Oh, Mother!: Marketing Marvel

My daughter has an irrational fear of shots - so much so that she cried uncontrollably the night before going to the doctor for the 2 boosters she needed to enter 6th grade in September.

So we’re actively watching Merck's (MRK) rapid progress in getting its Gardasil vaccine on the agenda as a mandatory inoculation for middle school girls. The state of Virginia will require it this fall, and proposals are pending in 23 other states.

At the same time, a new competitor, GlaxoSmithKline's (GSK) Cervarix, will be administered by the British National Health Service to 12-year-olds starting this September.
In a near-record 6 months, Gardasil received FDA approval as the first vaccine to help protect against diseases caused by the 4 types of viruses that lead to 70% of cervical cancers.

When the $360, 3-shot regimen went to market in the fall of 2006, my daughter’s pediatrician sent us a postcard announcing they were ready to administer the shots - now recommended for girls between the ages of 11 and 26.

I didn’t ask at the time, but I suspect the vaccine wouldn't be fully covered by my health plan. If this becomes a mandatory regime, that could change things. The government is already picking up the tab -- to the potential tune of more than $1 billion -- to administer Gardasil to girls up to age 18 who are too poor to afford it .

At the time of the launch, TV commercials issued a call to get vaccinated.The spots featured a catchy beat with strong and confident girls facing the camera and saying, “I could be one less. One less statistic.”

The spots hit me right in my mommy spot: Empowerment and protection that wasn’t available to my generation, or the women who came before me.

Two images were particularly gripping: the one of the soccer player bouncing the ball on her knee, and the other of a tween girl skipping rope while chanting: “O-N-E-L-E-S-S. I want to be one less. One less.”

My daughter was 9 at the time (and the FDA has approved Gardasil for use in girls as young as that age). The ads appealed to my daughter as well. This needle-phobic child was actually asking when she would need to get them.

This sparked a discussion about the disease of cervical cancer and I assured her she had some time before she had to think about it. But there’s a history of cancer among the women in my family and I was determined it was the right thing to do. I wanted her vaccinated before she became sexually active. 

I'm not one of those parents who believes getting these shots encourages promiscuity. Please. But they're out there. And they're vocal.

Gardasil successfully overcame this resistance to become one of Merck’s best sellers, with projected sales of $1.4 billion to $1.6 billion. The company has won numerous industry marketing kudos, including Pharma Executive Magazine’s 2006 Brand of the Year.

But because we waited to get her inoculated, I’ve had some time to wonder about the potential long-term side effects of a drug that was rushed so quickly to market. I’m less gung ho than I was at first, and I need to do further research before deciding if this makes sense for our family.

Unless the government makes the choice for us.

What do you think about the success of both Merck and GlaxoSmithKline at getting the government to embrace these vaccines? Weigh in on The Exchange.