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EDITOR S DESK BY JAMES CHASE Do n t blink n 2006 t's always a great feeling to turn over the cal- endar at the start of a new year. Ifs a license to look back at the last one. enjoy the triumphs, learn from th e things that nearly worked and. with aTiVo-like precision,skip over the parts you'd prefer to forget. Yes, it's January, and thai means everyone gets a clean slate, on which you will no doubt have written a list of res- olutions designed to get you flossing every day, running around the park, making clay pots with your partner—and. o f course, taking market share from your competitors * brands. In this issue, w e showcase four marketing and communications teams thai have certainly achieved th e latter in the past year, and with some aplomh. These are our MM&M All-Stars (page 35). They represent one media brand, two pharma brands and one agency w hose giant strides in the marketplace, along with their cre- ativity and perseverance.we just couldn't ignore. Sepracor's Lunesta made an almighty splash in the sleep-aids market with well-cralted DTC and CRM campaigns, claiming a n impressive slice o f market share after just on e month. GiaxoSmithKline's Wellbutrin XL achieved remarkable growth with a once-daily formula- tion of an anti depressant drug that went off- patent i n 1994—and i n a category Jogged b y safet y concerns and black-box warnings. Saatchi & Saatchi Healthcare Communications forged ahead with a n impressive list o f new accounts and a wildly suc cessful DT C unit. And Elsevier's Family Practice News surged past New England loumal of Medicine in revenue and both NFJM an d Medical conomics in number of ad pages. Unlike the peer-judged MM&M Awards, the All-Stars represent our own editorial picks. To reach our decisions, w e diligently researched revenue and share numbers, as well as market conditions,qualityofwork produced, number of awards won and challenges overcome. We also sought the opinions of numerous industry exec- utives to ratify our choices. Some o f the cate- gories were very close, and the re w ere plenty of conlenders who didn't quite make it this time bu t ar e positioned to shine i n 20()6. Ifyou are reading this and thinking, We should have been honored instead, then you probably came very ciose. i am confident we have made four very strong picks. One of the few certainties about 2006 Is that you won't be able to take your eyes o f f it for a moment. If 2 X)5 was characterized a s a period of deep thinking a nd reassessment of strategies, ethics and regulations, then 2006 is the year i n which they wil l start lo play out. What will be the true impact of Medicare Part D on the industry, an d will it function effectively at the patient end? Will the FDA find its voice and authority, or will it remain caught between government an d industry? Will DTC evolve fully into the educa- tional tool it was intended to be? Will marketers come to grips with consumer technology? Will Merck win its Vioxx lawsuit playoff serie s (as the papers now seem to score it ? And will pharma he able to win back just a little o f th e trust it needs? Yes, 2 6 i s going t o be s ome year. As for my own resolutions: I am confident I won't h e slicing through my gums with minty ribbon to r much longer than a week an d will probably only perspire around Prospect Park once or twice at best before summ er. And I can- not realistically see anything emerging from the local pottery kiln anytime soon. I do. however, intend to put a lot o f effort into continuin g to improve this publication and its offshoots: MM&M News Brief, mmm-online.com and The MM&M Awards. In the past year w e have invested i n a higger and better staff, improved the quality o f o ur editorial, ramped up our special-issues coverage (see The Agency Issue, July), di giti zed ou r tw ice-monthl y newsletter in readiness for a much wider distribution, added daily news stories lo ou r W e b sit e and grown our awards program . We are entering 2( K) 6 in good shape, and Td like to thank you a ll for helping us. May your mark eting savv y reach new heights in 2006. Happy N ew Year. i wpo int The Pharmaceutical Branding Model Evolves (Yet Again) We are stuck in a paradox. Th e pharmaceutical industry has made some of the most impor- tant contributions to the world, yet we are faced with an image and credibility crisis. We no w have the rare opportunity to reshape the conversation—and ultimately the image of o ur industry—if we are willing to rethink ou r approach to success and valuation of branding. The current model focuses on building individual product equity, which has proved in the past to deliver individualized results. Bu t there is something of a perfect storm converging, with rising costs, regulatory pressures, life- cycle challenges, reimbursement issues and DTC regulation. This, in turn, is putting enormous pres- sure on healthcare com panies. We humbly suggest that there has never been a better time to be optimistic. History shows that people ar e willing to be loyal when given reasons to believe, and that a halo effect around a corporate brand can fuel a large sphere of Influence. Marketers who rethink how they communicate have the power to build brand equity in new ways. And by com- municating with a higher level o f respect, compassion and intelli- gence, a new model can be forged. An easy task? No. But the savvy company that chooses this road less traveled can lead its o w n perfect storm of respectful ideas, initiatives and messages— resulting in a sustainable brand model of long-term relationships, value and trust. Joe Carofano CCA Advertising Wnte to , 114 West 26th St. 3rd FL, New York, NY 10001 or e-mail [email protected]. 6 M M & M JANUARY 2 0 0 6
