Metabical Case

HBS CASE: Metabical Case

Q1:What is the decision-making process for Metabical? Who is involved in the process?

I think the decision-making process has five steps. 1. Need Awareness. The customers will be aware of their needs both internally (such as be dissatisfied with their weight, their unhealthy lifestyles and their appearance) and externally (such as be affected by the public media sources like TV commercials or magazine advertisements). 2.Information Gathering. The customers will collect the information from public media, their health care provider and pharmacists to find the solutions. 3. Assessing the Alternatives. The customers will look into the different brands in the market. Advices and feedback from the friends, colleagues and family members who have experienced drugs for weight loss will be valued. 4. Purchase. If the customers are sure about the advantages of Metabical, they will make the choice. 5. After-purchase Assessment. The customers will evaluate whether they pick the right brand and product, whether their expectations are satisfied.

In the process of decision-making, the over-weight patients and their health care provider and the pharmacists are all involved in.

Q2. How should Printup think about the segmentation of potential Metabical consumers? Who is the optimal target consumer?

Printup should categorize the consumers of the market into groups in order to successfully communicate to their audience through the Marketing Communication Strategy. The market segmentation of potential Metabical includes two parts. The first is overweight adults in US whose BMI is between 25 and 30. The effect of Metabical to the obese (MBI 30-40) and severely obese (BMI≥40) is minimal. So these two segments should be excluded. The market research shows that there is 34% of the adult population in US is overweight in 2000 and according to the Marketing Survey of 2007, 70% of the respondents are unhappy with their current weight and half of them are willing to try the new solutions. The second is healthcare providers including doctors, nutritionists, and pharmacists etc. They will evaluate the characteristics of Metabical and recommend it to consumers.

The optimal target consumers are both the end-user who will purchase the product and the medical healthcare providers who will promote Metabical as a good choice.

Q3: How should CSP identify and employ the differential advantages that Metabical offers to position itself in the marketplace?

Because of the variety of selections and huge competition in the market, Metabical needs to employ the differential advantages to contend with the Alli, Xencial , herbal medications and other food supplements. The positioning of Metabical is a safe and effective weight-loss solution for overweight individuals with a BMI ranging between 25-30. There are two differential advantages of Metabical. The first is that it is the first FDA-approved prescription drug that aims to serve specifically to the overweight individuals with a BMI ranging between 25-30. This unique attribute will be a selling point. FDA approval proves to the consumers that the composition of Metabical is absolutely safe, trustworthy. And its usage will not result in the major negative side effects that have previously been found in Alli, Xencial or other herbal supplements. The unique composition of Calosera and Meditonan results in dramatic weight loss without exerting pressure on the heart and liver. The second is that the results will be achieved in 12 weeks. The combination of Calosera (inhibit appetite) and Meditonan (block fat and absorbs calories from food substances) will exert fast results. The consumers will witness significant drops in their weight over a short period od time. It makes Metabical an effective weight-loss drug. These two differential advantages will position Metabical a safe and effective weight-loss solution for overweight individuals with a BMI ranging between 25-30. It promises results in 12 weeks without far fewer negative side effects.