmaceutical drug marketing is more than just about sales revenues and profits. It is sometimes, in literal terms, a matter of life and death. Sen explains, "Sales and marketing are undergoing a revolution, as the pharmaceutical industry reacts to a multitude of challenges. Waning pipelines, generic erosion, regulatory restrictions, new technologies and a changing customer base have made it increasingly difficult to establish successful blockbuster brands. Therefore, the challenge is to develop clear communication which not only positions the brand effectively in the mind of the intermediary (the doctor), but also helps the doctor communicate his choice of brand very clearly to the patient. This is done through a balanced communication of thorough scientific rationale to prefer the medicine (the molecule), backed by an emotional need to choose the brand."

The product has thus reached the end consumer and it is now in their hands to accept it or otherwise. But the journey from product initiation to branding to delivering has many sub-layers, which need to be minutely observed and accounted for.

Pfizer India lists down a detailed check-list that aid in tapping the emotional quotient:

• A brand is exemplified by its core values. The 'brand value equation' combines the functional/tangible benefits, the emotional/intangible benefits and the 'value perception' to create the overall 'brand value'
• It is important to understand how a successful brand maintains its connection with the customer. The acid test is whether doctors are motivated to prescribe the brand
• Motivation is based on emotions. In order to motivate someone, we must move them emotionally. The best way to get someone's attention is to stimulate an emotional response. This is why the most effective advertisements are not informational but emotional
• The feelings evoked by an advertisement often have no 'logical' connection to the product. What is important is linking the desired emotion with the brand
• Consequently, understanding how to tap into that emotion, and translate it into a compelling proposition is the key to a successful brand

Though it is difficult to single-out what may appeal to a viewer, we can safely say that relationships (like mother-child) or portraying a family, sensitivity with which the message is executed and a wide gamut of emotions evoking a feeling of hope, care, security, assurance, and peace and happiness associated with the product/ad in question will definitely catch the pulse of the consumer/audience. In totality, the company should stand up to its brand name and goodwill earned, and the product is loyal in delivering what it promises to.

Simply put, packaging is the word in which the magic lies. Thacker opines, "When a company is building their brand, a certain number of assurances are made in terms of the quality, and services, these should be continuously nurtured in order for the customers to feel that the brand cares. Brands are living entities and their continued existence largely depends on the environment in which they operate. If markets and customer preferences change over time, brand flexibility and adaptability become important." In the true sense of the term, brands need to build relationships and a healthier and happier life.

renuka.vembu@expressindia.com