I glanced at the four members of the Luca Brands team that sat either side of me. I could tell by their tight jaws and panicked expressions that this was the very last thing they wanted. But we’d won the account. That’s what we had to focus on. And it would give me a chance to ask some of the questions that I’d prepared about potential medical opposition to the drug. Before I could voice my reassurance, Eric was back, as if he had a line of people waiting outside.
I stood and moved around my chair, ready to shake hands. I knew two of the six people who had filed in, as they were previously in GCVB.
Two other women—strategy and PR for Merdon, respectively—offered their business cards along with a handshake. The final two people to join the meeting weren’t so forthcoming. They gave their names—Jean and Tim—but nothing more.
We all took our seats around the large table. My assistant distributed the Luca Brands team sheet that set out headshots and job descriptions of everyone who would be working on the account. I waited for Tim and Jean to slide their business cards across the table so I would be able to understand their roles in the meeting. It didn’t happen.
“Shall we do introductions?” I suggested, wanting to know more about the two new people in the room.
“I think most of us know each other. I’m keen to see what you’ve got in mind for implementation,” Eric replied, his tone a little more tense than usual.
It was a weird reaction. It might be a little time-consuming to go around the table, but completely normal given the size of the meeting.
“We haven’t had much time to prepare, but maybe we could walk through the timeline. Everything flows from there.” I made sure to keep scanning the room, looking for micro-expressions. Maybe I was paranoid, but I got the feeling something was up. The pitch meeting had been professional but warm. Now a thin layer of ice had settled on the other side of the boardroom table.
Eric glanced across at Tim and Jean, almost as if he was expecting them to chip in. They remained silent. “As I said, we’re filing with the US regulator tomorrow and expect approval by the end of next quarter.”
“And the supply issues you mentioned before are all ironed out, is that right?” I asked.
Eric gave a brief nod. “We’ll have enough stock for launch of Calmation at the time of regulatory approval,” he said.
I took a breath, thinking about first steps. I wanted to understand what doctors like Hartford and Gerry would think about Calmation. And I wanted to show Eric that we knew what we were doing when it came to launch. “We want to capitalize on the exposure the approval process will bring, particularly among medical professionals.”
I spotted a slight wince from Eric’s assistant and paused. I needed to know more.
“We might need to amend that approach slightly, but go on,” Eric said.
“Amend the approach, in what way?” I asked.
Eric met my eye and took a deep breath. “We’re hearing of some disquiet from a group of pediatricians.”
My gut curdled, but I stayed silent, wanting him to elaborate. Was the disquiet the unofficial lobbying that Hartford had talked about? Were she and I on opposite sides on this? But Eric didn’t say anything. He surely wasn’t going to stop there. I needed more information.
“What sort of disquiet?” I asked.
“Some people think parents shouldn’t be the ones to decide if their children need Calmation.”
Some people? Did he mean Gerry and Hartford?
“The key thing is that we put control back in the parents’ hands, rather than the hands of GPs. That’s the insecurity that underpins the disquiet about Calmation. We’re leapfrogging the doctor’s prescription pad. We understand parents know their children best.” Eric’s delivery was stiff and rehearsed. It sounded like talking points had been circulated internally before our meeting.
Eric might be on-script, but if he was referring to Hartford and Gerry, what he was saying wasn’t entirely true. Neither Hartford nor Gerry was a power-hungry control hound looking to make life harder for patients. I knew Hartford cared about children and their health. And she worshipped Gerry, so I was sure he was the same.
I needed to stop fixating on Hartford’s viewpoint. The opposition might not be her and pretty much every product and service on sale today had haters. This account would save the livelihood of nearly half my staff. I needed to think about the big picture and not borrow trouble unless it was going to impact the campaign. “And you think this . . . disquiet may impact our timetable?” I asked.
Eric shot a glance at Tim and Jean. “We’re putting together some options that should keep the campaign on track.”
“Can Caroline help with that?” I asked. Caroline was heading up PR for this campaign and was the best in the business. “We’re very used to competitors creating anti-launch campaigns through social media and have some strategies to counteract those. And we have excellent relationships with the press across Europe.”