Viagra case study Essay

Submitted By TheVery-Mute
Words: 521
Pages: 3

American Pharmaceutical company
- revenue of over $50 Billion
- Operates in over 40 countries
In 1998 accidentally discovered Viagra – a cure for erectile dysfunction.
Viagra gained worldwide attention and earns more than $1 billion dollars every year
It gained a US trademark for the product and also had huge successes internationally
However…

When Pfizer entered China it registered the drug under the name Wan Ai Ke – a Chinese pronounciation of Viagra
However when the Chinese media provided coverage of the drugs release and subsequent success they gave the drug the name Wei Ge which translates as “great brother”
Guangzhou based pharmaceutical company Welman’s beat Pfizer to this trademark
Sales of $59 million in first year with the trademarks estimated worth of around $118 million
Resulted in huge legal battle with various appeals
Problems:
Chinese consumers will vary rarely refer to a product by its transliterated name – the media has a huge influence on what foreign products are called
Pfizer transliterated Viagra, which lacks the cachet, wit and appeal of Weige – the issue here is they needed to think about the Chinese consumer tastes They released their product, allowing it global acclaim before considering their marketing plan for China, and as result Welman’s had the marketing advantage
It needs to be understood that China presents an unusual case with regard to foreign-language brands and trademarks. No matter how prestigious or well known the foreign-language brand, Chinese consumers will simply not refer to the brand by its foreign-language name. Chinese consumers will always refer to the product by a Chinese name. If you do not create a Chinese-language name for the product, Chinese consumers or media entities will create a Chinese-language name. In fact, it is likely that as soon as a brand is even discussed informally in electronic commerce or in the media, Chinese consumers will create a Chinese name for the product.
This cultural practice suggests that all MNCs must develop a Chinese-language trademark for their products in the early stages in the development of their