Abstract:

This paper is divided into two parts. The first part discusses some of the cultural complexities involved with marketing in Japan, with particular emphasis on the case of the Japanese marketing of Rulid, an oral antibiotic co-promoted in Japan by Roussel Morishita and Eisai. Having been launched two years previously, Rulid had achieved a position as one of the leading antibiotics in its class; however, sales were not as high as originally expected. The reasons for this were analyzed internally; however, the local product management team and the local foreign manager were unable to arrive at a consensus as to how to properly address the problem. The foreign manager believed the product needed to be re-positioned, while the Japanese took the position of "why attempt to fix something that isn't broke" and planned to simply increase the level of product promotion with the original message. To objectively address this issue in a way that would not only be "face-saving" for all involved, but enhance the effectiveness of the product's marketing position, it was decided to undertake a survey of target users (doctors) on this subject. The second part of this paper describes the research design and the results obtained from that study. The findings outlined deal with the portion of the survey that evaluated the promotional materials of the top 3 competitors. The respondents were shown one of three journal ads and asked to evaluate it in detail. Specific factors analyzed include perceptions of the visual and ad copy (independently and together), perceived effectiveness, and lastly, general likability.