Solid Strategic Support for Evolving Brand Management Debbie Fletcher Senior VP and Senior Account Planner Paul D. Giroux Executive VP and Director of Brand Planning and Market Analysis Account planning, a relatively new function within the traditional agency structure, is rapidly being recognized for the value it brings to both the client and the agency. The position of account planner demands critical thinking and analytical skills to shape brand strategy. To perform these tasks successfully, the account planner must be free from the multiple distractions that comprise the day-to-day activity of account services, and must be totally immersed in a client’s business situation. Information Please An account planner thrives on information; lots of information. Therefore, it is imperative that the account planner has access to an array of information sources, both within the agency network and from the agency’s clients. The resources that need to be made available to the account planner are vast and include medical affairs for clinical-trial information and thought-leader input; information services for surveys of the medical literature; market research for prescribing data, competitive intelligence, and sales audits; analytics for pipeline information and competitive analysis; and, most important, a seasoned staff of creative and account services people. Harvesting information from internal resources is just one part of the process. To build a comprehensive picture of the brand, the account planner must also gain access to a client’s warehouse of information. This is not always easily accomplished for obvious reasons. Client information is highly proprietary and competitive and is only shared willingly when there is complete trust between agency and client, as well as confidence that genuinely good results will come from sharing information. It is here that the account planner must demonstrate real value. Processing Information Information overload can be daunting for many people, but that’s when the real work gets under way for the account planner. By sifting through reams of sales data, clinical-trial information, competitive intelligence, and much more, the account planner can meticulously identify the specific issues that confront a brand to formulate strategies that will ensure the best outcomes. It is a time-consuming effort involving many agency and client departments. In the past, when prescription brands were promoted primarily to doctors, nurses, and pharmacists through print advertising and detailing, account service managers had the time to invest in this type of strategic planning. Today, promotion is far more complex than it was just a few years ago, and the role of the account service manager has evolved into one of managing much larger teams of people, leaving less time for strategic planning. Running a successful brand team with its attendant client responsibilities, as well as the responsibility for managing the internal processes of the agency, is a formidable task not to be undervalued. Thus, the evolution of the account planning function represents the agency’s response to a changing environment to ensure consistency of first-rate brand management. The account planner can be relied on to help develop marketing plans, to gather and synthesize competitive intelligence, and to bring innovative analytic approaches to marketing challenges. Sudler & Hennessey, New York, is a global healthcare communications company working with leading pharmaceutical, biotechnology, device, and OTC clients around the world. S&H offers a full range of services, including advertising and promotion, medical education, interactive, creative and strategic consulting, and DTP marketing. For more information, visit sudler.com. Account Planning in Action Account planners should work in concert with account and creative services to provide clients with a unique and thoughtful approach to their business. This asset adds value for clients, brand management teams, and ultimately sets an agency apart in the work that it does for clients. Perhaps the most important benefit to clients is that the participation of the account planner ensures consistency of messaging, strategy, and data interpretation across teams and differing functional groups. Case in point, a client is preparing for a very competitive launch by entering a new market with more than 20 competitive products. The product will be one of the first in a new class of therapeutic agents. Two other competitors, with therapeutic category experience, also will be introducing new products within a year of the client’s product launch. To address this highly competitive launch environment, the account planner recommends “gaming” the situation from a competitor’s view to ensure full understanding of the possible scenarios. Agency and client marketing teams are created and briefed sufficiently to be as knowledgeable as the competition. Then, based on three different time scenarios (now, one year before launch, and at launch), the teams develop brand launch scenarios for each competitive company. Through this type of activity, both the client and the agency gain greater insight into a competitor’s market planning. For example, information that might previously have been thought to be an issue of low to moderate importance becomes a much more critical issue for the client to consider. And, importantly, by bringing together multiple functions, including analytics, sales, and clinical/medical teams, the client is able to inform its internal stakeholders of all the key issues surrounding the brand. March 2005 VIEW on Advertising Agency Services

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