Pharmaceutical Executive-06-03-2010

A heavily rigid agency network structure that fights against their strategic objectives is the last thing clients should be looking for.

The trend is strong, bold ideas that travel across cultures.

With so much variation, why force local affiliates to use the global agency?This is a battle seldom worth the fight.

An ideal partner is one that will work with manufacturers on a variable cost basis, providing the ability to scale resources up and down as new products are introduced and marketing and sales needs change.

To assume that growing a marketing presence in emerging markets automatically requires a global agency network is a flawed assumption.

Sure, there might be a few key audiences whose view of your reputation is critical, but targeting them is fairly simple and often inexpensive. More times than not, it's better to keep your head down than raise the banner and lead the field.

Independence equals creativity, and solutions

Strategy-listening, seeing, thinking-all need to be done locally.

The monolithic dictates out of marketing and agency headquarters in New York and London-and the way they are forced on local marketing efforts-work to undermine adoption at the local level

In China people view expenditures on pharmaceuticals as a "cost" rather than a "purchase"

The pharma industry has only recently seen the kinds of price pressures that the retail industry has operated under for decades.

The companies with the best corporate reputations have responsibility initiatives that earn their way, but very few of them started in response to a perceived problem or a bit of bad press.