Product details

This case is about Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals Inc, the US-based pharmaceuticals unit of one of the world's leading pharmaceutical companies, the Germany-based Bayer AG. It discusses the initiatives taken by the marketing and sales team to increase sales of the Multiple Sclerosis drug Betaseron in 2007. Betaseron, which was marketed as Betaferon in markets such as Europe and Japan, was a mature brand for the company. However, since the mid-1990s it had been unable to capture a market share in the US. With the drug getting approval for marketing in a new indication, the company geared up to take advantage of the situation. New marketing communication was created, and the sales force was trained through an on-line data-driven simulation video game sales tool, Rep Race - The Battle for Office Supremacy. In addition to its educational and motivating value, various metrics related to individual and collective performance of the sales representatives on the game could be captured through this gaming platform. The subsequent success of the brand was largely attributed to the Rep Race gaming platform which also won the coveted 2007 Rx Club Gold award for the 'best use of interactive media'. According to the company, Rep Race helped improve sales force effectiveness of the Betaseron sales team, at a time when the industry was struggling to increase sales force productivity due to various constraints in the pharmaceutical selling environment.