COMMUNICATING VALUEWhy is there a need for marketing communication?Companies need to develop strategies to improve brand image and brand awareness. The important aspect of spreading brand awareness and brand image is through communication. Companies need to establish a communication channel to win the new customers and retain existing customer. This communication is not restricted just to customer but also stakeholders in the value network. Communication is achieved through advertisement, sales promotion, public relation exercise, direct marketing and interactive marketing.Most organizations waste money on marketing communications because their activities are fragmented and their messages are not relevant. Much of the budget spent is not geared to clearly defined objectives and the outcomes are not measured.Effective marketing communications requires; A clear understanding of objectives Careful planning Coordination of the right communications tools Development of the right messages a strategic and tactical approach, and Measurement of results.

Interactive Marketing MethodsInteractive marketing is a one to one marketing process that reacts and changes based on the actions of individual customers and prospects. This ability to react to the actions of customers and prospects means that trigger based marketing is dramatically more effective than normal direct marketing. Various media are used for direct marketing, but the key is the interaction and immediate feedback or response from consumers. A few channels, through which IM is carried out, are as follows Direct mail Telemarketing Magazines Electronic media

There are 8 Steps that are to be followed to design a successful communication program

1. The first step is identifying the target audience. The target audiences are the existing customer or the potential new customers. Target audience identification is essential for further development and overall success of the communication program. Once the audience is identified, the next part is assessing the present company or brand perception within the target audience. Based on the results from the audience analysis the message should address the requirements.

2. The second step is to set specific objectives for the given communication message. This objective could be to enhance existing image, convey attribute, or encourage a consumer to act. The objective can have a cognitive, affective or behavioral response.

3. The third step is the design of the message. The designing of the message follows the objective of the message. The design of the message has to address the following four points, content of message, message structure, and message format and message source.

4. The fourth step is the selection of the communication channel. The channel must be appropriate to carry the message to the target audience. For pharmaceutical companies, their sales people are the most effective channel in reaching the target doctor audience, instead of placing billboards.

5. The fifth step is related with the financial estimates of the whole expenditure. Companies need to decide budget of sales promotional and other activities. The common methods followed are an affordable method, percentage of sales method, competitive parity method, and objective-task methods.

6. The sixth step is the decision relate to the communication mix. Companies have limited budget, so they need balance expenditure among advertising, sales promotion, public relation, sales force and direct marketing. The relevant choice of the communication mix is highly dependable on the industry the company is operating.

7. The seventh step measuring results of the communication process. It is very important for companies to keenly follow the outcomes of the communication process. The results could be increased in sales, change in attitude or image of the brand.

8. The eight steps are managing the integrated marketing process. Companies cannot afford to continue one medium approach to achieve desired communication effect. Companies must integrate all the available tools as to reach a wider audience and effectively communicate about brand and products.Marketing communication cannot be considered in isolation. It is an integral part of any companies overall growth process.

CURRENT COMMUNICATION PROGRAM OF PANADOL

Upon our visit to GSK for our final term report, we met the Assistant Brand Manager of The Wellness Program, which includes Panadol, Eno and Iodex. We questioned him about the communication programs that were carried out for Panadol, that how the firm does promotes the product, maintain sales, advertises, creates and maintains PR and how effectively is all of this carried out. We asked a few questions related the topic, to which he answered as follows.Q1. How do you communicate your message?Panadol promotes its safety profile. We make sure our consumers are aware of the benefits Panadol has over other competitive products. We cant say that there are no side effects of Panadol, but they are very less as compared to other products in the market that promise the same results.Q2. The Manager told us that Panadol is recommended by the doctors to their patients when they complain of pain and headaches. On this we posed the question that an average man wouldnt go to a doctor if he has a headache, or he wouldnt be aware of what painkiller they are taking.

We have expert marketing teams that go and educate the doctors about Panadol. And as far as an average man is considered, we have programs that educate and make the chemists more aware, so that they recommend Panadol to such people. Many people actually listen to what the chemist says as well therefore we conduct such awareness programs too.Along with this, as Panadol puts huge emphasis on its Safety Profile, the doctors are chemists are specifically taught about the proper dosage of Panadol. Q3. What does the firm do for advertising and promotions of Panadol, considering its a pharmaceutical product?The Assistant Brand Manager told us that there have been no recent advertising or promotional campaigns for Panadol. Panadol is already an established brand so there is no need to promote the product further as such as it has already penetrated in the market.There have been no advertising campaigns for the past 5 years for Panadol; however, they do have a few upcoming advertising promotional projects which are in the process of approval from the government. It is usually a very lengthy process at takes up to a year or so.Q4. When we asked about how they go up against their competitors, we came to know about their strategy of promoting Panadol in certain areas.The Manager told us that through research, they have found that Ponston (a competitive Product) is more popular in rural areas. So they carry out their lecture and awareness sessions in rural areas. They cannot use electronic media in those areas so they send their teams to carry out such interactive educational sessions that are helpful to the consumer as well as are a good way to promote Panadol.Q5. What sort of advertisements have you planned when the government approves your campaign?Once we have a GO from the government, we will definitely focus on our advertising programs. Also, people normally know about the product, for example, Iodex, Panadol, Eno, Horilicks, but they dont know what GSK is. They dont know about the main company. So we will focus on making people aware of our company as a whole as well so that our other existing products and upcoming new products make a place in the market.Q.7. How is the PR of GSK over all?We do not need PR as such right now; therefore we dont have a very strong PR. It depends on our marketing strategies, if we need it we will increase the PR accordingly and we will do it easily.Q6. How do you manage your relations with consumer? Is there any direct contact that you maintain?No, we dont have direct contact with out end consumers. But we do conduct surveys every now and then that help us know if the consumers are benefited properly or not. I think that a lot more can and should be done in this area and we plan on working on this as well.The manager told us that next they plan on focusing on promotions and awareness through advertising campaigns. The Ads will be functional, Informative and emotional in nature, given the culture and traditions. We can definitely make the whole campaign better, including research, PR, promotions and advertisements, but our immediate focus will be improving our advertisements.

ANALYSIS AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR GSK IMPROVING PERSONAL RELATIONS

Positive PR doesnt just happen. Its built!For pharmaceutical companies, managing public relations are an ongoing challenge. Although the Brand Manager of GSK Pakistan ltd thinks that whenever there will be a need for PR, they will create it; we believe that they should maintain PR throughout. Here are some to guidelines to follow when navigating the challenging climate of pharmaceutical PR.

Consolidate Brand PositioningGSK should not just position the product, but also position the brand as a whole. It should find mediums that not only inform the consumers of the product, but also create awareness that the product will be beneficial for them in many ways. Though GSK runs many campaigns to do so, having proper PR would help them further in this area.

Build Trust in an Environment of SkepticismTrust is very important in the pharmaceutical PR. However, companies should expect the customers to be skeptical of the product. It is in the companys hands to change the perception of the product then

Keep Legal Involved, Every Step of the WaySocial media and today's PR go handinhand. However, the legal climate for platforms like Facebook and Twitter remain ambiguous.

Dave Folkens, a Marketer wrote"In absence of definitive social media policy from FDA, pharmaceutical companies need to work closely with their legal team along with marketing professionals (whether internal or external) with a strong understanding of social media engagement to ensure that the spirit of the laws are being followed despite a gray area until formal social media guidance is released

Many pharma companies are finding new ways to connect to physicians through secure social networks. GSK should focus on this as well in order to improve information sharing.

IMPROVING ADVERTISEMENTSThe assistant brand manager of GSK Pakistan Ltd. admitted that there has not been much emphasis on the advertising campaigns of Panadol; however, they plan on changing that now. Though the brand has not been seen on any media in Pakistan for the last few years, the firm has asked for the approval from the government regarding the matter. Since that is a lengthy process, the firm is not expecting any responses for at least 6 months to 1 year.GSK Pakistan can choose from several types of advertisements. Although it has to be extra careful in terms of advertising its drugs, in this case Panadol.1. One type is the help-seeking ad, which provides only information about a medical condition and encourages patients to contact their physician but doesnt mention a product.2. Another category is the reminder ad, which includes the product name; this type may provide information about strength, dosage form, or price, but it doesnt mention the indication or make any claims.3. The third and most common type is the product claim ad, which mentions the product and its indication and includes efficacy or safety claims.Channels used to distribute information regarding Panadol can include television, print (magazines, newspapers), radio, the Internet, and other forms of mass media (billboards and direct mailings).Promotional brochures can also be supplied to health care professionals to distribute to patients.DTCPA have following main characteristics, that will be in favor of GSK pak Ltd. and also beneficial for the consumers. They inform, educate, and empower patients. They encourage patients to contact a clinician. They promote patient dialogue with health care providers.Hence, increasing advertisements through these methods is necessary for GSK at this point.

IMPROVING CONSUMER CONTACTDTCPA (Direct to Consumer Pharmaceutical advertising) has grown rapidly in the past few years and is one of the most prominent health communications that the public encounters. Through DTCPA, companies promote their prescription products directly to consumers. Although many are against this method, several vote in its favor as it helps create immediate awareness in the consumers.This cannot be done for all pharma products, however, in case of Panadol; this could prove to be beneficial for the company as well as the consumers. GSK Pakistan Ltd should carry out campaigns to not only recommend their product, but also to gain feedback on how the already present consumers feel about the effectiveness of the product. Thus GSK Pakistan Ltd. should focus on direct communication with the consumers.

CONCLUSIONGSK is one of the leading pharmaceutical companies of Pakistan and Panadol is arguably its biggest source of revenue. In this report we analyzed the product of panadol through the three major modules of marketing,defining-creating-communicating value. After the analysis we provided recommendations and upgrades which might help the product prosper further in future. However the analysis is based upon the information provided by the companys marketing department only and for complete feasibility analysis of the problem and recommendations the financials of the company would also be required.