PHAR 12

Chapter 8
Promotion

Patricia Angelica S. Sto. Domingo

4A-PH

1. Enumerate the different promotion tools used by drug companies for ethical drug
products and the primary target markets.
 Personal Selling
- Pharmaceutical companies hire medical representatives to promote
and sell their products. Their customers are usually doctors, nurses,
and pharmacists. The medical representative will increase product
awareness, answer queries, provide advice and introduce new
products in order to maximize sales growth of the company. They
usually organize appointments and meetings with hospital-based
healthcare workers and demonstrate or present products to them.

 Sales Promotion
- Most pharmaceutical companies fund clinical trials to test the safety
level and efficacy of a newly developed medical device or drug,
especially ethical pharmaceutical products such as drugs used for
chemotherapy. If proven effective, it is one way to promote their
product as well.

 Publicity/Public relations

- Pharmaceutical companies also sponsor independently organized

educational activities to support the enhancement of medical
knowledge and the quality use of medicines. Participants may include
doctors, nurses, medical students, and other health care professionals.
In this event, pharmaceutical companies have the opportunity to
showcase their new technology and new products.

2. Enumerate the different promotions tools for OTC and Proprietary drug products

 Sales Promotion
- Pharmaceutical companies usually use sales promotion as one of their
promotion tools for OTC drug products by offering promo packs, raffle
promo, free goods, freebies etc.

Examples:
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 Merchandising and Displays

- In community pharmacies, more often there are OTC pharmaceutical
products on the counter just before you check out. This is one of the
promotion tools used by pharmaceutical companies to increase market
sales of their products.
Example:
Several OTC drugs are displayed on the counters before check out

 Publicity/Public relations
- Publicity is one of the most effective promotion tools because more
potential customers are reached. Pharmaceutical companies usually
use tv advertisement to make their products visible to the target
market and to increase awareness for their products.
Example:
Unilab’s Kremil-S Advance and Kremil-S Tablet are differentiated through the
use of a tv commercial.
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3. What is sales promotion and what are its goals?

 Sales promotion is a promotion tool wherein short-term incentives, such as
bonus packs, freebies, discount coupons, etc., are given to encourage trial or
purchase of a product or service.
 It aims to:
- Introduce new products and increase trial
- Influence the end consumers or the ultimate purchaser/user
- Stimulate market demand and consumer purchasing

4. Enumerate and discuss various types of sales promotions for ethical drug products.
Provide examples.
 Discount coupon for patients – This type of sales promotion is one of the
most common way to promote ethical drugs that are for maintenance.
Maintenance drugs could cost a lot especially that one will be taking these
drugs for life. Thus, some pharmaceutical companies, in partnership with
several local drugstores, can offer discount coupons to patients who are
taking certain drug products.
Example: Discount coupon for Metformin, a drug used to lower blood sugar in
diabetic patients.

 Gifts for the needy – Gifts for the needy can include patient assistance
programs. Patient assistance programs are run by pharmaceutical companies
to provide free medications to people who cannot afford to buy their
medicine. For an instance, without any health insurance, chemotherapy can
cost a lot. Cancer patients who cannot afford chemotherapy and other
medications can apply for patient assistance program. Thousands of drugs
are covered under the programs and aren't exclusive to chemotherapy or
cancer treatment-related medications.
Example: Several drug companies offering Patient Assistance Program
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Medical missions and clinic operations – Medical missions and clinic operations
can be tools in disseminating information to  communities or localities with limited
access to health care about the products offered by certain drug companies and
provide them with medical assistance.

Study grants and scholarships – Some pharmaceutical companies offer

scholarships that support students with conditions that they are focused on or
pursuing careers of interest to the company.
Example:

5. Discuss the four position of display

 POP (Point-of-Purchase)
- It is marketing material or advertising placed next to the merchandise
it is promoting. These items are generally located in the checkout area
or other location where the purchase decision is made.
 On The Store Floor
- The store floor is the strategic place for a mass display of product lines
that allows end-users to pause and actually touch the product and read
the literature of the product. With on the store floor display, end-users
can enjoy the products displayed in the massive facings on the floor.
The floor display needs to
be big and be in a very
commanding or strategies
position to inevitably lure
passerby/shoppers to stop
and take a look at the
products.
 On The Preferential Shelf
Space
- Preferential shelf space is
that part of the fixtures
which is in a conspicuous strategic position. These are the shelves
which are just below the eye level in drugstore counters, or the shelves
in selling areas of groceries, supermarkets, and department stores.
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Shelf spaces for goods which are within easy reach of the counter
clerks or sales personnel.

 In The Store Window

- Window displays are changed periodically, highlighting specific
products focused for the month or quarter during special events as:
Sales, Anniversaries, Branch/Store Opening, “Midnight Madness Sale,”
or during such occasions as Valentine’s Day, School Opening,
Christmas, New Year, Thanksgiving Day, Mother/Father’s Day etc.

6. Discuss the display guidelines. Provide examples.

DISPLAY GUIDELINES
 If you have a POP display
- Have it displayed conspicuously in massive facings where most
consumers stand, or better still, at every point in stores with counter.
- Place products in convenient locations for every accessibility of counter
clerks/ sales personnel anytime and all the time.
- Have your display at a height between waist and eye level (while your
posters are placed at higher levels).
- Make it big and attractive enough to attract the consumer.
 If you have a floor display or preferential shelf space
- Relate displays to the size of the drugstore; within reason, however,
the bigger the display, the more it will sell.
- Ensure that the display is in a position and size where it will be seen by
the greatest number of consumers.
- Do not ruin it by including too many brands but rather one product.
- Make it big and attractive to really attract passerby or prospective
customers to stop for a while and make a decision.
- Relate displays to the size of the store; within reason, however, the
bigger the display, the more it will sell.
 If you have a window display
- Make sure you control the whole window space and that there are no
other products cluttering the display
- Always keep the windows clean and all elements of the display
properly arranged and artistically displayed to generate interest and
excitement from passerby/shoppers to get inside the store and ask
sales personnel for the product.

7. Enumerate checklist for a good display program

 Be selective – don’t try crowd in too many displays. Display only the bigger-
sized and most popular or fast-moving brands or those that are highly
advertised and given substantial marketing efforts by suppliers
 Tie-up your displays with marketing program for the period. Displays should
closely jibe with the sales campaign. Displays and sales blitz complement
each other towards early attainment of desired goals.
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 Select the most advantageous and strategic placement of display materials
within the store premises.
 Sell to your sales clerks the idea of properly maintaining the display at all
times. Show them how to maintain the display in an attractive condition.
 Consult your suppliers through your sales or medical representatives about
store display materials.

8. Define the following:

A. Advertising
 Form of marketing communication used by companies to promote or sell
products and services.
 Any paid form of non-personal presentation and promotion of ideas, goods, or
services by an identified sponsors.

B. Consumer Sales Promotion

 Consumer sales promotion is a marketing technique that is used to entice
customers to purchase a product. The promotions typically last for a set
period of time and are used to achieve a specific purpose, such as increasing
market share or unveiling a new product.

C. Frequency
 A measure of how many times the average person in the target market is
exposed to the message, either radio or TV commercial.
D. Promotion Mix
 The specific mix of advertising, personal selling sales promotion, and public
relation a drug company uses to pursue its advertising and marketing
objectives, for either ethical or proprietary drug products.

E. Personal selling
 Involves personal interaction between two or more people, so each person
can observe the others need and characteristics to close and make quick
adjustments.
 Personal selling is where businesses use people (the "sales force") to sell the
product after meeting face-to-face with the customer. 

F. Point of Purchase
 Displays and demonstrations take place at the point-of-purchase or sale.
 Point-of-sale displays (POS) are a specialized form of sales promotion found
near, on, or next to a checkout counter (the "point of sale")
G. Sales Promotion
 Short term incentives to encourage purchase or sales of a product or service,
for consumers to buy more and encourage a repeat buys
H. Sales Force Promotion
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 These schemes are intended to motivate sales people to put in more efforts
to increase sales, increase distribution, promote new or seasonal products,
sell more deals to resellers, book more orders, develop prospects lists and
build up morale and enthusiasm
 Bonuses, contests, sales rallies, to achieve desired goals.

I. Trade Promotions
 Trade promotion is a marketing tactic aimed at retailers by manufacturers,
with the goal of increasing the demand for their products.
 Discounts, allowances, free goods, cooperative advertising, push money,
conventions, tradeshows given to trade channels.