Marketing
CASE STUDY 10H VIAGRA – AN OUTSTANDING GROWTH STRATEGY
MARKETING STRATEGY
Viagra is now virtually a household word. Perhaps not a word readily used in most households, whether or not it is present in the confines of the medicine cabinet or the sock drawer, but a word that is readily recognised and has developed a strong image very quickly. The little blue, diamond-shaped pill to cure impotence was always going to be what the pharmaceutical industry calls a 'blockbuster ' drug.
The phenomenon that is Viagra is an excellent example of what marketing can and cannot do. With a product that is perceived to address a perceived need effectively, the marketing is easy.
In the medical world, impotence is generally known as erectile dysfunction, or EO for short. EO is a condition in which men are unable to achieve an erection sufficient to engage in satisfactory sexual activity. The proportion of men that are affected by the condition is difficult to estimate, as many men are reluctant to visit a doctor about this condition. EO may often have a significant psychological component - that is, the problem is to some extent psychosomatic, or in the mind of the patient. Nevertheless, it is known that the incidence of EO in men tends to increase with age.
Despite men 's reluctance to seek help for this condition, it is known that it can be extremely damaging for men, particularly in terms of their self-esteem.
The psychological consequences can be very real, with EO having a potential impact not only on the man 's sex life but also on his relationships, his work and beyond. As an extreme instance, the novelist Ernest Hemingway is believed to have killed himself in part because of his emerging impotence.
Existing products
Treatment for EO presents an interesting marketing conundrum. Products have claimed to be able to treat EO and/or improve a man 's sexual potency for as long as markets - and men - have existed. Many of these
MARKETING STRATEGY
Viagra is now virtually a household word. Perhaps not a word readily used in most households, whether or not it is present in the confines of the medicine cabinet or the sock drawer, but a word that is readily recognised and has developed a strong image very quickly. The little blue, diamond-shaped pill to cure impotence was always going to be what the pharmaceutical industry calls a 'blockbuster ' drug.
The phenomenon that is Viagra is an excellent example of what marketing can and cannot do. With a product that is perceived to address a perceived need effectively, the marketing is easy.
In the medical world, impotence is generally known as erectile dysfunction, or EO for short. EO is a condition in which men are unable to achieve an erection sufficient to engage in satisfactory sexual activity. The proportion of men that are affected by the condition is difficult to estimate, as many men are reluctant to visit a doctor about this condition. EO may often have a significant psychological component - that is, the problem is to some extent psychosomatic, or in the mind of the patient. Nevertheless, it is known that the incidence of EO in men tends to increase with age.
Despite men 's reluctance to seek help for this condition, it is known that it can be extremely damaging for men, particularly in terms of their self-esteem.
The psychological consequences can be very real, with EO having a potential impact not only on the man 's sex life but also on his relationships, his work and beyond. As an extreme instance, the novelist Ernest Hemingway is believed to have killed himself in part because of his emerging impotence.
Existing products
Treatment for EO presents an interesting marketing conundrum. Products have claimed to be able to treat EO and/or improve a man 's sexual potency for as long as markets - and men - have existed. Many of these
References: 1. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viagra#History>; <http://pubs.acs.org/hotartcl/mdd/98/novdec/viagra.hlml>. 2. See <www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?db=pubmed&uid=12076233&cmd=showdetailview&indexed=google> for more complete details on results. 3. <www.usrf.org/breakingnews/bn_111202_viagra/bn_111202_viagra.html>. 4. <www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/02/26/1046064100034.html>. 5. Only over-the-counter (OTC) drugs can be marketed directly to consumers in Australia. 6. <www.abc.net.au/health/thepulse/s1344969.htm>. Case by: Stephen JS Holden, Associate Professor, Faculty of Business, Bond University Case from: Principles of Marketing, Kotler, Adam, Denize and Armstrong, Ed. 4, Pearson Education, 2008