ABSTRACT
Branding can be extremely confusing to the pharmaceutical marketer. What all the consumer books talk about isn’t easy to relate to day-to-day activities. The most useful article on the subject appeared in the Journul ofBrcind Mcrncigernerit and was written by a member of the editorial board, Dannielle Blumenthal.’ In just a few pages, she beautifully describes the reasons for the confusion around a brand and, therefore, branding-it is the direct result of a turf war between a whole host of interested parties who want to make money out of the concept. There is no universal agreement on what a brand is, what you can expect to get from it, or how to make it more profitable for your company. It is in the interests of brand gurus, brand consultants, management consultants, organizational development consultants, advertising agencies, and business schools to be seen as the experts in this highly visible area. Everyone is busy selling their particular niche expertise, claiming unusual insight into a complicated area, presumably making themselves piles of cash, but muddying the waters as they go.
