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Best Practices in Global Branding for New Products:

Creating an Effective Global Brand for New Products and Ensuring

Alignment across Geographies and Affiliates

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Table Of Contents

Executive Summary pgs. 4-12

Research Overview pg. 4

Participating Companies pg. 5

High-Level Recommendations pg. 6

Key Findings pgs. 7-12

Study Participant Demographics pgs. 13-16

Global Branding Program Elements pgs. 17-22

Timing of Global Branding Activities pgs. 23-29

Global Positioning and Messaging Development pgs. 30-41

Global Branding Alignment with Affiliates pgs. 42-50

Tradename Process pgs. 51-57

Executive Interview Narratives pgs. 58-74

About Best Practices, LLC pgs. 75-76

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Research Overview: Objectives & Methodology

The growth of the biopharmaceutical global marketplace has increased the importance of the global

branding process for new products. This study examines issues around branding activity timing, agency

utilization & cost, and alignment with affiliates.

Topics Covered

Research

Methodology

Research

Overview Global Branding Program

Elements

Global Branding Activities Timing

and Involvement

Global Positioning and Message

Development

Global and Regional Branding Plan

Alignment

Tradename Process

Best Practices, LLC engaged 18

leaders from 17 biopharmaceutical

companies and one pharma marketing

firm through a benchmarking survey.

Conducted in-depth interviews with 4

branding leaders to gather insights.

Created two data segments: Effective

Company Segment (N=9 – companies

self-rated as “Effective”) and Large

Company Segment (N=9 – companies

>$3B in revenues.

Faced with a diversity of markets around

the world, global teams are under

pressure to create brand elements for

new products that work across

geographies and affiliates.

This benchmarking study is designed to

produce industry metrics on key aspects

of the global branding process, including

activities, timing, positioning, key

message development, regional

alignment and the tradename process.

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Universe Of Learning: 18 Companies Participated in Study

This study engaged 18 leaders with direct experience working in Global Branding with participants

representing 17 leading biopharmaceutical companies and one pharma marketing company. Almost 70%

of participants are at the level of director or above.

Benchmark Class:

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High-Level Key Findings High-Level Key Recommendations

Global

Branding Process

Should Mirror

Company’s DNA

• Therapeutic areas, global presence, regional/country revenue drivers, corporate

culture and long-term strategic plan; these are the core building blocks of a

company, and by extension its global branding process should reflect these traits.

• Study participants’ global branding programs use both formal & informal

approaches; branding veterans spoke of a process that excels at alignment and

execution – one that offers a firm structure and yet has flexibility for affiliates.

Align Branding

Process with

Affiliates Needs,

Especially US

• Engage affiliates early by conducting formal review cycles and involving them in

brand element testing; make sure affiliate representative will be actively involved

in local launch. Use internal promotional review process to ensure alignment.

• To ensure alignment across largest market - specifically US market – let US

team take lead on market research and some critical branding elements.

Begin Work on

Positioning

Before Phase III

Final Data

• Positioning can be started as early as Phase II - use iterations to build and

improve positioning concept as Phase III data sharpens positioning picture.

• Early positioning work also helps create early alignment between global and

local on key branding elements and build foundation for global/local launch.

Start Branding

Process Early to

Ensure Smooth

Launch

• Most global branding activities are started in Phase III before final data.

• Key is to start soon enough that global and affiliates can create an alignment

that works for both on critical elements like positioning and messaging.

• Early start also may ensure a smooth global launch characterized by alignment

and execution.

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Global, 67%

Single Country, 17%

Region, 17%

2) Which geographic area will your survey response represent? (Choose one)

N=18

Participant’s Geographic Perspective:

Two-thirds of participants represented a global perspective while country or regional perspectives

represented the remaining 34 % of respondents.

Majority of Participants Presenting Global Perspective in Responses

% respondents

*Single Country: US (3)

*

†

†Region: Latin America,

Germany/Austria,

Eastern Europe

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9) Please indicate when in the development/launch cycle you typically start each of these global branding activities.

Timing of Global Branding Activities: Start Activities- All Participants

Across participants, almost all branding activities start during Phase III – either before final data or before

NDA filing. Competitive intelligence is the only activity often started earlier. Companies start handover to

affiliates in batches, starting at NDA filing.

Most Global Branding Activities Start Phase III Before Final Data; Positioning and Message Development are Key Exceptions

Activities

Pre-Clinical Phase I Phase II

Phase III

Before Final

Data

Phase III

Data to NDA

Filing

Filing to

Registration

Registration/

Approval to

Launch

N/A

Tradename Identification 0% 0% 22% 56% 11% 0% 0% 11%

Competitive Intelligence/ War

Gaming 6% 0% 29% 24% 24% 6% 0% 12%

Customer Segmentation 0% 0% 17% 56% 0% 22% 0% 6%

Positioning 0% 6% 11% 27% 38% 6% 6% 6%

Key Message Development 0% 0% 6% 22% 39% 22% 6% 6%

Brand Personality 0% 0% 0% 44% 38% 6% 6% 6%

Brand Identity/Logo Development

(visual styling) 0% 0% 0% 59% 24% 6% 0% 12%

Vocabulary/Terminology/Lexicon

Development 0% 0% 12% 29% 24% 12% 0% 24%

Handover to Local Affiliates (n-13) 0% 0% 0% 8% 31% 31% 31% -

N=17-18

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11) Please indicate who is leading/driving each of the listed activities.

N=17-18

Leading/Driving Global Branding Activities for a New Product:

A majority of companies in this study rely on global marketing to drive 7 of 8 global branding activities.

The only exception is Customer Segmentation activities where market research plays an important role.

Global Marketing Leads Branding Activities For New Products

6%

6%

6%

6%

67%

53%

44%

67%

61%

71%

71%

53%

12%

22%

6%

6%

22%

18%

11%

28%

28%

18%

18%

18%

6%

17% 6%

6%

6%

12%

6%

6%

6%

6%

12%

Global Tradename Identification

Competitive Intelligence/War Gaming

Customer Segmentation

Global Positioning

Global Key Message Development

Global Brand Personality

Global Brand Identity/Logo Development (visual styling)

Global Vocabulary/ Terminology/Lexicon Development

Global in-line Marketing Leading Global Marketing Leading Global Market Research Leading

Global New Products Marketing Leading Local/Regional Marketing Leading Other Function is Leading N/A

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Brand elements handed over individually,

18%

Brand elements are handed over

as a package, 47%

Other, 35%

20) Are your new product brand elements (global positioning, messages, brand personality, etc.) handed over to local

affiliate(s) individually or are they wrapped up into a package and all sent over at once?

N=17

Delivery Format of Global Brand Elements to Affiliates:

While almost half of participating companies deliver branding elements as a package to local affiliates, it

is very common for key elements such as positioning and messages to be shared earlier.

Global Brand Elements Often Delivered as Package to Affiliates

*Others:

• It has not been done in

last 5 years. Current plan

for new pending launch is

to hand over as a

package

• Work together vs hand off

• No affiliates

• Not Applicable(2)

• Both of the

above...important

elements shared when

they are ready, but also

as a package

*

“Some of the stuff that’s

part of the overall brand

strategy…like positioning

[and messaging], once we

nail that down we would

deliver out to the regions

and the countries. Things

that are more part of the

package but aren’t of such

supreme importance we

would probably just wait

until the full package is

ready.”

--Senior Director, Marketing

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Ensuring Brand

Team Adherence to

Global Branding

Plan

01

02

03

04

05

06

07

08

2 They are part of the process.

Early buy in is critical.

3 Keep them involved

throughout the

process. Reinforce

guidelines throughout

the process

4 Early alignment, prior approval

required before changes made

5 Allocated global brand team representative monitor

local key activities and are team members for local

launch preparedness

6 Commercial sub-committees

reviewing materials, annual

brand planning cycle, dotted

line reporting relationships

7

Field visits

8 Strict and regular control and

regular meetings

1

We have promotional review

process that is centralized. All

materials go through this process to

confirm alignment

26) How do you ensure brand teams follow the global branding process?

Early and continuous involvement, allocating global representatives for local activities, establishing sub-

committees and using a centralized review processes are some of the tactics that companies use to make

certain brand teams’ adherence throughout the global branding process.

Early Buy-in, Regular Involvement & Designated Leaders Ensure Adherence

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“I think if you’re dealing in the specialty space I think the best approach in developing

a global brand plan is – I mean in a majority of examples that I know of, let the US take

the lead.” -- Senior Associate Director of Analytics

Narrative: Let the U.S. Lead in Global Branding Process

Q: It sounds like your global works really well with affiliates and yet you mentioned some of

these issues of running up against the deadlines and the US being so different.

“This is a European- based company, but

they like to have a level of control. In the

US market where the timelines are very

compressed - and really if this

represents like a critical first step in a

successful global launch - I think it’s

important to let the local markets that are

large take the lead on a lot of the sort of

global branding initiatives. So, it’s

definitely kind of relinquishing some

control from a corporate headquarter

standpoint, but I think it’s very important

if you want to have a very successful

launch in the US and then potentially rest

of the world.” -- Senior Associate Director of Analytics

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Best Practices®, LLC is an internationally recognized thought leader in the field of best practice

benchmarking®. We are a research, consulting, benchmark database, publishing and advisory firm that

conducts work based on the simple yet profound principle that organizations can chart a course to superior

economic performance by leveraging the best business practices, operating tactics and winning strategies of

world-class companies.

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Chapel Hill, NC 27517

(Phone): 919-403-0251

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