Kathleen, I do agree with you 100%!  The reps DO make headway... and you hit
the nail on the head by mentioning market share and brand recognition.

Two illustrations of this:

1.  Nearly 17 years ago, I worked as a unit secretary on an adult cardiac
unit.  I used to see the reps come through all the time... there are many
drugs to push on a cardiac unit.  There was one drug company in particular
that I will never forget.  They didn't bother with pens and calculators...
they brought chocolate... HUGE bars of chocolate.  And they were shaped just
like the pill that they were pushing.  It was always a treat to get them.
My point to this is that SEVENTEEN years later, I can still tell you the
name of that drug.  I will not mention it here as I really don't want to
give credence to the company.  Following my secretarial days, I spent a few
years as an RN on a similar unit.  You can bet that every single time I ever
had to dispense that drug, I thought about the "chocolate guy" who always
came around and delivered those bars.

2.  Today, I work in a Level II nursery.  We use one particular brand of
diapers because once again, they are supplied for free.  This company knows
exactly what they are doing.  I cannot tell you the number of parents who
actually ask me, "So when we go home, should we be using <insert brand>
diapers?"  These are scared parents who've had kids born severely early.
They see US using a certain brand, so they assume that medically, it's the
best choice and they should do the same.  It is the same with formula.  If a
baby is on a fortifier or just straight formula, the discharge instructions
clearly give a brand name... the name of the company who supplies all of our
formula products.  Parents automatically assume that it is best to use that
particular brand.  The companies count on these parents to go home and buy
into the myth that in order to keep their babies healthy, they should be
purchasing the most expensive brands on the market.

Christina Harris, RN
Seattle, WA

On 2/1/07, Kathleen Bruce <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>
> ...These gifts form relationships, and comradery, which then helps them
> gain market share
> and brand recognition from nurses, and then from mothers who have received
> advice from health care professionals to use said product.
>
> Don't for one second believe that there is nothing to be gained by wooing
> hospital staff. If they didn't gain from it, they wouldn't spend another
> second (or dollar) on it. Huge lunches in-office from drug companies to
> oncologists are a related and effective technique to snare loyalties...

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