Letter from the Editor A Marketing Perspective Thomas Ebeling VIEW on Marketing September 2004 Success in marketing and educational initiatives is crucial to whether a product becomes a blockbuster or not. Since competitive exposure comes faster today, better marketing skills are imperative. As myriad challenges impact the increasingly crowded marketplace, reducing product life cycles, and increasing pressures from regulators and the public, marketing and communications providers are looking toward science-based communications that provide both patients and physicians with the information needed to make a decision about a product. The alignment of science and marketing to better serve and educate the customer is a common theme across marketing strategies in the industry. In this VIEW on Marketing, a supporting publication to PharmaVOICE, industry leaders address the challenges that marketers on both the client and agency side face in effectively and efficiently reaching their customers. Market challenges and pressures make it more important than ever for a marketing strategy to be as effective as possible. Executives interviewed for this issue’s Forum agree that simplicity is key when it comes to a marketing plan. According to Lorenz Muller, executive director of marketing at CV Therapeutics, marketing teams need to simplify the business plan and identify key market drivers. “Many plans miss this point,” he says. “Companies often don’t invest in this activity because they are under time pressure to get things done. As a result, they have complex plans that are diffused. Teams are not able to rally enough resources to target the specific drivers to change physician and customer behavior in ways that benefit their product or the company.” To create a strong marketing plan, a company needs an integrated marketing team. Thomas Ebeling, CEO of Novartis AG and head of Novartis’ Pharmaceuticals Division Worldwide, finds the main components of an integrated marketing team is a shared focus on the patient need, leveraging physician and patient insights to effectively reach target audiences, and convey the product benefits in a way that is most impactful for them. He says Novartis teams concentrate first on efficacy and safety, and then they take the next step to address the emotional benefits for the consumer, the caregiver, and for the physician. Mark Alfonso, VP of marketing at Purdue Pharma L.P., has observed that where marketing once was primarily tactical, focusing on the creation of promotional materials and visual aids, it is now a highly strategic function that coincides with the company’s commercial goals and direction. Another major trend that industry experts have observed is the rise of importance of specialty markets. Martin Mattingly, executive VP of marketing and business development at CancerVax Corp., says 10 years ago, the term niche translated into small market and limited opportunity. Today there are numerous specialty products that have sales of more than $1 billion worldwide. “Products such as Gemzar, Taxol, Rituxan, Gleevec, and others, have fundamentally altered the way the industry looks at markets with small patient populations,” he says. “I believe that this is a trend that will continue as new and more effective oncology products are brought to the market.” PharmaLinx hopes this VIEW sparks discussion and provides insight into the dynamic world of marketing within the life-sciences industry. Taren Grom Editor

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