Create Preliminary Allround Marketing Plan

This assignment helps you prepare to compete in the weekly PharmaSim team decision-making competition. Using the preliminary marketing plan template embedded in Topic 2, your team will create a preliminary marketing plan and upload it here by midnight Sunday. A completed template earns 20 points for each participating team member. The first section is already done for you (but feel free to change it if you desire).

There is no absolutely correct strategy. Different marketing plans based on either "push" or "pull" marketing strategies will work if executed properly. (Use the textbook appendix to look up "push" and "pull" strategies. It is critical to your game success that you choose ONE of the two strategies and devote 70-80% of your marketing budget to the marketing tactics associated with the chosen strategy [and the remainder to the tactics associated with the opposite strategy.])

Develop your plan using the data provided in the PharmaSim game menu or the PharmaSim Student Manual. Once the preliminary marketing plan is completed, your team should use it to guide its weekly PharmaSim decision-making throughout the 8 periods of competition beginning next week.

5Cs-Collaborators

The distribution structure of an industry plays an important role in marketing decisions. In some industries, manufacturers sell directly to the consumer, whereas in other industries there are multiple levels of distribution (brokers, wholesalers, retailers, etc.). It is important to understand the roles, strengths, and needs of each channel member.

Typically, as more intermediaries come between the  manufacturer and the consumer, the amount of control the manufacturer has in the marketplace decreases. In addition, the manufacturer may not receive important market feedback directly from the consumer, thus underscoring the need for marketing research.

Much of the information regarding channel policies (markup, use of wholesalers, needs, etc.) is found in the case at the beginning of this manual. Remember to consider where your target customers are likely to purchase your medication.

Finally, think about the role of the sales force in motivating the channel to carry your product.

Another group of people who influence your customers' decisions are doctors and pharmacists.

They are more concerned with using the proper medication for the symptoms and situation and are less likely to be swayed by advertising. However, these influencers still need to be aware of a brand to recommend it, and if two brands offer similar relief, they may be more likely to recommend one brand over another if they are more familiar with it. So, advertising and sales force-especially the detailers (salespeople whose primary task is to inform clients about new products)-do influence doctors and pharmacists.

In summary, think about the buying behavior of your collaborators, just as you do with your customers. Of course, collaborators' motivations are quite different from those of the end user, but they are equally important to understand.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/0v0dvemu7bffwnl/student_manual.rar?dl=0