• Marketing Communication Strategy

Integrated Marketing Communication is a business process, or a strategy used to plan, develop,

execute for brand communication program or to describe the product to your customers. The
advancement of powerful communication mix in pharmaceutical advertising is complex task which
identifies the target audience, deciding the correspondence targets, designing a message, choosing
method of delivery and collecting feedback. Pharmaceutical promotion is divided in two phases’ in-
clinic and out of clinic which includes information leaflets, samples, gifts and clinical-trails, seminars,
camps, advertisement, etc. The paper describes about Marketing mix which includes product mix,
price mix and distribution channels. It also differentiates the promotional tools like internet based,
Electronic detailing, Personal selling, E-Sampling used synergistically for prescription and OTC drugs
while promoting the pharmaceutical products by using Integrated Marketing Strategy.
Pharmaceutical industry faces many challenges like regulatory barriers and doctor’s non-readiness
for prescribing the drug products this can be overcome by convincing doctors by providing them
adequate information about the quality of product and advantages over competitor’s edge whereas
in case of regulatory they must follow the norms led down by the authorities.

The concept of having an integrated marketing communication is all about effectively coordinating
your efforts to produce a sale in a targeted market. This concept applies to the pharmaceutical
industry for introducing the product in market and also helps to increase the sales of product. With
the increasing competition pharmaceutical industry need to evolve new marketing tools in order to
make patients and physicians aware of new treatments and also to gain profit. For a company’s
drug’s to secure market category customer-centric brand communication plays an important role. In
order to convey consistent and powerful messages to all stakeholders, especially patients Integrated
Marketing campaigns are adopted by pharmaceutical companies. To create a new marketing or sales
model for future, it should start by analysing its own value chain to recognize opportunities for
working more closely with healthcare and providers, for example collaboration with the
governments, patients and health insurance by ensuring that it has social and economic value.

The survey conducted by IMS in 2006 reported that promotional activity spending of
Pharmaceuticals totalled to $12.0 billion. Furthermore, the entire industry's DTC advertising (such as
magazines & television) accounts for $4.8 billion of total promotion. The remaining accounts for $7.2
billion which was spent on office promotion, hospital promotion and journal advertise.

Biocon’s one of the patented product was promoted using Direct-To-Consumer (DTC) advertisement
(radio, television) . Biocon launched a massive campaign in order to educate people and branding its
medicines. Biocon utilized new technology to promote its medicines by broadcasting its commercial
with interactive television because of which interested individual try to gain information and also get
connected to brand’s web site Direct/Viral email campaign are also adopted by companies for some
new prescription drug products by emphasising on its benefits and results. Various healthcare OTC
products started use of IMC eg: Revital a nutrition supplement which was promoted using DTC
advertisement, sponsorship strategy and also hiring celebrity, Volini, Iodex which are pain relievers
are also being promoted by the same tools and with the help of sports person.

Steps in Developing Effective Communication:

i) Recognizing the Target Audience: A communicator has to have a clear target in mind. In case of
pharmaceutical detailing one has to see whether the detailing is being done to general practitioner
or a specialist. On the basis of target physician (GP's or specialist) the depth of detailing is being
decided.
ii) Determining the Communication Objectives: Once the target group has been characterized, the
advertising communicator must choose what reaction is looked for. Obviously, in numerous cases,
the last reaction is buying. Whereas in case of pharmaceutical the outcomes is to prescribe for which
it is necessary that the physician gets convinced for that the physician who just have basic
knowledge about the product should be told in detail and the one who has built liking for product
may be looking for one good reason to prescribe that product.
iii) Designing a Message: After identifying the target audience and its needs the communicators
move further to design a message. This message is designed on the basis of AIDA model which
stands for Attention, Interest, Desire and Action but in case of pharmaceuticals the Desire should be
replaced with Decision ,decision to prescribe that product.
iv) Choosing Media: The communicator now should choose proper channels for communicating or
informing about the product. There may be two types of marketing tools adopted by pharmaceutical
organization i.e. in-clinic, out of clinic. a. Personal Communication Channels: Channels through which
at least two individuals discuss straightforwardly with one another, whether eye to eye, by phone,
via mail, or by means of the web. b. Word-of-mouth Influence: Personal correspondence about an
item between target purchasers and neighbours, companions, family individuals, and partners. c.
Non-individual Communication Channels: Media that convey messages without individual contact or
input, counting significant media, radio, and seminars.
v) Selecting the Message Source: In either in-clinic or out-of-clinic communication, the message's
effect on the objective group of onlookers is additionally influenced by how the gathering of people
perspectives the communicator. Messages conveyed by very trustworthy sources are more
influential.
vi) Collecting Feedback: After sending the message, the communicator needs to research whether
the message has reached to the extent expected. Research could be carried out by marketing and
sales management personnel and while interacting with few of the targeted physician they can get
idea whether the message was effectively communicated or not and were the queries of doctors
resolved by the same.

Tools which Biocon uses for marketing by considering that it does not violet any law led down by
government:

1. Internet Based Drug Promotion: Using Corporate Blogs, Social Network Webs and Many
Other Online Methods Pharmaceutical industry is focusing on the advantages of the internet
and the development of new media forms to promote their products. Electronic detailing,
interactive websites, email prompts and viral marketing campaigns using social networking
sites such as YouTube, My Space and Face book are among the tools being used.

2. Electronic Detailing: With the technological development, many existing methods and
practices has been either replaced or modified in combination with technologically
developed methods. Electronic detailing (e-detailing) is one of the methods of drug
promotion introduced few years back as technologically develop tool. In Biocon it has been
introduced as a new communication channel for the promotion of drugs among the
physicians. For e-detailing digital technologies like internet, video conferencing, and
interactive voice response are adopted to interact with physicians.
i. The chance to get some answers concerning the thing and the treatment at the time
picked by a specialist and in this manner invaluable (i.e. on the expert's terms).
ii. Cut down costs of reaching the social occasion of individuals when appeared differently in
relation to other advancing trades works out.
iii. Adjusting more about the specialists and medication authorities and their slants.
iv. Growing the quality and appeal of visits by restorative agents.
v. E-detailing presentations may show up as:- An intelligent media presentation, A video
presentation and A static presentation with instinctive segments.

3. Personal Selling: Marketing is just not selling product to the customer but it is also making
profitable lifetime relationship with them . At Biocon, marketing or promotion the role of
making and maintaining genuine relation with people is the part and parcel of sales force
The sales person is the only person who dives all the movements of the product. So it is
mandatory for the sales representative to be dominant, creative, and strategic and must
have ability to convince physician by providing right knowledge about the product and
telling the advantages over the competitors. For this reason sales person must have some
selling styles like satisfying customer needs, should be able to solve query, handling
objection, etc. Personal selling is carried in eight steps which includes Prospecting, Pre-
approach, Approach, assign the needs, presentation, handling objection, purchase decision,
follow up. Personal selling becomes a easiest tools if sales rep follow 4 C's Convince,
Convert, Consolidate & Consistent approach.

4. E-Sampling: Sampling is the best promoting tools by which specialists can begin the
treatment quickly and test the resistance of the product on their patients as per the
condition of disease. It likewise helps the specialists to attempt it as a standard practice for
 the specific brand also, perceives the name of the brand as it keeps on resounding in their
brain. With the advancement of the technology request of physical supply of the samples
can be easily made by the doctors using online portals on laptops or mobiles. This has
changed the scenario of availability and delivery of products. Doctors may distribute samples
to patients for several reasons—for instance, to get patients started on therapy right away,
to optimize dosing or choice of drug before committing to a particular course of treatment,
and sometimes to help patients who might not be able to afford medicines on their own.
Biocon has been successfully following this method.

5. Sponsorship: Biocon additionally attempt to make indirect payment to the specialists by

different backhanded ways i.e. for clinical trials, national and global seminars and symposia
sponsorships, free therapeutic camps, conducing lectures for health care providers
(physicians).

Digital and Social Media Marketing of Biocon

Biocon’s presence in Social media
Facebook – 31,124 followers
Twitter – 3,675 followers
Youtube – 462 subscribers
LinkedIn – 1,14,300 followers

BIOCON: DIGITAL FOOTPRINT

BioConversations - 1 post per month
Facebook - 30 posts per month
Twitter - 60 tweets per month
LinkedIn - 20 posts per month
Youtube - 4 videos per quarter

APP engagements - DiabetEASE app for healthcare providers across India provides scientific support,
patient counselling support, case discussions, adverse event reporting, news and updates, list of
conferences etc. A tool for symptom-based diagnostic of GERD and measurement of its impact of
quality life. It has a simple, self-administered and patient-centred questionnaire comprising six
questions. A Mobile application to add value to Therapeutic drug monitoring service by providing
real time drug levels to Nephrologists using Biocon immunosuppressants. PSO Cal designed to
provide ease and convenience to dermatologists in calculating Psoriasis Area Severity Index (PASI)
scores of their patients.
Sample post of Biocon on its Facebook page