Posted: April 7th, 2015

Pharmaceutical Case study

Pharmaceutical Case study

Order Description

Follow exactly the give case study formate, which include answering all the questions, and writing a paragraph ( at least 150 words, the answer to the questions might help you to write a pragraph) for a given box.

Alpha Pharmaceuticals Product Positioning and Messaging Challenge
Based on the forecast generated by Mayes College’s MR Consultants, Alpha’s senior management has decided to move forward with the launch of AP-1020.  The target date for that launch is September 1, 2016.
Following up on that forecast, the commercial team has asked the MR Consultants to help develop the new product’s launch positioning and messaging.

Let’s start the positioning process by reviewing some background information about AP-1020.

Registration Number    AP-1020
Brand Name    XXXXX
Chemical Name    YYYYY

Source    Internal R&D
Patent  Granted    2008
Patent Expires    2025

Therapeutic  Category    Rheumatoid Arthritis
Category Rx Growth    10%
Market Leader Share    25%

Current Competitors    10
Future Competitors    5

Expected Launch    2017
Order of Entry    4 of 5

Small or Large Molecule    Small
Traditional or Bio Tech    Traditional
Mode of Administration    Oral

AP-1020 will compete in a $4 billion market for auto-immune diseases that is growing at an annual rate of 30%.  Two thirds of these market dollars are spent on large molecule bio-engineered and manufactured compounds.  Three quarters of the small molecule market is spent on rheumatoid arthritis products.
Now, let’s look more closely at AP-1020’s Target Product Profile.

Product Features    Expected Profile
Pain relief    55%
Joint movement    35%
Headache    15%
Stomach-ache    25%
Dosing    BID
On-set    1 hour
Duration    12 hours
Half Life    3 days
Cost    $200 per Rx
Formulary Status    Tier Two

Finally, let’s compare AP-1020’s TPP to the market leader and its closest competitor in terms of their product features.

Product Features    AP-1020    Market Leader    Closest Competitor
Pain relief    55%    65%    60%
Joint movement    35%    25%    30%
Headache    15%    15%    20%
Stomach-ache    25%    5%    10%
Dosing    BID    QD    BID
On-set    1 hour    .75 hour    1.25 hours
Duration    12 hours    24 hours    8 hours
Half Life    3 days    2 days    3 days
Cost    $200 per Rx    $150 per Rx    $175 per Rx
Formulary Status    Tier Two    Tier One    Tier Two

To begin the actual positioning process each member of the consulting team will write an initial positioning statement.  The statement should be three to five sentences long and address the greatest opportunity or challenge facing AP-1020 as it enters the market.  This topic or issue will ultimately drive the product’s communications strategy and tactics.
Your positioning statement should answer the following questions:
•    What kind of product are you?
•    Alternatively, what kind of product do you hope to become?

•    Who are your current customers?
•    Alternatively, which audiences will you need to address in the future?

•    What is your greatest opportunity or challenge vis-à-vis these customers?
•    What do you offer these customers that is special or unique?

•    What are your competitors likely to say and do about your product?
•    How would you respond to these competitor challenges?

Please write your positioning statement in either paragraph or outline format in the space below.

Collect the positioning statements from each member of the MR team and compare them.
Which one is the best?
What criteria will you use to evaluate these statements?
How will you choose the winning statement?
What will you do if none of the statements is good enough to win?

Does your positioning statement include data?
What kinds of data?
Where are they from?
How are you using them?
Are you using them to the best effect?
What can you do to get the most out of your data?
What other kinds of data could you use?

Can you combine elements from the various statements to create a group or consensus statement?
Is this group statement better than any individual statement?
What do you gain by this consensus approach?
What do you lose or give up?

Let’s begin expanding our positioning statements into marketing messages by following a two stage process, focusing first on content and then on structure.
As a first step in developing your message, try to incorporate the themes of origins, journey or competition into your positioning statement.
•    Origin refers to where your product started from, what you were trying to achieve when you started out, how true you have been to your original vision, or how you are trying to return to your roots.

•    Journey refers to how your product has changed since you started out, what has worked and not worked for you, what you have learned along the way, where you are going in the future, or why this future will be better than your past or present.

•    Competition refers to challenging your competitors, overcoming your rivals, highlighting your strengths and buttressing your weaknesses.
Now, using either paragraph or outline format, please write a new version of your own original positioning statement as a marketing message focusing on either your product’s origin, journey or competitiveness.

Next, review your message and underline its strongest points and circle its weakest points.  This may entail specific words or full sentences.
Why have you chosen to underline or circle these particular words and sentences?
What constitutes a strength and what constitutes a weakness in your message?
What can you do to strengthen your weakest points and make you strongest points even stronger?
Now, cross out those words and sentences that you still find weak and would want to drop from your message.
Has the addition of an origin, journey or competitiveness theme changed your message?
Has it improved your message?
In what ways?
Has it weakened your message?
In what ways?
What else could you do to strengthen your message’s content?

As a second step in developing your message, please consider incorporating the following structural elements in your message:
•    a rational argument (i.e. informational or comparative) or an emotional appeal (i.e. fear or humor) to your audience
•    a verbal or visual emphasis
•    a one-sided (pro) or a two-sided approach (pro and con with refutation)
•    a stated or implied conclusion
•    primacy (start with your strongest point) or recency (build up to and conclude with your strongest point) in presenting your argument or appeal and conclusion

Now, using either paragraph or outline form, please re-write your origins-journey-competitiveness story as a marketing message built upon a rational argument or an emotional appeal.  Choose the approach that you think will be more motivating and compelling to your audience.

Next, please review your marketing message and underline its strongest points and circle its weakest points.  This may entail specific words or full sentences.
Why have you chosen to underline or circle these particular words and sentences?
What constitutes a strength and what constitutes a weakness in your message?
What can you do to strengthen your weakest points and make you strongest points even stronger?
Now, cross out those words and sentences that you still find weak and would want to drop from your message.
Has the use of a rational or an emotional appeal changed your message?
Has it improved your message?
In what ways?
Has it weakened your message?
In what ways?
What else could you do to strengthen your message’s structure?

Are there any other structural elements you would want to change in your message to make it more impactful (primacy or recency, verbal or visual emphasis, one or two sided argument, stated or implied conclusion)?
If so, please make these changes now and write your final marketing message on the lines below.

Finally, evaluate your completed message on the following criteria using a 1 to 10 scale, where 1 means the least and 10 means the most.
Criteria    1-10 score
Clear
Comprehensive
Concise
Credible
Disappointing
Factual
Flowing
Informative
Interesting
Motivating
Persuasive
Powerful
Relevant
Targeted
Underwhelming

Would you add, drop or change any of these criteria?  Which ones and why?
Based on this evaluation do you consider your message successful?  Why or why not?

In the space below tell us what you have learned about process, decision points and output or outcomes from this challenge?  If you were to re-do this exercise, what decisions would you make differently and what do you think their outcomes would be?