Early SuccessIn 1980 GlaxoWellcome entered the pharmaceutical industry with the product Zantac, an H2 receptor antagonist. Zantac has achieved greater success than competing drugs such as Tagamet for various reasons. Zantac seemed like an interesting alternative to Tagamet since it was available in a single daily dose to be taken before bed. Tagamet was to be administered three times a day before meals. Zantac was slightly more effective than Tagamet at reducing symptoms and suppressing acid secretion in the stomach. The healing speed and healing efficacy were also slightly higher than Tagamet. (Collen, 1984) The official label on the Zantac package stated fewer side effects than SmithKline's Tagamet and Zantac could also be used by children and pregnant women. The tagamet labeling indicates otherwise. This led many to believe that Glaxowellcomes Zantac was a safer and healthier option. Some characteristics of a new product affect its adoption rate. Relative advantage is the degree to which the new product appears better than an existing product (Kotler & Armstrong, 2013). The Glaxowellcome product only needs to be taken once a day, and the fact that Zantac required a lower total dose made the product seem more potent and longer-acting than competing drugs. This added advantage created the perception that Zantac was far superior to Tagamet when in reality the differences are minimal in comparison. A customer will always purchase from a company that offers the highest customer perceived value. Another key characteristic that influences the rate of diffusion or diffusion of a new product is complexity. This is the degree to which the new product is easy to understand or use. (Kotler & A...... middle of paper ...... and the negative image created by poor corporate social responsibility. Poor corporate social responsibility can be detrimental to the success of any company and this variable often represents a significant threat to large pharmaceutical companies. I would address this issue by investing money in promotional strategies that sponsor and support sustainable practices. Supporting “green” initiatives and appearing environmentally friendly generates positive publicity and a favorable image in the eyes of the consumer this would show GlaxoWellcome. in a positive light and would destroy the negative stigma often associated with companies in the pharmaceutical industry. Implementing these strategies, although costly, could swing consumer preference for the drug and increase the drug's market share, brand awareness, and overall profitability 'deal