Jeannette Park

Most DTC marketers say education has been their primary goal all along, but that often, branded messages got in the way. Now marketers are doing something about it, as evidenced by recent increases in unbranded ads. Pharma companies are producing campaigns that more clearly encourage consumers to seek information about their conditions, rather than just running out and requesting a script from their doctors.

WHEN I WAS GROWING UP, my favorite book was Aesop's Fables. I especially loved the way every story had a moral at the end to tie everything together: Try before you trust; the hero is brave in deeds as well as words; birds of a feather flock together; might makes right; don't be the boy who cried wolf. Those one-line messages packed a punch then, and still stick with me.

IN OUR APRIL 2006 ISSUE, we will explore the results of a reader study—a" pulse check" as we think of it—on the topics of promotional programs, meeting spend, and compliance, cosponsored by Maritz Travel and Pharmaceutical Executive. The study asked industry leaders about their perceptions of their companies' physician meetings in terms of audience, format, and budget, as well as their views on compliance regulations.

When planning meetings, pharma companies need to work beyond what they think is satisfactory.

As 2006 gets under way, changes in the industry are creating new opportunites for product managers, along with a landslide of challenges. Blockbuster drugs that represent 50 to 60 percent of pharmaceutical sales will come off patent in the next few years, and with consumer awareness now greater than ever, product managers need to work even harder to keep up. The articles in this volume address these growing concerns.

There was a time when Merck was looked upon as the granddaddy of all pharma companies. As the self-proclaimed oldest pharmaceutical and chemical company in the world, people wanted to work at Merck for its sterling reputation, excellent products, and job security.