Samenvatting

In 2005,one of Schering-Plough's core products- Clarityne was approved by the Chinese State Food Drugs Administration (SDFA) from prescription pharmaceutical to OTC drug in the Chinese market.Together with the increasing awareness of health care of the Chinese citizens, it gave a great chance to Schering-Plough to acquire more market share and profits.
But till last year, the sales of Clarityne are not increasing as fast as the company expected to be. This situation is likely connected with the awareness of allergy among Chinese citizens and the Clarityne¡¯s brand positioning in the OTC market.
So, in this project I firstly did a research on the awareness of allergic illness among Chinese citizens and the awareness of Clarityne. Then, due to the finding I got, I will help put forward strategies which will raise awareness among consumers and subsequently bring good sales.
Although Clarityne is an anti-allergy drug which is suitable for all the patients with allergic illnesses, in this report, I set on the Chinese young parents as my primary research target group, since children are the most important group which would be affected by allergic illnesses, such as allergic rhinitis. Research shows that over 50% of youngsters in developing countries have allergic rhinitis . Since their parents will always be their decision makers on how to treat their children¡¯s diseases, a research on parents¡¯ perception and behaviour towards allergy, then communication plans towards them should be helpful to Schering-Plough to increase the sales.
In this project, the research mainly focuses on the Chinese market and some analysis such as marketing and brand analysis, SWOT analysis as research tools. In order to provide adequate and constructive recommendations, I performed market research as well and conducted a survey among the Chinese young parents to investigate their views towards allergy and the brands. I hope the research results and communication plan will provide some useful information to Schering-Plough and help the company to expand their business in China.