ALLIANCE Member Case Histories
Positioning a Medication in Crowded Market
Member: Chilton G. Goebel, Jr., APR
Client: Neuroscience Medicines, Bristol-Myers Squibb
Challenge: Research revealed that the medical community perceived the leading four brand antidepressants as equal in efficacy, but associated with a variety of side effects.
Strategy: Working with the pharmaceutical company marketing team, a strategy to position the company's antidepressant based on its sexual dysfunction profile was devised. Relying on two scientific studies that were to be presented at an American Psychiatric Association scientific meeting, the team worked with the Association to host a media briefing. Conventional tactics including a video news release, satellite media tour and radio media tour were used in conjunction with the scientific media briefing. In addition, an advocacy group worked with the team to make patients available to journalists. An aggressive media contact campaign was executed following the briefing.
Results: BMS research indicated that market share for the company's antidepressant increased nearly 12% in the three months following this program.