MARKETING FOR CONSUMER HEALTHCARE/OTC BRANDS VS
PRESCRIPTION BRANDS – Are they different?

What are the similarities & differences between the marketing of prescription (Rx) products and OTC/Consumer healthcare products? Hence, what skills are required for a marketer for both these segments of products?

This is a question in the minds of quite a few, especially those who are looking to move from FMCG to pharmaceutical marketing or from pharma to either the OTC domain or indeed consumer marketing.

In my view, there are differences and indeed similarities between marketing for both these segments. Prescription healthcare marketing strategy has similar basics to consumer healthcare/OTC or indeed strategic thinking around any product.

However, there are some areas where the approach to marketing and skills required vary to a degree. I will discuss the major differences here and hope the readers will also put in their comments.

(Note – for the sake of simplicity I have assumed that OTC products are those which are available for consumer purchase at retailers and Doctor prescribed products can only be purchased with a doctor’s prescription at pharmacies. Also, digital is changing selling, purchase, and marketing practices, have also put that on a back burner for this discussion)

1) The Scale of the immediate target audience: The first thing that changes manifold when you move from Rx to consumer healthcare marketing is the sheer number of the target audience. In medical marketing, cohorts broadly could range from 3,000-4,000 to 35,000 practitioners depending on the class of drug or medicine (I have excluded outliers – super specialty or totally mass segment where the numbers vary on either extreme). In most consumer healthcare segments, even after various filters (demographic, geographic, psychographic, etc.) the number will start from a couple of million to 10 million plus.

For a marketer from the Rx background, this increase in number means quickly understanding 3 things.

a) Firstly, deriving insights now requires more rounds of market research. Being able to both commission research and also use the results to take further action is a skill that becomes extremely important.

b) Secondly, the scale of activations becomes immense so multiple agencies will need to be orchestrated and the execution requires slightly different planning. It’s not necessarily more difficult, because there is support in terms of monetary & people resources, but it takes a couple of seasons to get used to.

c) Thirdly, intelligence gathering is now more skewed towards the point of purchase which is the retailer. A large no of retailers are now the key both for information and also as a point of influence for the purchaser. The chemist or pharmacy though important for prescription marketing becomes an essential stakeholder in terms of consumer-brand interaction and/or as a purchaser decision point in OTC or consumer healthcare marketing.

For a person who has shifted from FMCG to Rx marketing the reduction in the number of the immediate target audience requires more direct interaction with the physicians in question.

This skill does take a bit of time to develop since the doctor knows much more about the product and category than us marketers. A lot of times, one has to interact with the top practitioners in the field and this can be intimidating in the beginning.

2) The Gamut of Promotion: Consumer marketing has more media vehicles to use to promote a brand directly to the consumer. This applies to consumer healthcare as well, with mass media being the norm for most brands.

In Rx marketing, since brand promotion can only be done at the doctor (or healthcare practitioner) direct communication is the preferred route.

There are exceptions where the patient plays an important role but in that case mass media is used to promote the category (not the brand). Digital is making the media play more interesting in current times, but I am keeping it out of this discussion.

So, for those new to OTC marketing – understanding TV, radio, print as a media is a challenge but it is also new and exciting. Both advert creation, production and media management are skills that are required to become a consummate marketer.

Generally, the eco-system of good creative and media planning agencies does help quickly pick up these skills.

For those entering pharmaceutical marketing – how you market a prescription drug is not dramatically different. However, the options for creating marketing programs can feel restrictive.

There are strict guidelines and rules to adhere to, from a regulatory stand point. Also, the target audience is a learned, busy practitioner, – not an easy person to communicate to!

One tip that could help – this is something I learnt thanks to Merck and its brilliant marketing process – is to try to think of the marketing task from a patient (or prospective patient) point of view, to consider the broader impact on the total system.

If the product is an anti-biotic for a child – consider the infection and discomfort that it can alleviate. The fact that a doctor generally treats empirically – so has about 90 seconds to diagnose and 60 seconds to choose a brand – how can
you help her?

For a preventive product like a vaccine – your goal need not be bettering a competition product but indeed disease eradication. How would that change your brand’s positioning?

How would it impact the thinking behind creation of marketing programs, the behavioral change that marketing tries to bring about?

I found this approach personally motivating, in terms of the sheer impact that a prescription medicine can have. This can also help in looking at marketing programs more creatively.

3) The role of the internal customer: In any organization the sales team is important. In doctor
focused marketing the sales person is the key. Nearly the entire communication designed by marketing is relayed to the audience via the medical representative.

The 1st line sales manager is in addition, pivotal in ensuring efficient implementation of programs. Hence a constantly engaged sales force is all-important.

This is an integral skill required in pharmaceutical marketing. In many ways, it is a leadership skill, because here, like good leaders, a marketer must be able to envision the future, engage the sales team and help them deliver results.

Understanding training needs, as well as the motivation levels of the sales team, become truly important. The best way is to work on a regular basis with the team on the field. It helps gather insights from the customers and in addition, understand where the sales person needs support.

Over a period of time, rigour and frequent interactions, this skill improves manifold.

I was extremely fortunate in the early years of my career to work with the best in my first job at Ranbaxy. It helped in understanding and learning from the sales professionals in the medical field. It has helped me since in innumerable ways.

Branding in healthcare is evolving quickly, how you market a prescription drug vis-à-vis an OTC drug is important to understand, however, the basics of marketing are similar for both domains.

There are some differences which I have discussed, which can be thoughtfully handled. A good, helpful peer group is
extremely important in the initial days.

It is a rewarding experience to shift from consumer marketing to pharmaceutical marketing and vice-versa from doctor to OTC or consumer marketing.

It enhances the marketing and business skills of the individual. It is also good for businesses as it brings in diverse skills and perspectives to either field.

So, if all other aspects are in place, I would encourage marketers to make this shift when provided with the opportunity!