Research identifies marketing mix strategy for pharmaceutical firms
Research in Marketing Science by Professor Kamel Jedidi, John A. Howard Professor of Business, Marketing, Columbia Business School; Professor Oded Netzer, Philip H. Geier Jr. Associate Professor, Marketing, Columbia Business School; and Professor Ricardo Montoya, Department of Industrial Engineering, University of Chile, Santiago, Chile, reveals how pharmaceutical managers can maximize the return on marketing investments by determining the physicians to target as well as when and how to target them. The researchers investigate the effectiveness of detailing salesforce representatives visits to the doctor office to discuss specific drugs, and sampling free drug samples of the drug offered to the physicians to promote the drug, on the pharmaceutical firm's long-term profitability. The researchers find that both detailing and sampling have an enduring effect. The effect of these marketing actions can last up to 10 months after the marketing effort. The researchers' framework provides implications for customer management and...