The World According To ..
pharmafile | July 14, 2008 | Feature | Medical Communications, Sales and Marketing |Â Â advertising, communicationsÂ
What, in your opinion, is the current state of marketing in pharma?
What a question. How do you measure the state of marketing in an industry that has such a kaleidoscope of conditions ranging from life threatening to mildly irritable?
There are those marketers who prefer the quick, or even immediate, return on investment and there are those who will see the greater benefit of brand building, or for that matter, brand re-building. Neither of these approaches is wrong, but for me one is unsustainable if you want to succeed in such a competitive area.
The questions I find myself asking are, what are today's marketers made of? Are they 'shapers', 'doers' or just 'tenants'? Do they have the ability to think laterally enough to meet their unique challenges? Are they innovative enough? (A question repeatedly asked of creative agencies in pitch or day-to-day work.) Are they daring enough? And, if they do possess all these attributes, have they the energy, guile and fortitude to get around copy clearance – not to mention a whole host of other daily obstacles – to drive their projects beyond their projected goals. So, does the present day marketer possess the mindset of 'Who Dares Wins' or 'Who Cares Who Wins'?
There are constant challenges on the horizon for all sorts of marketers in whatever field they are in, or for that matter whatever level they are at. Our market exists in a state of continual flux: the publication of the government pharmacy white paper, constant NHS reviews and guidelines being penned for every human condition and ill conceived changes to the roles of major budget holders and decision makers. The emasculation of the GP, a primary recipient of pharma communication until recent years, will be complete within a decade, reducing them to nothing more than glorified administrators.
So, could the demise of the GP be a forerunner to the demise of the less inventive marketer? Or, ultimately, the demise of 'stuck in their ways, always done it like this' pharma companies? Those who do not support and encourage change, or embrace new thinking and communications will find their extinction swift and absolute – much like the great dinosaurs. From being the unquestioned (and unquestioning) rulers of their domain, they may find themselves reduced to museum exhibits, where curators explain to the new neophytes of communications how such once great organisations failed to survive the meteorite of change. Marketing departments have to re-educate themselves and grasp the nettle of entrepreneurial thinking to meet the rising challenges of a new age.
You may think this a harsh appraisal and I don't deny there are some very good marketers and pieces of marketing out there but here's a simple exercise for you: Take four decades of mainstream pharma magazines, cut out the advertising and replace the adverts in a different time and see how many of your marketing people can spot the difference. On one hand you may say that's four decades of consistency, on the other some may say stagnation.
So I believe entrepreneurial skills in marketing departments are in the minority and need to be in the majority. Hopefully pharmaceutical companies will open the doors and develop their minds to embrace this continual evolution.
What is your all time favourite marketing campaign (pharma and non-pharmaceutical)?
As a creative of some experience I have witnessed the very good, the very bad and, unfortunately, the down right ugly. There are so many to choose from in non-pharma and so little to choose from in pharma. Non-pharmaceutical favourites include British Airways' 'P.J. O'Rourke', The Economist press campaign, Carling's 'Dam Busters', Tesco's 'Every little helps' Gallagher's 'Embassy Gold' cigarettes posters, Hamlet cigars' 'photo booth', London Underground's 'tube day trips', Phillips' 'Firrips radio slots' (written by Griff Rhys Jones and Mel Smith) and finally Carlsberg's 'probably' executions.
The all time favourite list is endless. They are a testament to the industry's integrity and craft and a celebration of that combined marketing and creative confluence that yields strong, consistent campaigns.
From the pharma sector, campaigns that come to mind are, Xenical 'lethal obsession', ReQuip, Mizollen 'gas mask' [one execution pictured above], Zofran and a couple of our very own. As for an all time favourite I think that whilst there are many accomplished marketing campaigns out there, for me the pool of favourites is somewhat shallow just yet.
Of all the projects you've worked on, which has given you most satisfaction?
Those where I feel I have accomplished something.
Does the customer always know best?
Nope!! I could go into detail but do I really need to?
What is your golden rule in your working life?
This is very simple: Never look back, never regret and, above all, never say 'if only'. The past can never be changed. The decisions you make, right or wrong, are the decisions you have made and live by. Each has a consequence, sometimes positive and sometimes down right soul destroying, but if we lived in a world where hindsight was a part of our attributes, what a very emotionless and dull place it would be.
If you could be someone else for a day, who would it be and why?
Probably Jack Kennedy when he made his 'Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country' speech. He delivered that inaugural address with so much commitment and passion, on a cold January morning, that in a single moment it gave new belief and hope to a nation.
Who or what is your greatest source of inspiration?
Anyone who succeeds through adversity or unique thinking.
Tony Green is the creative partner of Rainmaker Advertising, an independent agency whose founding principle, is: "If it can be imagined it can be done."
Working both internationally and domestically Tony's career in advertising spans 25 years in both consumer and healthcare, during which time he has won top accolades from Rx Club, HAAG, IPA, New York Festival, Globals and, most recently, the Best International Core Campaign at this year's PM Society awards.
Among others, Tony has worked with Molnlycke, GSK, Sanofi, Wyeth, Reckitt and Coleman, Sun Alliance, American Express, Rank Xerox, Nissan and BT.
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