State of the Brand

Author: Jason Voiovich Ecra Creative Group

Key Points: 1. The US Justice Department fined Pfizer $2.3 billion for illegal marketing practices; taking doctors on golf trips, paying for massages, and the like to encourage off-label prescriptions of popular drugs. 2. With such a hefty penalty, conventional wisdom would say Pfizer’s market perception should suffer. By objective measures, that is not happening. 3. Pfizer has insulated its corporate brand by positioning its blockbuster drugs as the stars, and not marketing itself. That seems to be working. For now.

Remember the dad in “My Big Fat Greek Wedding”?

He used Windex® for everything. He went so far as to carry around a bottle at all times, spraying things (and people) at comically inopportune times. Clearly, neither the FDA nor our friends at S.C. Johnson and Company in Racine, Wisconsin endorse Windex for the treatment of cold, flu, arthritis, and acne. The depiction was so ridiculous, most (reasonable consumers) wouldn’t take it seriously.

Now, let’s change the scenario.

Imagine you are recovering from a surgical procedure. Let’s pick appendix removal, but it could be anything. Clearly, you’re in pain, and your attending physician prescribes a medication - in this case, Bextra®. She tells you to take the prescribed dosage as needed and come back in three weeks.

Let me ask you something: In that scenario, do you look up the drug name in the formulary? Did you learn your doctor just prescribed well beyond the recommended dosage? Did you also learn Bextra; was not approved to treat post operative pain? That is was really an arthritis drug? And a Cox-2 inhibitor? The same Cox-2 inhibitor class of drugs you’ve heard about?

But your doctor knows best, right? (more…)

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Author: Jason Voiovich Ecra Creative Group

Key Points: 1. There is little doubt the “Cash for Clunkers” generated intense activity and excitement, running out of money in the space of one week. 2. However, the real-dollar impact on the auto industry (or on any other tangible measure you like) of the program is modest at best. 3. The true impact is psychological, working quite efficiently to change the public outlook.

Incentives matter.

I was on the phone last week catching up with the professor who taught me that essential marketing truth more than 15 years ago. He was just back from a trip to Europe. What struck him was how Europeans drove. They owned small, efficient cars that they did not drive very often. In most of the EU, gas ranges from US$5 to $8 per gallon, so it’s not hard to understand why.

On the other hard, Europe has no “car culture” to speak of, and plenty of efficient transit options.

All of that got the good doctor thinking about the old Jeep in his driveway and the “Cash for Clunkers” program (Car Allowance Rebate System - or CARS - is the neato government acronym) and how he could drive a more efficient vehicle. (more…)

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Author: Jason Voiovich Ecra Creative

Key Points: 1. When the shop is slow, Jiffy Lube technicians take the opportunity to drive impulse decisions from passing motorists using direct monetary incentives. 2. The immediacy of the technique makes it quite smart for the chain; Jiffy Lube has reasons for its customers not to think too hard about their decision. 3. While smart, the idea is easily imitated. Jiffy Lube might be wise to consider spicing up the incentives to drive business and boost its brand.

We were on our way to the Pine Tree Apple Orchard in White Bear Lake when the service light came on.

The service light meant, of course, that our 2005 Honda Odyssey wanted its oil changed. Surprisingly, it was at that same moment that my wife spotted a poor, dejected soul standing in front of the Jiffy Lube station holding a small sign that read “$24.99 Oil Change”.

I was content to wait until later in the week to get the work done at the dealer. My wife was not. We stopped. (more…)

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