Pharma Marketing - Is it time for a name change?

Marketers in the Pharmaceutical industry have always perceived themselves to be different, given the specialist market they work in.

By 'Mal Barnard' on Jun 16, 2009

Marketers in the Pharmaceutical industry have always perceived themselves to be different, given the specialist market they work in. Has their specialisation pushed them out of the Marketing box completely? When you consider what most Marketers do, are industry Marketers glorified project managers?

Perhaps we have found it difficult to make the shift from the traditional sales focus and sales support roles to tackle a more complex market that requires deep understanding and a higher level of sophistication.

Calculating the number of reps required to launch a blockbuster is no longer our biggest challenge, times have changed, have we? I suspect that a lot of our pain has its origin in our inate sales orientation which is built into the fabric of the industry. Todays market demands genuine customer focus, something that is the driving force of any genuine Marketer.