Beating the Antes: The Purple Revolution of Brandex (Part 1)

Beating the Antes: The Purple Revolution of Brandex (Part 1)

Preamble

What is Antes? These were the minimum expectations that every brand in the market had to meet—the baseline features that were so essential that every competitor offered them.

The antes of a good car

Here are the four "antes" or the essential prerequisites of a good car:

• Performance – A good car should have a reliable engine, and smooth acceleration,
• Safety – Equipped with essential safety features.
• Comfort – Ergonomic seats, good suspension, and climate control for a pleasant ride.
• Efficiency – A balance of fuel efficiency, low maintenance costs, and durability

Now which car in India doesn’t have these features?

But what about Jaguar, Mercedes or a BMW – They are the top of mind cards. They are strong brands!

In the pharma world, it means the generic molecule.

See how you can be different even if there are 750 branded-generics as your direct competitors

Reading time – 4 minutes

?The Story

Bhaskar leaned back in his chair, staring at the mountain of reports on his desk. As the brand manager for Brandex, containing pantoprazole, a proton pump inhibitor (PPI), he had spent months trying to crack the code of the Indian pharmaceutical market. But no matter how hard he tried, Brandex seemed to be just another face in the crowd. The market was saturated with branded-generic PPIs, and doctors—the key prescribers—were finding it increasingly difficult to distinguish one brand from another.

Bhaskar knew he had to do something different, but what?

One evening, as he sipped his chai, Bhaskar recalled a concept he had learned during his MBA: Antes. These were the minimum expectations that every brand in the market had to meet—the baseline features that were so essential that every competitor offered them. In the pharma world, it means the generic molecule.

Antes included things like efficacy, safety, dosage ease, affordability and more. But here was the catch: while antes were critical, they didn’t differentiate a brand. They were merely the price of entry.

Bhaskar decided to dig deeper. He grabbed a notebook and began listing everything he could say about Brandex. He included every claim made in their marketing materials, every detail shared with doctors, and every feature highlighted in their advertisements. The list was long.

- Brandex is effective in treating acid-related disorders.?

- Brandex is affordable.?

- Brandex has minimal side effects.?

- Brandex is proven in GERD

- Brandex is highly effective in acid-peptic disorders

-Brandex has a 24-hour action

- Brandex is widely available.?

- Brandex is trusted by doctors.?

As he reviewed the list, Bhaskar realized something troubling.

The competing brands also said the same thing – almost all the 750 brands as he had read in an authentic market survey report.

Most of these statements were antes. They were important, yes, but they didn’t set Brandex apart. Every other PPI brand in the market could claim the same things. Efficacy, safety, and affordability were the bare minimum—what every doctor expected from a PPI.

No wonder Brandex was struggling to stand out.

Determined to find a solution, Bhaskar decided to map out his findings. He drew a simple grid with two axes and four quadrants.

Antes -The top left quadrant. which the generic molecule of any brand has. Be it Pantocid, Pantodac or Pan. Antes are very important to patients and doctors but there is nothing to distinguish your brand from competition. ?An Ante is the minimum price of entry — any expectation that must be met. These things are so essential to your target audience that almost everyone provider offers them.

In India, the pharmaceutical market is driven by antes – the things which attributed to the generic and hardly to the brand – making the prescriber, the doctor difficult to distinguish between two brands.

Drivers – The top right quadrant.? Rxers want only what you want to offer. Things those are very important to your doctors that you can say about your brand that the competition can’t. These are very important to your target audience — their hot buttons — that only you (and maybe a handful of others) can deliver. This is the stuff that really drives people’s decisions and fuel strong financial brands.?

Distinctions - lower-right quadrant. Ownable differences but nothing of little relevance to doctors and patients

He began plotting each statement from his list.

1. Efficacy: High importance to doctors, but not unique to Brandex. This was an ante.?

2. Affordability: High importance, but again, not unique. Another ante.?

3. Minimal side effects: Important, but most PPIs could claim this. Yet another ante.?

4. Wide availability: Important, but not unique. One more Ante.?

5. Trusted by doctors: This one made Bhaskar pause. Was this truly unique to Brandex? He dug deeper and found that while many doctors trusted Brandex, they also trusted other brands equally. This, too, was an ante.?

Frustrated, Bhaskar realized that Brandex had been promoting nothing but antes. No wonder the brand was struggling to gain traction. He needed to find the drivers—the things that were not only important to doctors but also unique to Brandex. These were the hot buttons that could truly differentiate the brand and drive prescribing decisions.

One afternoon, during a brainstorming session with his team, an idea struck him. What if they changed the color of the Brandex capsule? It was a simple yet bold move. In a market where most PPIs came in dull whites and blues, a distinctive color could make Brandex instantly recognizable. Bhaskar decided to explore the idea further.

He scheduled a meeting with the Formulation & Development (F&D) team. When he pitched the idea of changing the capsule color to purple, the team was initially sceptical

But as Bhaskar explained his vision—a color that would not only catch the eye but also evoke a sense of trust and uniqueness—the F&D team grew enthusiastic. They agreed to experiment with different shades of purple.

A couple of weeks later, Bhaskar received an invitation to visit the F&D Center. When he arrived, the team presented him with five shades of purple capsules. Each shade was elegant, but one stood out: a rich, deep purple capsule with a subtle gold ring around the middle. Bhaskar picked it up and examined it closely. The gold ring added a touch of sophistication, making the capsule look premium yet approachable. It was perfect.

"This is it," Bhaskar said, holding up the purple capsule with the gold ring. "This is our differentiator."

But Bhaskar didn’t stop there. He knew that while the color would make Brandex visually distinctive, it wasn’t enough to win the hearts of doctors and patients. He needed something more—a value-added service that would make Brandex not just a medicine, but a partner in patient care. That’s when he revisited the brand’s patient support program, which included free consultations, adherence tools, and educational resources. While the program had always been part of Brandex, it had never been prominently promoted. Bhaskar decided to change that.

Now, Brandex had two powerful differentiators: the striking purple capsule with the gold ring and the patient-centered support program. Bhaskar was ready to take the market by storm.

The Launch of the New Brandex

The new Brandex was launched with a fresh marketing campaign. The messaging was clear and compelling:?

1. The Purple Capsule with the Gold Ring:?

?? - "The color patients will love."?

?? - "A brand you can trust, now in a color you’ll remember."?

?? - The gold ring symbolized excellence and reliability, subtly reinforcing the brand’s premium positioning.?

2. The Patient Support Program:?

?? - "More than a medicine, a partner in your care."?

?? - "Free consultations and tools to help you stay on track."?

?? - This highlighted Brandex’s commitment to patient well-being beyond just the pill.?

Bhaskar even came up with a catchy tagline:?

"The Purple Promise: Trust, Care, and Relief."?

The campaign resonated deeply with both doctors and patients. Doctors appreciated the effort to make Brandex stand out visually, which made it easier for them to recommend and for patients to remember. Patients, on the other hand, loved the distinctive color and felt reassured by the Brandex support program. The purple capsule became a talking point, and soon, pharmacies reported that patients were specifically asking for "the purple PPI with the gold ring."

The Results

Within months, Brandex’s market share began to climb. Doctors started prescribing it not just for its efficacy but also because they knew their patients would appreciate the distinctive color and the added support. Patients, in turn, felt more connected to the brand, thanks to the patient support program. The combination of visual differentiation and patient-centric care had turned Brandex into a standout brand in a crowded market.

Bhaskar’s gamble had paid off. By focusing on the two key differentiators—the purple capsule with the gold ring and the patient support program—he had transformed Brandex from just another PPI into a brand that doctors and patients loved.

The Lesson

Bhaskar’s journey taught him an invaluable lesson: in a market driven by antes, differentiation is everything. While efficacy, safety, and affordability were essential, they weren’t enough to set Brandex apart. The real magic lay in combining a unique visual identity with a value-added service that resonated with the audience.?

For Bhaskar, the purple capsule wasn’t just a color—it was a symbol of innovation and care. And for Brandex, it was the beginning of a new chapter, one where the brand wasn’t just seen but remembered, trusted, and loved.?

Key Takeaways for Brand Managers

1.????? Identify the Antes: List all the features and claims your brand makes. Determine which ones are antes—essential but not unique.?

2.????? Find the Drivers: Look for features that are both important to your audience and unique to your brand. These are the differentiators that will drive decisions.?

3.????? Stop Promoting Antes: Focus your messaging on the drivers. Let your competitors fight over the antes while you carve out a unique space in the market.

4.????? Visual Differentiation Matters: In a crowded market, even a small change like a unique color can make a big difference.?

5.????? Add Value Beyond the Product: Services like patient support programs can create emotional connections and build loyalty.?

6.????? Combine the Tangible and Intangible: Pair a physical differentiator (like the purple capsule) with an emotional one (like patient care) for maximum impact.?

7.????? Tell a Story: Build a narrative around your drivers. Make your brand memorable by highlighting what sets it apart.?

8.????? Use your Differentiators: Craft a compelling narrative that resonates with your audience.?

9.????? For Bhaskar and Brandex, the journey was a testament to the power of strategic branding. In a market driven by antes, the winners are those who dare to go beyond the basics and deliver something truly unique.

For Bhaskar and Brandex, the purple capsule wasn’t just a change—it was a revolution. And in the end, it was the color of success.

For Bhaskar and Brandex, the purple capsule wasn’t just a change—it was a revolution. And in the end, it was the color of success.

The story of Brandex's purple revolution reached the ears of Bhaskar's mentor, Jnāna. Jnāna listened intently, then posed a single, penetrating question: 'But what about your distinctive brand assets?' The words struck Bhaskar like a bolt of lightning. Distinctive brand assets... were they not simply another facet of differentiation? A sudden unease gripped him. What crucial element had he overlooked in his quest for sustainable brand building?

Wait for Part-2 of this essay.