Making Marketing Happen: How Great Medical Companies Make Strategic Marketing Planning Work for Them

Abstract

This is the third in a trilogy of papers reporting a five-year research project into marketing strategy making in medical markets. Following on from the weaknesses in marketing strategy observed in the first paper, and the strategy making process weaknesses identified in the second, this paper presents an empirically derived process for creating strong marketing strategy in medical markets. This process involves the replacement of a traditional rational planning process with a hybrid marketing strategy making process adapted to both the organisational culture and the market environment. These findings are of practical use to marketers in the pharmaceutical, medical device, diagnostic and related sectors.