Calibrating Brand Awareness of Pharmaceutical Brands in India: A Mixed-Methods Framework with Influencer-Mediated Awareness across Allopathic and Ayurvedic Segments

pharmaceutical branding; brand awareness; influencer marketing; KOL; Ayurvedic brands; branded generics; CB-SEM; Awareness Calibration Index; India; regulatory asymmetry; prescriber choice

Measuring brand awareness in the Indian pharmaceutical market is less straightforward than in conventional consumer categories. The presence of branded generics, the separation between prescribers and end-users, and the regulatory divide between allopathic and Ayurvedic segments together create a setting where standard awareness models do not fully apply. This study develops and tests a framework that combines covariance-based structural equation modelling (CB-SEM) with an Awareness Calibration Index (ACI). A central addition is Influencer-Mediated Awareness (IMA), conceptualised in two forms: professional (IMA-P), reflecting Key Opinion Leader and peer influence among physicians, and consumer-facing (IMA-C), capturing the role of digital and culturally embedded health influencers. Data were collected from 420 physicians and 600 chronic-disease consumers across four cities in eastern India. The measurement model shows acceptable fit (CFI = 0.94, RMSEA = 0.059, SRMR = 0.063). Results indicate that Scientific Recall and Perceived Bio-equivalence remain important for prescriber decisions, although IMA-P also shows a meaningful contribution. On the consumer side, IMA-C emerges as a comparatively strong driver of brand equity, particularly within the herbal segment. The ACI results point to a clear hierarchy in awareness levels, with herbal brands outperforming both OTC and prescription categories. Taken together, the findings suggest that awareness formation in pharmaceutical markets is becoming more layered, with influencer-driven pathways increasingly complementing traditional mechanisms.