Brand sluts?

Oct/14/2007 08:19 Filed in: DTC Environment
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When was the last time you saw someone, who isn't in the pharma business, walking around with a Lipitor shirt or a Viagra tote bag? Chances are you haven't see this because within the pharma industry there is no such thing as "traditional branding". People do NOT form emotional attachments to Cialis, Exubera, or Cymbalta. To them it is a product that helps them stay healthy and may make them feel good. Is there brand loyalty within this category?



Brand Sluts are consumers that go with whomever makes the best offer. DTC marketers like to think that consumers feel a special bond of loyalty with their brands. But as choice (generics) and competition increase, Brand Sluts are open to any brand that makes an attractive offer. There are five big trends fostering promiscuity: Commoditization, Outsourcing, Brand Inflation, Rapid Innovation and Information Access (the Web). In 2007, brands must decide whether they can really expect loyalty and whether they themselves are loyal to their consumers. If the answer is no, then marketers should stop kidding themselves and accept that their products are Slut Brands and they’re in the business of pulling in Brand Sluts.


Pharma brands are NOT loyal to their customers. Their idea of marketing is to gain share and customer service is unheard of in pharmaceutical products. Market research is often conduced on people within the target market not current customers. Want to switch from Lipitor to Vytorin? Go to the Web site download the coupon.. Viagra has a program to reward loyalty but Cialis has the Cialis Promise program. These programs sound great but the truth of the matter is that in order to take advantage of these programs patients often have to enter a maze of forms and coupons.


When more products, like Lipitor and Viagra, come off patent people will indeed become brand sluts and flock to the generics. Pharma will continue to introduce new products to hopefully fulfill the vacuum of blockbusters but unless head to head clinical studies are done showing significantly improves efficacy of new products health plans may decide in favor of cheaper generics.

There is a reason that brands like Apple include decals in their products. They know people are proud of the brand and to show others that they are Apple users. The day that would ever happen in pharma is nonexistent. DTC marketers need to be aware of this, another brick in the wall of new consumer and patient power.
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