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" Consumer Healthcare ( OTC) Sales is n either  like Pharma  nor  like FMCG   , its OTC and one needs to be the best of three worlds to succeed in OTC Sales"  In order to understand the above statement let’s start with the definition of OTC, as put in Wikipedia “Over-the-counter (OTC) drugs are medicines sold directly to a consumer without a prescription from a healthcare professional, as compared to prescription drugs, which may be sold only to consumers possessing a valid prescription” – but this article is not limited to defining OTC (which we all know), this article is to emphasise on how to sell OTC products correctly. The traditional medicines segment is the leading segment in the Indian OTC market, contributing to about 30 percent to the total market.  Currently in India, OTC drugs are sold through five different types of distribution outlets, namely—department stores, indepen...

The purpose of this article is to discuss and elaborate the main issues encountered in managing brand equity. In order to achieve this purpose, we first analyse the concept of brand equity; second, we provide a comprehensive framework for managing brand equity; and finally, we distinguish different ways to leverage and measure brand equity.  Brand equity can be regarded as a managerial concept, as a financial intangible asset, as a relationship concept or as a customer-based concept from the perspective of the individual consumer. The main asset dimensions of brand equity can be grouped into brand loyalty, brand awareness, perceived quality and brand associations. There are three alternative ways to leverage brand equity: first building it, second borrowing it, or third buying it. In a general sense, brand equity is defined in terms of the marketing effects uniquely attributable to the brand. That is, brand equity relates to the fact that different outcomes result from t...

Building pharma brands driven by customer-focused innovation will enable companies to differentiate their products in a crowded marketplace Business consultant and author, Peter Drucker, whose thinking greatly contributed to the shape of the modern business organisation, wrote: ‘The aim of marketing is to know and understand the customer so well, the product or service fits him and sells itself’. On that basis my perspective would be that the pharmaceutical industry is not a customer centric business, which uses deep customer understanding to drive innovation at a molecule, brand or commercialisation level. A controversial statement perhaps but let us use it as a hypothesis which we can explore.  What has driven pharma industry success?   The reality is that much of the pharmaceutical industry’s success has been driven by three core areas:  Smart R&D engines (in many cases now faltering)  Effective patent extension, life cycle manageme...

"the moment I invest the best is the moment I invest in people" "our days are happier when we give people a bit of our heart rather than a piece of our mind" "a designation only describes what one does from what one is capable of doing" "true victory is achieved not by defeating but by winning the opposition" "if you are to get the best results of your strategy then just keep it simple"

BJP’s leader Narendra Modi's election juggernaut in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls is an example of how to prepare and successfully implement a marketing and branding campaign. Irrespective of your faith, ideology and voting decision, there has been no escaping Modi. His image and in-your-face messaging have overshadowed all other brands - even that of his own party. This case study looks at the strategy and tactics behind the creation of Brand Modi. Pitching a specific leader as a driver of change and to mobilise voters' support is hardly a new political strategy. After all, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had projected L.K. Advani and Atal Bihari Vajpayee its prime ministerial candidates in the past (remember the Ab ki baari Atal Bihari slogan in 1996?). The Congress party's projection of Indira Gandhi as the country's tallest leader with its 'Indira lao desh bachao' tagline in the 1970s is another such example. But the personal rhetoric had been tied, an...

Who says shopping isn’t complicated? With the number of variables being plugged into shopping every day, it has become an art & a science both for the Shopper & the Marketer.  But, who has made shopping complicated? In the current Indian scenario of such intense competition, the rate of change is constantly pushing new limits. Just a couple of years back, an Organized Retail in-store innovation used to make marketing headlines & office talk across companies. Now, they all seem common place. Every week, companies are fighting for space & retailers are auctioning it to the highest bidder. As the End-cap prices sky-rocket, brand managers need to innovate constantly in-order to engage the shopper just that little bit extra. The options for a typical middle / upper-middle class urban household meanwhile are ever increasing. The phenomenal success of malls & multiplexes, irrespective of their high-end pricing speak for themselves. Shopping beha...