Introduction: Cambridge Science Pharmaceuticals(CSP),an international health care company with a focus on developing ,manufacturing and marketing products that treat metabolic disorders, gastrointestinal gastrointestinal diseases, immune deficiencies, as well as other chronic and acute medical conditions, is about to launch a prescription drug, Metabical which is proved to be safe and effective in stimulating weight loss for moderately overweight individuals.
Target Market : FDA approved CSP’s Metabical for the overweight individuals (with a BMI of 25 to
30).So that should be the primary target segment. CSP had conducted an extensive market survey of overweight individuals in 2007. In the survey men and women responded differently to a number of questions. Women said more often than men that they wanted to change their behaviour to live a healthy lifestyle and that they were dissatisfied with current weight-loss options on the market. According to that there were 75% women, compared to 65% of men, who were not satisfied with their current weight, 20% more women than men visited a healthcare provider for a yearly physical exam, 15% more women than men wanted to change their behaviour to live a healthy lifestyle, 30% more women than men tried and failed to lose weight in the past five years, 30% more women than men were dissatisfied with current weight-loss options on the market. According to the above facts it’s evident that women are most likely to buy Metabical.
Although the pricing had not been finalized, the estimated price would be $3-$5 per day, with the average course of the treatment lasting 12 weeks. Which made the cost for 12 weeks to be $252-$420.But many health insurance plans excluded antiobesity drugs from coverage. So that meant the drugs had to be purchased in cash. So the target market should have a high household income. According to the psychographic segmentation segmentation study of overweight individuals, individuals, the female group demonstrated the most distinct segmentation. Out of the 5 segments identified, 2 seemed to be most relevant to Metabical. “I want to be healthier” and “I want to wear my skinny jeans”. The “I want to be healthier” segment was more
relevant to Metabical Metabical as these women were ready to make a change along with the knowledge about the importance of nutrition and exercise. They would want to work for the change while using the support program. Along with that they were college educated with income of $80000+. The “I want to wear my skinny jeans” segment was also college educated with household income income of $50,000 - $80,000. So, women aged 25 to 65 represented all of the above.
Advertising: Direct-to-consumer advertising was somewhat new but effective phenomenon in the drug industry. A sum of $13 million had been allocated for the push and pull advertising. So, in the first year CSP should spend more on the advertising to Directto-consumer to create brand awareness and the knowledge about the product.This DTC includes television, online, radio advertisements, medical publications, press conferences . Metabical’s strategy should target the professional medical community including
healthcare providers, doctors with direct marketing. They should plan several campaigns, medical publications, social media advertisements to make people aware about the drug. As celebrity spokespeople were quite common in the weight control industry and were becoming very influential with their mannerism, style, cosmetics thus a wellknown celebrity can be very useful in order to attract more customers.
Positioning: Metabical is unique from other drugs as it is FDA approved, very useful and effective for moderately overweight people. Unlike other drugs it has minor and avoidable side effects. It ’s unique as it can be used only when it’ s prescribed by the doctor and that makes this drug trusty as people trust their doctors. All these factors give Metabical big benefit over other drugs. Men and Women who didn’t have success and specially those who were not happy with the products available in the market should be prescribed Metabical saying that losing weight is tough and you will look at your best with Metabical. The appropriate tag line could be “ lose those extra 20 pounds”. Couple of years down the line Metabical will be considered the most relied , efficacious and prescribed weight loss drug for all.
Role of the support program: CSP had planned for a support program to complement the Metabical pill. The aim would be to support that the customers need after the initial weight loss. As the cost of the support program in year 1 was $2 million, CSP should make a website containing the weight loss calculator, tracker, materials, blog, and forum where customers could discuss among themselves and consult with doctors. It might include social media functionality as well. They should also distribute CDs having all the support materials and guidelines.
Optimal Rollout Schedule: One year in advance: Advertising. 6 months in advance: Promotion and campaigning. 3 months in advance: Marketing to distribution channels, doctors and healthcare providers . 1month in advance: Social Media marketing At the time of launch: Viral campaigning, press release.
Conclusion: Most of options available for weight loss were either not helpful or had side-effects. Metabical, having FDA approval, and the fact that it can only be used only when it’s
prescribed by a doctor, will always be advantageous than it’s competitors. Along with these factors Metabical’s marketing strategy focused mainly on brand
awareness and it’s benefits to the targeted group . Based on the market survey and market research it’s evident that Metabical will be a huge success.
