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EDITOR S DESKBY JAMES CHASE
D on t blink n 2 0 0 6
t's always a great feeling to turn over the cal-endar at the start of a new year. Ifs alicense to look back at the last o n e . enjoy the
triumphs, learn from the things that nearlyworked and. with aTiVo-like precision,skip overthe parts you'd prefer to forget. Yes , it's January,and thai means everyone gets a clean slate, onwhich you will no doubt have written a list of r es -
olutions designed to get you flossing every day,running aro und the park, making clay pots withyour partner—and. of course, taking marketshare from your competitors* brands.
In this issue, w e showcase four marketing andcommunications teams thai have certainlyachieved the latter in the past year, and withsome aplomh. These are our MM&M All-Stars(page 3 5 ) . They represent one media brand, twopharma brands and one agency w hose giantstrides in the marketplace, along with their cre-ativity and perseve rance.we just couldn't ignore.
Sepracor's Lunesta made an almighty splashin the sleep-aids market with well-cralted DTCand CRM campaigns, claiming an impressiveslice of market share after just one month.GiaxoSmithKline's Wellbutrin XL achievedremarkable growth with a once-daily formula-tion of an anti depressant drug that went off-patent in 1994—and in a category Jogged bysafety concerns and black-box warnings. Saatchi& Saatchi Healthcare Communications forgedahead with an impressive list of new accountsand a wildly successful DT C unit. And Elsevier'sFamily Practice News surged past New England loumal of Medicine in revenue and both NFJMand Medical conomics in number of ad pages.
Unlike the peer-judged MM&M Awards, theAll-Stars represent our own editorial picks. Toreach our decisions, we diligently researchedrevenue and share numbers, as well as marketconditions,qualityofwork produced, number ofawards won and challenges overcome. We alsosought the opinions of numerous industry exec-utives to ratify our choices. Some of the cate-
gories were very close, and the re w ere plenty of
conlenders who didn't quite make it this timebu t are positioned to shine in 20()6.Ifyou are reading this and thinking, We shouldhave been honored instead, then you probablycame very ciose. i am confident we have madefour very strong picks.
One of the few certainties about 2006 Is thatyou won't be able to take your eyes off it for amom ent. If 2 X)5 wa s characterized a s a period ofdeep thinking and reassessment of strategies,ethics and regulations, then 2006 is the year inwhich they will start lo play out. What will be thetrue impact of Medicare Part D on the industry,and will it function effectively at the patient end?Will the FDA find its voice and authority, or willit remain caught between government andindustry? Will DTC evolve fully into the educa-tional tool it was intended to be? Will m arketerscome to grips with consumer technology? WillMerck win its Vioxx lawsuit playoff serie s (asthe papers now seem to score it ? And willpharma he able to win back just a little of thetrust it needs? Ye s , 2 6 i s going t o be some year.
As for my own resolutions: I am confident Iwon't he slicing through my gums with mintyribbon tor much longer than a week and willprobably only perspire around Prospect Parkonce or twice at best before summ er. And I can-not realistically see an ything emerging from thelocal pottery kiln anytime soon. I do. however,intend to put a lot of effort into continuin g to
improve this publication and its offshoots:MM&M News Brief, mmm-online.com and TheMM&M Awards. In the past year we haveinvested in a higger and better staff, improvedthe quality of our editorial, ramped up ourspecial-issues coverage (see The Agency Issue,July), digitized ou r tw ice-monthly newsletter inreadiness for a much wider distribution, addeddaily news stories lo ou r W eb site and grown ourawards program . We are entering 2(K)6 in goodshape, and Td like to thank you a ll for helping us.
May your mark eting savvy reach new heights
in 2006. Happy N ew Year.
i wpointThe PharmaceuticalBranding Model Evolves(Yet Again)
We are stuck in a paradox. Thepharmaceutical industry has
made some of the mo st imp or-tant contributions to the wo rld,yet we are faced with an imageand credibility crisis. We nowhave the rare opportunity toreshape the conversat ion—andultimately the image of o urindustry—if we are willing torethink our approach to successand valuation of branding.
The current model focuses onbuilding individual product equitwhich has proved in the past to
deliver individualized results. Butthere is som ething of a pe r fec tstorm converging , with risingcosts , regulatory pressures, life-cycle challenges, reimbursementissues and DTC regulation. This,in turn, is putting enormou s pressure on healthcare com panies .
We humbly suggest that therehas never been a better time tobe optimistic.
History shows that people arewilling to be loyal when givenreasons to believe, and that ahalo effect around a corporatebrand can fuel a large sphereof Influence. Marketers whorethink how they communicatehave the power to build brandequity in new wa ys. And by com-municating with a higher level ofrespect, compassion and intelli-gence, a new model can beforged.
An easy task? No. But the savvycompany that chooses this roadless traveled can lead its ownperfect storm of respectfulideas, initiatives and messages—resulting in a sustainable brandmodel of long-term relationships,value and trust.
Joe CarofanoCCA Advertising
Wnte to , 114 West 26th St.
3rd FL, New York, NY 10001 or e-mail
8/12/2019 The Pharmaceutical Branding Model Evolves.pdf
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