The 3-question interview - Mike Young talks branding in Pharma

Branding has taken over the world, whether we are always aware of it or not. Many companies spend a lot of money to make sure that their brand subconsciously becomes a part of our lives. The pharmaceutical industry, though late to the game, is no different.


Mike Young, previous owner of Young & Day, current Chairman of Brand(x) Communication and a leading voice of branding in pharma tells us what branding is and why it has become so important.

What is branding?

"A brand is a name that stands for something in a customer’s mind. This "something" gets into the customer’s mind as a result of associations made every time there is an encounter with the company product, service or whatever it may be. These associations may be rational, emotional or sensory.

For example, the rational associations with Caterpillar may be around heavy construction equipment; the emotional  associations may be with toughness and ruggedness, and the sensory associations may be yellow and black.

Branding is the process of managing encounters so that the associations produced result in a desirable identity for the brand. To achieve this, marketing professionals must first create a blueprint for the brand and then manage the encounters accordingly."

How does pharmaceutical branding differ from consumer branding?

"The principles that govern pharmaceutical branding are identical to those that govern consumer branding. The differences are in the customers.

The key to success in branding is customer insight. Historically, the pharmaceutical industry has had excellent understanding of its products but less than optimal understanding of its customers’ needs. It is only when the features and benefits of a product are brought together with the needs of customers that you have a brand.

Today, the customer environment is more complex than it once was and at the very least, if marketers are to build successful brands, they must have a deep understanding of the needs of payers, health care professionals and patients. Despite this, payers are frequently regarded as hurdles rather than customers and patient needs are often not that well understood.

Unlike the consumer industry, the pharmaceutical industry still has some way to go before it can truly claim to be customer-orientated."

How do you avoid me-too branding?

"Today, in every product category including pharmaceuticals, innovation is quickly copied. In other words, product difference is no longer sustainable. We live in a world of me-toos and to compete the only options are to enter price wars or build strong brands.

If the difference isn’t in the product, it can only exist in the customer’s mind. It lies in what the customer thinks and feels about the product, it resides in the brand. This is why it can be said that whoever understands the customer best wins!

You cannot avoid me-too products but you can avoid me-too brands by making your customers' encounters with your brand more relevant and more engaging than those of your competitors.

This means being perceived as meeting both their rational and emotional needs better. The importance of the latter should never be underestimated. Neurological research has shown that whilst we gather information to help make decisions we feel our way as we actually make them. Indeed, people with impaired emotional centres in the brain often cannot make decisions and endlessly request more information!

In pharmaceuticals, as in any other category, when all other things are equal, the most emotionally attractive brand will succeed so ignore emotion at your peril."


Mike Young
Chairman, Brand(x) Communications Ltd
www.brandxcoms.com


Please note that shortly after this interview, it was announced that Brand(x) Communications,  will be undergoing a rebranding to become known as ICC Lowe London.