WHAT DOES THE CEO WANT FROM THE BRAND MANAGER?
Brand management gurus say the role of the CEO is tied inextricably to the brand. They further opine that the most powerful person in the organization i.e. the CEO should be the brand custodian. While I agree that the entrepreneur, the CEO himself should be the custodian of the brand, this is much easier said than done.
Therefore, in this milieu, the brand manager in the Indian pharmaceutical market (IPM) has a key role to play. Although the brand managers have been given various nomenclatures – ‘Product Manager’, ‘Therapy Manager’, ‘Product Sales Manager’ and a few years back they were also called as ‘Sales Promotion Manager’, the most appropriate one is Brand Manager.
What exactly is the role of a brand manager? How does he build a brand? What are the characteristics of an effective brand manager in the pharma industry? And most importantly, what does the custodian of the brand - the CEO - want from the brand manager? How can the brand manager fulfill the CEO’s expectations? What are his worries?
Read more about such issues in the book 'WHAT THE CEO WANTS FROM THE BRAND MANAGER'.
Although the book is intended for those who have been recently initiated into pharma brand management, many pharma industry leaders recommend this book even for the practicing brand managers who desire to revisit the basics.
Ameeta Jayakar who has been a practicing brand manager in the IPM for over 20 years has very ably edited the book and put my ideas across in a very lucid manner. Like a true brand manager, Ameeta has been very, very passionate about this book.
This book, the first of its kind for the Indian pharmaceutical industry will be released soon.
In the meantime, please do read what
the doyens of the industry have to say about this book.
“This book has taken me to
my good old days of Brand Management in the eighties. Roles and
responsibilities kept on changing, but the brand management element remained
always close to my heart; as truly so as the brand management is the core of
the marketing management. This aspect vividly comes out in this book”. O.P. Arya – Managing Director, Zydus Hospira
“‘What the Pharma CEO Wants from the Brand Manager’ captures the whole gamut of brand management and helps the budding Brand Managers to understand the nuances of their responsibility. It is equally helpful to the experienced Brand Managers to reinforce their strengths and skills to be aligned with today's changing scenario." K. Hari Ram – Managing Director, Galderma (India)
“With his many years of “living the brands”, Vivek Hattangadi has written a book intended to help brand managers understand the discipline of brand management and guide them, step by step, through the process of becoming brand leaders. This book is recommended reading to anybody in marketing or simply interested in brands”. - Arun Prasad M.S. Senior Director, Global Generics, Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories.
“‘What the Pharma CEO Wants from the Brand Manager’ is indeed a novel idea and first of its kind book for the pharmaceutical brand managers in India. The contents of this hand book cover substantial aspects of Brand Management and importantly also focuses on the importance of field work by brand managers. A must read for every brand manager, whether a novice or a veteran”. Surendra Sharma–Executive Director, Medley Pharmaceuticals Ltd.
"‘What the Pharma CEO Wants from the Brand Manager’ is a must read for new entrants in product management and even useful for all those who wish to revisit the basics of pharmaceutical marketing. Chapters/Sections on self analysis, forecasting and brand plan are good. These can make every brand manager introspect/revisit on his current work." – Satish Dandekar, Sr. Vice President, Ipca Laboratories Ltd.
“This book, ‘What the Pharma CEO Wants from the Brand Manager’ represents a candid expression of long experience on the specific subject dear to Vivek Hattangadi”. – Training Director, Carreograph Institute of Management Studies, Kolkata, affiliate of Vidyasagar University.
Five reasons to read this book:
1. This book has 13 case studies drawn from the authors 30 years experience in the pharma industry both in brand management and field sales management
2. For beginners or those from sales management who desire to further their career in brand management, the book gives guidelines to become a successful brand manager.
3. For field sales managers, it gives an insight into the job functions of a brand manager which will help him in better strategy execution.
4. For veteran brand managers, reading this book is an opportunity to revisit the basics of brand management. It will also help help them to do a self-analysis to know whether they are on the right track while building a brand.
5. Brand managers at a junior level who read this book will be less stressed in their day-today functions as they will know precisely what to do and what to avoid.
This book has been lauded both my marketing gurus and students of brand management.
This is what the marketing guru Mr. Subba Rao Chaganti (Visiting Faculty at School of Management Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University and former Marketing Director, Sun Pharma) has to say: “It is very well written and gives the product manager in the IPM the much needed clarity and understanding. I particularly liked the way you structured the book around the expectations of the CEO. That makes it a must-read!”
And this what Bhushan Bhaskarwar a second year student of pharmaceutical management at I.E.S. College, Mumbai, has to say: “I read the book sir. It is awesome. Especially, the case studies are really very good. I have already recommended this book to my friends”.
After having sold over a 1000 copies of this book, await the release of the next book: "From First-line Leader to CEO - The Road-map to Success Through Effective Joint Field Work"
