25 January 2005
By Brian Salazar

This summer, Lauren Locke was selected by Sato Pharmaceuticals to design a marketing plan and implementation strategy for the launch of a switch over-the-counter product. Chosen by the Global Program Services office to be a member of the Global Management Program, Lauren is a U.S. student with prior international experience in Japan and Costa Rica. She applied to the Global Management Program to increase her ability to communicate within a global company.

Sato Pharmaceuticals is headed by Mr. Seiichi Sato, a Babson MBA from the class of 1981, and is a world leader in healthcare products designed for self-medication. In fact, the company’s motto is “Healthcare Innovation” and Mr. Sato emphasizes that motto in everything the company pursues, from vitamins to eye drops. Lauren had the opportunity to work directly with Seiichi Sato at the company’s Tokyo headquarters. Lauren reflected, “It was a chance for Mr. Sato to give back to Babson because he feels his experiences with the school have really helped him in his current role as President and CEO of the company.” Because of her working relationship with Mr. Sato, Lauren had access to many aspects of the company including its laboratories and R&D facilities.

Lauren’s position as a marketing intern also gave her a fresh perspective into how global corporations market and distribute new products. Lauren worked with design, advertising, and sales teams on the launch of a new OTC product in the Japanese market. Everything from packaging to launch logistics were addressed and Lauren’s plan outlined all aspects of the marketing roll-out from support Web-site structure to communications messaging. Lauren mentioned, “The product launch was a real eye-opener for me because of the ways the company measured its success. I did a lot of benchmarking against both U.S. and European companies and had to continually address issues surrounding the Japanese regulatory process.”

In addition to work, Lauren was delighted by the opportunity to experience life in Japan again, “The living experience was by far one of the most valuable for me. As an anthropology major in college I lived in a home-stay family in the outskirts of Kyoto, Japan. Living in downtown Tokyo, and working in an all-Japanese firm gave me a more in-depth perspective on the nuances of the language and of the work culture which are certain to be very valuable in my future career. Plus, being a woman in both the work and social environments in Japan was fascinating. The social and working role of women in Japan is evolving but is still somewhat steeped in tradition. That delicate mix is something you can’t fully understand or appreciate without fully immersing yourself in it.”