What is H2H Brand Management? It is co-creation of a brand along with the consumers (for pharma, the patients, and doctors) is one of the essential innovations incorporated into H2H Marketing.

Pharma Brand Managers need to accept the new networked world.

The control over the perception of the brand only partially lies in the hands of the brand managers. The word of mouth from friends and family or online community rating systems (also called the f-factor) is becoming increasingly important for the brand’s perception and prescription decision.

Customer Experience and Holistic Brand Management

For many pharma brand managers, brand management is about positioning, advertising, packaging, and catchy logos and slogans.  Today, that is not enough. Kotler says in the book ‘H2H Marketing’ that much of the money and energy spent in these areas are wasted. 

To drive an eternal and profitable loyalty, pharma brand managers must take a more integrated, strategic view of brand management that is focused on improving the PDX or Patient-Doctor Experience. 

Holistic brand management is about the total experience a patient-doctor has with your brand or your company. It is about seducing doctors and patients to gain their trust. The brand, therefore, becomes a customer-centric value proposition.

H2H Brand Management builds on the Customer-Based Brand Equity (CBBE) Approach. This is key to brand management.

For CBBE, you need a very strong foundation. And that’s where you can use the modified Keller’s Brand Equity Model – THE SINEK-KELLER BRAND EQUITY MODEL©.

The original Keller Model does not have the ‘Why’. The Sinek-Keller Brand Equity Model© introduces the ‘WHY’. The Sinek-Keller model also has a pyramid shape, with the purpose of the brand, the ‘WHY’ at the base of the pyramid, its foundation. It shows how to build a robust brand from a strong foundation of the brand’s purpose upwards towards the holy grail of resonance. Resonance – where customers are in a sufficiently positive relationship with a brand. They become your unpaid brand advocates – the word of mouth.

Now see the robustness of your brand if the KOLs become the brand advocates! Your brand now has the potential to become an eternal brand.

Written by: Vivek Hattangadi – Chief Mentor The Enablers & PharmaState Academy