The Day 3 of ‘World Pharma Brand Managers Week 2024’ saw the participation of 450 plus pharma enthusiasts. Learning from and honoring legends.

Swetanshu Subhrajit, the host and moderator for the session welcomed attendees to the third day of the World Pharma Brand Managers Week, 2024, organized by the PharmaState.Academy and IES’s Management College and Research Centre (IESMCRC). The event, designed to provide six days of online learning opportunities, culminating in a physical event is aimed at providing opportunities for interaction with industry leaders and learning from their experiences. Swetanshu emphasized the event’s purpose to honor the memories of two Pharma industry legends, Professor Chitta Mitra and Professor Tarun Gupta.

The speaker for the session, Meganathan Mohan gave a detailed presentation on creating mega brands, using Apple, Amazon, and Apex as examples, highlighting the importance of innovation, customer focus, risk-taking, and consistent promotion in their success.

Indian Patient-Tailored Zinc and Multi-Vitamin Products Launch

Meganathan Mohan discussed the development and launch of a range of zinc and multi-vitamin products tailored to Indian patient needs. He emphasized the importance of consistency in creating and marketing a brand, focusing on telling a consistent story and delivering on promises. He also underscored the role of employees in building the brand, stating that they should be passionate about the brand. Mr. Meganathan urged the team to focus on the customer’s mind and the synergy between marketing and sales.

Brand Consistency and Nutritional Positioning

Sankar Dass, Vivek Hattangadi, and Meganathan Mohan together guided the audience on the importance of consistency and patience in building a successful brand. Mr. Meganathan highlighted the positioning strategy of a brand focusing on the nutritional segment and immunity, emphasizing the need for consistency despite competition. The conversation also touched on the role of research and development in creating unique products and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on sales. Mr. Sankar Dass stressed the importance of building the right brand that can weather crises, rather than just launching new products. A Question & Answer session followed, with attendees invited to ask questions and engage in discussions.

Consistency, Commitment, and Innovation in Brand Promotion

Meganathan Mohan stressed the importance of consistency in sales promotion and the crucial role of employee commitment to brand promotion. He highlighted the significance of evidence-based promotion and the need for continuous updating of brand management strategies. Swetanshu Subhrajit questioned the best strategy for brand acceptance from doctors, to which Meganathan responded that frequent changes in communication strategies were not advised unless the brand was already well established. The Speaker also shared his perspective on the importance of customer experience and design innovation in building a strong brand, citing Apple and Amazon as examples.

Product Innovation and Sales Force Engagement

Meganathan Mohan discussed the importance of product innovation for brand diversification and extension, mentioning new product developments like sugar-free versions and for post-menopausal symptoms. He also discussed implementing sales and marketing force engagement programs to keep field staff motivated. Sankar Dass emphasized the appeal of repetition in their work, suggesting that even tasks like pharmaceutical marketing can be interesting and suited to those who love their job.

Digitalization, Print Media, Innovation, and Healthcare

Meganathan Mohan shared about a successful nutritional campaign they had run, which involved 2 lakh patients and 30,000 doctors, breaking a world record. The meeting then moved on to one-on-one interactions, including a question about target audience management in the healthcare industry, in which Mr. Meganathan stressed the importance of continuous learning and adaptation to market changes to effectively reach their audience.

Pharmaceutical and Nutrition Supplement Industry Discussion

The speaker expressed confidence in the potential for growth in the nutritional supplements market and emphasized the importance of brand positioning and focus. The importance of selecting a few products for focus to avoid dilution of effort in brand promotion was also highlighted. The group also discussed strategies for building and maintaining brand loyalty among doctors.

The session ended on a high note with suggestions of hosting more such programs for the benefit of the Pharma industry professionals. Stay Tuned for DAY 4 with speaker Jaspal Singh Virdi joining us at the Brand Chat and Madhav Gandhi moderating the session.

If you have missed the session, you can watch it here: