Metabical: Communications Plan

Mikail Gasanov
October 30, 2012

1. Introduction.............................................................................3
2. Background.............................................................................. 3
3. The Situation Analysis...............................................................3

Company Analysis...............................................................................3
Market Analysis (Size of the Market)....................................................3
Competitor Analysis............................................................................4
Consumer Analysis..............................................................................4
Product Analysis.................................................................................5
SWOT- Analysis...................................................................................6
Strength.............................................................................................................. 6
Weaknesses......................................................................................................... 6
Opportunities....................................................................................................... 6
Threats................................................................................................................ 7
PESTEL Analysis................................................................................7
Political................................................................................................................ 7
Economical.......................................................................................................... 7
Social................................................................................................................... 7
Technological....................................................................................................... 7
Environmental..................................................................................................... 8
Legal.................................................................................................................... 8

4. Promotional Objectives.............................................................8
Short term:.......................................................................................................... 8
Long-term:........................................................................................................... 9

5. Marketing Communication Strategy.........................................10

6. Promotional Mix......................................................................11

Core Concept....................................................................................11
Advertising.......................................................................................13
Promotion.........................................................................................14
Health Care Providers promotion.......................................................................15
Government promotion..................................................................................... 15
Public Relations................................................................................................. 15

7. Resources and Budget.............................................................16

Future Revenue................................................................................................. 16

8. Schedule & Implementation.....................................................17

Awareness......................................................................................................... 17
Interest.............................................................................................................. 17
Desire................................................................................................................ 17
Action................................................................................................................ 18

9 Evaluation and Control.............................................................18

Marketing metrics.............................................................................................. 18
Financial metrics................................................................................................ 18

10. Conclusion............................................................................ 19

1. Introduction
Metabical is a bran new revolutionary weight loss drug, developed by the
Cambridge Science Pharmaceuticals, which expects the final approved by
the FDA (US Food and Drug Administration). As soon, as the FDA approves it,
the product is going to be launched. Metabical is clinically proven to be a
very effective drug for the weight-loss in moderately overweight people with
the BMI 25-30.

2. Background
The statistics show, that not less than 70% of participants of the Marketing
Survey for the weight-loss products are unhappy with their current weight.
35% of them are trying actively to lose weight via any means. 15% of them
do not mind the usage of the weight-loss products to help them in losing
weight. 65% of the adult population of the United States is considered as the
overweight or obese. Many of the members of focus groups claim that they
starve themselves with diets and suffer from the intensive exercising;
however, they do not get the desired results as quick and easy as they want
them to be. These facts show the need of the market for the weight-loss
products. Overweight and obesity become global problems nowadays. It is
now a second biggest cause of the preventable death in the United States.
Pharmaceutical companies try to find the solutions to these problems by
creating weight-loss drugs. These are the pills, which have to be taken
regularly for a period of time. They serve as an additional aid to the weightloss program of a person. It is best to combine them with healthy diet and
regular exercising.

3. The Situation Analysis

Company Analysis
Cambridge Science Pharmaceuticals (CSP) is a global pharmaceutical
company based in Cambridge, US. In 2007, it had a remarkable sales record
of $25 billion. Currently, it is ready to launch a very promising drug in the
weight-loss field, which will greatly impact the companys future. With
correct positioning, it has all the chances of becoming a new market leader
and a holder of the monopoly on the market.

Market Analysis (Size of the Market)

According to the data taken in 2008, 33.3 % (Center for Disease Control and
Prevention) of the US adult population falls in the 25-30 BMI range and can
be categorized as overweight. Adult population of the United States is
304375 thousand (National Vital statistics). This means that 101356
thousand people in the United States have 25-30 BMI. According to the
marketing survey conducted in 2007 by Metabical, 35% of the overweight
people actively try to lose weight. They represent the targeted market for
the launch of Metabical. Roughly, there are 35474600 American citizens,
who are the potential customers of Metabical. Only 15% of these people are
the weight-loss drugs consumers. This means that the size of the market for
the weight-loss drug is roughly 5321190 people.

Competitor Analysis
The weight-loss drug market is new to business society and it is still
developing; however, it is highly competitive. Currently, the OTC product
monopoly is held by a few competitive products: Alli, Xeniacal4 and Ephedra.
The advantages of the Metabical product on its competitors are crucial.
Metabical is the first weight-loss drug, which is potentially approved by the
FDA in all the aspects it is the safest weight-loss drug on the market. It
means, that it does not have so many side effects, as the competitors
products do. For example, there have been many cases of heart-death,
caused by the regular usage of the Ephedra product, and a lot of liver
damages cause by Xenical4. Out of all these drugs, Alli is the only one, which
got approved by the FDA; so, one can say that it is the number one
competitor for the Metabical product on the market. Even though it got
approved, it is much less safe to consume than Metabical product. Alli
causes a lot of side effects as the loose stools, abdominal pain, and
increased defecation incontinence, when a person consumes it with too
much fat. Another advantage of Metabical is the program itself. It is longer
and better balanced than the Allis one. Unlike its competitors, it offers an
individual exercise plan and a personal support component. The price tag of
$3 - $5 for Metabical can be considered relatively inexpensive to the
competitors products and with all the benefits it gives. It is also much easier
to use than the competitors products (1 pill a day versus 1 pill per meal).
The duration of the effect of the Metabical pill is also better than the one of
the competitors products. The main difference of the Metabical product from
all its potential competitors is its vision and philosophy. It focuses on the
improvement of the product from the health perspective, making it safer to
use for its consumers with the least amount of side effects, while the other
companies try to strengthen the effects of their product, so, that the results
will be noticed earlier. This is very important, because the customers of the
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weight-loss products do not want just to lose the weight, but become healthy
in all of the aspects.

Consumer Analysis
Since the Metabical is a weight-loss drug, and it is already known that its
target costumers have a Body Mass Index varying from 25 to 30 units, it is
easy to determine and choose the segments of the potential consumers.
Mostly, these are the average people, who are very concerned about the
overweight and obesity issue. They may suffer from the exceed of weight
and they are highly motivated in fighting with it. They attend the gym
regularly, exercise a lot, and struggle with healthy diets; however, this is still
not enough for them to lose the exceeding weight. Metabical is not a
solution, but a great aid in fighting with their problem. Some overweight
people do not care about or even do not notice their problem, so, Metabical
do not see them as the primary costumers. The gender of the potential
customers is most of the cases feminine. As studies show, women tend to
care and put much more attention into their physical appearance, than men
do. In addition, studies say that 75% of overweight women are not happy
with their weight and 60% tried to fight with their exceed of weight with
different methods but failed. The age of the potential Metabical consumers is
also easy to determine. It is known, that most of the people become more
and more concerned with their weight when they are getting older and older.
When a person reaches his physical size and stops growing, his body
changes the calories gained per day do not go into the growth, but the fat.
These fats are very hard to fight, and even the exceeding exercising at this
age is not a solution. The fat usually becomes a problem at the age of 25-35.
The Metabical drug is averagely priced; however, not everybody can afford
it. It is never given out for free, since, the overweight is not considered an
illness. The consumer has to have salary of funds, which can cover the full
Metabical diet program. He also has to have an access to the gym and can
afford to buy healthy products. The estimated income of the Metabical
consumer is $40000+ a year, so, this is a middle-class person. Also, the
studies show, that the single people tend to care more about their physical
appearance, than the married / in relationship ones, especially, the women.
The relationship status of the Metabical customer can be identified as single /
actively searching. Also, there are the sub-segments of the customers on
the market Metabical consumers can be divided in two kinds: some want to
use the product to look good (wear skinny jeans), others, who want to be
healthier. The first type of the customers are usually younger (25+), the
second type are older (35+). The first sub-segment is considered as the
priority for the Metabical product. This is explained by the philosophy of the
drug: it is made for the people, who want to be healthy and not just slim. CSP

puts a lot of effort in making Metabical a safe product to use on the first
place.
As a conclusion, the target costumer of the Metabical product is usually an
overweight woman (BMI 25-30), aged 25+, with the yearly income of
$40000+ (middle class). She usually has a college education. Her selfesteem is low and she is either worried that she does not look good or she
wants to become healthier. She is a workingwoman or a housewife, usually
single. She attends the gym regularly and stays on a strict healthy diet. She
is very motivated and willing to fight with her problem via any means.

Product Analysis
Metabical is a prescription weight-loss drug developed by CSP. It is consumed
in the form of pills one time a day. It costs $3 - $5 a day. The average
duration of the Metabical treatment program is 12 weeks. The cost of the
program varies from $252 to $420. The drug is prescribed to the overweight
people with the BMI of 25 to 30, and is not as effective on the consumers
with higher BMI. To achieve the maximum effectiveness of the drug, the
individual diet and the exercise program have to be developed and followed
during the usage of the Metabical. As any other weight-loss drug, Metabical
has some side effects. They are similar to the ones of Alli (gastrointestinal
discomfort) but much less noticeable. They may appear if a person combines
the consumption of the Metabical drug with a lot of fatty foods. At this stage,
it awaits the final approval of the FDA, and will be launched, as soon, as it
gets the approval.

SWOT- Analysis
Strength
The obvious strength of the Metabical product is the size of the market.
Currently, most of the US adult population is considered overweight or obese
and many of them are willing to lose wait via any means, weight-loss drugs
are in great demand.
Metabical is also one of the least harmful weight-loss drugs, which are
presented on the market and can be considered as sustainable. It is one of
the first weight-loss drugs, which has the approval of the FDA for the
overweight people. It is the only weight-loss drug, which will be FDA
approved for the 25-30 BMI customers indeed. Its side effects are less severe
than the ones of the competitors products.
The program duration is very well balanced and easy to follow, as well as the
pills are easy to consume.

Weaknesses
Despite the fact that Metabical is one of the least harmful weight-loss drugs
on the marketplace, it still has some side effects if it is consumed with fatty
foods.
The price tag of $3-$5 is also relatively high to some segments. Even if the
person has an income of $3330 a month ($40000 a year excluding the tax)
and will use Metabical everyday ($5 a day), he will spend about 5% of his
income on the weight-loss (not taking into consideration the cost of gym and
healthy food).
Another weakness of the Metabical product is the limited BMI range of its
customers. It is effective in weight-loss only if the BMI of the consumer is
between 25-30.
Opportunities
The FDA approval logo can be used on the Metabical products in marketing
purposes to emphasize its safety and the advantages on the competitors,
which did not get the approval. Metabical has to be positioned as the safest
weight-loss drug on the market.
Studies show that the Metabical customers lose weight significantly by the
end of the 12-week program and can maintain their shape for three years
with proper diet and exercise. It is not a bad idea to create a promotion: If
you do not lose the minimal weight within the 12-week program, you will get
your money back. This may create the advantage on the competitors and
create a very positive trustful image for the Metabical product.
Threats
The weight-loss market is highly competitive, so, the Metabical has to
position itself very carefully and properly, otherwise, it will fail.
If for some reason the Metabical will not get the final approval of the FDA,
the whole concept of the safe weight-loss drug will fail.

PESTEL Analysis
Political
The political situation in the world is positive for the launch of the Metabical
drug. More and more global companies try to be more sustainable every
year. Metabicals concept of the safe sustainable drug approved by the FDA
for the weight-loss has a very positive image, since, the obesity has became
a worldwide-recognized problem. Many modern governments put a lot of
emphasis on fighting with this problem for the healthier nation. Especially, in
the US, where obesity became a global issue, the government greatly
supports and approves all the companies, which help in fighting with it.

Economical
The drug manufacturing has been good for any economy most of the time.
Most of the drug manufacturers work in close relationship with the
government. It is a known fact that many medical companies, which work in
the same industry, usually work in cartels and set the unrealistic prices for
the drugs with much lower net costs (production costs). Part of the profits
goes into the government and the countrys economy. The global drug
manufacturers also provide many jobs to the people. This benefits the
economy greatly.
Social
The demographics show that most of the US population is overweight. Many
of them see themselves as the social outsiders. Here, one can link the
Metabical product to the Maslows hierarchy of needs the need for
belongingness. By their nature, humans want to belong and fit in. Nobody
likes to be picked out, since, the overweight and obesity do not match the
socially accepted physical beauty standards. Many claim, that with time, the
overweight person will be considered as normal like it was during the
renaissance; however, with the media pressure, fashion, and Hollywood
beauty perception, it is not likely to happen in the nearest future.
Technological
The technology nowadays allows the production and development of all the
kinds of medicaments. The science will help in the future development of the
Metabical product. Technology will also play a crucial role in advertising and
distributing the product, when it is launched.
Environmental
The environmental situation in the world is very good for the launch of the
Metabical product. The sustainable and healthy environment trend is very
popular nowadays for people. The Metabicals philosophy of the importance
of healthy diets and exercising is closely tied with the sustainability trend.
Legal
The legal issue is very important for launching any medicine product. It has
to match all the needed requirements and regulations, which are set by the
government and Drug Administration. It needs to prove that it is not harmful
or dangerous in any way. The Metabical product matches all the legal
requirements for the weight-loss drug. It is known that it does not include
any chemically harmful or forbidden components. One of the key concepts of
the Metabical drug is the safety of usage. Like no other weight-loss drug, it
focuses and emphasizes the importance on the FDA approval, which means,
it matches all the necessary and unnecessary legal regulations.
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4. Promotional Objectives
The objectives for the Metabical product development can be developed into
two kinds: short-term and long-term. Below is the list of the corporate,
marketing and communications objectives.
Short term:
1. Receiving the final approval of the FDA for the Metabical product
launch before the January 1st, 2009.
2. Designing the packaging for the Metabical product in four variations: 7
pills, 14 pills, 42 pills, and 84 pills per pack.
3. Installing the selling price of $4.00 per one pill for the official
distributors ($28, $56, $168, $336 per package depending on the
amount).
4. Creating the viable online-support webpage for the users of the
product before the January 1st 2009. The access password for the web
site will be included in each package. It is individual, and lasts for 24
months.
5. Providing all the major US pharmacies with the Metabical drug at the
time of the product launch.
6. Mailing the information about the product to 100000 health care
providers before January 1st 2009.
7. Developing all the marketing campaigns and mass media
advertisements (Internet, TV, Magazines, newspapers, street, public
places ads, etc.) for the Metabical drug before January 1st 2009.
8. Creating the advertisement campaign, which will attract at least
1000000 consumers, who will follow the full Metabical therapy course
for the 1st year.
9. Having at least 15 TV commercials per day on the leading channels of
the National Television. Each one lasts 15 seconds. They have to be on
air during the first 4 weeks before it is launched.
10.
Having at least 10 TV commercials per day on the leading
channels of the National Television. Each one lasts 30-45 seconds.
They have to be on air during the first 24+ weeks after the launch of
Metabical.
11.
Posting the Metabical advertisements in at least 100000 of the
major fitness clubs (chains like 24 Hour Fitness) before January 1st
2009.
12.
Purchasing the rights for the viral (Internet) advertisements in
social networks (Facebook click-ads), mailing systems, search engines
(immediate Google ads, when search is tied to weight-loss), and fitness
/ health web pages.

13.
Making a Facebook group for the Metabical product with at least
5 million followers by the end of the marketing campaign.
14.
Launch a see the effect advertisement campaign after the first
12 weeks from the launch of Metabical, which will demonstrate the first
results and educate people about the advantages of Metabical
(Subway guy example).
15.
Launching get your money back campaign after the launch of
the Metabical product to give the serious statement to the public.
16.
Having Metabical sponsoring at least 10 public health / sport /
charity / sustainability events per year, after the launch of the product.
17.
Signing at least 3 world-class athletes as a representatives of
Metabical
Long-term:
1. Having Metabical ads in at least 10000000 fitness clubs around the
world in the leading fitness-chains after 5 years from the launch of the
product.
2. Having Metabical sponsoring at least 50 public health / sport / charity /
sustainability events per year, after 3 years from the launch of the
product.
3. Reducing the production cost of Metabical in a period of 4 years.
4. Distributing the Metabical product in the leading global pharmacies
around the world after 2 years from the launch of the product.
5. Developing the Metabical drug to reduce the side effects to a minimum
and make it more efficient for the consumers with the BMI 30-35 in the
period of 5 years after the launch of the product.
6. Becoming an absolute market leader in the weight-loss market niche
(BMI 25-30) with the market share of 70% + in the period of 5 years
after the launch of the product.
7. Having at least 10 athletes / celebrities as the representatives of
Metabical in the period of 5 years.
8. Expanding the consumer segmentation range of the Metabical after
the 1st year of sales by implementing the long-term communications
strategy.

5. Marketing Communication Strategy

The purpose of the Metabical communications plan is to develop the viable
strategy of positioning and marketing the product correctly to achieve the
CSPs objectives. To attract the customers from the targeted segments,
Metabical has to inform them why it is the product to choose and prove that
it matches all their needs. It has to demonstrate its benefits and the
competitive advantage to its potential users. As the targeted segment is
divided into two sub-segments, Metabicals communication strategy has to
10

relate to both kinds. This can be achieved by creating a short and long-terms
communications strategies. The short-term strategy will target the prior
segment of consumers, who want to be healthier; while the long-term
strategy will target all the other overweight people, who mostly want to lose
some pounds to look better.
For the primary short-term strategy, Metabical has to position itself as the
safest weight-loss product on the market, and prove it, by making a strong
campaign, which will emphasize all its advantages. This will establish the
long-life demand for the Metabical drug. CSP has to take into consideration
all of the participants of the decision-making process, starting from the endcustomer and ending with the health care providers and the government. It
is very important for the CSP to cooperate and communicate with the local
health care providers to develop the weight-loss programs and achieve the
best possible results in the sales force. They will be the ones, who will
prescribe the drug to the customers, without their activity there will be no
sales. The cooperation with the government is also needed for the launch of
the drug. They are the ones, who will set up the taxes, regulations and other
legal issues for the existence of Metabical product. They may be a great aid
for the launch of Metabical. The preferential taxation is an important aspect,
which CSP can get through good relations with the government. It is crucial
for the Metabical, to focus its prior communication strategy on the health
care providers and the government, rather than the end customers, in the
first stage of its development on the market (before its launch). The CSP
shall develop their product in a close relationship with them and their prior
customer segment, according to the Push strategy. There are very few
weight-loss products, which deliver the same effect as Metabical loosing
weight, by taking pills, with no harm to the humans health. So, there is a
potentially high demand for this kind of products on the market. The health
care providers have to have a very good understanding and knowledge of
the Metabical product, before it goes on sale. To attract the chosen customer
segment, Metabical has to implement the Pull strategy. It has to launch a
very powerful advertisement campaign, there will be a lot of B2C and C2B
communication at this stage. In this system, after the product is launched,
CSP will work closely with its core consumers, understanding their needs and
offering them solutions. The production (supply) of the Metabical pills should
be closely tied with the elasticity of Demand of its customers, keeping the
prices relatively high. There has to be no excess of supply of the pills
produced. This strategy is rather difficult to implement; however, it is the
only one, which will properly work in the chosen segment. Pull strategy is
also very effective, when the product is launched for the first time. It helps to
focus and capture the main customers first only after this goal is achieved,
CSP can move on to implementing a much more global strategy to cover the
needs of all the other consumers.
11

If CSP will achieve its first-term objectives, it will focus on making their
product available for all the overweight people, who want to lose weight for
different reasons. This is a much trickier task to complete, since; Metabical
has a lot of competitors in the regular weight-loss drug market. The demand
for another weight-loss manufacturer is relatively small. These costumers are
not as aware of health issue as the first type. Metabicals goal in this
situation is to crate a global awareness campaign, which will demonstrate
the importance of taking the safer FDA approved drug, rather then the
regular ones. This information has to be pushed towards the customers.
The brand will be popular enough to change the advertising intensity
(decrease it at some point), and focus on showing what differentiates
Metabical from its competitors. CSP has to emphasize the severe side
effects and serious harm to the health of a human, which are present in
many products of many other weigh-loss drug manufacturers. To convince
them, Metabical has to change its strategy from Pull to Push towards the
customers. To keep its core segment of their loyal customers, Metabical has
to emphasize the main concern of the health care providers to the people if
the patient stops taking Metabical drugs after he finishes the 12-week
program, he may gain the lost weight again afterwards. This will
demonstrate the importance of the use of the continuous online-support
program of Metabical. When Metabical becomes a worldwide know product
with its loyal customer segment to reach new limits it has to go global. Of
course, this is not going to happen during the first year of its existence, since
it has to capture its key customers and become a market leader for the
weight-loss drugs in the US first. In this case, quantity of the produced drug
and a very powerful marketing campaign matter. The CSP will be
experienced and will already know what the market wants, so, there shall be
much less or no C2B communications. The production quantity of the drug
has to change and correlate with the long term forecast. At this stage,
Metabical will have enough funds, reputation and power to create the
demand on their product without taking into consideration only the
customers needs or desires.
It is very important for the CSP to position Metabical correctly when it is
launched, and then, create the smooth transition from one marketing
communications strategy to another. Metabical has a great potential of
becoming a worldwide recognized weight-loss drug in the future.

6. Promotional Mix
Core Concept

12

The promotion campaign for the Metabical has to be diverse, relevant, very
effective and directly targeted towards the chosen segment of the
costumers. As the communication strategy is divided into two parts, the
advertisement campaign also has to be divided into two parts, covering
firstly the main customer segment, secondly the rest of the consumers.
Metabical can be advertised in many different ways throughout the short and
long-term marketing campaigns. In addition, CSPs promotional campaign
has to focus on other two important stakeholders: the government and the
health care providers.
For the first part of the advertising campaign, Metabical should implement
the best direct marketing techniques on the market. These techniques focus
the marketers attention on the base of the potential customers. The slogan
of this campaign has to share the innovations used in the product and its
uniqueness on the market. It has to emphasize its revolutionary
technologies, safety and sustainability to attract the targeted segment of the
customers. The possible slogans of the Metabical campaign are Metabical
the safest weight-loss drug on the market. FDA approved or Metabical the
revolution in losing weight with no harm to the body. FDA approved or
Become healthier with Metabical simply the best weight-loss drug on the
market. FDA approved. The given examples perfectly match the desires of
the targeted segment they want to lose extra-weight with no damage to
their health. They are already familiar with the importance of taking the safe
weight-loss products, so, there is no need to inform them about it in the
slogan. FDA approval is the know-how of the Metabical, especially
important for the targeted segment; so, it is included in all of the advised
slogans.
For the second part of the advertising campaign, CSP has to use both direct
and indirect marketing techniques. The slogan for the campaign has to
reflect on the competitive advantage of the product. It should also inform the
costumers about the importance of being healthy and caring about their
body. This slogan may be Change yourself for your better future, Metabical
simply the best weight-loss drug on the market or Take care of your own
health before it is too late try Metabical now or For the good of the
healthier nation you have to start with yourself. Metabical, the first clinically
approved weight-loss drug for keeping the nation slim and healthy or With
the help of many weight-loss drugs, you may be losing weight and seriously
harming your health at the same time. With Metabical, you can only do one.
In some of the advised slogans, the element of fear is used. The purpose is
to make people understand why they have to choose Metabical than its
competitors. Underlining the importance of the health of society in the world
is also very important and relevant, since it is in great danger nowadays.
This campaign has to cover a lot more segments, than the first one.
13

There are three suggested slogans, which can work for the both parts in
public promotion.
The suggested slogan Losing weight is tough. You dont have to do it alone.
Let Metabical and your health care provider start you on the road to a health
weight and better life (Printup 2008, Metabical) gives a clear explanation on
how and why you need to lose weight. The second one Look your best. Shed
excess pounds with Metabical and discover a happier, more attractive you.
Metabical all you need to succeed. (Printup 2008, Metabical) explains the
advantages and opportunities, which you can get with Metabical. Those
extra 20 pounds could be killing you. Being overweight leads to heart
disease, high-blood pressure, diabetes, and gallbladder disease. Its time to
get healthy Metabical can help. (Printup 2008, Metabical) is the third
slogan, which is best to implement in the second part of the campaign. It
delivers very strong arguments why one has to use Metabical, using the
element of fear.
Both parts have to have and develop the strong relations with the
government and the health care providers. The strategy of targeting these
stakeholders is very different from the regular advertisements for the
consumers. CSP has to deliver all the needed knowledge about the product
to the health care providers, to convince them to prescribe Metabical instead
of all its substitutes. Good relations with the government are good for any
company, especially the one, which can get a lot of benefits and support
from it pharmaceutical industry.

Advertising
The short-term advertising program has to be focused on its prior potential
consumers. This way of developing the campaign will allow CSP to position
its product correctly on the first place, attracting their main customer
segment. Most of the money will go into promoting Metabical on National
Television and signing the famous athletes as its representatives. The
athletes, who will represent Metabical, have to be connected to the healthy
lifestyle and have the ideal physical condition. They can be the
representatives of the disciplines like Running, Gymnastics, Swimming,
Cycling, etc. Of course, since the funds for the advertising are not limitless, it
will be best to choose an athlete with the best recognition/cost ratio.
At the time of the launch of Metabical, most of the marketers attention has
to be turned to making sure everyone is aware of the new product and
interested in it. These ads have to start appearing at least two months before
the start of the sales. The viable way of implementing this campaign would
be the airing of the TV commercials and setting up billboards, which would

14

introduce Metabical to its customers. Most of the budget will be spent at this
stage.
The TV commercials have to be short and efficient (15 seconds). They shall
never give out a lot of information about the product only what matters the
most has to be mentioned. The example may be dark movie-like scenes
featuring the world-class athletes. To have a better understanding, their style
has to be similar to the Nike ads: the Air one which featured Charles Barkley,
anti-doping commercial with Lance Armstrong or its World Cup 2010 ad,
where a lot of famous footballers participated. They must to be very
emotional no words, only action. Husain Bolt is running a 100-meter
distance in slow motion on the empty dark track; the viewer can see that
every muscle in his body is extremely tense in a close up, he can see the
look in his eyes. Then he crosses the line, the screen dims, and the text
appears Metabical, the revolution in weight-loss is coming, the Key to Your
health. FDA approved, which is followed by for more information go to
website. At first glance, the customers will become very interested in the
ad, which features such super stars as Husain bolt or Michael Phelps. With no
knowledge what it is about, they will watch it until the end. Only there they
will have an understanding what it is about. In addition, they may become so
interested in the ad, they will go to the website to check it out. The ads may
be aired on different times on different channels. It is best to include them in
the breaks between sport, fitness or health programs, since more potential
buyers will be watching the TV. The same technique can be used in setting
up the billboards to attract customers attention. The eye-catching billboards
on the highways and streets (where it is legal), with interesting texts such as
Metabical, the revolution is coming, FDA approved would be a good
decision. Internet sites have to be filled with the Metabical introduction ads.
The next step in the campaign is creating the interest and desire. CSP has to
achieve it as soon as possible to create a strong sales force in the very
beginning of its new product existence and capture its key customers. By this
time, most of the potential customers will be aware of existence of the
Metabical and extremely curious in knowing what it is.
At this stage, the already existing ad campaign has to be extended. No
money will be spent for the production of the new ads, since there will not be
any. These will be the modified already existing ads with the certain
extensions. The concept is the same; however, the text and more action will
be added. The TV commercials will be much longer (30-45 seconds). The
athlete acts longer with his voice on the background explaining what is
Metabical and listing all its advantages, telling that it is safe, FDA approved,
etc. The ending phrase should be changed to something like Metabical: the
revolution is here, now available in all of the major pharmacies of the United
States, with doctor prescription only. There will be no need in the billboards,
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since these ads have to be more informative. At this stage, the budget
money will be redirected into the popular Health-Care magazines and other
social media. Another point is to have the Metabical advertisement
brochures is different gyms and fitness centers, where a lot of its potential
customers are assembled.
Another advertisement technique, which became extremely successful for
Subway Sandwiches, which has to be mentioned as an option, is the public
figure Jared Fogle, who is better known as a Subway Guy. He lost a lot of
weight by eating only the Subway sandwiches. This is a very famous
technique used by many companies now, which does not cost a lot, since its
key person is not a celebrity or an athlete. Metabical can take an average
overweigh person and make him lose weight with its program in the period of
12 weeks, making him an example of the effectiveness of their product.
However, now it is become a very clich technique in the weight-loss market,
so, it should not play a significant role in Metabicals advertisement strategy.
In the near future, Metabical will have enough funds to sponsor different
sport events, and air its commercials during the breaks of such events as
Super Bowl or FIFA World Cup, which will attract a lot of public attention. It
may even have its own team (exclusive sponsorship) in one of the most
popular sport disciplines. For now, these advertisements are too expensive
and difficult to implement.

Promotion
Health Care Providers promotion
For the health care providers, there is a need of launching a special
promotion campaign. This can be done in a very inexpensive but efficient
way. One of the suggested messages, which have to be transmitted to the
doctors, is Give your overweight patients a safe alternative to fad diets and
dangerous OTC drugs. Introducing Metabical a clinically proven weight-loss
drug. (Printup 2008, Metabical). It clearly explains why the doctors have to
choose Metabical, than all the others weight-loss drugs available on the
market it is safe and clinically proven. The second one states
Atherosclerosis, coronary artery disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, and
gallbladder disease. Your overweight patients are dying for help. Introducing
Metabical FDA approved weight-loss drug. (Printup 2008, Metabical). This
message can be implemented in the campaign to simply show the doctors,
what diseases Metabical can help with. The last one says Empower your
patients to lose excess weight, change their unhealthy eating habits, and
achieve long-term success. Introducing Metabical short-term drug therapy
and comprehensive support program for overweight patients. It gets results
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(Printup 2008, Metabical). It explains in a very simplistic way what is the

Metabical therapy and states its benefits.
All the Metabical promotional messages can be delivered to the clinics in a
form of very informative brochures given out by the Metabical spokespersons
or sent out by mail. Theses people will be visiting different hospitals, clinics,
weight-loss centers and health institutions explaining the benefits of
Metabical, all the advantages on its competitors, and what is it best for. For
the main health care providers, Metabical will organize and sponsor different
events like golf tournaments or formal dinners. This program has to develop
in a very first stage of existence of the Metabical due to the importance of
the health care providers for the sales of the product.
Government promotion
CSP has to establish very good long-life relationships with the government
for the launch of Metabical. The introduction of the product to the
government officials can be done by CSP sponsoring different political
conferences and other events. This will help to build certain connections with
different politicians, which can greatly help Metabical in its future
development. This phase of the campaign should be done at different times
during the existence of the product, since building good relations with the
government is a long process, which can benefit the company in a very good
way.
Public Relations
The public relations campaign of Metabical can be developed in two stages.
Firstly, CSP will host different medical education meetings and events for its
potential customers. It will gather different people to introduce the Metabical
product, and educate them about the importance of usage of the drug and
losing extra weight in general. These events can be hosted on the golf fields,
music concerts, restaurants or the conference halls. Secondly, its
representatives will appear on different press releases for the popular health
magazines and other media. This will properly introduce the product to the
public and its future customers.

7. Resources and Budget

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The figures, given in the

Exhibit 4, are based on
the most recent drug
launch of the CSP. This is
the budget, which
Metabical can use in for
the first year of its
existence.
Advertising is the biggest
part of the Metabicals
budget. As it was
mentioned, most of the
funds will go into the Pull
advertisements towards
the costumer. This will
cover the massive expenses on the media promotion and athlete
representation of Metabical. The Push advertisements are targeted towards
the health care providers. This includes the spokesmen presentations in
different clinics and hosting other events for the medical community.
Promotion is also a big part of the budget. Development and production of
the support program is the largest expense for the promotion part. There are
other few expenses as setting up training/promotional objectives and mailing
of the product to the health care providers. A large sum is allocated for
improving the public relations: hosting events for the medical education and
press releases.
To launch the Metabical product, Market research has to be made. Other
funds are allocated towards the sales force and product management. This is
a very important aspect for operating expenses and managing the
development / launch of the product.
Future Revenue
The selling price of Metabical is set at $4.00 per one pill ($28, $56, $168,
$336 per package depending on the amount), and the cost of the program is
$336. If Metabical manages to achieve its short-term objective of having at
least 1000000 consumers (20% of the market) for its weight-loss program
for the first year, it is easy to calculate the revenue. It will be $336 million for
the first year. Then, it is simple to get estimation of how much every dollar,
which was spent for the marketing campaign, makes a profit for CSP. This
can be done, by dividing the revenue of $336 million by total marketing

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budget $23 million. One US dollar spent on the marketing campaign earned
14.6 US dollars for the company.

8. Schedule & Implementation

The schedule of the Metabical marketing launch can be demonstrated with
the AIDA-model. First, there is a stage of creating the Awareness. It is
followed by the one, which creates Interest in the product itself. The third
stage is Desire, where the costumer wants to have the advertised product.
The last stage is Action takes place when the customer goes for the
prescription.
Awareness
At this stage, the short-term advertising campaign has to be launched. First
TV commercials will start appearing. Metabical will have its first press
releases and host events for the governmental officials and doctors. CSP will
mail all the key information about Metabical to the health care providers and
supply its product to the key pharmacies. Many advertisements will be
posted in the health magazines and on the billboards. All this action will take
place in a period of two months before the start of the sales. Building
awareness is not an easy or a quick process. This task has to be
implemented a long time before the start of the sales, to convince the
customers to buy Metabical.
Interest
This is the stage, where the customer is being introduced to Metabical. It
occurs, when a person wants to know more about the product, and gets this
knowledge from the extended advertising campaign and health care
providers. This also happens during the hosted seminars and health
education meetings. This stage will be occurring in a period of the first
month before the products launch.
Desire
The desire stage will occur when an interested customer will get more
knowledge about the product and its benefits, such as the FDA approval and
the effective online-support program. People will see that it is the best
product on the market and has no alternatives for their needs. New
extended, more informative advertisements will start appearing on television
and in the magazines. This stage will take place during the first week before /
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two weeks after the launch of Metabical on the market. It is very important to
create a public desire on the market for the time of the beginning of the
sales.
Action
The action is the most important stage for the Metabicals launch; it rewards
the results of the marketing campaign. This stage occurs when an
overweight customer goes to the doctor for the Metabical prescription, and
then purchases it from the pharmacy. It has to happen from the day of the
sales to the last stage of the product lifecycle on the market. Then, the
metrics will be conducted each month, so, the success of the chosen
communication is measured and recorded.

9 Evaluation and Control

To insure the marketing campaign of Metabical, its development process has
to be controlled. This can be done by setting up marketing and financial
metrics, which will serve as the checkpoints for the Metabicals short and
long-term objectives. For the launch of the product, CSP has to follow and
match the objectives, which it set in the beginning. The metrics for the
Metabical have to be conducted each month from the start of the sales.
Marketing metrics
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

Satisfaction with the Metabical product

Number of loyal clients acquired
Number of customers attracted
Effectiveness of advertising
Satisfaction with the results / Metabicals effectiveness
Number of the online-support program
Number of Facebook group members

Financial metrics
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.

Number of pills sold

Monthly profits
Market share
Monthly investments
Quantity / length / number of views of the TV commercials
Number of distributors
Number of health care providers acquired
Number of ads in public places (gyms, weight-loss centers)
Number of clicks on viral advertisements
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There are several different ways to collect the data during the existence of
Metabical on the market to evaluate its performance. This can be done by
conducting different surveys or segment questionnaires, analyzing the
financial reports and having the recall and recognition tests. All these points
have to be carefully examined to demonstrate and prove that the money
spent on marketing were worth it. If the metrics will show the negative
results for Metabical, CSP must rapidly change its strategy until it achieves
the desired results.
The control for the Metabical campaign has to be implemented at three
levels: program, marketing mix activities, and business unit. The first one is
the evaluation of the effectiveness of different programs applied; the second
level is the evaluation of product, sales targets, awareness, and pricing of
the advertising campaigns; the last level is the simple evaluation if Metabical
matches the desired objectives and results.
The control for the marketing campaign of Metabical has to be implemented
in four stages: annual control (done once a year, evaluation of the annual
performance of the product, comparing the results with the annual
objectives); financial control (evaluation of the financial performance,
comparing the forecasted budget with the actual budget); strategic control
(evaluation of the effectiveness of chosen communication strategies);
productivity control (evaluation of the effectiveness of all the marketing
activities of Metabical).

10. Conclusion
Metabical is a very promising brand new weight-loss drug, which has an
opportunity of capturing the monopoly on the weight-loss drugs market for
the overweight people. The suggested launch-development program will
position Metabical correctly on the market and provide it a rich future. The
chosen communication strategies will allow Metabical to achieve its goals
and objectives, delivering the best results for building a healthier nation.
Metabical is not and will never be a solution to the problem of the excess of
weight, but it is the best chemical aid for losing weight, which will be
available on the market.

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