Pfizer's Viagra Case Study

1) When a product or idea happens out of nowhere from pure luck it is called serendipity. Some may describe Pfizer’s Viagra this way, but in truth it was a very risky venture to pursue. The company was actually producing a new pharmaceutical to cure Angina, which is a chest pain condition. When they were making the cure for Angina, they noticed many patients would have a side effect that would indicate the medicine had properties to cure erectile dysfunction. The making of Viagra was not serendipity because they had a long road ahead before the drug was ready for use. The main thing the company needed to decide was if there was even a market for this type of drug. Secondly, they had many other drugs in the tube they thought could be successful but instead chose to go with Viagra. Was there an element of luck in this case? Probably a little. However, the company had an open mind, which is the only way for a lucky discovery to be put to use, and they journeyed down a long, hard, and risky road to develop and market this product.

2) There were many reasons why Viagra needed a solid marketing strategy during the early stages of the product. First, ED is an extremely touchy subject among men. They needed a way to bring it to market without alienating those who had the problem. Second, they did not really know how big the market really was, so they needed to have a solid starting point to capture who they could. And third, the development of the drug was going to be an expensive undertaking requiring large investment.

4) Viagra turned out to be a huge name with large-scale brand recognition. The company was able to bring the product to market against adversity and for many reasons should be looked at as a great marketing accomplishment. One way the company was able to successfully bring Viagra to market was by running ads of women saying how the drug helped satisfy them. This shifted anxiety for men away from the problem of ED and towards making their

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