Procter & Gamble (P&G), presumably, developed product management (PM) in the 50s to spin off the strategic and tactical needs of a product or product category. As time elapsed, PM has become an increasingly specialised function, managed by teams and more of a global concept.

Although it is unclear as to when and why PM is adopted by pharmaceutical industry, the function is well known today if not wholly established or practiced. Besides, PM is also the most aspired role for many medical and sales executives (including managers), management trainees and other pharmacy graduates.

But a censorious view of a typical product managers' role, across the nation, will debunk many of the misconceptions in and around the product management in the Indian pharmaceutical industry.

Undeniably, there are no set standards or known hurdles to barge into the pharmaceutical product management. Entry barriers of the South vary with that of North or West – much like the language and cultural beliefs. The perceptual differences are also rife and perpetual amidst the professionals.

The de facto PM in the West, for instance, is vehemently snooty to that of in the South, while the PM in the South is condescending to the newcomers. And, even within a given regional frontier, prejudices and skewed opinions about the quintessential role of a PM are pervasive.

Secondly, the roles and responsibilities of PM are desultory. Some top brass consign the role more to the heart of the company, while the others deem the role of PM as an intermediary or grassroots of management. Consider some examples: Few pharmaceutical firms entrust their product management to determine the production yield, haggle with the purchasing department for a better price of raw material, oversee the gross and net profit margins, generate periodic financial statements of product, rejuvenate product pipelines, positioning, packaging, promotion, so and so forth – whilst the others fetter the PM merely to print material and gift distribution or to facilitate the day-to-day corporate chores.

Yet, some saddle the PM with sales responsibility, the others won't; some attribute the success and failure of a product to the PM, again, others won't – indicating a disarray and snafu. So are the benefits to the members of PM; those in the vanguard of PM, bask under the sun and are busy accumulating frequent flying points, while the rest get frequently burnt under the sun for their legwork - dubbed as market survey – familiarising with the likes of two-tier and three -tier A/C.

Keeping aside the ratcheting differences in roles, responsibilities and remunerations, there is a great deal of pandemonium about branding, positioning, pricing and promotion of pharmaceutical products among the senior management that directly or indirectly controls the PM function. And in such circumstances, the ad hoc PM is merely privileged to execute the commands and become a bystander of dreary strategies.

Ask any senior manager in the drug industry to describe what aggressive marketing means to him or her. You will invariably end up with a generalised list, such as special visual-aids, booklets and product literature, persuasive detailing by field force, documentation of clinical trials, a specially designed visiting cards to the medical representatives, heavy sampling, periodic campaigns and expensive gifts, special allowances and incentives to motivate the field force – sounds anachronistic and passé?

Yet, they work wonders for few - partly because the physicians are not much exposed to enlightened marketing compared to the hoi polloi consumers of fast moving consumer goods (FMCG)! But, that is no good reason to remain content. With the looming globalisation, mega mergers and impending of the much-vaunted post General Agreement of Trade and Tariff (GATT) era, those standard activities out of the roster may bring nothing less than peril and doom.

Another arena of quality time spent or the so-called intellectual enlightenment for the senior management with their product management is branding or positioning. Gone are the days, where an elegant name and a feel - good positioning have alone contributed to the success of a brand? Be it eccentric or prosaic, a name is merely a name and nothing more unless backed by a successful branding campaign and a bludgeoning promotional or advertising budget to reinforce its message (positioning).

Don’t take my word for it, experts at Wharton management school say, "Names are largely empty vessels – reliable and durable empty vessels that can be filled up with positive associations in the long run. As long as the brand name is pronounceable and doesn't carry negative connotations in a different language, you can build whatever associations you want with a consistent message and imagery." Therefore, it is preposterous to muse over a brand name without a backup or with shoestring budgets. After all, a mid sized pharmaceutical company dangles virtually 40 to 50 products.

Advertising and promotions are still a far cry to pharma product management chores, compared to those in FMCG and banking, let alone branding and positioning. A vast majority of pharmaceutical companies swiftly change their product message, before the erstwhile message reaches the utmost corners of markets.

While there are many plausible excuses to do so, in reality no one would have really tested the tenability before unleashing such messages. In some cases, positioning of a product is often a figment of someone's dream or imaginary skill. Exemplary pharmaceutical promotions that have enriched a customer's brand experience are rare and finger countable.

Indeed, if we were to deal with all the aspects of PM in the industry, the article may well turn into voluminous scriptures - debunking the myths and maladies. The bottom line is an imminent need for a drastic change in the functioning of PM, from those of traditional and insular views.

Evolution in marketing is betiding at an inexorable pace; the erstwhile four Ps have expanded to seven Ps (people, process and provision of customer service). Do you have a product management function, team or utility in place to strategically or tactfully steer all the Ps? If not, probably, the product management is taken for a ride!