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Kathryn Healy is director of brand management at Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories and part of the company’s Self Care and Wellness team. She oversees the Doans, Habitrol and Healthcare Aisle brands, developing and executing strategies that communicate each brand’s values and missions, and ultimately deliver on consumer needs. Her team focuses on creating consumer demand and engagement and the holy grail: loyalty to the brands.
Q : How long have you worked for Dr. Reddy’s, and have you had other positions leading up to this one?
HEALY: I started with Dr. Reddy’s in September of 2022. So, for almost two years. Before that, I held commercial roles, mainly in marketing across various brands in CPG. I’ve worked at multinationals such as L’Oréal and I worked overseas in the U.K. at Nestlé, but I’ve also worked on smaller brands in the beauty space for start-up companies. And I think having both the large and small company experience has been very helpful in my role at Dr. Reddy’s where we are building out the teams and brands in the consumer health care space.
Q: What do you like most about what you do?
HEALY: I’ve always been drawn to marketing, because I’ve always loved the psychology aspect, understanding what motivates consumers. Learning what appeals to whichever audience you’re targeting so the brand can connect, drive interest and loyalty.
Q: And what do you find most challenging?
HEALY: I think consumer expectations and technology have changed so drastically over the last few years and continue to evolve faster than I’ve ever recalled in my career. I don’t think there’s a playbook for any brand in the category anymore. You constantly must evolve with the changing media landscape, with the trends, with technology, with consumer expectations to reach your audience, and do this in an effective, meaningful and efficient way as a marketer.
Q: How many people do you oversee, and can you describe how you interact with them?
HEALY: I have four direct reports across the brands. In terms of interaction, I’d say our team is extremely collaborative. We know we’re in growth mode on a lot of these brands, and we have ambitious goals. So, it’s an entrepreneurial hands-on environment and interaction.
Q: Do you also have direct contact with clients and, if so, who would that be?
HEALY: I partner with our sales team who work with our retail customers on an ongoing basis and have direct contact with the retailers. This summer I’ll be visiting CVS, Walmart, etc. Typically, I meet with whomever is managing the category of the brand I am representing.
Q: How have things changed in the past few years as far as remote versus in-person meetings in terms of COVID, after the pandemic subsided?
HEALY: Prior to when I was at Dr. Reddy’s, everything was in-person and obviously COVID shifted all of that and forced a virtual environment. Now I am starting to see a shift where people are taking advantage of meeting in person when they can. The “new normal” allows for flexibility, but certainly at Dr. Reddy’s we value that in-person time with customers, partners, etc. and will try and make that work often.
Q: Any thoughts on the future of health care marketing?
HEALY: I think we’re going to continue to see technology play a larger role across the industry. Speaking from the brand side, tools like AI will let us be precise and efficient in our targeting. We are evolving from a one-size-fits-all brand messaging strategy, and AI will help us to create and deliver personalized communication and experiences to our audience.
Q: So, you’re using AI more now in your work?
HEALY: We’re using AI for targeting in many of our campaigns right now, and there are a variety of platforms and tools we are considering as we build out all of the brands’ future growth strategies.
Q: What makes Dr. Reddy’s a unique company to work for?
HEALY: Dr. Reddy’s mission is to bring access to affordable and innovative medicines to people around the world. This mission is ingrained in Dr. Reddy’s culture, and there’s a lot of personal satisfaction for me that the work we’re doing as a company makes the world a better place.
Q: One last question. Can you talk about the ongoing importance of social media in the brand development of your products?
HEALY: Social media remains an important focus for us in engaging and connecting with our diverse audience across all our brands. Our brands and products span various categories, from women’s health to smoking cessation to O-T-C products. Through social media, we can reach new audiences and engage with our existing customers meaningfully..
