Opening Scenario: “Everything Was Approved… So Why Are We Still Waiting?”

You’ve signed off the visuals. The team is aligned. Your campaign launch date is circled on every planning board. Yet here you are—days before install—and the materials are either stuck at the border, halfway through production, or mysteriously “in transit.”

Sound familiar? If you’re a pharma marketer managing retail campaigns across Switzerland, this kind of delay isn’t just frustrating—it’s operationally risky. Missed in-store dates can erode trust with PoS partners, confuse field teams, and waste budgeted media time. And often, these issues trace back to a single stage: production preparation.

This guide walks you through the exact questions to ask your suppliers before production begins. The goal? No surprises, no excuses—and certainly no delays.

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What Pharma Marketers Often Overlook

Even the most organized marketing leads can fall into a trap: assuming that an approved brief automatically leads to smooth execution. But production and logistics are operational disciplines with their own timelines, variables, and pitfalls.

Here’s what gets missed:

• Assuming all formats are pre-approved (some need prototyping or specific PoS validation)

• Ignoring material lead times (which vary by substrate and quantity)

• Forgetting about customs and cross-border paperwork

• Relying on email chains instead of centralized status tracking

• Overlooking how packaging or logistics impact install conditions

Rüfenacht’s field experience shows that 80% of campaign delays stem not from misalignment—but from missed pre-production conversations.

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Step-by-Step: 10 Questions to Lock Down Before Production

Use this as your Campaign Readiness Checklist when briefing or approving a supplier. Each question includes an operational insight based on years of campaign coordination across Swiss PoS environments.

1. Has the Final Proof (BAT) Been Validated?

• Confirm the exact version and visual that’s going to print.

• Check for last-minute changes that may not have been reflected in the printer’s file.

• Ensure all technical specifications (bleed, color profile, resolution) match production needs.

• Has PoS-specific messaging (e.g. regional language, pharmacy compliance) been approved?

Rüfenacht Recommends: Always validate your BAT with someone who wasn’t involved in the creation phase. Fresh eyes catch critical mistakes.

What happens if you skip this? Typos, incorrect branding, or sizing errors—only noticed once installed.

2. What Is the Confirmed Production Timeline?

• Request a detailed calendar, not just a delivery promise.

• Include prep time, print time, drying/curing time, finishing, and packaging.

• Confirm that the supplier has allocated production slots—especially during peak periods (e.g. pre-spring, back-to-school).

Rüfenacht Recommends: Ask for the machine name and shift slot. If you don’t have that, it’s not yet scheduled.

What happens if you skip this? Production gets deprioritized when something urgent arrives, and you only find out too late.

3. What Are the Delivery Dates — and Margins for Delay?

• Define earliest acceptable arrival and latest tolerable deadline.

• Align delivery waves with field team availability and PoS opening hours.

• Specify whether regional staging is needed (e.g. via cantonal hubs).

Rüfenacht Recommends: Use a delivery buffer of +2 working days on all regional drops.

What happens if you skip this? A single-day delay can result in an install window being missed—and the PoS rejecting the material.

4. Will Materials Cross Borders?

• Confirm origin of production (CH, EU, or elsewhere).

• Identify customs classifications in advance.

• Clarify roles: who prepares documentation? Who’s the importer of record?

Rüfenacht Recommends: For CH-bound deliveries from the EU, pre-clear customs at least 48h in advance.

What happens if you skip this? Border holds, VAT confusion, or missed duty payments causing week-long delays.

5. What Material Qualities Might Impact Lead Time?

• Ask if the print involves:

  • Laminates, varnishes, or foils?

  • Recycled or sustainable substrates?

  • Die-cuts, gluing, or complex folds?

• Each affects not just production time—but potential reprint complexity if anything goes wrong.

Rüfenacht Recommends: Choose simplicity unless the premium finish directly impacts shopper conversion.

What happens if you skip this? You might approve a great-looking item that takes 10 days longer to produce—and nobody told you.

6. How Are Items Packed and Palletized?

• Confirm:

  • Pallet type (Euro, industrial, custom)

  • Wrapping method: stretch film, corner guards, shrink-wrap

  • Is it stackable or marked “Do Not Stack”?

• Include labelling needs: campaign name, PoS identifier, install date.

Rüfenacht Recommends: Always use reinforced corners for folded cardboard displays. Avoid plastic straps unless necessary.

What happens if you skip this? Materials arrive crushed, inverted, or unlabelled—and field teams waste hours identifying and sorting.

7. Is Transport Secured Properly?

• Ask:

  • How is movement within the truck prevented?

  • Are pallets strapped and filmed?

  • Are fragile items double-boxed or stabilized?

Rüfenacht Recommends: Mark every pallet with “Do Not Stack” if the unit includes a freestanding structure.

What happens if you skip this? Your perfect display shows up warped, bent, or broken—impossible to install.

8. Is There Real-Time Tracking or Status Updates?

• Will you receive shipment status at:

  • Dispatch?

  • Border crossing?

  • Local delivery?

• Through what method (email, portal, API)?

Rüfenacht Recommends: Set check-ins at each milestone: production start, ready-to-ship, and local delivery drop.

What happens if you skip this? You’re blind when a delay happens—and lose precious hours scrambling for info.

9. Is There a Fallback Scenario for Delays?

• Can a partial delivery be prioritized?

• Can POS materials be rerouted regionally if needed?

• Is there a low-cost backup (e.g. shelf talker instead of freestanding unit)?

Rüfenacht Recommends: Always prepare a “light” version of the campaign that can be printed and deployed locally.

What happens if you skip this? A single glitch becomes a total blackout. No presence, no results.

10. Has the Installer Been Connected Directly?

• Ensure the installation team speaks directly with the supplier/logistics partner.

• Share floor plans, PoS restrictions (stairs, elevators), and access hours.

Rüfenacht Recommends: Introduce the installer at the time of production approval—not after shipment.

What happens if you skip this? A technically perfect delivery gets refused or returned because the field team was uninformed.

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Final Thoughts: Campaign Execution Doesn’t Have to Be Chaos

Your campaign timeline deserves the same precision as your creative brief. And when you align everyone—suppliers, transporters, installers—from the start, execution becomes almost… elegant.

If this sounds like a lot to manage, you’re not wrong. But you’re also not alone.

At Rüfenacht, we manage this entire checklist for our clients—before anything goes to print. Because great marketing should never be held hostage by poor execution.

Let’s make your next launch seamless.