COMMUNICATING VALUE

Why 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 Methods

Interactive 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 Positioning

GSK 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 Skepticism

Trust 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 Way
Social media and today's PR go hand in hand. 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 ADVERTISEMENTS

The 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.
o They inform, educate, and empower patients.
o They encourage patients to contact a clinician.
o They promote patient dialogue with health care providers.
Hence, increasing advertisements through these methods is
necessary for GSK at this point.

IMPROVING CONSUMER

CONTACT
DTCPA (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.

CONCLUSION
GSK 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.