Problem Statement:

As part of the population control program in Bangladesh, PSI introduced two products -Raja condoms and Maya contraceptive pills. Unlike traditional marketing, PSI was involved in societal marketing. Over the time the sales of Raja increased tremendously and we were successful in grabbing a major part of market share in Bangladesh. But in case of Maya the sales started declining after a period. Even though we were selling Maya at a cheaper price, the competitors with higher price became successful in the market. The profit margin earned by retailers and wholesalers was very low for Maya compared to similar products in the market so they did not promote sales of the product. Earlier when Maya was introduced, it was a successful in terms of sales. But as time passed, people developed various bad notions about the pill. They associated the pill with birth control, considered it as an inferior drug because of its low price & the side effects caused by external factors were also related to it. Even the doctors advised not to use Maya because they thought it to have side effects.

Objective:

Our main objective was to control the population explosion in less developed countries through dissemination of family planning information and product. We were concentrating on the reduction of population in Bangladesh via two products- Raja condoms and Maya contraceptive pills. But over a period of time the sale of Maya got declined. So our sub objective is to improve the sale of Maya with the help of new marketing strategies and thus improve the population control activities in Bangladesh.

Comparison between Maya and Raja:The same marketing strategy was used to promote Raja and Maya. But there were some factors which made these products distinct in nature. One was seen as an over the counter consumer product while the other was a powerful drug. In case of Raja the target consumers were men. And the products were readily available in all the shops. So the men could directly go to the shops and purchase it whenever in need.

Raja was seen as an over the counter consumer product but Maya was treated as a powerful drug. So naturally people tended to consult doctors before taking it. They usually went for the prescribed drugs. Our marketing strategy completely avoided this intermediate level of people, that is, doctors. So there was reluctance from the side of doctors to prescribe our pill. One more point, 80% of all products sold in Bangladesh including products for the female were purchased by men. But the marketing strategy did not target men as consumers for Maya.

Alternatives available with the information in the case:The sales of Maya brand oral contraceptives had declined by over 43% in the period of 1980 to 1983, according to the data provided. It was falling behind both the government’s freely distribution program and the private brands.We could suggest the following ways to improve the sales of Maya.

Rebuild the image of Maya as a superior drug:Maya could be reintroduced in the market under a new name MahaMaya with a new label and packaging to promote the idea of a superior product. The earlier Maya pills would be phased out gradually from the market and the new pill would be promoted through advertisements as earlier via radio, press, billboards and posters. The advertisements would involve a doctor prescribing MahaMaya to a couple, explaining the side effects as “short-term pains” and a happy family as the “long term gain”. Another ad would involve a loving husband buying the pills for his wife stating the theme of a “happy family”. Both the ads would declare MahaMaya to be a product of international standard. The maximum expenditure ought to be focussed on radio as most of the population of rural Bangladesh had greater access to a radio rather than newspapers or

television. MahaMaya could also be promoted through radio talk shows involving doctors advising women about birth control and the side effects of the pills.

Higher pricing of Maya to enhance retailer motivationIt is mentioned earlier in the business mission that the fundamental purpose of the PSI is to facilitate the exchange between the buyer and the seller so that the transaction is fruitful for both but this mission has absolutely failed in the case of marketing of Maya. Therefore, the pricing of Maya needs to be revamped completely to extend the benefit of the margin to the wholesalers, semi-wholesalers and the retailers. The wholesalers selling price needs to be decreased to Tk 0.10 from Tk 0.45. The semi- wholesalers selling price should be increased to Tk 1 from Tk 0.49 and the retail price should be increased to Tk. 3. This will motivate the entire marketing channel to aggressively push the product in the market. Also there is a need to increase the price of Raja by 33% so that it would cover up for the decrease in cost of Maya and as well as cover up the cost of aggressive marketing of MahaMaya.

Develop communication channels through RMP and field workersBangladesh had nearly one lakh rural medical practitioners who were closely associated and trusted by the rural folk. In addition there were 25000 well trained and motivated field workers. These people were involved in direct dialogue with the target group on a day to day basis. Spreading the message of family planning and benefits of MahaMaya through them would promote awareness at the grass root level. Many doctors and RMPs thought of Maya as an inferior drug. It was of ultimate importance to show them the true picture not only to promote the sales of the pills but also to remove the misconceptions about contraceptive pills in general with respect to side effects. We could use the help of RMPs and give them free samples of the pills to be sold to the consumers directly. With the assistance of the government we could tap into the field worker base and involve them in the SMP.