Disease BRANDING !

Interesting to note, the healthcare industry works in reverse manner, coz of restrictions on advertising in this industry. While it has also been argued that the Indian consumers hardly get influenced by Pharma Drug/ Product advertisements, doctors promoting advts, etc.

With the advent of mass media and information age, the consumer has become knowledgeable enough to decide. Now the consumer is the king coz they take their own decisions. In such scenario promoting products becomes very difficult, add to it the launch of more products in the same category creates a very competitive environment for the products/brands to survive.

So then what can be the right medium to promote/publicize Healthcare products?
These products are often managed by Product Managers more experienced in marketing and armed with MBAs. They think only on Rol, exceptional think about MAR-COM (Marketing & Communication).

It is important to promote the disease category. Brand the diseases and inform the masses/ consumers about the disease. Some of the important diseases who enjoy Brand status in the market are listed below:

1. Breast Cancer
2. AIDS
3. Bird Flu
4. Headache
5. Sore eyes (Conjunctivitis)
6. Heart Attack
7. Dog bite (Rabies)
8. Diabetes Day

Consumers are aware about these mentioned diseases. They are empowered with knowledge to fight against these diseases. Mass media gets the credit to promote among the patients/ consumers. Patients often debate with Doctors on possible treatments for these diseases.

The media informs consumers/ patients and doctor answers queries, it is a two way process, which creates a lasting impact in the minds of consumers. Branding diseases also helps to create awareness resulting in more patients and diagnosis. Early diagnosis helps to provide early treatment, saving the patients.
Now the time has come for ICMR to soften of restrictions which they had laid.

I won't be surprised if tomorrow patients start performing diagnosis on themselves and consult with a doctor online for help...

Brand categories, rather than Brand products

For long, the Pharma Company’s have been promoting their products, which only influenced doctors, chemists and people connected to the industry. No matter how hard the companies tried they were hardly able to address their target audience. With the entry of more Pharma companies, National & International, and increase in competition the need to differentiate from the clutter of products has risen. The questions product managers are always hunting, how should a Pharma company communicate their target audience on products?

The Pharma companies need to target their audience directly. The patients/ consumers in this new age are a lot informed. They know what they need and how to get it. Now the Pharma Company’s communication should be directly to its consumers through information about the diseases, about symptoms, etc.

The new age marketing will be on diseases category development, mass awareness about disease symptoms, effects about a particular deficiency, online forum, support group meetings, publicize disease specific docs, disease information brochures, etc. The Pharma companies now need to communicate the masses and KOLs. Also in this information age specific day related to the disease needs to be publicized with the help of KOLs, media and events. Some of the days which can be publicised are

1. World Heart Day
2. Breast Cancer Awareness Day
3. Hepatitis Awareness Day
4. World Anti- Tobacco day

These days inform the masses about the diseases and symptoms. Resulting in patients asking the doctor for more information. The doctor answers the queries of patients and gives information brochures. The consumer then for further information visits the website, created for that specific purpose and loaded with all the relevant information. This is new age marketing which involves the doctors and patients.

This also helps to promote the brand further by the same patients who become the Brand Ambassadors of the information, by spreading word-of-mouth publicity. The reason behind this is most consumers once they acquire information, they become knowledgeable and talk about it to the people they meet about the disease.
Now the Pharma companies have to be better informed because the consumer is empowered with knowledge. The Pharma companies are trying to realize this, but still are undecided on the strategy. It's high time they realize this and change their strategy, be more informative and mass oriented.