Branding of new and generic/biosimilar products: New concepts and methods (in-depth qualitative study)

Abstract

This mixed research design is based on qualitative analysis of secondary data from publicly available corporate material and primary data collected via comprehensive in-depth interviewing of 28 experts, spending approximately 42 h of face-to-face interaction with pharmaceutical industry experts, who included marketing personnel, medical directors, patient groups, advertising and regulatory agencies. Any new original, generic or biosimilar product faces many opportunities and challenges in relation to branding and the imminent global commercialization. The study concludes that there is a significant armamentarium of media-related activities, which can be used in branding: media-assisted campaigns, blogging, celebrity endorsement and close cooperation with patient support groups. Based on findings from this study, companies developing new products should devise their branding strategy as early as possible during the initial stages of development and allocate appropriate corporate resources for collaboration with media and patient support groups. In addition, the pharmaceutical industry should prioritise branding architecture strategies that could foster internal and external relationships around an entire product portfolio, maximise brand value, competitive strength and longevity.