Brand Update : Sada Sexy Raho with Set Wet !

Set Wet has now a brand ambassador in the form of Aditya Roy Kapur. Since the take over of the brand by Marico, this is the first major shift in the strategy for Set Wet brand. According to media reports, Marico intends to position this brand for the youth and concentrate on hair styling products. The brand now has the endorsement from the upcoming star Aditya Roy Kapur.

Watch the ad here : Set Wet Aditya Roy Kapur

The brand has retained the " Be Sexy " positioning but added some more class to the brand campaign.  The brand has also changed the tagline from " Very Very Sexy " to  " Sada Sexy Raho " meaning be always sexy.

Despite the much used Sexy positioning, I liked the way Set Wet has used this theme. The brand is perceived to be a cool brand and the latest campaign emphasizes this coolness. I liked the execution of the ad and brings in a freshness to the brand. 

PharmBingo Contest: Pharma Buzzwords Heard at Corporate Meetings or Industry Events

Print the following PharmBingo Card, which is loaded with drug industry/pharma marketing "buzzwords", and bring it to your next industry conference or corporate meeting. You can Win a Prize!

Click for an enlarged view or download PDF version here.

To be eligible, you must:

1. Complete the Pharma Marketing Buzzwords Survey 
2. Achieve a winning PharmBingo pattern (see below) 

Continue reading for the instructions.

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Some Questions and Answers About Digital Health

"If you think that digital health brings with it many questions and maybe more questions than answers, you are not alone," says Denise Silber, organizer of the 3rd Annual Doctors 2.0 & You conference, which will take place on June 4-5, 2015, in Paris.

In a post on LinkedIn (here), Denise provides a list of "26 sizzling questions" that she says will be tackled at this conference.

As I said before, I have 10 reasons for not liking lists (especially long lists), which you can read here.

That being said, here are a few questions from Denise's list I DO like and for which I have answers.

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Brand Update : Alia Bhatt to Perk Up Cadbury Perk

Cadbury Perk is a confused brand. Perk came into limelight with an epic fight between KitKat and Perk. Then both these brands went to two trajectories. While KitKat was able to find a direction in terms of positioning , Perk was totally a confused brand. Nestle then launched Munch to fight Perk. Perk kept on experimenting with advertising themes and positioning and still has not found its mojo. 

Really I miss the magic of the launch campaigns of Perk . From this classic ad, the brand went to meaningless campaigns and later somewhat settled into its glucose energy focus. While KitKat focused on Have a Break positioning, Perk was no where in the picture.

Now Perk is again trying a new positioning featuring the Bollywood star Alia Bhatt.  The brand is running the campaign featuring the new celebrity endorser. 

Watch the ad here : Alia Bhatt Perk

Along with the new ad, Perk now has a new tagline " Jiyo Lightum Light"  which probably means to live life freely. 

From the ad, I have a feeling that the campaign was created around the celebrity rather than the brand. The thinking would be like , let us make an ad that fits Alia Bhatt ! 

My feeling is that Perk is struggling to find the right positioning. The new positioning lacks a connect with the product and the practical joke theme and the bubbly girl character has been heavily used by many brands in the past. 

Its sad to see the standards of the Perk's ads go down compared to the earlier ones ( featuring Preity Zinta). 

Brand Update : Live-in makes Ajay Devgn say " Can't Live Without"

After some unworthy advertisement campaigns, Live-in has come out with a new campaign featuring the actor- Ajay Devgn. The brand is currently running the new campaign featuring the celebrity.

The brand had come to the limelight with some smart campaign featuring Dino Morea with the focus on comfort as the USP. 

Later the brand changed track and produced some averagely creative campaigns and faded into the clutter.

This time around, the brand is putting its future on Ajay Devgn.

The choice of the celebrity is interesting since he does not feature in the young brigade of celebrity endorsers. So wondering whether the brand is taking the risk of alienating the young consumers.

The brand has retained its tagline " Can't Live Without "

The  new campaign is somewhat ordinary without any wow factor. The presence of the actor gives some freshness to the otherwise forgotten brand other than that the new rejuvenation exercise delivers not much. Along with the new ad, the brand also has a new logo . 

My opinion is that this brand faded into oblivion because of lack of marketing investment from the owners. After the initial high profile branding, there was no  note-worthy campaigns for this brand. Even at the stores, this brand was virtually invisible. Hopefully the brand will receive more sustained investment in days to come. 

MediScripts Rx Pad Ad Features HAVITOL - A Fake Drug Not to be Confused with HAVIDOL!

The following full-page ad for mediscripts prescription pads in the April 2015 edition of PM360 caught my attention.

I guess pharma companies can place Rx drug ads within these pads as shown in the example above, which shows an ad for "Once-Daily Havitol," a fake drug.

This is very funny on many levels, but also not funny. Did the external or internal PM360 agency that created the mediscripts ad realize what a Google search on "Havitol" yields? If so, it has quite a sense of humor. Let me explain.

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2014 Archive of Pharma Marketing News

Welcome to the 2014 ARCHIVE of Pharma Marketing News. All articles are FREE! No subscription is required to download these articles from past issues. Articles become available to non-subscribers approximately two months after publication. To obtain articles as soon as they are published, you must subscribe to the email newsletter service. Subscription is free and supported by advertising.

2014 Article List

January, 2014 (Vol. 13, Issue #1)Executive Summary of Complete Issue The Year 2013 in Images Pharma Content Marketing Strategies Leveraging Infographics and Search for Better Health Communications FDA Publishes First Piece of Long-Awaited Social Media Guidance February, 2014 (Vol. 13, Issue #2)Executive Summary of Complete Issue The Pharmaguy Social Media Timeline™: Volume 2 Do TV DTC Ads Overstate Rx Drug Risks? Pharma Brand Personality Traits March, 2014 (Vol. 13, Issue #3) Executive Summary of Complete Issue Social Media, Latent Spokespersons & Native Advertising Right & Wrong Ways for Pharma to Correct Misinformation on Wikipedia The Virtual Sales Rep April, 2014 (Vol. 13, Issue #4) Executive Summary of Complete Issue Pharma Finds Little to Like in Recent FDA Social Media Guidance The Sorry State of Pharma Mobile Health Apps May, 2014 (Vol. 13, Issue #5) Executive Summary of Complete Issue Pharma Promotional Spending in 2013 The Emerging Virtual Medical Conference June, 2014 (Vol. 13, Issue #6) Executive Summary of Complete Issue FDA Sets Up a Roadblock for Branded Rx Promotional Tweets FDA Opens Window for Pharma to Correct Misinformation Online How to Host a Successful Pharma TweetChat August, 2014 (Vol. 13, Issue #7) Executive Summary of Complete Issue Patient Activists Demand Higher Quality Mobile Health Apps Patient Storytelling Marketing September, 2014 (Vol. 13, Issue #8) Executive Summary of Complete Issue Anecdotal Experience Marketing Presenting "New Risk Information" About Drugs to HCPs Drug Industry v. FDA Re: Twitter & Google Adwords October, 2014 (Vol. 13, Issue #9) Executive Summary of Complete Issue PhRMA Tells FDA How It Wants to Correct "Misinformation" BI Receives Pharmaguy Social Media Pioneer Award A Formula for Patient-Centric mHealth Apps December, 2014 (Vol. 13, Issue #10) Executive Summary of Complete Issue Are Drug.com Websites "Fair and Balanced?" DTC Promotion Directed at Adolescents Your Spouse May Influence Your DTC Viewing Experience

The Patients Included Movement: My Comments on the Global Charter, re "Key Patient Advocates" & Transparency

"Patient centricity" is all the rage these days among pharmaceutical industry conference attendees and speakers. It is even becoming more common for actual patients to be part of the faculty/speakers and/or attendees of these conferences.

This wasn't always the case, which is why Lucien Engelen launched the "NO-SHOW Patients Act" in 2012 (read "No-Show patients on conferences : Patients Included™"). Lucien founded and is the Director of the Reshape Center at the Radboud University Medical Center located in the Netherlands. The Center is at the "convergence of patient empowerment and (exponential) technology."

Lucien said he no longer could imagine a conference about healthcare with a NO-SHOW approach of patients, by which he meant:

• no patient IN the program, 
• no patient ON the stage or 
• no patient IN the audience.

Lucien announced he would boycott such conferences by declaring "I will NO-SHOW on healthcare conferences that do not add patients TO or IN their program or invite them IN the audience also I will no longer speak at NO-SHOW conferences."

The "Patients Included" logo shown above can be used free of copyright for conferences that have patients ON stage, IN the program or invited as patients to the conference. "Do not ask US if your are eligible for it," says Lucien, "the audience will be your 'judge' ;-)" BTW, you can't use the fact that "we are all patients" to qualify.

Now the "Patients Included" movement is getting more complicated. Some activists are developing a "Global Charter" that goes much further than Lucien's NO-SHOW Patients Act and lays down specific compliance guidelines.

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Determining How Much Pharma Spends on Internet vs. TV DTC Advertising is a Daunting Task!

I prepared the chart on the left for the Pharma Marketing News article "DTC Ad Spending Rises from the Grave," which was published this Monday. You should compare this version of the chart to the one I published here on Pharma Marketing Blog last week (here).

This chart says 5% of pharma's 2014 DTC ad budget went to the Internet (excluding search), whereas the previous version says only 3%.

This chart says 63% of the budget went to TV, whereas the previous version says 70%.

I'll ignore print for now.

Determining the exact amount that the pharmaceutical industry spends on advertising via different media (TV, print, Internet, etc.) is a daunting task. Numbers regarding pharma DTC spending come from two sources: Nielsen and Kantar Media. Both report "measured media" spending, which includes TV, magazines, news-papers, radio, outdoor, and Internet (display ads only, not including search). Kantar tracks over 3,000 media sources throughout the US and Canada, which is a different methodology than that used by Nielsen. As a result, the numbers from these sources often do not match (for more on that, read "Making Sense of Pharma DTC Spending Trends").

Why the Differences?

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AstraZeneca Mines PatientsLikeMe's "Dark" Data & Avoids Engaging Patients Directly

AstraZeneca Mines PatientsLikeMe's "Dark" Data & Avoids Engaging Patients Directly.

Brand Update : This summer, Frooti gets a major makeover

This summer, the 30 year old Frooti has got a bold makeover. Frooti has re-branded itself with a new logo, new packaging and ofcourse new brand communication. Frooti has a commanding 80% + share in the tetra-pack segment of the Rs 3500 crore Indian mango drink market. But the overall market share of the brand is only 11% in the total market. This is because the market is dominated by PET packs

The brands like Maaza and Slice dominate the market with their PET bottle variants. More over, the company feels that Frooti is perceived to be a kid's brand thus alienating the young/teen consumers who now form the majority of the consuming class of these products.

So along with the re-branding, Frooti has also changed the product formula with more juice pulp added to it. The re-branding also saw a change in the advertising agency . The company has roped in Sagmeister  & Walsh for this exercise.

The result is a bold logo, new color for the packaging and a new campaign.

Watch the tvc here : Frooti life

The brand has retained SRK as the endorser.

The ad uses the stop-motion animation and frankly I didn't get the plot until I read the detailed story line in an article. 

The theme revolves around the tiny people in a tiny world living a Frooti Life.

The brand which brought back the classic " Fresh'N'Juicy " tagline has dropped it in the new scheme of things. The new tagline it seems is " The Frooti Life".

The packaging is bold and refreshing. The ad is amusing because of the stop-motion animation but I am not sure whether it has the wow-factor enough to cause the youngsters to flock to it. The brand has attempted a laddering up from the highly functional FreshNJuicy proposition. But I feel that the plot is not that clear. 

While the brand has made a refreshing change, I am wondering what next for the brand ? How is the brand going to take the " Frooti Life " forward ? Just being amusing is a dangerous goal in a re-branding and re-segmenting exercise. 

The 2013 campaign was so good and bought back the freshness to the brand with SRK boosting the presence. A drastic change in the whole branding and segment is something which is quite intriguing.

Some how I feel a disconnect between the tiny people and SRK and Frooti Life ! May be  because I am out of the TG. 

Pharma Sales Reps: Declined & Denied!

#Pharma Sales Reps: Declined & Denied!

Pharma Ups Its Investment in TV DTC Advertising

Ever since the U.S. allowed direct-to-consumer (DTC) advertising, a majority of the ad dollars were spent on TV, which made sense in past years because that's where the "target" audience spent most of its media consumption hours.

I guess 2014 is no exception: 70% of the DTC spending last year went to TV!

But wait! 2014 appears to be exceptional in that it saw the highest percentage spent on TV since at least 2001.

I plotted the data to illustrate the trend.


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How to Gloss Over Warnings in TV DTC Ads

Julieta Smith, group strategy director, McCann Humancare -- part of the same healthcare agency that won a Lions Health 2014 GOLD award for Fictional Patient Story (not that that's a good thing compared to a REAL patient story that only won a BRONZE award) -- thinks that the same “generic” warning repeated in all direct-to-consumer (DTC) drug ads would be more effective than SPECIFIC warnings now required by the FDA.

In an article/blog post written for MM&M (here), Smith suggests ALL drug DTC ads on TV just end with this warning message:

“All drugs carry certain risks and should not be used by everyone. These risks can range from inconveniences to the risk of death. You should talk to your doctor to determine your specific risks, reasons you might not be a candidate to use this drug, and any side effects and warnings that may pertain to you personally before you take it. To learn more visit brandx.com.”

Pardon the phrase, but this is an example of “putting lipstick on a pig.” Maybe it's not PC, but I think that's an appropriate analogy.

Smith believes this is a solution to a major problem with TV DTC advertising.

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Operation: Frog - A Forerunner in the Genre of Gamification

▶ Review of Commodore 64 Version of Operation Frog. Back to the Gamification Future!

Meet Bayer's Grants4Apps Team!

http://realpharmaguy.tumblr.com/post/115412913052/via-https-vine-co-v-ol9edxi9rqe

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Off-Label Uses Promoted in DTC Ads for Diabetes Drugs

Print and TV DTC ad for Farxiga
(click on image for an enlarged view)

Public Citizen, a consumer advocacy group with more than 350,000 members and supporters nationwide, sent FDA’s OPDP Director Tom Abrams a letter on March 31, 2015, urging him “to stop the apparently violative off-label promotional statements in the direct-to-consumer (DTC) advertisements of five prescription drugs approved for the treatment of Type 2 diabetes. The drugs are Farxiga (dapagliflozin), Jardiance (empagliflozin), Invokana (canagliflozin), Victoza (liraglutide) and Bydureon (extended-release eventide).”

Usually, pharmaceutical companies are accused of promoting drugs “off-label” to physicians, which is understandable because it is perfectly legal for physicians to prescribe drugs for so-called off-label use.

The FDA rarely cites off-label or “unapproved use” claims made in DTC ads. None of the letters issued by FDA in 2014 mentioned that violation. Historically (between 2004 and 2013), only 4% of violations cited in FDA letters were concerned with off-label/unapproved use promotion and no TV ad received such a letter (see here).

Public Citizen includes a Farxiga ad that “touts” weight loss and blood pressure reduction as potential benefits although the drug has not been approved for those indications (see the ad in the above figure; also included is a screen from the TV ad).

“These five drugs have been approved solely to lower hemoglobin A1C levels in patients with Type 2 diabetes,” says Public Citizen, “but the advertisements presented in this letter clearly convey the false perception to patients and doctors that the drugs have been deemed safe and effective for weight loss and/or reducing blood pressure.”

Public Citizen wonders if the FDA approved the ads and asks a couple of interesting questions in light of the recent paucity of warning letters issued by the FDA (read “Banging Year for Drug Approvals, Wimpy Year for Enforcement Actions”).

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23andMe Appoints “e-Patient Davide” to the Newly Created Position of Chief Patient Officer

I just received the following press release via email.

23andMe Appoints "e-Patient Davide" to the Newly Created Position of Chief Patient Officer

Appointment is a First for the Silicon Valley Pharmaceutical Company

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., – April 1 2015 – 23andMe today announced the appointment of Davide deBellagio, also known as “e-Patient Davide,” to the newly created position of Chief Patient Officer.

e-Patient Davide & Unidentified Executive

“The appointment of a Chief Patient Officer at 23andMe, the first for a Silicon Valley pharmaceutical company, shows our commitment to go further than mainstream pharma¹ in meeting the needs of patients and our investors,” said Steve Woz, an unspecified 23andMe executive. “Interactions with patients are a source of strength -- and wealth -- for the company and e-Patient Davide’s appointment will help ensure the patient perspective advances our profits and our approach to meeting the unmet needs of our investors, which include Roche and Johnson & Johnson.”

e-Patient Davide -- a pre-Alzheimer’s survivor -- is an international keynote speaker on healthcare who consistently earns extraordinary fees from consulting with various healthcare organizations.

“I am incredibly honored to be 23andMe's first Chief Patient Officer, or as I like to call it, Chief Patient Kibitzer,” said e-Patient Davide. “The Internet has altered the balance of power in healthcare. Patients are managing their own health and, in partnership with the pharmaceutical industry, making some money to boot.”

According to e-Patient Davide, his responsibility will be to further elevate the perspective of the patient within 23andMe by “kibitzing,” which is Yiddish for offering unwanted advice or commentary. There’s no better way for a patient to impact the future healthcare offerings of a pharmaceutical company than by “budding in” to ensure the unique priorities and needs of patients and caregivers are “top of mind” for senior executives. According to unnamed sources, 23andMe executives must subject themselves to daily “kibitzing sessions” delivered by e-Patient Davide as he roams the halls of the company and barges unannounced into executive suites.

“Hopefully, my unwanted input will not go unnoticed,” said e-Patient Davide as he posed for a photo op with Wojcicki outside 23andMe’s Mountain View headquarters.

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