Marketers, Brand managers tool to check their brand positioning / re positioning. The one here attached is ideal for PHARMACEUTICAL BRANDS

1. A PSYCHOMETRICALLY DEVELOPED UNBIASED
EXERCISE for Brand Managers for
Positioning check &
Re-positioning

2. Facts
• 68% either learned positioning on the job or by
trial and error.
• Very few learned it in college.
Very few actually follow the
PROPER COMPLETE
POSITIONING PROCESS…

3. A Good
positioning states
a benefit that
solves a pressing
customer problem

4. 1. Assessment
• Is your positioning statement important?
• Does it solve a pressing customer problem?

5. 2. English Sentence? Or a Benefit?
• Does your positioning statement express a
benefit?
• Does it align with a pressing customer
problem?

6. Understand…
If you haven’t ranked
customer problems
with the most pressing
problem first, then you
need to.

7. 3. Differentiate?
• Is your positioning statement unique?
• Does it differentiate you from your
competitors?

8. CHECK
Answer “yes” only if you are certain
you are the only BRAND in your
market claiming the position you are
claiming.
Check the COMPETITOR FILE for their
positioning.

9. COMPETITOR MAPPING OF INDICATIONS
COMPETITORS VIS-A-VIZ YOUR BRAND
BRANDS
INDIACTIONS

10. COMPETITOR MAPPING OF SPECIALTIES VIS-A-VIZ YOUR BRAND
BRANDS
SPECIALTIESFOCUSSED

11. ACTUAL OUTCOME (CMARC/IMS Rxns DATA)
YOUR BRAND
INDIACTIONS

12. 4. Evidence?
• Is your positioning statement believable?
• Does it seem to be inherently true?
• Can you prove it? Or any better way to prove?

13. 5. Aligned?
• Does your positioning statement adapt to all specialty
communications and situations/indications?
• Your positioning statement should be the theme for
everything you do in marketing. Is it?
• Does it work or aligned on your OTHER MEDIUMS of
Promotion? Like Inputs, Literatures, conferences etc…?

14. 6. Special words?
• Are your practicing buzzword positioning by
using in-vogue words such “transform” and
“empower” to name a few?
• What can be the buzzword associated with
your brand? Which can become a SURROGATE
representation

15. 7. Claims?
• Are you claiming that you are the industry
leader or No. 1 in your market?
• Or any claim that touts your company’s
prowess except those that focus on the
customer?

16. ACTION
• If you answered MAXIMUM “No” from Questions
1-5, and
• “Yes” to 6 and/or 7….
• It is probably time to change your
positioning.
• Study the secondary data
• Meet 25 prescribers & 25 non
prescribers

17. 8. Compelling?
• Do you make more than one compelling
benefit claim on your VA page?

18. Understand
If more than one, pick the one
that solves the most important
problem; use it and kill the
others.
What is that ONE POINT?

19. 9. Stand out?
• Does your competitors’ communication – and yours – use
common language to describe what the brand do, and the
benefits and advantages of their product?
• In other words, does your content read like some of your
competitors’?

20. ACTION
• If you answered yes to 8 & 9
There is a need to sharpen your
knowledge of you product and
understand the customer
perspective and therapy depth.

21. 10 (A). Visual
• Is your VA / Literature / Language of your MRs say the same
words aligned to your positioning?
• If your VA copy is COVERED, and only visual is shown to
someone randomly, does your VISUAL COMMUNICATE the
message?
• Are you sure? Ask a commoner randomly

22. 10 (B). Statement Vis-a-viz Content
Vis-a-viz Visuals
• Is your positioning statement the theme
for content/visuals on your VA/literature?

23. ACTION
• If you answered yes to 10 (A) / (B)
There is a need to sharpen your
knowledge of you product and
understand the customer
perspective and therapy depth.

24. 11. Proof of pudding
• Do you prove the customer problem in VA?
• Do you prove your brand is solution?
• Do you prove the claim you make in your
positioning statement?

25. But no matter how much time
you spend on positioning,
you’ll fail to do it right…
unless your positioning
statement makes a benefit
claim that solves an important
customer problem.

26. Implementation
Even a weak positioning strategy,
consistently executed over a period
QTR AFTER QTR, is far more
effective than a strong position
that is inconsistently executed, and
changes every QTR, if not sooner.

27. Thumb rule to ensure….
A target doctor needs to Strongly associates
a benefit with your product or company.
If you have multiple messages,
it will take a lot longer to claim a position if it
can be done at all.