Background

The pharmaceutical business is facing reconstruction. How can a pharmaceutical company manage a new situation with different types of customers or decision makers and at the same time be exposed to an ever increasing competition from generica. The term generica is explained in itself by the fact that it is a product where the substance is recognizable from the original pharmaceutical company product. The generica is sold with a different name tag and is approved by the equivalent to the US FDA (Food and Drug Administration).

Problem

How did the customers perceive Nycomed? What did the brand stand for? The pharmaceutical companies traditionally have sold their medical products under their (that is right) product names. The products were not profiled with the brand name. Was there a need for rethinking the way the business in general wanted customers to perceive brand names?

Solution

The customers' real needs – spoken and non-spoken should be the starting-point where you start thinking about how to profile your brand name. The most important problems were discovered in a PDS (Problem Detection Study). Launching a scenario which depicted a customer situation – in which the customer needs were examined by interviewing individuals, to better understand the potential for improvements of the company brand strategy.

Looking at the customer analysis to get a common understanding of what internally and externally oriented tasks needed to be put on the table, a new strategy for branding was developed. The new branding strategy of course applied to the whole company. The previously "Product Out-thinking" only focused on the product itself, the new "Customer In-thinking", gave an increased understanding of an evident and present strategy that would be the key to increased competitiveness and thereby increased growth and revenue.

The new branding platform was created in conjunction with the company management and a large part the coworkers. A new strategy was formed based on the new branding platform where it was made clear how to act on the market to be successful.

New working processes were developed during a six month period, with a new philosophy – Lean Enterprise as a guiding star. From the processes the shared responsibility organization emerged supporting the working processes for the whole company.

New values have been developed together with coworkers, to strengthen the unity for the internal work in the company organization.

A new management group was coordinated in workshops parallel to development of the new organization. A new method for retrieving and controlling feedback from the organization was developed. Significant for this, was for example the KPI (Key Performance Indicator).

Result

Nycomed has become a company with a distinct profile. Customers welcome their offers and treatment. The whole organization works towards common goals and the people are there to support one another to a larger extent than before. The company is well equipped to face future challenges. The achieved goals so far, surpass the expectations!

The work of changes was conducted together with BrandLab.