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1. Should Byrant Pharma approve Laura's idea? Why? Why not? Bryant Pharma should not approve Lauras idea because of the following issues. 1. Legal issues: The very idea of using Jeanne Alyson to promote Seflex can fall under the category of deceptive advertising. What we have seen is that Sale of drugs is based more on trust. Hence, the very fact that Jeanne has been paid for promoting Seflex on the morning show will make the company lose its credibility in the market, people will no longer trust them and this whole idea may backfire. What Laura is doing, is making the assumption on the fact that Jeanne is being paid would not be revealed anytime which is a rare possibility. 2. Ethical issues: Being a drugs company and considering the health aspect associated, it would be highly unethical of Laura to conceal the fact that Jeanne is paid for promotion. Also, they have been thinking of concealing the fact that the drug upsets the stomach which is actually Jeannes true view on the drug. Again concealing facts about side effects and financial agreements is a highly unethical practice which might land the company in serious trouble. 3. Business issues: Jeanne Alyson would have to be paid $1 million which is a considerable amount of money. But, even after so much of expenditure, the company shall not have any control about what she says during the live show. There is an element of doubt and any incorrect answer or inappropriate comment by Jean Alyson could have serious repercussions and impact the sales. It will also hit the Seflex brand image badly. From the business point of view, its a bit too costly to gamble so much of money without any assured results. 4. Others No control over the actual communication as it is a live show. Product placement is more suitable for commodity market, consumer durables and not for drugs. It is also more suitable for young audiences whereas Seflex is targeted at the elderly. Hence, using product placement for an arthritis drug may not give Bryant Pharmaceuticals the much needed push. On the other hand, it might land them up in great trouble. Hence, they should reject Lauras idea. 2. If as Laura, you have to defend the idea, how would you defend?

Bryant Pharma desperately needs to break through the traditional marketing practices which are not helping it gain any attention in the market. Hence, product placement backed by a celebrity endorsement may help Bryant Pharma gain the much needed attention. The factors which support Lauras decision are: Bryant Pharma is looking for immediate results. A celebrity endorsement and product placement are the best means to gain a temporary shoot up in brand awareness.
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Cutting down the budget for a few TVCs to fund this promotional campaign would not hurt the company much. Revenues through TVCs are anyway not coming and the results have been pretty poor. This idea would help aid greater ad recall due to the use of a celebrity. Jeanne is popular amongst the target audience and is very engaging as well. Hence, is very suitable for a show like this. Product communications with a compelling message/ embedded in the story are less likely to be ignored. It is a very effective method of dealing with zipping/zapping.

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