"Branding should begin as soon as possible," says Peter Siegel, senior vice-president at Torre Lazur. "We like to get involved early so we are intimate with the product. While a product begins to develop a personality for the researcher, it is its eventual personality in the marketplace that will make it a brand. The sooner we're involved in the branding process the better, because it helps to create a bond with the brand and develop good relationships with the client as well. This journey from a product to a brand is a journey that clients and agencies should take together."

The goals of pharmaceutical branding are subtly different to those of consumer goods manufacturers. With the agreement of the government and healthcare payers, drug makers are free to charge high prices in order to recoup their substantial R&D costs. Branding is, therefore, rarely about adding a premium to a commodity product. Rather, it raises product awareness and boosts sales by projecting values and emotions to healthcare professionals and consumers alike.

The snag, however, is this: by the time a drug reaches the market it may only have a few years of patent protected life left. It can't afford to increase sales gradually through increasing awareness. It doesn't have time to build relationships. It has to launch with a bang.

In other words, all the elements of a pharmaceutical brand should be in place long before the product ever hits the drug store shelves. "Branding should begin as soon as possible," says Siegel. "We like to get involved early so we are intimate with the product. A brand happens anyway – it begins to develop a personality. The people who have created the molecule have a clear idea of what this is. The sooner we're involved the better because it helps to create a bond with the brand and develop good relationships too. When we go from a product to a brand, it's a journey that we take together."

Brand consultants and communications agencies naturally prefer a head start. The reality is often far from this ideal, however. Sometimes the bulk of branding work – from the establishment of brand values and product positioning to the choice of packaging colors – only takes place during Phase III trials.

Not that the drug makers are entirely to blame. Commercial factors can disrupt the best laid plans. The pharmaceutical market is extremely volatile; it only takes the launch of a competitor's product, a change in government policy, or a sudden breakthrough in the R&D labs to cause a drastic change in strategy. Products may have to race through development, with agencies brought in at the last minute.

Most people agree, however, that given the growing importance of branding, the process should generally begin earlier than it does at present.

AstraZeneca is one company that has implemented a rigorous branding process for all its pipeline products. "Our objective is to get all the key branding elements in place before Phase III trials take place," explains Jon Parton, director of direct marketing at AstraZeneca. "Until Phase III sometimes there have been no publications outside of the company – so often branding is not important until this stage."

Edwin Colyer is a science and technology writer based in Manchester, UK.