Metabical: Communications PlanMikail Gasanov

October 30, 2012

1. Introduction..............................................................................32. Background...............................................................................33. The Situation Analysis...............................................................3

Company Analysis...............................................................................3Market Analysis (Size of the Market)....................................................3Competitor Analysis............................................................................4Consumer Analysis..............................................................................4Product Analysis.................................................................................5SWOT- Analysis...................................................................................6

Strength..............................................................................................................6Weaknesses.........................................................................................................6Opportunities.......................................................................................................6Threats................................................................................................................7

PESTEL – Analysis................................................................................7Political................................................................................................................7Economical..........................................................................................................7Social................................................................................................................... 7Technological......................................................................................................7Environmental.....................................................................................................8Legal....................................................................................................................8

4. Promotional Objectives..............................................................8Short term:..........................................................................................................8Long-term:...........................................................................................................9

5. Marketing Communication Strategy..........................................106. Promotional Mix......................................................................11

Core Concept....................................................................................11Advertising.......................................................................................13Promotion.........................................................................................14

Health Care Providers promotion......................................................................15Government promotion.....................................................................................15Public Relations.................................................................................................15

7. Resources and Budget.............................................................16Future Revenue.................................................................................................16

8. Schedule & Implementation.....................................................17Awareness.........................................................................................................17Interest..............................................................................................................17Desire................................................................................................................17Action................................................................................................................ 18

9 Evaluation and Control..............................................................18Marketing metrics..............................................................................................18Financial metrics...............................................................................................18

10. Conclusion.............................................................................19

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1. IntroductionMetabical is a bran new revolutionary weight loss drug, developed by the Cambridge Science Pharmaceuticals, which expects the final approved by the FDA (US Food and Drug Administration). As soon, as the FDA approves it, the product is going to be launched. Metabical is clinically proven to be a very effective drug for the weight-loss in moderately overweight people with the BMI 25-30.

2. BackgroundThe statistics show, that not less than 70% of participants of the Marketing Survey for the weight-loss products are unhappy with their current weight. 35% of them are trying actively to lose weight via any means. 15% of them do not mind the usage of the weight-loss products to help them in losing weight. 65% of the adult population of the United States is considered as the overweight or obese. Many of the members of focus groups claim that they starve themselves with diets and suffer from the intensive exercising; however, they do not get the desired results as quick and easy as they want them to be. These facts show the need of the market for the weight-loss products. Overweight and obesity become global problems nowadays. It is now a second biggest cause of the preventable death in the United States. Pharmaceutical companies try to find the solutions to these problems by creating weight-loss drugs. These are the pills, which have to be taken regularly for a period of time. They serve as an additional aid to the weight-loss program of a person. It is best to combine them with healthy diet and regular exercising.

3. The Situation Analysis

Company Analysis

Cambridge Science Pharmaceuticals (CSP) is a global pharmaceutical company based in Cambridge, US. In 2007, it had a remarkable sales record of $25 billion. Currently, it is ready to launch a very promising drug in the weight-loss field, which will greatly impact the company’s future. With correct positioning, it has all the chances of becoming a new market leader and a holder of the monopoly on the market.

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Market Analysis (Size of the Market)

According to the data taken in 2008, 33.3 % (Center for Disease Control and Prevention) of the US adult population falls in the 25-30 BMI range and can be categorized as overweight. Adult population of the United States is 304’375 thousand (National Vital statistics). This means that 101’356 thousand people in the United States have 25-30 BMI. According to the marketing survey conducted in 2007 by Metabical, 35% of the overweight people actively try to lose weight. They represent the targeted market for the launch of Metabical. Roughly, there are 35’474’600 American citizens, who are the potential customers of Metabical. Only 15% of these people are the weight-loss drugs consumers. This means that the size of the market for the weight-loss drug is roughly 5’321’190 people.

Competitor Analysis

The weight-loss drug market is new to business society and it is still developing; however, it is highly competitive. Currently, the OTC product monopoly is held by a few competitive products: Alli, Xeniacal4 and Ephedra. The advantages of the Metabical product on its competitors are crucial. Metabical is the first weight-loss drug, which is potentially approved by the FDA in all the aspects – it is the safest weight-loss drug on the market. It means, that it does not have so many side effects, as the competitor’s products do. For example, there have been many cases of heart-death, caused by the regular usage of the Ephedra product, and a lot of liver damages cause by Xenical4. Out of all these drugs, Alli is the only one, which got approved by the FDA; so, one can say that it is the number one competitor for the Metabical product on the market. Even though it got approved, it is much less safe to consume than Metabical product. Alli causes a lot of side effects as the loose stools, abdominal pain, and increased defecation incontinence, when a person consumes it with too much fat. Another advantage of Metabical is the program itself. It is longer and better balanced than the Alli’s one. Unlike its competitors, it offers an individual exercise plan and a personal support component. The price tag of $3 - $5 for Metabical can be considered relatively inexpensive to the competitors’ products and with all the benefits it gives. It is also much easier to use than the competitors’ products (1 pill a day versus 1 pill per meal). The duration of the effect of the Metabical pill is also better than the one of the competitors’ products. The main difference of the Metabical product from all its potential competitors is its vision and philosophy. It focuses on the improvement of the product from the health perspective, making it safer to use for its consumers with the least amount of side effects, while the other companies try to strengthen the effects of their product, so, that the results will be noticed earlier. This is very important, because the customers of the

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weight-loss products do not want just to lose the weight, but become healthy in all of the aspects.

Consumer Analysis

Since the Metabical is a weight-loss drug, and it is already known that its target costumers have a Body Mass Index varying from 25 to 30 units, it is easy to determine and choose the segments of the potential consumers. Mostly, these are the average people, who are very concerned about the overweight and obesity issue. They may suffer from the exceed of weight and they are highly motivated in fighting with it. They attend the gym regularly, exercise a lot, and struggle with healthy diets; however, this is still not enough for them to lose the exceeding weight. Metabical is not a solution, but a great aid in fighting with their problem. Some overweight people do not care about or even do not notice their problem, so, Metabical do not see them as the primary costumers. The gender of the potential customers is most of the cases feminine. As studies show, women tend to care and put much more attention into their physical appearance, than men do. In addition, studies say that 75% of overweight women are not happy with their weight and 60% tried to fight with their exceed of weight with different methods but failed. The age of the potential Metabical consumers is also easy to determine. It is known, that most of the people become more and more concerned with their weight when they are getting older and older. When a person reaches his physical size and stops growing, his body changes – the calories gained per day do not go into the growth, but the fat. These fats are very hard to fight, and even the exceeding exercising at this age is not a solution. The fat usually becomes a problem at the age of 25-35. The Metabical drug is averagely priced; however, not everybody can afford it. It is never given out for free, since, the overweight is not considered an illness. The consumer has to have salary of funds, which can cover the full Metabical diet program. He also has to have an access to the gym and can afford to buy healthy products. The estimated income of the Metabical consumer is $40’000+ a year, so, this is a middle-class person. Also, the studies show, that the single people tend to care more about their physical appearance, than the married / in relationship ones, especially, the women. The relationship status of the Metabical customer can be identified as single / actively searching. Also, there are the sub-segments of the customers on the market – Metabical consumers can be divided in two kinds: some want to use the product to look good (“wear skinny jeans”), others, who want to be healthier. The first type of the customers are usually younger (25+), the second type are older (35+). The first sub-segment is considered as the priority for the Metabical product. This is explained by the philosophy of the drug: it is made for the people, who want to be healthy and not just

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slim. CSP puts a lot of effort in making Metabical a safe product to use on the first place.

As a conclusion, the target costumer of the Metabical product is usually an overweight woman (BMI 25-30), aged 25+, with the yearly income of $40’000+ (middle class). She usually has a college education. Her self-esteem is low and she is either worried that she does not look good or she wants to become healthier. She is a workingwoman or a housewife, usually single. She attends the gym regularly and stays on a strict healthy diet. She is very motivated and willing to fight with her problem via any means.

Product Analysis

Metabical is a prescription weight-loss drug developed by CSP. It is consumed in the form of pills one time a day. It costs $3 - $5 a day. The average duration of the Metabical treatment program is 12 weeks. The cost of the program varies from $252 to $420. The drug is prescribed to the overweight people with the BMI of 25 to 30, and is not as effective on the consumers with higher BMI. To achieve the maximum effectiveness of the drug, the individual diet and the exercise program have to be developed and followed during the usage of the Metabical. As any other weight-loss drug, Metabical has some side effects. They are similar to the ones of Alli (gastrointestinal discomfort) but much less noticeable. They may appear if a person combines the consumption of the Metabical drug with a lot of fatty foods. At this stage, it awaits the final approval of the FDA, and will be launched, as soon, as it gets the approval.

SWOT- Analysis

Strength The obvious strength of the Metabical product is the size of the market. Currently, most of the US adult population is considered overweight or obese and many of them are willing to lose wait via any means, weight-loss drugs are in great demand. Metabical is also one of the least harmful weight-loss drugs, which are presented on the market and can be considered as sustainable. It is one of the first weight-loss drugs, which has the approval of the FDA for the overweight people. It is the only weight-loss drug, which will be FDA approved for the 25-30 BMI customers indeed. Its side effects are less severe than the ones of the competitors’ products. The program duration is very well balanced and easy to follow, as well as the pills are easy to consume.

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WeaknessesDespite the fact that Metabical is one of the least harmful weight-loss drugs on the marketplace, it still has some side effects if it is consumed with fatty foods. The price tag of $3-$5 is also relatively high to some segments. Even if the person has an income of $3’330 a month ($40’000 a year excluding the tax) and will use Metabical everyday ($5 a day), he will spend about 5% of his income on the weight-loss (not taking into consideration the cost of gym and healthy food).Another weakness of the Metabical product is the limited BMI range of its customers. It is effective in weight-loss only if the BMI of the consumer is between 25-30.

OpportunitiesThe FDA approval logo can be used on the Metabical products in marketing purposes to emphasize its safety and the advantages on the competitors, which did not get the approval. Metabical has to be positioned as the safest weight-loss drug on the market. Studies show that the Metabical customers lose weight significantly by the end of the 12-week program and can maintain their shape for three years with proper diet and exercise. It is not a bad idea to create a promotion: If you do not lose the minimal weight within the 12-week program, you will get your money back. This may create the advantage on the competitors and create a very positive trustful image for the Metabical product.

ThreatsThe weight-loss market is highly competitive, so, the Metabical has to position itself very carefully and properly, otherwise, it will fail. If for some reason the Metabical will not get the final approval of the FDA, the whole concept of the safe weight-loss drug will fail.

PESTEL – Analysis

PoliticalThe political situation in the world is positive for the launch of the Metabical drug. More and more global companies try to be more sustainable every year. Metabical’s concept of the safe sustainable drug approved by the FDA for the weight-loss has a very positive image, since, the obesity has became a worldwide-recognized problem. Many modern governments put a lot of emphasis on fighting with this problem for the healthier nation. Especially, in the US, where obesity became a global issue, the government greatly supports and approves all the companies, which help in fighting with it.

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EconomicalThe drug manufacturing has been good for any economy most of the time. Most of the drug manufacturers work in close relationship with the government. It is a known fact that many medical companies, which work in the same industry, usually work in cartels and set the unrealistic prices for the drugs with much lower net costs (production costs). Part of the profits goes into the government and the country’s economy. The global drug manufacturers also provide many jobs to the people. This benefits the economy greatly.

SocialThe demographics show that most of the US population is overweight. Many of them see themselves as the social outsiders. Here, one can link the Metabical product to the Maslow’s hierarchy of needs – the need for belongingness. By their nature, humans want to belong and fit in. Nobody likes to be picked out, since, the overweight and obesity do not match the socially accepted physical beauty standards. Many claim, that with time, the overweight person will be considered as “normal” like it was during the renaissance; however, with the media pressure, fashion, and Hollywood beauty perception, it is not likely to happen in the nearest future.

TechnologicalThe technology nowadays allows the production and development of all the kinds of medicaments. The science will help in the future development of the Metabical product. Technology will also play a crucial role in advertising and distributing the product, when it is launched.

Environmental The environmental situation in the world is very good for the launch of the Metabical product. The sustainable and healthy environment trend is very popular nowadays for people. The Metabical’s philosophy of the importance of healthy diets and exercising is closely tied with the sustainability trend.

LegalThe legal issue is very important for launching any medicine product. It has to match all the needed requirements and regulations, which are set by the government and Drug Administration. It needs to prove that it is not harmful or dangerous in any way. The Metabical product matches all the legal requirements for the weight-loss drug. It is known that it does not include any chemically harmful or forbidden components. One of the key concepts of the Metabical drug is the safety of usage. Like no other weight-loss drug, it focuses and emphasizes the importance on the FDA approval, which means, it matches all the necessary and unnecessary legal regulations.

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4. Promotional ObjectivesThe objectives for the Metabical product development can be developed into two kinds: short-term and long-term. Below is the list of the corporate, marketing and communications objectives.

Short term:1. Receiving the final approval of the FDA for the Metabical product

launch before the January 1st, 2009.2. Designing the packaging for the Metabical product in four variations: 7

pills, 14 pills, 42 pills, and 84 pills per pack.3. Installing the selling price of $4.00 per one pill for the official

distributors ($28, $56, $168, $336 per package depending on the amount).

4. Creating the viable online-support webpage for the users of the product before the January 1st 2009. The access password for the web site will be included in each package. It is individual, and lasts for 24 months.

5. Providing all the major US pharmacies with the Metabical drug at the time of the product launch.

6. Mailing the information about the product to 100’000 health care providers before January 1st 2009.

7. Developing all the marketing campaigns and mass media advertisements (Internet, TV, Magazines, newspapers, street, public places ads, etc.) for the Metabical drug before January 1st 2009.

8. Creating the advertisement campaign, which will attract at least 1’000’000 consumers, who will follow the full Metabical therapy course for the 1st year.

9. Having at least 15 TV commercials per day on the leading channels of the National Television. Each one lasts 15 seconds. They have to be on air during the first 4 weeks before it is launched.

10. Having at least 10 TV commercials per day on the leading channels of the National Television. Each one lasts 30-45 seconds. They have to be on air during the first 24+ weeks after the launch of Metabical.

11. Posting the Metabical advertisements in at least 100’000 of the major fitness clubs (chains like 24 Hour Fitness) before January 1st 2009.

12. Purchasing the rights for the viral (Internet) advertisements in social networks (Facebook click-ads), mailing systems, search engines (immediate Google ads, when search is tied to weight-loss), and fitness / health web pages.

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13. Making a Facebook group for the Metabical product with at least 5 million followers by the end of the marketing campaign.

14. Launch a “see the effect” advertisement campaign after the first 12 weeks from the launch of Metabical, which will demonstrate the first results and educate people about the advantages of Metabical (Subway guy example).

15. Launching “get your money back” campaign after the launch of the Metabical product to give the serious statement to the public.

16. Having Metabical sponsoring at least 10 public health / sport / charity / sustainability events per year, after the launch of the product.

17. Signing at least 3 world-class athletes as a representatives of Metabical

Long-term:1. Having Metabical ads in at least 10’000’000 fitness clubs around the

world in the leading fitness-chains after 5 years from the launch of the product.

2. Having Metabical sponsoring at least 50 public health / sport / charity / sustainability events per year, after 3 years from the launch of the product.

3. Reducing the production cost of Metabical in a period of 4 years. 4. Distributing the Metabical product in the leading global pharmacies

around the world after 2 years from the launch of the product. 5. Developing the Metabical drug to reduce the side effects to a minimum

and make it more efficient for the consumers with the BMI 30-35 in the period of 5 years after the launch of the product.

6. Becoming an absolute market leader in the weight-loss market niche (BMI 25-30) with the market share of 70% + in the period of 5 years after the launch of the product.

7. Having at least 10 athletes / celebrities as the representatives of Metabical in the period of 5 years.

8. Expanding the consumer segmentation range of the Metabical after the 1st year of sales by implementing the long-term communications strategy.

5. Marketing Communication StrategyThe purpose of the Metabical communications plan is to develop the viable strategy of positioning and marketing the product correctly to achieve the CSP’s objectives. To attract the customers from the targeted segments, Metabical has to inform them why it is the product to choose and prove that it matches all their needs. It has to demonstrate its benefits and the competitive advantage to its potential users. As the targeted segment is

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divided into two sub-segments, Metabical’s communication strategy has to relate to both kinds. This can be achieved by creating a short and long-terms communications strategies. The short-term strategy will target the prior segment of consumers, who want to be healthier; while the long-term strategy will target all the other overweight people, who mostly want to lose some pounds to look better.

For the primary short-term strategy, Metabical has to position itself as the safest weight-loss product on the market, and prove it, by making a strong campaign, which will emphasize all its advantages. This will establish the long-life demand for the Metabical drug. CSP has to take into consideration all of the participants of the decision-making process, starting from the end-customer and ending with the health care providers and the government. It is very important for the CSP to cooperate and communicate with the local health care providers to develop the weight-loss programs and achieve the best possible results in the sales force. They will be the ones, who will prescribe the drug to the customers, without their activity – there will be no sales. The cooperation with the government is also needed for the launch of the drug. They are the ones, who will set up the taxes, regulations and other legal issues for the existence of Metabical product. They may be a great aid for the launch of Metabical. The preferential taxation is an important aspect, which CSP can get through good relations with the government. It is crucial for the Metabical, to focus its prior communication strategy on the health care providers and the government, rather than the end customers, in the first stage of its development on the market (before its launch). The CSP shall develop their product in a close relationship with them and their prior customer segment, according to the “Push” strategy. There are very few weight-loss products, which deliver the same effect as Metabical – loosing weight, by taking pills, with no harm to the human’s health. So, there is a potentially high demand for this kind of products on the market. The health care providers have to have a very good understanding and knowledge of the Metabical product, before it goes on sale. To attract the chosen customer segment, Metabical has to implement the “Pull” strategy. It has to launch a very powerful advertisement campaign, there will be a lot of B2C and C2B communication at this stage. In this system, after the product is launched, CSP will work closely with its core consumers, understanding their needs and offering them solutions. The production (supply) of the Metabical pills should be closely tied with the elasticity of Demand of its customers, keeping the prices relatively high. There has to be no excess of supply of the pills produced. This strategy is rather difficult to implement; however, it is the only one, which will properly work in the chosen segment. Pull strategy is also very effective, when the product is launched for the first time. It helps to focus and capture the main customers first – only after this goal is achieved, CSP can move on to implementing a much more global strategy to cover the needs of all the other consumers.

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If CSP will achieve its first-term objectives, it will focus on making their product available for all the overweight people, who want to lose weight for different reasons. This is a much trickier task to complete, since; Metabical has a lot of competitors in the regular weight-loss drug market. The demand for another weight-loss manufacturer is relatively small. These costumers are not as aware of health issue as the first type. Metabical’s goal in this situation is to crate a global awareness campaign, which will demonstrate the importance of taking the safer FDA approved drug, rather then the regular ones. This information has to be “pushed” towards the customers. The brand will be popular enough to change the advertising intensity (decrease it at some point), and focus on showing what differentiates Metabical from its competitors. CSP has to emphasize the severe side effects and serious harm to the health of a human, which are present in many products of many other weigh-loss drug manufacturers. To convince them, Metabical has to change its strategy from “Pull” to “Push” towards the customers. To keep its core segment of their loyal customers, Metabical has to emphasize the main concern of the health care providers to the people – if the patient stops taking Metabical drugs after he finishes the 12-week program, he may gain the lost weight again afterwards. This will demonstrate the importance of the use of the continuous online-support program of Metabical. When Metabical becomes a worldwide know product with its loyal customer segment – to reach new limits it has to go global. Of course, this is not going to happen during the first year of its existence, since it has to capture its key customers and become a market leader for the weight-loss drugs in the US first. In this case, quantity of the produced drug and a very powerful marketing campaign matter. The CSP will be experienced and will already know what the market wants, so, there shall be much less or no C2B communications. The production quantity of the drug has to change and correlate with the long term forecast. At this stage, Metabical will have enough funds, reputation and power to create the demand on their product without taking into consideration only the customers’ needs or desires.

It is very important for the CSP to position Metabical correctly when it is launched, and then, create the smooth transition from one marketing communications strategy to another. Metabical has a great potential of becoming a worldwide recognized weight-loss drug in the future.

6. Promotional Mix

Core Concept

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The promotion campaign for the Metabical has to be diverse, relevant, very effective and directly targeted towards the chosen segment of the costumers. As the communication strategy is divided into two parts, the advertisement campaign also has to be divided into two parts, covering firstly – the main customer segment, secondly – the rest of the consumers. Metabical can be advertised in many different ways throughout the short and long-term marketing campaigns. In addition, CSP’s promotional campaign has to focus on other two important stakeholders: the government and the health care providers.

For the first part of the advertising campaign, Metabical should implement the best direct marketing techniques on the market. These techniques focus the marketer’s attention on the base of the potential customers. The slogan of this campaign has to share the innovations used in the product and its uniqueness on the market. It has to emphasize its revolutionary technologies, safety and sustainability to attract the targeted segment of the customers. The possible slogans of the Metabical campaign are “Metabical – the safest weight-loss drug on the market. FDA approved” or “Metabical – the revolution in losing weight with no harm to the body. FDA approved” or “Become healthier with Metabical – simply the best weight-loss drug on the market. FDA approved”. The given examples perfectly match the desires of the targeted segment – they want to lose extra-weight with no damage to their health. They are already familiar with the importance of taking the safe weight-loss products, so, there is no need to inform them about it in the slogan. FDA approval is the “know-how” of the Metabical, especially important for the targeted segment; so, it is included in all of the advised slogans.

For the second part of the advertising campaign, CSP has to use both direct and indirect marketing techniques. The slogan for the campaign has to reflect on the competitive advantage of the product. It should also inform the costumers about the importance of being healthy and caring about their body. This slogan may be “Change yourself for your better future, Metabical – simply the best weight-loss drug on the market” or “Take care of your own health before it is too late – try Metabical now” or “For the good of the healthier nation you have to start with yourself. Metabical, the first clinically approved weight-loss drug for keeping the nation slim and healthy” or “With the help of many weight-loss drugs, you may be losing weight and seriously harming your health at the same time. With Metabical, you can only do one”. In some of the advised slogans, the element of fear is used. The purpose is to make people understand why they have to choose Metabical than its competitors. Underlining the importance of the health of society in the world is also very important and relevant, since it is in great danger nowadays. This campaign has to cover a lot more segments, than the first one.

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There are three suggested slogans, which can work for the both parts in public promotion. The suggested slogan “Losing weight is tough. You don’t have to do it alone. Let Metabical and your health care provider start you on the road to a health weight and better life” (Printup 2008, Metabical) gives a clear explanation on how and why you need to lose weight. The second one “Look your best. Shed excess pounds with Metabical and discover a happier, more attractive you. Metabical – all you need to succeed.” (Printup 2008, Metabical) explains the advantages and opportunities, which you can get with Metabical. “Those extra 20 pounds could be killing you. Being overweight leads to heart disease, high-blood pressure, diabetes, and gallbladder disease. It’s time to get healthy – Metabical can help.” (Printup 2008, Metabical) is the third slogan, which is best to implement in the second part of the campaign. It delivers very strong arguments why one has to use Metabical, using the element of fear.

Both parts have to have and develop the strong relations with the government and the health care providers. The strategy of targeting these stakeholders is very different from the regular advertisements for the consumers. CSP has to deliver all the needed knowledge about the product to the health care providers, to convince them to prescribe Metabical instead of all its substitutes. Good relations with the government are good for any company, especially the one, which can get a lot of benefits and support from it – pharmaceutical industry.

Advertising

The short-term advertising program has to be focused on its prior potential consumers. This way of developing the campaign will allow CSP to position its product correctly on the first place, attracting their main customer segment. Most of the money will go into promoting Metabical on National Television and signing the famous athletes as its representatives. The athletes, who will represent Metabical, have to be connected to the healthy lifestyle and have the ideal physical condition. They can be the representatives of the disciplines like Running, Gymnastics, Swimming, Cycling, etc. Of course, since the funds for the advertising are not limitless, it will be best to choose an athlete with the best recognition/cost ratio.

At the time of the launch of Metabical, most of the marketers’ attention has to be turned to making sure everyone is aware of the new product and interested in it. These ads have to start appearing at least two months before the start of the sales. The viable way of implementing this campaign would be the airing of the TV commercials and setting up billboards, which

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would introduce Metabical to its customers. Most of the budget will be spent at this stage.

The TV commercials have to be short and efficient (15 seconds). They shall never give out a lot of information about the product – only what matters the most has to be mentioned. The example may be dark movie-like scenes featuring the world-class athletes. To have a better understanding, their style has to be similar to the Nike ads: the Air one which featured Charles Barkley, anti-doping commercial with Lance Armstrong or its World Cup 2010 ad, where a lot of famous footballers participated. They must to be very emotional – no words, only action. Husain Bolt is running a 100-meter distance in slow motion on the empty dark track; the viewer can see that every muscle in his body is extremely tense in a close up, he can see the look in his eyes. Then he crosses the line, the screen dims, and the text appears “Metabical, the revolution in weight-loss is coming, the Key to Your health. FDA approved”, which is followed by “for more information go to “website”. At first glance, the customers will become very interested in the ad, which features such super stars as Husain bolt or Michael Phelps. With no knowledge what it is about, they will watch it until the end. Only there they will have an understanding what it is about. In addition, they may become so interested in the ad, they will go to the website to check it out. The ads may be aired on different times on different channels. It is best to include them in the breaks between sport, fitness or health programs, since more potential buyers will be watching the TV. The same technique can be used in setting up the billboards to attract customers’ attention. The eye-catching billboards on the highways and streets (where it is legal), with interesting texts such as “Metabical, the revolution is coming, FDA approved” would be a good decision. Internet sites have to be filled with the Metabical introduction ads.

The next step in the campaign is creating the interest and desire. CSP has to achieve it as soon as possible to create a strong sales force in the very beginning of its new product existence and capture its key customers. By this time, most of the potential customers will be aware of existence of the Metabical and extremely curious in knowing what it is.

At this stage, the already existing ad campaign has to be extended. No money will be spent for the production of the new ads, since there will not be any. These will be the modified already existing ads with the certain extensions. The concept is the same; however, the text and more action will be added. The TV commercials will be much longer (30-45 seconds). The athlete acts longer with his voice on the background explaining what is Metabical and listing all its advantages, telling that it is safe, FDA approved, etc. The ending phrase should be changed to something like ”Metabical: the revolution is here, now available in all of the major pharmacies of the United States, with doctor prescription only”. There will be no need in the billboards,

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since these ads have to be more informative. At this stage, the budget money will be redirected into the popular Health-Care magazines and other social media. Another point is to have the Metabical advertisement brochures is different gyms and fitness centers, where a lot of its potential customers are assembled.

Another advertisement technique, which became extremely successful for Subway Sandwiches, which has to be mentioned as an option, is the public figure Jared Fogle, who is better known as a “Subway Guy”. He lost a lot of weight by eating only the Subway sandwiches. This is a very famous technique used by many companies now, which does not cost a lot, since its key person is not a celebrity or an athlete. Metabical can take an average overweigh person and make him lose weight with its program in the period of 12 weeks, making him an example of the effectiveness of their product. However, now it is become a very cliché technique in the weight-loss market, so, it should not play a significant role in Metabical’s advertisement strategy.

In the near future, Metabical will have enough funds to sponsor different sport events, and air its commercials during the breaks of such events as Super Bowl or FIFA World Cup, which will attract a lot of public attention. It may even have its own team (exclusive sponsorship) in one of the most popular sport disciplines. For now, these advertisements are too expensive and difficult to implement.

Promotion

Health Care Providers promotion

For the health care providers, there is a need of launching a special promotion campaign. This can be done in a very inexpensive but efficient way. One of the suggested messages, which have to be transmitted to the doctors, is “Give your overweight patients a safe alternative to fad diets and dangerous OTC drugs. Introducing Metabical – a clinically proven weight-loss drug.” (Printup 2008, Metabical). It clearly explains why the doctors have to choose Metabical, than all the others weight-loss drugs available on the market – it is safe and clinically proven. The second one states “Atherosclerosis, coronary artery disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, and gallbladder disease. Your overweight patients are dying for help. Introducing Metabical – FDA approved weight-loss drug”. (Printup 2008, Metabical). This message can be implemented in the campaign to simply show the doctors, what diseases Metabical can help with. The last one says “Empower your patients to lose excess weight, change their unhealthy eating habits, and achieve long-term success. Introducing Metabical – short-term drug therapy and comprehensive support program for overweight patients. It gets results”

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(Printup 2008, Metabical). It explains in a very simplistic way what is the Metabical therapy and states its benefits.

All the Metabical promotional messages can be delivered to the clinics in a form of very informative brochures given out by the Metabical spokespersons or sent out by mail. Theses people will be visiting different hospitals, clinics, weight-loss centers and health institutions explaining the benefits of Metabical, all the advantages on its competitors, and what is it best for. For the main health care providers, Metabical will organize and sponsor different events like golf tournaments or formal dinners. This program has to develop in a very first stage of existence of the Metabical due to the importance of the health care providers for the sales of the product.

Government promotion

CSP has to establish very good long-life relationships with the government for the launch of Metabical. The introduction of the product to the government officials can be done by CSP sponsoring different political conferences and other events. This will help to build certain connections with different politicians, which can greatly help Metabical in its future development. This phase of the campaign should be done at different times during the existence of the product, since building good relations with the government is a long process, which can benefit the company in a very good way.

Public Relations

The public relations campaign of Metabical can be developed in two stages. Firstly, CSP will host different medical education meetings and events for its potential customers. It will gather different people to introduce the Metabical product, and educate them about the importance of usage of the drug and losing extra weight in general. These events can be hosted on the golf fields, music concerts, restaurants or the conference halls. Secondly, its representatives will appear on different press releases for the popular health magazines and other media. This will properly introduce the product to the public and its future customers.

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7. Resources and BudgetThe figures, given in the Exhibit 4, are based on the most recent drug launch of the CSP. This is the budget, which Metabical can use in for the first year of its existence.

Advertising is the biggest part of the Metabical’s budget. As it was mentioned, most of the funds will go into the Pull advertisements towards the costumer. This will cover the massive expenses on the media promotion and athlete representation of Metabical. The “Push” advertisements are targeted towards the health care providers. This includes the spokesmen presentations in different clinics and hosting other events for the medical community.

Promotion is also a big part of the budget. Development and production of the support program is the largest expense for the promotion part. There are other few expenses as setting up training/promotional objectives and mailing of the product to the health care providers. A large sum is allocated for improving the public relations: hosting events for the medical education and press releases.

To launch the Metabical product, Market research has to be made. Other funds are allocated towards the sales force and product management. This is a very important aspect for operating expenses and managing the development / launch of the product.

Future Revenue

The selling price of Metabical is set at $4.00 per one pill ($28, $56, $168, $336 per package depending on the amount), and the cost of the program is $336. If Metabical manages to achieve its short-term objective of having at least 1’000’000 consumers (20% of the market) for its weight-loss program for the first year, it is easy to calculate the revenue. It will be $336 million for the first year. Then, it is simple to get estimation of how much every dollar,

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which was spent for the marketing campaign, makes a profit for CSP. This can be done, by dividing the revenue of $336 million by total marketing budget $23 million. One US dollar spent on the marketing campaign earned 14.6 US dollars for the company.

8. Schedule & Implementation The schedule of the Metabical marketing launch can be demonstrated with the AIDA-model. First, there is a stage of creating the Awareness. It is followed by the one, which creates Interest in the product itself. The third stage is Desire, where the costumer wants to have the advertised product. The last stage is Action takes place when the customer goes for the prescription.

Awareness

At this stage, the short-term advertising campaign has to be launched. First TV commercials will start appearing. Metabical will have its first press releases and host events for the governmental officials and doctors. CSP will mail all the key information about Metabical to the health care providers and supply its product to the key pharmacies. Many advertisements will be posted in the health magazines and on the billboards. All this action will take place in a period of two months before the start of the sales. Building awareness is not an easy or a quick process. This task has to be implemented a long time before the start of the sales, to convince the customers to buy Metabical.

Interest

This is the stage, where the customer is being introduced to Metabical. It occurs, when a person wants to know more about the product, and gets this knowledge from the extended advertising campaign and health care providers. This also happens during the hosted seminars and health education meetings. This stage will be occurring in a period of the first month before the product’s launch.

Desire

The desire stage will occur when an interested customer will get more knowledge about the product and its benefits, such as the FDA approval and the effective online-support program. People will see that it is the best product on the market and has no alternatives for their needs. New

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extended, more informative advertisements will start appearing on television and in the magazines. This stage will take place during the first week before / two weeks after the launch of Metabical on the market. It is very important to create a public desire on the market for the time of the beginning of the sales.

Action

The action is the most important stage for the Metabical’s launch; it rewards the results of the marketing campaign. This stage occurs when an overweight customer goes to the doctor for the Metabical prescription, and then purchases it from the pharmacy. It has to happen from the day of the sales to the last stage of the product lifecycle on the market. Then, the metrics will be conducted each month, so, the success of the chosen communication is measured and recorded.

9 Evaluation and ControlTo insure the marketing campaign of Metabical, its development process has to be controlled. This can be done by setting up marketing and financial metrics, which will serve as the checkpoints for the Metabical’s short and long-term objectives. For the launch of the product, CSP has to follow and match the objectives, which it set in the beginning. The metrics for the Metabical have to be conducted each month from the start of the sales.

Marketing metrics

1. Satisfaction with the Metabical product2. Number of loyal clients acquired3. Number of customers attracted4. Effectiveness of advertising5. Satisfaction with the results / Metabical’s effectiveness6. Number of the online-support program7. Number of Facebook group members

Financial metrics

1. Number of pills sold 2. Monthly profits3. Market share4. Monthly investments 5. Quantity / length / number of views of the TV commercials

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6. Number of distributors 7. Number of health care providers acquired8. Number of ads in public places (gyms, weight-loss centers)9. Number of clicks on viral advertisements

There are several different ways to collect the data during the existence of Metabical on the market to evaluate its performance. This can be done by conducting different surveys or segment questionnaires, analyzing the financial reports and having the recall and recognition tests. All these points have to be carefully examined to demonstrate and prove that the money spent on marketing were worth it. If the metrics will show the negative results for Metabical, CSP must rapidly change its strategy until it achieves the desired results.

The control for the Metabical campaign has to be implemented at three levels: program, marketing mix activities, and business unit. The first one is the evaluation of the effectiveness of different programs applied; the second level is the evaluation of product, sales targets, awareness, and pricing of the advertising campaigns; the last level is the simple evaluation if Metabical matches the desired objectives and results.

The control for the marketing campaign of Metabical has to be implemented in four stages: annual control (done once a year, evaluation of the annual performance of the product, comparing the results with the annual objectives); financial control (evaluation of the financial performance, comparing the forecasted budget with the actual budget); strategic control (evaluation of the effectiveness of chosen communication strategies); productivity control (evaluation of the effectiveness of all the marketing activities of Metabical).

10. ConclusionMetabical is a very promising brand new weight-loss drug, which has an opportunity of capturing the monopoly on the weight-loss drugs market for the overweight people. The suggested launch-development program will position Metabical correctly on the market and provide it a rich future. The chosen communication strategies will allow Metabical to achieve its goals and objectives, delivering the best results for building a healthier nation. Metabical is not and will never be a solution to the problem of the excess of weight, but it is the best chemical aid for losing weight, which will be available on the market.

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