MCI Whip : Pharma Brand Managers on the Roll - By Prof. Vivek Hattangadi

News article on the lecture delivered by Prof. Vivek Hattangadi during the National Pharma Symposium which appeared in 'The Economic Times' of 5th April 2010

Brand managers in the pharma industry have been feeling low lately. Their roles and responsibilities have undergone mortification as pharma companies no longer consider brand managers as important members in the marketing team. What with the foreign junkets and freebies offered to the medical profession in the name of Continuous Medical Education and brand building, most companies today are almost not concerned about brand management.

A senior brand manager of a well known pharma company in Ahmedabad in a lighter vein said that he is more of a travel agent or an event manager of his company rather than a brand manager. On a serious note, he goes on to say that he has almost forgotten the fundamentals of brand management!

Well, the recent Medical Council of India whip which has traumatized the industry and the medical profession, however, has brought smiles on the faces of the pharma brand managers. This means he can once again establish the positive values of his brand – such as trust, integrity, and its intangible assets. He can now communicate them through the medical representatives for generating prescriptions and get true job satisfaction.

To be successful in brand management, it’s just a matter of thinking differently from ‘freebies’ and ‘gifts’ and ‘junkets’ approach. The he will now have the drive to create those lifetime prescribers in an ethical way.

The pharma brand managers are on the roll once again, thanks to the MCI Whip!