Easy access to replaceable drugs in Lilly's "Call Case"¯ is afforded by its injection-molded polystyrene platform.
sampler
To encourage doctors to specify its products, Eli Lilly packs 10 pharmaceuticals
in a re fill able metal case serviceable enough to win a permanent place in the physician s kit
Persuasive
Packagers of ethical pharmaceuticals virtually deluge physicians with professional samples of their product-”and with good reason. A doctor's specification of a company's drug in the prescriptions he writes can spell the difference between sales success or failure for that item.
The problem in this tough competition is one familiar to many packagers: How can you persuade influential customers to prefer and use your product rather than that of another supplier ?
A way to gain this competitive advantage is suggested by Eli Lilly & Co.'s introduction of a richlooking, permanent sample case containing 10 vials of its pharmaceuticals neatly nested in an injection-molded, washable polystyrene platform.
Distributed without charge to physicians, this "Call Case,"¯ as the Indianapolis drug firm dubs it, reflects shrewd packaging strategy that should be adaptable for dental suppliers and the manufacturers of other materials frequently specified or re-ordered by professional and trade customers.
The sturdy, hinged-cover metal box i-”as its name implie-”designed as a permanent adjunct to the doctor's familiar black bag, to be carried with him on calls to patients. To encourage full-time use of the case as a reminder of the Lilly name, the items included in it were selected on the basis of a doctor's almost daily need to administer one or more of the products. Because of its policy of standardized vial packaging, Lilly points out, replacements can be made from regularly sampled products, eliminating the need for sending out separate kits with every new promotion.
Besides its durability, the "Call Case"¯ incorporates other features calculated to appeal to doctors. It is small enough (7 by 4 by lĀ½ in.) to fit easily
into the physician's bag or his coat pocket. To give the metal box a rich, professional appearance, it is covered with fabric-based simulated leather, tinted bluish-gray and trimmed in chrome.
The prefabricated cases are filled manually at Lilly's plant. As the open boxes travel along a conveyor belt, girls on the line pack vials into the appropriate compartments on the platform. Finally, one girl places a promotional insert in each box, then closes it for shipment.
Supplies and Services: "Texol"¯-covered hinged metal box by Farrington Mfg. Co., Needham Heights, Mass., using Dow polystyrene for the platform.
Fast filling of Lilly cases is done manually as the boxes move along a conveyor belt. Each of the girls on the line places a different vial into its compartment. The girl near the camera slips in a promotional insert and closes the boxes.