Three Questions to Ask When Determining Your Pharma Brand Name Strategy
Today we are excited to have a guest blog from Joshira Maduro, Verbal Branding Associate at Addison Whitney!
By understanding the general buckets of naming strategies and the scenarios in which these types of names thrive, pharmaceutical companies can hone their naming strategy. At the same time, these teams can hedge their risk by including options from different strategies, specifically blank canvas, to avoid the need to start over.
When looking into a naming strategy for your product here are a few questions to consider:
- Is this drug being marketed to patients or doctors?
The answer to this question can help you hone in on your naming direction. Is this drug going to air on TV with commercials that say “ask your doctors about __.”? If so, then creating a marketable story through the name will be vital. In that case, an aspirational “risky” name could be a big payoff if it became memorable enough to stay at the top of the patient’s mind. It will be easier to building a remarkable story behind an emotional name than to try to build brand recognition behind a very scientific, functional name.
Blank canvas options can also work well for patient-facing drugs because they can stand out more: blank canvas names will be unlike anything the patient has heard before, which gives marketers the opportunity to build the story behind the name to be memorable. While the drug itself needs to be effective with proven results, a memorable name and story can cause patients to seek it out proactively. 
On the other hand, if doctors are the primary audience, then a scientific name would tend to yield the best result: the doctor can quickly identify the drug and its indication which will lessen the possibility of confusion. Doctors will not be as interested in a memorable story; they are more concerned about knowing that the drug will work for their patient and that they are prescribing the right medication for them.
- Is this a first-in-class or a “me too” drug?
Often the naming strategy for a drug will depend on the other drugs that are already in the market to treat the same indication. A “first-in-class” drug uses a mechanism of action (MOA) that currently does not exist. For drugs that are first in class, a scientific/functional name can be an excellent way to stand out while also being a safe name. First, in class would mean that there are no competitors in the same space so look alike and sound alike would not present a significant issue.
On the other hand, when the drug has nothing unique regarding MOA, an aspirational name may be the best route to go. By working with a key emotional benefit, the name can find a way to stand out in a crowded space.
- What if my first choice name gets denied by the FDA?
The process of getting the marketing team, product team, and senior level management to agree on a top choice name is already hard enough. But even when they can all agree on the same name, there is still the hurdle of FDA approval to overcome. A thorough screening process can significantly minimize the risk of FDA denial, but there is always the chance that the first choice name gets denied regardless.
To hedge your risk, you need to make sure that there are options for each type on the name in the top 5 list of name candidates: functional, emotional, and blank canvas. In the end, the blank canvas will always be the safest route to go, because it is meant to look like nothing else, but it can be hard to get an entire team on board to adopt a meaningless name.
Risk vs. Reward in Pharmaceutical Brand Naming
Today we are excited to have a guest blog from Joshira Maduro, Verbal Branding Associate at Addison Whitney!
Getting a drug from the lab to the market is an incredibly time consuming and resource consuming task. There are several rounds of clinical trials the drug needs to pass, which only occurs after pre-clinical research. Then there is the approval process, where the regulatory agencies not only check all the related data about the drug to ensure its efficacy and safety for approval, but also review the proposed brand name to ensure it is sufficiently unique from names of drugs already on the market.
In the pharma world there are two factors that regulatory agencies consider “risky”: if looks or sounds too much like a drug already on the market and if the name gives too much of a claim or over-promise.
For instance, a name with the word “cure” in it, or a name that shares its first five letters with another drug already in the market would have a difficult time gaining approval. Companies avoid these risks by going through a rigorous screening process before submitting their final name candidates. The screening and approval process can easily take months, if not a full year, so it’s important to make sure the naming process provides more than enough “safe” options to keep up with launch timelines.
However, sometimes it pays off to take a riskier route, going outside the norm and developing a name that would stand out in a saturated marketplace. These names, if approved, have a high opportunity for easy name recognition, which greatly benefits future marketing efforts.
Generally speaking, brand names fall into three strategic categories – Blank Canvas, Scientific/Functional and Aspirational. They are each defined by the rationale behind the brand name and how it ties back to the product and the overall brand strategy. Additionally, they each carry “safe” and “risky” name characteristics, which must be balanced when creating a name that fits into the category. Here are three main types of brand names, and where they fall in the “safe name” spectrum:
- Blank Canvas: These names tend to have no inherent meaning but aim to sound nice and look intuitive to say. The biggest risk these names face are the lookalike/soundalike comparisons to competitor drugs. In my opinion, these would be the “safest” option in naming.
- Scientific or Functional: A name that leverages letter strings from its generic name or Mechanism of Action would fall into this category. These names can face more risk than blank canvas because there will likely be another competitor already leveraging similar concepts in their name. There is also a danger of having a name that shares too many letters with its generic.
- Aspirational: These are the names that truly look to tell an emotional story. Telling an emotionally impactful story can make the name stand out more to patients, especially if it is a drug in a very crowded space. However, since these types of names have the risk of looking/sounding like a competitor and being a claim, the fall on the riskiest end of the spectrum.
So which of these types of names is the best for your drug? Well, there is no clear-cut answer. Each of these kinds of names has their risk, so there is no truly “safe” option. However, it would take more effort to get a more aspirational name to pass screens and gain FDA approval compared to a blank canvas name. On the flipside, an aspirational name can yield more differentiation in a saturated market compared to a scientific/functional name so that it could be worth the effort.
In the end, where you brand name falls in the spectrum is a case-by-case decision, which is a statement that isn’t as obvious as it sounds. Yes, of course each name development process is different, but often we fall into the trap of looking around and allowing trends or patterns to weigh more heavily on the decisions than they should. Deciding what factors are most important in the long run and sticking to those decisions can give your drug name the best chance of success, both in the approval process and on the market.
Finding the Connection: How a Brand Name Can Help Tie Your Brand Together
Congratulations, you’re a parent! Bringing to life a pristine new entity created from scratch, it’s your brand. And like all things birthed into magnificence and destined to prosper, it needs a name.
Unfortunately, what you might be coming to realize is there’s no baby book to scour or great-grandparent to take after when shaping the signature alias of your newborn brand. The world is at
your fingertips, and you might just want to coin a term that is cool and memorable. But when namer’s block kicks in and you are staring at a trash can full of crumpled papers of fizzled ideas, it’s probably because you’re brainstorming too broadly.
There’s a seemingly infinite and daunting list of combinations in lettering and verbiage to craft your brands name if you wander into the process unintentionally. The alphabet is long and the dictionary is thick - you’ll be doodling for decades if your only filtering criterion is sounding “cool”. Your jump-off point needs be refined and specific, and it can start with your brand attributes.
Sounds redundant right? Use qualities of something to name it - how original! But, hear me out.
The mere fact that brand names can (and often do) have some connection back to the product, service or organization they represent is often unknown to their audiences. For instance, Aldi derives from the German word for discount. Durex was made to be a mashup between “durable, reliable, excellence”. Nike was the name of the Greek goddess of victory. These brand attributes were transformed into the names that the audience knows and loves.
These connections, however indirect, are a powerful example of branding. At the surface, a brand name is the biggest single brand representation out there, often living as the first impression and the aspect that is most likely to ingrain itself in the memory of the consumer. Because of this, any additional tie back to your product that can be evoked from the name provides an additional boost to the brand equity, in such that if the name becomes commonplace on the market, the connection will become more obvious, boosting the ease of memory for your brand.
Additionally, creating a name with a connection shows a sense of purpose in your brand development. Respect is given to brands who are seen as well-thought-out and deliberate, as opposed to brands that come out of nowhere and look to have little background work given before hitting the market. If you can show that your brand name went through an extensive process and was developed by experts within the branding space, it shows the audience the importance given to the brand. They will then feel more confident connection the quality of the brand work with the quality of the overall brand product or organization.
It is likely that customers will be oblivious to your uniquely crafted backstory, and that is okay. You will join the club of countless brands whose name and logos have narratives that people will never read. But the end result will be a unique sound and a better understanding of all that makes your newborn so special. Welcome to the world!
Image Sources:
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3 Things to Consider when Taking Your Brand Name Global
Most organizations are looking for their brand to grow throughout its lifetime, and for some, that anticipated (and hoped for) growth includes expanding outside of their home region or country. However, this growth can come with a downside for the brand if certain aspects, specifically the brand name, aren’t suited to travel. Everything is going well – the brand is growing, new markets are identified, the stage is set for an initial foray into the global market – until the brand name falls flat once it leaves the home market.
So how does a brand ensure its success both locally and globally? Here are three areas of consideration to take into account when creating a brand name that will be used on a global scale:
- Legal: Make sure your brand is legally able to extend outside of your current market and that you won’t run into legal opposition using your brand name in another region or country. For instance, a local business could use parts of the brand name of a larger company, which wouldn’t cause too many problems until they tried to go national or global. Then they would almost certainly face opposition from the larger organization, which would result in time and costs spent in working out any issues that arise. Additionally, there could be parts of a brand name that pose no legal issues in the originating country, but when expanding to other nations face differing laws.
- Linguistics: Be conscious of how the brand name translates in other languages. More times that most would think, one or more words in a brand name translate very poorly into the language of a potential new market – everything from profanities to translations that don’t bode well for the business or product involved.Don’t wait until you see the negative reaction or end up on a “worst name mistakes” list to properly do the research necessary to avoid this problem. Also, keep in mind that knowing exactly where a brand might grow is rare – in this case, it’s definitely better to be safe than sorry and research the linguistic aspect of a potential brand name in as many languages as possible.
- Growth/Expandability: Once you expand, consider the impact on the business. Ideally the business will grow and you need to make sure the brand name isn’t so limiting that it impedes this progress.
Just like any aspect of a brand, a name carries valuable weight with an audience. Often, it is the first interaction they have with the overall brand, so as the brand grows, so does the potential audience. This also increases the importance of a high-quality brand name – one that will have the same impact whether it is known to 100 people or 100 million.
Creating a global-friendly brand name shouldn’t come as an afterthought or be consigned to a reactive strategy. When developing a brand name, work under the assumption that there exists a real possibility that it will be utilized on a global scale. That way, you can avoid hoping your established brand will have success when it expands beyond its current borders and find a new, global audience.
Learn more about building your best brand by downloading this FREE webinar, "Identifying The Opportunities In Your Brand Portfolio - Are You Capitalizing On Every Potential Business Opportunity Your Portfolio Provides?"
How Important is an Easily Pronounced Brand Name? [Infographic]
We all know them. The brands where the name has sounded one way as long as you can remember until one day, you are blindsided by the suggestion of a different pronunciation of the same brand.
In the below infographic from Made by Oomph! examines some of these famous brand names who wear the mark of commonly mispronounced. Whether it be the incorrect dropping of a vowel or the addition of an extra syllable, these brands have been fighting the pronunciation battle for years, which varying levels of success.
For some brands, the difficultly or ambiguity of their name stands as a quasi-badge of honor for their status as “luxury” or “exclusive” brands. This mindset is driven by the notion that if someone can’t pronounce the name correctly, then they are seemingly out of the loop and aren’t the target market for that brand. While this may seem like an over-confident point of view, it has driven many in their quest to join the upper echelon of perceived brands.
This list also goes to show how important multi-lingual research can be when developing a brand name. These brands possess names that fit ideally in their native language, but when they want to take their branding efforts global they run into a world of issues with their name pronunciation in the various local cultures.
It is one of the most prominent issues when local brands expand either unexpectedly or too suddenly, and they face a catch-22 with their name. On one hand, their brand equity is such that a total rebrand would be impractical. But on the other hand, when they look to enter markets where their established name is unknown and unusual, they run the risk of establishing their brand under a mispronounced moniker.
Additionally, one key takeaway here is the importance of a well-rounded brand. A strong, easily-recognized logo can offset much of the expected damage that comes with a difficult name. Additionally, a brand strategy that is built upon aspects that lie outside of the name strength are also more capable of establishing a strong brand while still correcting people on how to say their name.
5 Verbal Branding and Naming Tips to Consider - Brannon Cashion's Clutch Interview Highlights
The research firm Clutch recently interviewed our own Brannon Cashion on the trends and best practices around naming a company. Brannon discussed several topics regarding what businesses should think about when working through the naming process and some trends he’s seen recently in naming.
With Addison Whitney’s long history of naming and branding experience, and his own extensive history in the industry, Brannon was able to offer a unique and informed perspective on the topic.
Building off of Brannon’s thoughts in the interview, we put together a list of five key points to consider when working through the verbal branding and naming process, complete with his thoughts from the interview:
1. Don’t just create a name, create a brand.
“The strength of a name is really the time it takes to go from a name to a brand... How quickly can it move from being a group of letters to really representing something, whether it’s a company or a product?”
This is the ultimate goal of a brand name – to become something beyond a descriptor for the company or product, and take on the full embodiment of what the brand represents. This is a crucial
indicator of name strength – not only determining how quickly it can move from “name” to “brand” but also how it holds up as a piece of the overall brand once it achieves that status. This happens over time, when the market audience gets to know the name alongside the product or company, and as they increasingly associate the name with the brand.
2. Take stock of where you are and where you want to go when naming.
“What should a business consider before beginning the naming process? It really depends on where they are and what the role of the name is. Are they going through a name change? Are they building a new company, product, or offering where there’s no name today? Those types of questions will fuel a lot of the direction and the things that they should consider.”
Many times, a name change is needed because the current name no longer fits who the company is or what their offerings include. If and when this occurs, the naming process the next time around should begin with a look at who the brand really is – what they currently embody and their aspirations for the future. Naming is not a one-size-fits-all exercise, and each process should be
tailored to fit the unique situation to which it is involved.
3. Consider your future brand even at the beginning of the naming process.
“A name that is more descriptive or aspirational around what you develop, one of your core attributes, or one of your competitive differentiators, those are names
that oftentimes can stand the test of time and be more long-term solutions, as opposed to a name that describes your first product, your first offering, or the competitive space that you’re in.”
Once you’ve taken a look at the connection between where your brand is today and where it wants to go, the verbal branding decision that comes next is deciding how much of a connection these two will have to the name. This impact is often overlooked, as it takes much more patience to watch the name grow along with the brand, instead of finding a name that fits right away, but has the potential to become outdated.
4. Think outside the box when determining your brand’s website address.
“A lot of times the URL is kind of their tagline of sorts. It’s not just about the product. We’ll register theirproducttagline.com, and that’s how they find this new product. I think the URL has become less of a requirement.”
People don’t just type exact URLs anymore when looking for a brand. With the rise of searches and the importance on SEO, the possibilities for brands when developing their online address have expanded greatly – there is more of an emphasis on including and matching key phrases in regards to your brand throughout your website, including the URL, opening the door to a number of new possibilities.
5. Take our word for it – hiring a naming company can help you throughout the process.
“In our view, hiring a naming company gives you an objective third-party who understands the pitfalls and the hurdles that you’re going to go through with this process. Hiring a naming organization can help with some of that process, with our strategies and tactics that have been proven over and over again.”
Naming is something that doesn’t often come naturally for companies. There exists the possibility that this lack of information or experience can trigger negatively-impacting steps or ideas, such as the involvement of emotion more heavily than is beneficial in the process. Naming companies such as Addison Whitney have the combination of years of experience on thousands or projects and tried-and-true processes which have been proven to produce successful results.
Addison Whitney is a global branding firm with a passion for building strong brands.
To learn more about Addison Whitney, visit our website at AddisonWhitney.com, or contact us here.
Rebranding Job Titles: An Innovative Approach or a Goofy Gimmick?
Today we have a great guest post from Verbal Branding Associate Rachel Loucks!
Say you’re at a cocktail party and you introduce yourself to a fellow invitee. After a few minutes of pleasant conversation, you ask what he does for a living. He replies that he is the “Ambassador of Buzz” at his firm. What do you think in that moment?
Taylor Aldredge, who holds that very job title at a virtual phone company Grasshopper, says people are often intrigued.
“Just telling people my title gets a conversation going about Grasshopper and what we do,” he says.
And Grasshopper isn’t the only company cashing in on the intrigue generated. Job titles like these seem to be cropping up more and more, and not just in the tech startups that initiated the trend; more traditionally run organizations are now increasingly using titles such as Media Gurus, Sales Ninjas, Officers of First Impressions, Copy Crunchers, Directors of Spark, Marketing Rockstars 
and Problem Wranglers.
From a branding perspective, a distinctive job label can be a fun way to make employees and their companies stand out, and give outsiders a snapshot of the organization’s values and sense of identity.
As Carlos Jimenez, President of the marketing solutions firm The Zella Company, asserts, "Funky job titles can serve as an extension of a company's brand and indicate that you are a company with a fun culture that doesn't take itself too seriously."
And who doesn’t want to be the fun, cool company?
Well, call me the Bearer of Bad News (ha!), but rebranding job titles is probably not the best move for your organization. Why, you ask? Here are a few reasons:
1. Whimsical job titles are often confusing and vague.
What does a Director of Spark actually do? How are the responsibilities of a Word Herder different from a Copy Cruncher? These are valid questions that are made all the more concerning when one remembers what a job title’s number one purpose is; to clearly and succinctly communicate the role’s function within the organization.
If we think of a company as the master brand, and job titles as sub brands, then it follows that there should be some sort of systematic brand architecture that denotes various positions and levels within the organization. Wacky job labels muddy up this branding architecture by obscuring the title’s place in the overall corporate structure. Monster.com’s Kathy O’Reilly cleverly muses, “Folks love trendy titles, but does it create a career path? Where do you go from ninja? To samurai? Not likely.”
2. They have the potential to limit, rather than enhance, your audience.
It’s true that an off-the-wall job label can help you stand out, but it can also make you hard to find. If applicants are searching for positions within your organization, they might not know to look up “Social Media Butler” instead of Communications Manager.
In the same vein, if the resume of your ideal employee has “Sales Rockstar” on it, but the position you’re looking to fill is a “Business Development Dynamo” the likelihood that your HR’s applicant tracking software will find it are much slimmer. Having fanciful titles may require a company to do more compensatory legwork via search engine optimization, recruiting, and marketing efforts, in order to maintain visibility. Moreover, a company should consider its client/customer base before moving to zany monikers.
Brand consultant Lisa Merriam points out, “Your team might think you're hip and edgy. Potential clients might think you are lame.” If the people or companies you’re trying to do business with won’t understand or appreciate the change, you may only succeed in alienating them.
3. They likely don’t fit with your company’s overall image.
There is a reason why job labels like Apple Genius, Starbucks Barista, and Best Buy Geek Squad member are compelling—they are both pertinent and intimately tied to their company’s persona. But not all company personas lend themselves to imaginative titling.
If your organization’s image is all about being serious, established, and professional, an eccentric job title will not only fail to convey that, but could undermine it. Another big mistake that companies make regarding trendy job titles is that they don’t actually create something new or unique to their brand. By having multiple organizations adopt the titles “Media Guru” or 
“Problem Wrangler,” for example, something that was innovative and fitting for one organization becomes trite and out-of-place for others. And while they may think they’re being cool or staying relevant, copycat companies are simply finding new ways to be cliché.
4. Rebranding job titles won’t magically rebrand your company.
Corporations in need of a brand makeover may think that handing out fun, fresh job titles is an easy way to become more progressive and cutting-edge, and to boost office creativity and morale. But these companies often fail to realize that unique job titles are often a symptom of a progressive corporate environment, rather than a catalyst for one. Even the most creative job titles will not solve the deeper, underlying issues a corporate brand might be struggling with, and slapping on a funky label will certainly not change an inherently bad company climate.
Business author Shep Hyken wisely states, “While these different and whimsical titles or labels are fun, they can’t change the culture. Sure, they can create a feeling, but there has to be a management style and system to support it. Otherwise, it’s just lip service.”
A company’s brand is so much more than the sum of its parts, and if the company wants to step up its job-title bark, it needs to have the bite to back it up.
So here’s the moral of the story: pulling off quirky job titles is difficult to do well, and for many of us, it simply may not be in our company’s DNA. And that’s okay! It’s more important to stay true to your corporate brand than join in on a trend that just doesn’t work for you.
Still convinced that your workplace would be better if everyone had a catchy title? Then just remember to be strategically creative. Craft job titles that are still descriptive and fit in with a larger brand architecture; make sure they widen rather than diminish your audience; and work to ensure that the designations are unique to your company and its ethos.
Would I have more fun telling fellow cocktail party-goers that I was a Strategic Neologist? Perhaps. But Verbal Branding Associate will work just fine.
Image Sources:
http://www.bostonglobe.com/lifestyle/style/2013/02/06/creative-job-titles-start-pop-traditional-companies-not-just-tech/BeCSRnSmOK8wPoq9bGHBdL/story.html
http://www.hyken.com/customer-experience-2/creative-job-titles-help-create-and-define-corporate-culture/
Addison Whitney is a global branding firm with a passion for building strong brands.
To learn more about Addison Whitney, visit our website at AddisonWhitney.com, or contact us here.
Brands We Love: Kia
Earlier this week while I was perusing Twitter, I noticed a large number of tweets surrounding an unlikely brand, Kia, and being a strong advocate of the brand, I was immediately intrigued. Though I hold it close to my heart and tell anybody who wants to listen how much I love Kia, I also know it’s typically not a highly talked about brand. So as you can imagine, I began to investigate the reason why. As it turns out, Kia made its debut this week on Interbrand’s 2013 Best Global Green Brands, which is Interbrand’s nod to the top ethical and ecologically responsible brands.
My affinity for the Kia brand began seven years ago, when I bought my Kia Sorento. Kia was in the process of repositioning itself in the American market from a not-so-glamorous automaker to a polished, design savvy one, all while still being an affordable option for American drivers. I’d like to think I was ahead of the curve when it came to Kia, but as it turns out I was fully falling into its plan of becoming a well-recognized and respected brand in America, and I don’t mind that one bit.
Instead of listing all the reasons why I love the Kia brand (and trust me, there are a lot), let’s take a look back at the brand’s history and how it has become one of the most valuable brands.
Kia’s storied past
Kia, South Korea's oldest car company, was founded on June 9, 1944 as a manufacturer of steel tubing and bicycle parts. In 1951, Kia switched gears a bit (pun intended) and began building complete bicycles. In 1952, Kia changed its name from Kyungsung Precision Industry and later built motorcycles (starting in 1957), trucks (1962) and cars (1974).
It wasn’t until 1992, that Kia Motors America was incorporated in the United States. Kia began sales operations in Portland, Oregon at four dealerships. Since then, Kia has expanded methodically, one region at a time. Fast forward to 2013, and Kia is the fourth largest automotive group in the world.
The Kia brand
When I began researching the Kia brand a bit more for this blog post, I was extremely happy to see that Kia’s website outlines its corporate identity.
One of the most fascinating aspects of the brand is its name, Kia. Without knowing when the name was chosen, its fascinating to see how the company’s success has mirrored the meaning of its name .
According to Kia’s website, the word Kia is derived from the Chinese letter “Ki,” meaning to “arise or come out of” and “a,” referring to Asia. When the two words come together Kia means to “arise or come out up out of Asia.”
Kia has emerged as one of the fastest-growing automobile brands, and it doesn’t appear to be slowing down anytime soon. The brand’s success has been attributed to its connection with millennials and Gen Y audiences by promoting uses of technology and connectivity that appeal to younger audiences. As a strong advocate for the Kia brand and self-proclaimed Kia driver for life, I’m excited to see how it responds to its growing popularity.
Sources:
Kia Corporate Website
Kia Motors enters Interbrand’s list of 50 best global green brands 2013
Refining the Hyundai-Kia brand plan
Branding Pharmaceutical Drugs in China
Did you know according to the Chinese Association for Pharmaceutical Equipment group that the Chinese pharmaceutical industry has been growing at an average annual rate of 16.72% over the last few decades?
And that growth isn’t going to slow down anytime soon.
China stands at the cusp of a modern society with an increasingly affluent and growing population. And it’s this growing population that is demanding better services and quality of life – but how will this impact the pharmaceutical industry in China – particularly in regards to branded pharmaceutical drugs?
Not just in the pharmaceutical industry, but for all industries across the board, China has become the must win market. An aging population, increasingly affluent younger population, and the rise of diseases in China all create an emerging need for drugs, which is why The IMS Institute has predicted that by 2016 China will overtake Japan as the second largest pharmaceutical market in the world. So it’s no wonder why billions of dollars a year are being invested in the country.
Many foreign players such as AstraZeneca, Pfizer, Bayer and GSKhave already established themselves firmly in the market and are expanding their services regularly within the country. But with the entry of foreign players in the industry, the competition amongst these players will continue to increase. China has more than 5,000 pharma companies, and in 2010 was the leading country filing pharmaceutical trademarks – even beating out the United States, one of the most mature pharmaceutical markets by nearly 10,000 trademarks filed. Even though China is the global leader filing pharmaceutical trademarks, the majority of the drugs manufactured in China are generic. But as China’s consumer mindset continues to mature and grow, so will the branded pharmaceutical sector.
Why the continued growth?
Specifically for pharmaceuticals, powerful product brand names are important tools to offset competitive pressure from generics and to build customer loyalty. Though heavily regulated by state legislations, in China’s case the SFDA, brand naming for pharmaceutical products is unique, and can greatly affect marketing decisions.
In highly competitive environments, a strong brand will rise above the clutter and demand attention. With a strong brand, you secure a unique position of credibility in the consumer mind, have more influence on your market and motivate customers to purchase from you.
From a marketing perspective, brand naming for a pharmaceutical product may take into consideration aspects such as the chemical/biological nature of its active ingredient, composition/formulation, therapeutic indication, associated medical condition, benefit and adherence to the corporate identity.
From a communication point of view, pharmaceutical branding specialists must decide whether to focus on the functionality or the end-user benefits. It is also from the same angle that pharmaceutical naming is usually considered of great complexity, as most of the time, both audiences should be targeted.
Chinese regulations on pharmaceutical drug naming frown upon utilization of characters that are either indicative of curative effect, intended use, target audience or may imply efficacy.
Regardless of the market you’re in, developing a strong pharmaceutical name is tough, but in China it can be particularly challenging. You must keep in mind translations, the use of characters and regulatory conditions. Biological and pharmaceutical products rely heavily on the protection of intellectual property rights, so it’s essential for foreign companies to gain thorough understanding of China’s IPR protection system before entering the market.
Multinational companies have greatly expanded their businesses in China over the years and have aligned with local pharmaceutical companies, which has proven to be a winning strategy for both parties. And as these companies and other foreign players continue to expand their footprint in China, competition will become fierce as each seeks to penetrate the market. Pricing, intricate knowledge of regional markets and developing strong brands will determine who gets ahead and who doesn’t.
NFL Brand Playoffs
In the upcoming round of the NFL playoffs, four teams will face off for a chance to play in the Super Bowl. But if it were a contest of brand strategy, which two teams would most deserve to compete on February 6th?
Names:
In the renaming of the New England Patriots in 1971 (originally the Boston Patriots), the Pats went from representing exclusively Massachusetts to encompassing New Hampshire, Vermont, Maine, Rhode Island, and Connecticut – a move that helped expand the brand’s fan base. The name ‘Patriots’ reflects back on the foundation of our country, when we valiantly defended our rights in a struggle for independence. By tying themselves to a national sentiment, the Patriots have a name that evokes emotion – fierce pride and loyalty – which can be felt from the entire nation. The name provides an avenue for traditions like The End Zone Militia (firing guns after a New England touchdown). The kind of traditions that develop loyalty and passion.
The Baltimore Ravens are named after the famous poem “The Raven” by Edgar Allen Poe, who spent his last few years in Baltimore. Personally, the poem doesn’t exactly bring to mind the ruggedness that a football game should carry. And ironically, Poe’s biography mentions the fact that he considered himself a “Bostonian”, not a Baltimore native. Nevertheless, a raven is not an animal to be messed with.
Logos:
The Patriot’s Logo is strong, simple and patriotic. It is recognizable and speaks to the dominance of their team by using bold colors and sharp lines. Using the colors of the American flag reinforces the national prominence of the team and reflects their strength and determination.
The Raven’s logo represents winning characteristics – bold and strong. While the logo may clearly be a raven, it lacks any personal or human connection. Alex Barrett, a writer for The Bleacher Report ranked the logo 26th in the NFL - “Despite the great purple / gold color scheme, we have a casual looking bird with a beak way too big and cheeks that look like they’re storing nuts for the winter.”
Winner:
With a stronger logo and a name that evokes pride and loyalty, the New England Patriots get my vote for the AFC Champions of branding.
Names:
The New York Giants, named after the baseball team formerly located in the Big Apple before their move to San Francisco in 1957, have one of the more abstract names in the NFL. While the name may have meant something to the baseball team, for the football team it is simply a hand-me-down. It may be seen as intimidating, but the name ‘Giants’ does not evoke any meaningful emotions on its own.
The 49ers, in a similar way to the Patriots, have history on their side. Their name brings to mind the glory days of the California gold rush, when there was nothing but hope of riches and a pioneer spirit. Again, this is something fans can reflect upon, which helps create a stronger connection to the team. However, the historical reference is not an obvious one, and without an understanding of the background you might wonder about the strange name.
Logos:
It’s difficult to illustrate an actual ‘giant’ in a logo, so New York leverages its initials in the design. But the lowercase letters and simplified design seem to contradict the message in the name. While “Giants” implies strength, intimidation and stature, the logo makes the team feel small and unassuming. Barrett argues that the team should have stuck with their old logo, “I didn’t much care for the logo from 1999 that looked exactly the same, but just spelled out ‘GIANTS,’ but looking back I think it was just a bit better.”
As with The Giants, making a logo for a name like 49ers is a challenge. To me, this logo doesn’t say “intimidating football team” - it could be a logo for anything. Barrett, however, finds merit in its simplicity, “I have always been a fan of the burgundy and gold color scheme. It is plain, yes; but it is also classy and one of the only good ‘oval’ logos left.”
Winner:
It was a close one, but the 49ers win by a margin for the historical significance of their name and for the bold simplicity of their logo.
Patriots vs. 49ers?
As far as the 2012 Super Bowl of branding goes, I have to go with the Patriots. I think the history behind their name and the boldness of their logo are unstoppable.
Did I mention that I'm a Pats fan?
Contributed by Christy O'Keefe