The

Factor

Strategic Creativity in
Pharmaceutical Marketing

PAVAN CHOUDARY

Wisdom Village (Publication Division)

W V P D

Knowledge is information. Wisdom is transformation.

A WVPD PRESENTATION
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Copyright Pavan Choudary, 2009

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publisher.
ISBN 978-81-906555-8-3
This 2nd Edition of The Factor is Published by:
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First Published in 1997 by
Response Books (A division of Sage Publications India Pvt Ltd)
M-32, Greater Kailash Market-1, New Delhi 110 048.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Choudary, Pavan 1965The factor: Strategic Creativity in Pharmaceutical Marketing/ Pavan Choudary.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
1. Pharmaceutical industryIndia.
2. DrugsIndiamarketing.
3. Pharmaceutical policyIndia. I. Title.
HD9672.I52C48
615.1' 068'8DC21
1997
97-18645
ISBN:
0-8039-9378-1 (US-HB)
81-7036-626-7 (India-HB)
0-8039-9379-X (US-PB)
81-7036-627-5 (India-PB)

Pavan Choudary
Brief Introduction
Pavan Choudary is the author of path breaking books like Broom & Groom (coauthor Kiran Bedi), A Trilogy of Wisdom, Machiavelli for Moral People and The Rx
Factor. Pavan is also the Managing Director of Vygon, a leading French
Multinational, hosts the TV program Hum Aise Kyun Hain on Doordarshan,
and has written columns for The Times of India and Financial Chronicle. Today,
Pavan is considered one of the most original Indian socio-political thinkers and
management strategists. To know more visit www.pavanchoudary.in

You may reach the author at pavan2000pc@yahoo.com

Other Books by Pavan Choudary

1. How a Good Person can Really Win

2. A Trilogy of Wisdom
a. Chanakyas Political Wisdom
b. Confucius Social Wisdom
c. Kabirs Spiritual Wisdom
3. When you are Sinking Become a Submarine
4. Machiavelli for Moral People
5. Broom & Groom (on Hygiene and Manners) co-authored
with Kiran Bedi
6. Uprising 2011- Indians Against Corruption co-authored
with Kiran Bedi

Comments on The

Factor

I strongly recommend this book for all pharmacy students and

marketing professionalsit gives a creative landscape for
Pharmaceutical marketing filled with innovative and practical marketing
strategiesa useful tool for the sales force in the pharmaceutical industry.

Dr. B. Suresh, President, Pharmacy Council of India

Written in a racy, 'un-put-downable' style (which one rarely comes across
in a book emanating from India), one reaches the end only 'asking for more'
and wishing that the author had included some more marketing examples
and cases to reinforce many of his imaginative ideas. A book not to be
missed.

Express Pharma Pulse (Indian Express Group)

Such examples abound and that is what makes the book refreshing and
interesting.

The Business Standard

He offers marketing wisdom distilled from studying communication
strategies behind brand successes and flops. The case study format makes it
lively.

Advertising & Marketing (A & M)

"Brilliant, bright, blasphemous ....Blows much of what we have held to be
sacrosanctUSP, marketing warfare, positioningto smithreensThe
author has captured the essence of successful marketing in this readable
text, focusing on the pharmaceutical industry.

Elsa Davies (Fellow, Institute of Management, UK)

Praise for the Author and his Books

The Rx Factor
Kip Piper, Senior health Advisor to the White House Office, USA, has included The Rx
Factor in his list of Top 10 books on Pharmaceutical Marketing. To view the list you may
visit amazon.com at http://www.amazon.com/Pharmaceutical-Marketing-BookshelfRecommended-Piper/lm/2RUHJCQM7ERX0

How a Good Person can Really Win

This book is for real people in the real world with insights, practical wisdom and a fresh
perspective for everyonethe alternative of course, is to read up hundreds of books over tens
of years!
- Carolyn Marcille (Barnes & Noble, NewYork, USA)
Pavan Choudary's passion for dwelling deep into the questions one feels remain unanswered,
has ensured him a place amongst the foremost thinkers of the world.
- The Times of India
An invaluable, timeless treasure. Pavan is a megamind taking Indian thinking to refreshing
new heights in the global arena. His works should be made compulsory reading for leaders,
teachers and parents.
- Dr. Kiran Bedi
A Trilogy of Wisdom (on Chanakya, Confucius and Kabir)
Each book in this collection of mini books has great depththere is great insight on political
sharpness, social gain and spiritual intelligence - to aid the ambitious soul.
- Hindustan Times
This book has been able to capture the spirit of Confucianism. It is most appropriate that it
dwells on the social aspect of Confucianism. It talks of Social Harmony, which is key to
Confucius.
- Mr. Xei Fei (Cultural Head, Chinese Embassy)

Broom & Groom co-author Kiran Bedi

Broom & Groom by proud Indians Kiran Bedi and Pavan Choudary is a collectors item. A
must on every book shelf.
- Deccan Chronicle
Indians and civic sense dont often go together. That may change if our worthy countrymen
take broom & groom to heart.
-The Telegraph
It addresses separate categories- students, government officials, and so on and the
illustrations help make it a useful handbook for people who badly need it.
-The Times of India
Machiavelli for Moral People
Want to read a politician like a bookread Machiavelli for Moral People.
The Tribune

PHARMACY COUNCIL OF INDIA

(Constituted under the Pharmacy Act. 1948)

Prof. B. Suresh, M.Pharm., Ph.D., D.Sc.,

President
Combined Councils Building
Kotla Road, Aiwan-E-Ghalib Marg
P.B. No. 7020, New Delhi-110 002
Gram : FARMCOUNCIL
Tel. : 011 23239184, 23231348 Fax : 011 23239184

Vice-Chancellor, JSS University

JSS Medical Institutions Campus
S.S Nagar, Mysore, 570 015
Tel. : 0821 2548391
Fax : 0821 2548394
sureshbhojraj@hotmail.com
sureshjssuni@hotmail.com
www.jssuni.edu.in

October 10, 2009

FOREWORD
Indian Pharmaceutical Industry with more than 26,000 companies and more than a
lakh formulation need innovative and creative marketing strategies to sell them.
Marketing, sales and distribution of Pharmaceutical Products are different from
that of other overseas countries and most of the books available on pharmaceutical
marketing are theory based.
Pavan Choudary in this book, The Rx Factor gives a creative landscape of
Pharmaceutical Marketing filled with innovative and practical marketing
strategies. Many national and international journals have applauded his creative
ideas in The Rx factor. Rating the book as one of the top three titles among 665
books on marketing explains its strength and popularity internationally.
The book is systematically divided into easily readable sections to understand the
concepts of pharmaceutical marketing tinged with Hindu mythology. The way Mr.
Pavan puts the concepts of marketing bubbled with lots of creative ideas, easily
grabs the attention of the reader and creates an interest to complete the book. I
strongly recommend this Rx Factor book for Pharmacy students. I am sure the
pharmacy students will easily understand the concepts listed in the book and
definitely make use of the creative ideas during their career in pharmaceutical
marketing. I also recommend this book as a useful tool for sales force in the
Pharmaceutical Industry.
I congratulate Mr. Pavan Choudary for his successful efforts in putting the concepts
in a systematic and creative fashion. The book is written in a breezy style which
makes it easy to read and understand.
Dr. B. Suresh
President

Introduction

he pharmaceutical industry in India has a lot to teach a

student of marketing. The competition, which has become
fiercer in recent years, has sharpened the marketing styles of
many companies. At the same time, the dissociation of the industry
from advertising agencies, market researchers and other marketsupport organizations has left many noticeable chinks in pharmaceutical marketing. Owing to my background in both advertising
and marketing, perhaps, I have been able to discern these gaps more
clearly. This book is an attempt to fill some of them.
The foremost thing which a marketing professional needs to
understand is his consumer, very much in the same way as a good
doctor must understand his patient. The doctor can dispense the right
prescription (or, in pharmaceutical parlance, the ) only when he has
correctly understood the nature of the problem afflicting the patient.
A successful is one that meets the intended purpose, namely, treat
the patient by tackling the problem at hand. Similarly, the cornerstone of a successful marketing endeavour is an astute understanding of the market, which leads to a solution to the problems or
exploitation of the opportunities the market throws up.
A successful marketer must know the pulse of the market. He must
be totally cognizant with the social and psychological profile of the
customer. This knowledge and understanding of the market and the
customer will determine what he needs to do to get his product
9

Introduction

accepted in the marketplace. It will govern his choice of prescription. This knowledge is the key to a successful marketing strategy,
the correct prescription. A successful strategy is one that emanates
from market realities and one that enables the marketer get his
product prescribed or accepted. What distinguishes a successful
marketing strategy from one that fails is precisely what I have
chosen to call the factor.
For a marketing strategy to succeed in today's highly competitive
marketplace, it is imperative that you adopt a strategy that is unique,
innovative and creative, which will enable your product to stand
apart. Without creative strategies you do not stand a chance of
meeting the unprecedented levels of competition. But 'differentness'
alone will not give results. 'Different-ness' with a purpose will
certainly yield great dividends. What is therefore important is to be
strategically creative with a predetermined purpose, not merely
different. Thus, the factor is a purposive creative endeavour that
emanates from a deep understanding of the realities of the marketplace.
For convenience, I have divided the book into two parts. The first
part, I hope, will provide you with an appreciation of the factor.
The first three chapters in this part provide some of the vital characteristics of the factor as I understand it. Here I have given examples
of both successful marketing strategies and those that have failed,
and have shown how the distinguishing feature in all cases has been
the factor - its presence or absence as the case may be. Here I have
stressed on the need for adopting the right communication strategy
and the importance of being truly creative in a strategic and purposive way, rather than being wayward or eccentric merely for the sake
of wanting to be different. In the next two chapters I have discussed
some techniques for generating strategically creative ideas and the
importance of the marketplace as a reservoir for your creativity.
The second part focuses on the creative execution of the factor.
While Chapters 6 and 7 explore options to the commonly accepted
concepts of unique selling proposition (USP) and marketing
10

Introduction

warfare, Chapters 8 and 9 discuss two issues that appear to be

extremely significant when introducing any new product in the
market. The first focuses on the importance of giving the right brand
name. The second deals with correctly pricing the product based on
a proper understanding of the market and the consumer. The next
chapter discusses the importance of credibility in advertising.
Chapters 11 and 12 give ways to generate more productive flipcharts
and promotools and ways to select the most potential doctors.
In this book, it has been my endeavour to suggest new, practical and
creative directions in pharmaceutical marketing. My idea is to open
the minds (and hearts) of the readers to creative thinking by changing the mindset. The issues I have discussed by no means cover all
the areas in pharmaceutical marketing. But I do hope that I have
been able to place a finger on the pulse of marketing thought.
Though the book has pharmaceutical marketing as its basic content,
1 have drawn freely from consumer marketing and advertising to
infuse fresh ideas or to elaborate some points. As such, I hope that
both pharmaceutical and non-pharmaceutical marketing professionals, as well as people in the advertising profession will find something in this book that would be of use to them.

11

PART A

Understanding the
Factor

CHAPTER

The Creative Legacy

ndian marketing came of age, ages ago. If you delve into the
history of religion in India, you will be amazed at the marketing
acumen of the propagators of Hinduism. Many of the concepts
of marketing as laid down in the West in this century, possibly first
found their application in Rigvedic times.
Though the term 'unique selling proposition' (USP) was coined in
America in the 1960s, its first application can perhaps be traced to
Hindu mythology. The Hindu pantheon consisted of innumerable
gods and goddesses. Many had a specific function and were
supposed to satisfy a distinct need that they were called upon to
fulfil. For example, Laxmi for wealth, Indra for rains, Saraswati for
knowledge, and so on.
Moreover, the process of product augmentation (a buzzword today
in marketing circles) is exemplified beautifully when one sees that
some Hindu gods have moods or profiles that can adjust to the needs
of the supplicant or enhance the versatility of the deity. So, we have
Durga to bestow grace, Kali to destroy evil.
Hinduism thus offered a composite package of innumerable godsone or more of whom could be chosen by the devotee. Now came the
threat of 'cannibalization'. (Cannibalization, as we know, is a
phenomenon where the sales of one product eats into the sales of
another product of the same company.)
15

Understanding the

Factor

Hindu religion had to now ensure that the appeal of one god did not
interfere with the popularity or acceptability of another. This
delicate problem was beautifully resolved by the marketers of yore
by bringing in the concept of 'Avataars'. That is, the supreme deity is
born a number of times and the number of births matches the number
of gods in the religion (even if this number runs into thousands!).
This concept of Avataars ensured that in the same household two or
more gods could be worshipped by different members of the
household without religious differences cropping up. Thus, family
members worshipping different gods could live in harmony. (See
Figures 1.1, 1.2 and 1.3.) The concept of Avataars helped
consolidate the corporate monopoly of Hinduism.
Creatively speaking, 'the imagination of our forefathers knew no
bounds. Take Lord Shiva, for instance. What a versatile collection of
features! He has three eyes, one of which opens only to destroy evil.
He also has a serpent coiled around his neck, while a river springs
from his head. Perhaps, he is the only god in the world who dances.
The legacy is rich with a future that holds promise. During a recent
visit to the Kashivishwanath temple in Varanasi, as I walked up the
stairs, an eleven-year-old boy approached me. He was selling lottery
tickets. His spiel went something like this-. 'Sahib, lottery ticket le
lo. Bhagvan muradein puree karega, kismat chamkayega' (Sir, buy a
lottery ticket. God will grant your wishes. It will make Fortune smile
on you.) Many bought lottery tickets from him. I was no exception.
The pitch was compelling. This little boy knew that the average
Hindu has a contractual relationship with God. You give something,
feed the brahmins, offer a cbaddar, and you can ask God for things
in return. The boy knew that most visitors ask God for things. The
hopes of a Hindu are high when entering a temple. Our young
marketing man had chosen this strategic place to hawk his wares.
Instead of harping on what attractive prizes could be won, the boy
used a strategy that was different - he beckoned God. He
instinctively knew his customer. Unknown to him, the factor was
16

FIGURE 1.1

FIGURE 1.2

The concept of Avataars helped

consolidate the corporate
monopoly of Hinduism

FIGURE 1.3

Understanding the

Factor

at work. No wonder, then, that he turned out to be one of the largest

sellers of lottery tickets.
Creative marketing genius is native to India. Marketing runs in our
blood. But are we utilizing this inherent instinct in us to its fullest
potential? Is the present-day marketer as brilliant as his forefathers?
Can we do better? This book tries to find an answer to some of these
questions. The context is pharmaceutical marketing. The content
draws also from marketing of over the counter (OTC) and consumer
products.

18

CHAPTER

Market-based Communication

ow many pharmaceutical companies do you think there are

in India? 10 ... 100 ... 10,000 ...? There are more than
26,000 pharmaceutical companies operating in the country
today. And how about the number of brands?
5,000 ... 15,000 ... 50,000?
The landscape is, in fact, dotted with more than 100,000 brands
which are being marketed in India. This does give an indication of
how fiercely competitive the industry is.
Why must a doctor prescribe your brand and not the hundred others
containing the same salt? How can you ensure that your approach is
strategic and yet different from what the others have tried?
Especially, when it is likely that the communication strategy that
you decide to choose could be akin to what quite a few other
companies have been using. And to compound it all, the doctors you
go to are the same. The race begins now.
But let us not get off the starting block just yet. Before that let us
examine what we really mean by a communication strategy, and
why it is important to adopt the right one.
The Right Communication Strategy
Let us look at the communication strategy of one of the most wellmarketed antibiotic, ciprofloxaxin. Cost per tablet - Rs.8.50 for
19

Understanding the

Factor

500mg. Exorbitant!? Some marketers predict doom. However,

companies such as Cadila, Cipla and Ranbaxy go ahead and launch
the product aggressively all over India. Who wins?
Ranbaxy. This company forged ahead and became the undisputed
leader, cornering a market share of 27.3 per cent for its brand,
Cifran. Cipla became runner-up with 18.8 per cent market share
(see Table 2.1). If you compare the two companies in terms of the
number and calibre of their representatives, their stockist network,
promotools deployed, etc., there would be little to choose between
them. Then what made one perform better than the other?
TABLE 2.1
Comparative performance of the three leading ciprofloxacin brands
Product

MAT (Crs)

Group total cipro. oral solids

Cifran (Oct. 1989)* Ranbaxy
Ciplox (May 1992)* Cipla
Ciprobid (August 1989)* Zydus

275.5
75.3
51.8
30.4

MS (%)

CHG (%)

100.0
27.3
18.8
11.0

-6.2
6.1
16.4
1.8

MATMoving Annual
Total MS Market Share
CHGChange Launch dates
Source: ORG IMS, 2009.

Perhaps, it was the communication strategy that did it. Cadila and
Cipla, both of which have histories of success, slipped up on this
occasion. Ranbaxy established superior efficacy and justified the
price (Figure 2.1). They positioned Cifran (a quinolone) against
cephalosporins, a class of expensive antibiotics.
Rajiv Gulati, the man behind Cifran's success, feels that this
juxtaposition was so strong that some doctors started thinking of
ciprofloxacin as a fourth-generation cephalosporin. It was factually
incorrect, but appeared right perceptually.
Their base line, ' Cifrana reflection of your concern' was meant
to handle objections to the high price. In fact, they used the high
price to provide the doctor with a means to show his concern for his
20

Market-based Communication

patient. In turn, the doctor too, in his own mind, needed to justify the
choice of such an expensive product. The base line was bang on
target. The factor had worked.
Cifran was adjudged the best marketed product by the Product
Management Group. Marketing pundits still scratch their heads in
disbelief as the sales of this product reflects Rs 75.3 Crs annually
(ORG 2009).
Let us take another example. Revital, the Ginseng from Ranbaxy
was launched when the total market for Ginseng was about Rs 10
million. A couple of companies which had entered this market in
haste were repentant. Owing to poor positioning and because their
products did not have extensive clinical trials to back them, they
could not penetrate the market.
Ranbaxy spotted a hole in the market. Conventional tonics had been
catering only to the body and not mind. Revital was positioned as a
tonic for both the mind and the body. The positioning paid off.
To tackle the lack of clinical data, Ranbaxy's first communication
was: 'Revitalbetter experienced than explained.' The doctors
were asked to try the product themselves. Doctors have for long
recognized the placebo effect. (The placebo effect demonstrates that
certain symptoms respond as much to the ritual of taking medicine
as to the physical substance itself. In other words, it is the mind's
influence over bodily processes that is at play here.)
Several doctors tried the product. The presentation by the
representative was strong, backed by premium pricing and good
packaging (Figure 2.2.). The product seemed to work. Or was it just
the placebo effect enhanced by the representative's aggressive
spiel?
In any case, the demands for clinical trials did not wane. Ranbaxy
then commissioned a small clinical trial and went to town with it
saying: 'We don't meet standards, we set them.' A few sceptic
medicine men laughed. But the rest of the world bought Revital. It
was the story of one great piece of down-to-earth communication
21

FIGURE 2.1
Ranbaxy justified
Cifran's price by
comparing it with
cephalosporins

Market-based Communication

and one great marketing success.

According to Christopher Adams, the head of marketing at Glaxo,
UK, a drug is only one-third hardware (by which he means the
chemicals encapsulated in a pill and swallowed by a sick person).
The rest, according to him, is software or 'communications' made up
of the knowledge about the drug, which persuades the doctor to
prescribe it, and the monitoring and pushing of the drug, which
persuades the patient to keep taking it.
TABLE 2.2
Comparative performance of leading ginseng brands
Product
Ginseng products (Evans)
Revital (Jan. 89), Ranbaxy
Riconia-G (May. 05), Ranbaxy
Trinergic (July, 96), Unichem

MAT (Crs)
121.6
106.8
4.2
3.9

MS (%)

CHG (%)

100.0
87.9
3.4
3.2

22.7
26.8
-2.3
-5.3

MAT Moving Annual Total

MS Market Share
CHG Change
Source: - ORG IMS, 2009.

The medical community, when convinced, lends overwhelming

support. The sky, then, is the limit for a brand. The doctors blessed
Revital, and it was off to a flying start. Today, Revital whose equity
allowed the company to make it an OTC (over the countr) brand
reflects Rs 106.8 Crores.
This may appear like wishful thinking, a pie in the sky. But markets
such as this do exist. The trouble lies with uswe are content with
scratching the surface. Revital's success was based on a perceptive
understanding of the market. When a marketer does not respect the
reality of the marketplace, the market shows no mercy. What follows
is an illustration of a mission that failed owing to this very lack of
understanding of the marketplace.
The Pucca Structure An Open and Shut Case
One multinational aid agency identified open defecation as the main
23

Better experienced than explained

FIGURE 2.2
Market-sensitive communication, strong presentation, premium pricing
and good packaging helped Revital take off.

Market-based Communication

reason for the poor rural health scenario in one of the states of India.
So, it decided to sponsor a free pucca lavatory in each rural
household of some villages.
A noble mission to curb defecation in the open. The lavatories were
built but nobody used them. For reasons that would appear strange to
someone who did not understand the realities of the land:
In most houses this was the only pucca structure so it was
used to store grains which the normal structures with
thatched roofs could not protect from rain.
In some houses this free lavatory was covered up and
converted into an additional room.
Most importantly, because all houses were given near
identical structures, the upper castes did not use them as this
would reduce the gap in status between them and the other
castes. They felt that their exclusive status would be
jeopardized if they were to use the toilets. At the same time,
the lower castes too did not use these because their reference
group, the upper castes, were not using them.
Such noble intentions, backed by big money! The scheme, of course,
got 'shuttered'. And defecation still takes place in the open.
Ranjana Subberwal, an eminent sociologist, observed a similar
phenomenon in Rajasthan when a high-yielding variety of seed was
being marketed to an audience of landless labourers! Out of sync
with market reality, such schemes are bound to fail.

Market-sensitive Communication
A brilliant piece of market-sensitive communication is that of
Calmpose. You know what it is for. So does the doctor. So do most
patients. And there lies the rub. The brand is familiar; if the doctor
prescribes Calmpose to a patient, he loses to some extent the aura of
mystery surrounding his profession. The ad for Calmpose says:
' Calmposethe best is always familiar' (Figure 2.3)
25

Understanding the

Factor

Doctors know of the widespread awareness of the brand name. By

saying, 'the best is always familiar' you tell them why Calmpose is
familiar. Few doctors would desist from prescribing what is the best.

FIGURE 2.3
Calmpose making a strength out of a weakness

TABLE 2.3
Comparative performance of leading diazepam brands
Product

Tranquilizers
Calmpose (Sep. 1969), Ranbaxy
Valium (Nov. 1979), Piramal

MAT(Crs.)

MS(%)

CHG%

30.0
12.7
11.1

100.0
42 .3
37.1

5.7
3.7
7.8

MATMoving Annual Total

MSMarket Share
CHG Change
Source: ORG IMS, 2009.

To reinforce this concept, one flipchart asked; 'Should your patient

forego the best just because it is familiar?' This communication thus
was able to extend the maturity stage of the product lifecycle of
Calmpose (Table 2.3).
These examples demonstrate that good communication strategies
spring from and take care of the realities in the marketplace. Most
communications from this company were impeccable. Having said
this, take a look at the advertisement from Stancare, a Ranbaxy
26

FIGURE 2.4
No comments!
You decide

Prescribe Fasigyn
FIGURE 2.5
Pfizer expands the amoebiasis market. Brilliant!

Market-based Communication

group company (Figure 2.4). Objectively speaking, how do you

react to its layout, its copy? Do you think such communication can
possibly produce results?
Let us move on to something more positive.
We now turn the pages of marketing history to a communication
message that worked. 1992. The anti-amoebic segment was in the
decline, and Pfizer's Fasigyn, though a late entrant. was the leader
here (Table 2.4). Pfizer saw the downturn in 1992 and focused on
expanding the market by such communication (Figure 2.5).
TABLE 2.4
Comparative performance of leading anti-amoebic brands
Product

Amoebicides oral solids

Fasigyn (Sep. 1988), Pfizer
Metrogyl (Aug. 1972), Unique
Tiniba (Feb. 1980), Alidac

MAT(Crs.)

MS(%)

622.9
94.7
83.5
29.1

91.5
13.9
12.3
4.3

MATMoving Annual Total

MSMarket Share
CHG Change
Source: ORG IMS, 2009.

Today, the market is robust. Surely, this is partly because of Pfizer's

efforts. Zydus Cadila, with its brand Tiniba, has beaten Pfizer in
recent times and this is commendable; but Pfizer did grow the
market. The company, with just 65 products, grosses Rs. 820 Cr.
Remarkable indeed!
To sum up, a successful communication strategy defines what is to
be said. It springs from the realities in the marketplace. But while
this is a necessary foundation for success, it is not enough. You also
need a creative and unique execution of the communication
strategy to succeed in the crowded pharmaceutical market. But is it
possible to be creative while working within the narrow confines of
strategy? Can we be strategically creative? This is what we explore
in the next chapter.
29

CHAPTER

Marketing Peace

ut all marketing is warfare, or so they have said so far. In my

view, marketing is both war and peace. Marketing is both
war and love.

However, only one facet of marketing has been expanded upon war, attack, aggression. It is win-lose only. This is where we go
wrong. The most clearly visible facet of marketing has been taken to
cover the entire gamut of marketing.
One equally dominant, equally productive strain has not yet been
discovered. The strain of peace - marketing peace. Marketing peace
is an alternative marketing outlook.
The concept of marketing peace has been in use since time immemorial. I first recognized this concept when I delved into the history
of religion in India. In the first chapter, we spoke of the concept of
Avataars. This concept says that there is one supreme deity who is
born again and again. Through this concept the Hindu religion
ensured that the appeal of one god did not clash with the appeal of
others. Individuals and households worshipping different gods
could live together without religious differences cropping up. This
concept of Avataars is an example of marketing peace.
Changing the Frame of Reference
To understand the concept of marketing peace, we will look at the
Hero Puch advertising campaign. But before that let us trace the
67

Creative Working of the

Factor

history of the Honda line of bikes because there is an important

lesson here. Remember the Hero Honda commercial, 'Fill It, Shut It
and Forget It' ? What a roaring success the bike was! Some years
later the line was changed. Earlier, the product was in its growth
stage on the product lifecycle and the fuel-efficient message was
well communicated. Now, thousands of bikes were there on the
roads to endorse the bike's credibility. Thus was born the 'You have
got a good thing going' (Aap ka shandar hamsafar) (Figure 7.1).
This commercial owes its genesis to a keen insight into buying
behaviour and, of course, some commonsense.
The advertiser understood that nobody bought a bike because of an
advertisement. The likely purchaser went to the existing owners of
bikes in his consideration set and sought their opinion. This behaviour was recognized and exploited through the advertisement. The
advertisement gave the existing owner words to mouth about his
bike. Later, the number of bikes sold was put up on hoardings so that
the new prospect would feel very positive about the bike - so many
people could not be wrong. Figure 7.2 shows the genesis of the Hero
Honda advertisement and its progress. Note how the message
changes with the changing stage of the product lifecycle.
The next challenge before the company was to sell Hero Puch. With
no Hero Puchs on the road, who was going to endorse the bike? The
solution was to change the frame of reference.
Thus was born the advertisement, 'Akele hoti hai har nai shuruaat.
Agar shakti hai pass tumhare to zammana dega saath.' (Every new
beginning is made by an individual. Others will follow if you have
the power.)
By making the buyer of a Hero Puch a pioneer, the advertisement
tried to change the schema of the existing behaviour pattern (Figure
7.3). You change the landscape rather than crowd the position
everybody is rushing into. Thus by changing the frame of reference,
you make other sites as attractive.
Can you recall the Zara sa Rin advertisement that was aired some
68

Jingle: Hero Honda...

Jingle continues: Youve got a

good thing going...

Jingle continues: Hero Honda...

MVO: Four-stroke makes all the

difference. (Music under)...

Jingle continues: Youve got a

good thing going... Hero Honda...

MVO: Fill it. Forget it. (Music

under)...
Jingle continues: Youve got a
good thing going...

FIGURE 7.1 (Contd)

FVO: I like it. (Music under)...

Jingle continues: Youve got a
good thing going...

MVO: Very very sensible.

(Music under)...

Jingle continues: Youve got a

good thing going...

MVO: Gaari ho to aisi... (Music

under)
Jingle continues: Youve got a good
thing going... Hero Honda...

MVO: What a bike! (Music

under)...

Jingle continues: Hero Honda...

FIGURE 7.1
Market-sensitive communication makes Hero Honda the leader

FIGURE 7.2 Hero Honda changing messages as the product matures on the product lifecycle

Creative Working of the

Factor

years back? If you have used the product you will know that the bar
melts rapidly. That was a weakness. This advertisement changes the
frame of reference by converting this weakness into a strength.
According to Rajiv Vij, the Senior Product Manager at Hindustan
Lever, the advertisement was a roaring success, because not only
did it make the most of a weakness, it also was suggestive of
economy and power.
In the same league is a flipchart developed by American Remedies.
The company was small in size but big in 'think input'.
It had too small a range of products. This is how it changed the
doctor's frame of reference. The following was the line the representative was to say through the flipchart.
Sir, efficacy, safety and convenience are the three attributes which
you look for in a drug. That is why, though there are hundreds of
molecules available, you write just a few.
'Similarly, Sir, efficacy, safety and convenience are the three
parameters we look for in a drug that we market. That is why though
there are thousands of formulations to market, we sell just a few.
This is American Remedies...'
In any product category where product lifecycles are short, product
obsolescence common and new product introduction rampant,
changing the frame of reference is a very useful though little used
technique. You keep your product's appeal current and alive by
redefining the prevailing schema. This also helps you avoid a
dogfight. Changing the frame of reference is thus one illustration of
marketing peace.
Promotional Cartelization
The word 'cartelization' has negative connotations. Cartelization
usually refers to price fixing, stock cutting, debarring other entrants,
and so on.
But it offers potent avenues for the use of marketing peace. If you
72

VO: Hero naye yug ka - Aamir

Khan
(The new generation hero - Aamir
Khan)

MVO: (A. Khan): Akele hoti hai

har nayi shuruaat agar shakti hai
paas tumhare to zammana dega
saath (Every new beginning is made
alone. If you have the power, the
world will be with you)

Music: Akele hoti hai har nayi

shuruaat...

Music: Tumhare pass hai shakti

(If you have the power)

(Every new beginning is made alone)

Music: To zammana dega saath...

(The world will be with you)

FIGURE 7.3 (Contd)

Music continued

Music: Hero hai hero Hero Puch...

(Hero Puch is a hero)

Music: Naye yug ka hero. Hero

Puch naya yug nayi shakti...
(Hero Puch is the hero of the new
generation. New generation. New
power)

MVO (A. Khan): Aur zammana

dega saath...

VO & Music: Hero Puch

(And the world will be with you)

FIGURE 7.3
Hero Puch - Beyond positioning. Changing the frame of reference

Marketing Peace

can think of a new type of cartelization - promotional cartelization.

Let us take a case. Typhoid can be prevented. There are at least two
companies in India which are marketing typhoid vaccines which can
prevent the disease for a particular number of years. But, unfortunately, typhoid is not considered as serious an infection any more by
the medical community.
The doctor today has antibiotics that can take care of typhoid in just
five days, with the overall cost of therapy running to less than Rs 50.
Moreover, many of these antibiotics virtually guarantee hundred per
cent results with no relapses. At present, the vaccines are pegged at
Rs 275 (for an oral dose of three tablets) and Rs 400 (for an injection). Both companies are at each other's throats to prove how their
form is better.
A lot of energy is going waste. Can it be fruitfully channelized to
provide the marketers larger gains? Yes, through promotional
cartelization.
How? Rather than fighting each other, if these companies were to
fight the current perception in the doctor's mind that typhoid is not a
very serious disease, there would be synergy. There will be success.
If the fact that it is much better for a patient not to suffer from the
infection (though it is controllable) could reach the doctor's mind
effectively, far more sales for these companies could be generated
than they can snatch from each other.
Teaming Up for Mutual Gain
A potent avenue for marketing peace is co-promotion. The pharmaceutical industry has just begun to exploit this area. Companies are
realizing that product usage can be extended to market segments and
geographical areas not being effectively covered if they were to
team up with companies that are strong in areas where they are
weak.
Another area where the concept of marketing peace is working well
75

Creative Working of the

Factor

is that of strategic alliances in research, Glaxo and Searle have

formed such an alliance which is working for the advantage of both.
IBM, Motorola and Apple Computers have been collaborating on
the power chip. Hewlett Packard has a partnership with Canon for
laser printers - Canon develops the engines for splitting ink on the
page, while Hewlett Packard develops software, microcontrollers,
customer research and marketing.
Claiming Higher Ground
Marketing peace is a valuable concept because there is much
unclaimed territory in the market today. However, how often do we
indulge in expensive and wasteful fighting to snatch what is someone else's? It happens in all industries. Take the example of media.
Magazines the world over have been trying to take on television
channels. However, if a magazine group could instead tie-up with a
television channel to offer special rates to those who subscribe to
both, it could be a win-win situation. Peace! In fact the largest
magazines in USA is one which tells people about programs which
will appear on TV in the forthcoming week.
Many markets all over the world are in their infancy. Unclaimed
green pastures are waiting to be acquired. This fact is overlooked.
We assume full adulthood of the market. It is wrong to believe that it
is necessary to fight to win. But mostly, one must have the sight, the
vision, to win. With vision most wars can be avoided and precious
resources conserved.
The markets are not saturated. Our minds are saturated with
the idea that all marketing is war.
Take the example of the Carefree advertisement - 'Dhona, sukhona,
banana ab gaya vo zamana' (Washing - drying - gone is that era.)
(See Figure. 7.4.) Also note how the line 'Akhir unhe bhi to pata
chale ki hum bhi modern hai (Let them also know that we too are
modern) taps into a common Indian instinct of status. It may be
argued that though you are not fighting these categories, you are
fighting others. But you need to understand that times have changed.
76

Video: A young girl is being teased about

her marriage.
Audio: Aur Pooja, naye ghar mein jaa
kar apni purani mausi ko math bhool na
(Pooja, dont forget your old aunt when
you go to your new home.)

Video: Her elder sister adds

Audio: Jahaan itni nayee baaten sun
rahee hai...
(Where youre hearing so many new
things...)

Video: Close-up of Carefree Pack

Audio: Ek zaroori baat sun! Yeh hai
Carefree
(Listen to something important. This is
Carefree.)

Video: Her elder sister continues...

Audio: Kyonki main janti hoon... Vahaan
nahi chalega purane style ka dhona,
banana...
(Because I know that there the old style
will not do. Washing, making...)

Video: She shows a Carefree napkin

Audio: Carefree ek readymade napkin
hai...
(Carefree is a readymade napkin...)

FIGURE 7.4 (Cond)

Video: A close-up as she continues

Audio: Jo zyada sokhe aur poora saaf
dry feeling dey
(Which soaks more and give a clean and
dry feeling)

Video: She shows the elastic belt

Audio: Aur saath main yeh napkin ko
hilney na dey
(And this will keep the napkin in place)

Video: The bride to be giggles

Audio: Didi!
(Sister!)

Video: The elder sister retorts

Audio: Aakhir unhe bhi to pata chale ki
hum bhi modern hain
(Let them also know we too are
modern)

Video: Pack short super

Audio: Carefree belted sanitary napkin
dhona, banana, sukhana ab gaya woh
zamana
(Carefree belted sanitary napkins... Gone
are the days of washing, drying and
making...)

FIGURE 7.4
Another example of marketing peace

Bahadur bachchon ki pehchaan

(The symbol of brave children)

Antar rashtriya Handyplast

(International Handyplast)

Handyplast

Duniya bhar mein bahadur

bachchon ki pehchaan Handyplast

(The symbol of brave children

the world over - Handyplast)

FIGURE 7.5
Handyplast - A medal for bravery. Ingenious!

Creative Working of the

Factor

We have moved from the disposable concept of income to the

discretionary concept of income. There is greater purchasing power
available today. Most small-ticket purchases are impulsive. You
don't always buy one thing and then have to go without the other. In
such a scenario, is it necessary to battle head to head with your
competitor? Isn't there a higher ground that is above street fighting?
Take a look at this ingenious Handyplast 'bahaduri ki patti' advertisement (Figure 7.5). It exploits the fact that every child likes to feel
that he is brave and display his valiance to the world. Therefore, he
uses a plaster even when it is not called for. It is his way of showing
off. The advertisment exploits this and tries to market Handyplast as
a cosmetic - a medal of bravery for the child - without attacking
other products. Marketing peace. (I only wish they used the brand
name more often.)
But, all said and done, marketing peace is a path of great resistance
which is difficult to find. It needs a high degree of creative search. It
needs courage. Bahaduri.

80