Pharma Voice

Launching of a brand

Ujjal Banerjee gives an insight into what goes on behind the scenes of a product launch

Countdown

Many of us have the experience of sitting in front of a TV screen while the countdown for the launch of a satellite is going on. We hold our breath as the announcer starts the typical backward counting of 10..9..8….. 3.. 2. 1. 0 and then we see the huge burst of flame almost engulfing the pencil like glimmering object, which slowly, as if reluctantly, releases itself from the shackles for the unknown journey. In actuality, the countdown had begun much earlier, we only saw the last part of the collective effort.

Similarly, in the case of any product launch, the countdown begins much earlier than when the representative makes his debut talk to the doctor. In this article we will only look at the final part of the launch where field people are involved.

Challenge of gravitation

The task of launching a new product has increasingly become more complex and challenging as compared to what it was decades ago. This can be basically for two reasons—

Firstly, the gap between the launch of two products are almost non-existent. By the time a representative finishes the launch of one product he finds another product dropped on his lap.

Secondly, the number of companies coming out in the market with the same molecule has gone up astronomically. Decades ago, when Burroughs came with their super new brand Septran, only one other company introduced the same molecule by the name of Bactrim from Roche. But these are now mythological stories. Today, if one company comes out with Sildenaphil, lo and behold—the queue of companies waiting to introduce their brand just turns round the corner block.

In many cases the doctor's name overlaps. The field personnels are generally not adequately equipped to handle this intricate situation. Consequently, a whole set of brands are left by the wayside, affecting adversely the morale of the field force. The strategy for any company that wishes to get a firm foothold of their new brand in the market has to be in keeping in mind the multiple need of the market. That needs special acumen for all concerned.

Begin at the beginning

The process of imparting knowledge about the product has to start immediately after the company zooms on a product. These days updating a field force’s product knowledge is not amongst the top priority of a company. But one has to remember that in the event of introduction of a new molecule or in a multi-brand scenario of a molecule, it is imperative for the representative to know his subject well. It is not enough to know the details of the product as per the visual aid. The representative who knows the subject matter of the concerned molecule can manoeuver the talk in a doctor's chamber to a discussion or dialogue. This will give him an edge to play the brand-name game more effectively. There is a simple measurement for this. Ask any field personnel to speak on the product for five minutes.

Know your customer

Then comes the doctor’s/customer's list. Usually the instruction comes centrally to prepare a list of certain number of doctors, say, 25 doctors per representative for a particular product. And we all know the outcome of such an instruction—people are more intent to fulfill the required number than preparing the list based on the information, which has been collected from the market. Now, this information collection process is a time consuming process, which is why the field force must get sufficient time. Naturally, a coordinated effort has to be there between product management and the field force.

The front-line managers can play a crucial role in creating an information bank. During their routine work they have to keep the agenda of collecting information. Since, the initial prescription push, in the shortest possible time, is an extremely important factor to help the representative build up the momentum for his product, the finalisation of the customer's list needs utmost care.

Time to talk

Now, is your field force ready for communication? The reply cannot be yes if representatives are only prepared enough to mention the brand name in a doctor's chamber. The myth of a busy doctor has motivated many to conclude that mere parroting the brand name is enough in a doctor's chamber. On the contrary, the fact that the doctor is not in a position to give much time to a representative should be enough reason for the representative to know how to mention some critical points that will stimulate the doctor to show some interest or curiosity on the product. This works for a therapy as well as a brand.

Is it there

Next is availability. The dictum should be that no one would introduce any brand to a doctor unless the product is available in the index shop of the doctor. Easier said than done. These days retailers are extremely wary of keeping innumerable brands of the same molecule. Even for a new molecule from a middle level company, their common refrain is that thay will not get it from the stockist till they get a prescription for it. What they do not understand is that the refusal of the first prescription will create a mental barrier in doctor's mind for the next prescription. Remember, a retailer plays a key role in a brand's success in a multi-brand situation. The companies that failed with their new brand, which was one out of many, must check their past record of availability spectrum in the retail counter. That was certainly one of the factors responsible for their demise. Companies must take some proactive measure to circumvent these problems.

Push the button

Then comes the launch. The name of the game here is 'speed'. It has to be a blitzkreig in the true sense of the word. The whole team has to attack the market in such a ruthless and concerted manner that by the time the dust settles, the competitors will realise that already a foothold in the market has been gained by the concerned brand. Then only can you get ready for the next battle.

Watch out

During this storm the task is to monitor the activities. The primary guideline for a new product monitoring is that there must be an absolute ban on the sale related discussions of the new product, except for the day of sales closing. This is mandatory for the first three months. Continuously update the information of the new prescriber. Analyse, evaluate and decide the next step customer-by-customer. The skill to monitor the multi-product introduction has to be developed.

Ignite the mind

But all these are possible only if the field force is psychologically and emotionally geared up for the challenge. It is like warfare. You cannot win the war even with the best of weapons if the soldiers in the battlefield are not suffering from acute 'septicemia of victory'. All battles are won or lost in the mind.

(The Author is a Pharmaceutical Marketing Consultant & Trainer and can be contacted at ujjal_banerjee@hotmail.com)