Putting Emotion in Pharma
As
Matt Giegerich, President of Quantum Group highlights, “Unless you
understand how the patient feels about a category, and then show how your product can
respond to that feeling, the execution is jargon.”
Giegerich
statement is particularly relevant, when multiple products are reaching
patent expiry and are facing competition from generics. At the same time,
more ‘me-too’ product are entering the market, and Rx to OTC switches are getting frequent,
putting the purchasing power in consumers’ hands.
While
the market undergoes such upheavals, it is disconcerting to brands being
promoted on purely functional benefits, with little regard for the emotional connect that could be
created with the audience.
And
in such a scenario, what happens when a competition ‘one-ups’ your functional
offering, or if that functional offering no longer offers greater differentiation than the
rest of the market?
AstraZeneca’s
highly successful, moving campaign of their oncology brand Arimidex,
a hormonal replacement therapy for reducing breast cancer recurrence,
is a good example. The integrated advertising campaign aimed at overcoming
the HRT-generated fear by negative press, and the reluctance of breast
cancer survivors for even hearing about another treatment and achieved it
remarkably. The company, instead of pursuing a ‘hard- sell’ strategy, followed an
unbranded educational campaign that generated a great deal of goodwill.
Research
suggests that cancer patients rely heavily on survivors for information and
support. Arimidex implemented a strategy that used real-life breast cancer survivors to talk to
other survivors.
Moving Hearts as well as Minds
In
a healthcare world where both healthcare professionals (HCPs) and patients are
often overwhelmed with information and data, the role a brand plays will become all the more
important in ensuring success.
Successful
healthcare brands are built from a foundation of both rational emotional
benefits. This confluence of the heart and the mind gives a brand the ability
to communicate its functional attributes and create a lasting, positive image in the minds of
those prescribing it.
This
is the power of a brand – the capability to provoke resonance. And that happened
when a doctor connects with what the brand is saying, and responds by prescribing
it instead of a competitor.
Shaking Things Up – The Right
Amount of Fear
AstraZeneca
repositioned heartburn from a trivial condition, to one that can have serious
consequences. Changing the name of the condition from heartburn to Acid
Reflux Disease or GERD (Gastro Esophageal Reflux Disease) was a smart repositioning
tactic. For example, a TV ad for Nexium warned consumers that “Over time, that acid
can shred your esophagus.”2
Quite
a fearful image. But it helped viewers remember the brand. Because it alarmed them and
presented the condition as something to be concerned about.
Emotional
branding goes beyond loyalty and almost creates an “I-am-with-
-no-matter- what” mentality.
Reverse Psychology
For
some pharmaceutical products, beyond relieving physical symptoms or discomfort, the product
benefit is also to nullify some social emotions.
For
example, consumers desire a medication for psoriasis because it relieves
itch and pain. However, it also delivers a stronger emotional benefit by
alleviating powerful feelings of shame or rejection, which most patients feel
when they are in social situations. The product’s ability to alleviate this
strong
emotional pain is an equal, if not stronger, purchase driver than its ability to alleviate
physical discomfort.
The One who Cares
While
cough and cold medications are largely marketed on functional benefits
– efficacy, speed, long-lasting – one very strong emotional need remained
unaddressed. Parents of sick children feel tremendous anxiety, which is triggered by a
number of perceived uncertainties.
“How sick is my child?
Will she get worse? Can I go to work tomorrow?”
Armed
with this insight, the brand pursued new creative development to implicitly
promise anxiety relief, and align this emotional reward with the brand.
Understanding the unmet emotional needs enabled breakthrough marketing innovation for
this brand.
Good positioning often
promises an emotional benefit, without stating it directly.
For
example, several years ago, Merck achieved an ideal positioning strategy
for Fosamax (Alendronate) with the statement “Fosamax helps you regain
your independence.” By focusing on the underlying emotional issues surrounding
osteoporosis and the constant threat of fracture faced by
women
with low bone density, the essence of the indication was well-captured.
In response, sales of Fosamax increased dramatically. In contrast,
the statement “Fosamax increases bone density,” while true, lacks the
emotional impact of a positioning statement that focuses on regaining
independence.
To Summarize
One
may argue that it will take a while for pharmaceutical brands
to leverage the same kind of returns that FMCG’s have from
communicating emotional values in building loyalty. But it is
an area that should definitely not be neglected.
Product
attributes and pricing do play a significant part in influencing
customers to choose a particular brand. But an ongoing
advertising campaign that touches consumers emotionally
will enable top-of-the mind recall and help build long
term brand loyalty. Additionally, all of the brand’s
communication,
including press advertising, public relations (PR),
online and direct marketing should focus on the emotional values; this will help
deliver a consistent message.
In
addition to delivering functional benefits, it is only when a product
stimulates an emotional dialogue with the consumer
and confers value to its customers, will it sustain loyalty in the long
term.
References
1.https://buildingpharmabrands.com/tag/branding/
2.http://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2011/01/create-disease-market-drug.html
3.https://www.scribd.com/doc/103330533/Vicks-Vaporub-Case
4.
http://www.mmm-online.com/features/10-steps-to-product-positioning/article/24881/
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