METABICAL: Planning

and Communication
Strategy for a new
Weight-Loss Drug

Submitted By: Group 7

Anza Thasneem
M Shalini Sreedeepthi
Rucha Mirashi
Shivam Jaiswal
Akshay Singh
Debojyoti Sanyal

15PGP069
15PGP085
15PGP103
15PGP120
15PGP128
15PGP141

ABOUT METABICAL

Metabical proved to be safe and effective in stimulating weight loss for moderately
overweight individuals

CSP focus on developing, manufacturing, and marketing product that treat metabolic
disorders, gastrointestinal disease, immune deficiencies, as well as other chronic and
acute medical conditions

Sales over $25 billion in 2007

Printup had over 20 years of experience marketing

OBJECTIVES

Developing a viable positioning strategy

Marketing Communication Plan

A campaign to persuade managed health care

A comprehensive support program

Positioning
Positioning
Strategy
Strategy

February
2008

IMC

Final
Launch

January
2009

Advertising

Promotion

Public
Relations

Sales Force

Objective: Raise awareness and educate patients

CSPs Direct To Consumer (DTC) Concepts

Losing Weight
is Tough

Those Extra 20
Look Your Best Pounds could
be Killing You

DTC Television, Online, Radio,

Print Media Blitz at the time of drugs launch and
Included a

heavy advertising throughout the first year to

establish the Metabical name

Advertising

Promotion

Public
Relations

Sales Force

Advertising Concepts
Give your overweight patients a safe alternatives
Your overweight patients are dying for help
Introducing Metabical Short-term drug therapy
and comprehensive support program for
overweight patients

Featuring
Celebrity
Endorser

Target
Professional
Medical
Community

Aimed at health care providers

Push
Advertising
(Less than 5%
of Total
Marketing
Budget)

Advertising

Direct Mail
Campaign
Planned a
mailing for
100.000 health
care provider
(pamphlet and
reply card
offering a
sample)

Promotion

Public
Relations

Viral Marketing
Campaign
The Metabical
Challenge
On-line contest

Sales Force

Social Networking
Sites and
Contestant Blogs
Create Buzz
about Metabical

done correctly, social and viral marketing had the

potential to be an extremely valuable, costeffective medium
If

Promotion

First Event

Occur one month

before the drugs
launch
A roundtable
discussion involving
prominent through
leaders in medical
community

Focusing

Public
Relations

Sales Force

Medical research
symposium that was
open to media and to
medical professionals
Occur at the same
week as the drugs
launch

Second Event

Advertising

overweight patients
About $4.3 million would be spent for Public
Relations
on health issues for

Advertising

Promotion

Public
Relations

Sales Force

To develop sales scripts and

presentations providing clinical information
Visited targeted medical offices four times a
year to discuss the drug and provide samples
The Metabical sales team consisted of 32 sales
representatives who called on approximately

3,200 medical offices

Are you satisfied with your current

weight and appearance?
25%

Yes; 30%
75%

No; 70%

35%

65%

70% respondents were not satisfied

Are you actively

trying to lose weight?

Are you comfortable

using drugs to reach your
weight-loss goals?
N=350

Yes; 15%
Yes; 35%

No; 65%
No; 85%

Only 105 respondent feel comfortable using drugs to lose weight

After knowing the features and benefits of Metabical,

would you immediately request prescription at your
health provider?
Yes; 12%

No; 88%

Only 12% would immediately request prescription

Do you visit a health care provider for a

yearly physical exam?

30%

50%

50%

70%

50% women and 30% men potential for recommendation of Metabical

by their Health Provider

Would you change your behavior to live a

healthy lifestyle?

40%
45%
55%
60%

55% women & 40% men are willing to change their lifestyle,
Comprehensive Support Program will be the media for that

Have you tried and failed to lose weight in

the past five years?

30%
40%

60%
70%

More women have tried to lose weight than men. Women are
more potential market to try Metabical

Are you satisfied with current weight-loss

options on the market?

35%

65%

35%

65%

Potential for a new option ( FDA approved prescription weight-loss drugs )

Are you aware of the health risks associated

with being moderately overweight?

25%

45%
55%

75%

Advertising should also aim to build awareness of health risk

associated with being overweight

Why do you want to lose weight?

35%
40%

60%
65%

For age 18-35, advertising message should be about looking better

For age 35+, advertising message should be about improving overall health

Would you be willing to pay "out of pocket" for a

prescription weight-loss drug?

11%

5%

95%

89%

20%

80%

Only small percentage of the economic level higher than $40,000 are willing
to pay out of pocket for Metabical
Campaign to persuade managed health care plans to cover Metabical

Metabical

Herbal and dietary supplements

Low Medical Risk

High Medical Risk

Weight loss drugs

SEGMENTING and TARGETING

PRIMARY TARGET
Demography
17 until 70 years old
education level : less than high
school, high school, some collage,
collage
income level : $25,000 - $80,000+

Demography
25 until 65 years old
Collage
$25,000 ++

Geography
urban and rural people
Geography
Urban people

Psychography :
People who want to look like a movie star
People who want to be healthier
People who want to wear the skinny jeans
People who want to lose weight with easy
way
People that fine in the way they are
People with BMIs score :
overweight (25-30), obese
(30-40), severely obese (over 40)

Psychography
People who want to
be healthier
People with BMI
score of 25-30

Behavior :

Choose drugs to lose their weight

Choose herbal to lose their weight
Like sport
Loyal to brand
Value oriented
Health treatment oriented
Price sensitive
Choose drugs based on advice
Check their healthy if there is only
damage

Behavior

Choose drugs to lose

their weight
Like sport
Loyal to brand
Value oriented
Health treatment
oriented
Choose drugs based on
advice

SECONDARY TARGET

Doctor
Gym

Instructors
Dietitians

Product
Metabical is a weight-loss
drug
with prescription
that only consume 1 pill a
day

Price
$4.5 / pill

4P
Promotion
ATL and BTL campaign
Place
Pharmacy and Drug
store

Marketing Communication
Strategy Plan
Goals : To introduce metabical;
To communicate the proper positioning of Metabical; inform the benefits of
Metabical;
To attrack the attention from target market.
1.

Launch the Loosing Weight is Tough campaign

invite the doctors to come in doctors conference about Metabical
talk show for consumers about overweight
brand endorser
conference about health and overweight

2. TV commercial
3. Radio

4. Billboard

5. Print ads

6. Mobile Clinic and

Sport Events
7. Magazine/ Newspaper

Support Program
Reference material
Online weight
Control
Personal Support
Meal Plans

Exercise Plans

Weight loss tracker

Food diary
Nutritional and calorie
calculator

Community Forums
Menu Planner
Grocery list
Thousands of recipes

Weight training
Cardio routines

Goal
s

Enable
Individuals to
achieve better
results than they
would from the
pill alone

(Teach lifestyle
skill for healthy
weight
maintenance after
the initial weight
loss was achieve)

THANK YOU