mars study outlines online habits of health consumers

MARS Consumer Health | 2010 Online Behavior Study

DTC Fall Conference – Marketing to the Digital Consumer

November 10, 2010

Jayne Krahn & Michele Deutschman

MARS Consumer Health

The MARS OTC/DTC Study (Core Study)

Since 2001, MARS has been the leading National market research used in

DTC media planning/buying. It has been developed in partnership with

all major pharmaceutical companies via media agencies.

Paper questionnaire mailed to 46,800

households

English language only

Completed by over 21,000 adults 18+

Projected to the total U.S. adult population

Oversample of ailments for greater

stability of data

70 different conditions

2© 2010 Kantar Media

MARS Consumer HealthThe MARS OTC/DTC Study Content

Media Consumption Habits:

• 102 Consumer pubs

• 27 Health-related pubs

• National Newspapers

• 52 Television networks

• Radio listening

• Internet – general usage

(18 sites)

Overall health and wellness:

• 70 ailments/sufferers

• Use of 500+ drugs/remedies

• Vaccinations/Overall

Health/Diet-Nutrition/Medical

Testing/Insurance/Buying

Habits

• Actions taken after exposure to

healthcare advertising

And much more…

Attitudes and Opinions on key

healthcare topics:

• Role/use of generics

• Communications/interactions with

healthcare advisors

• Insurance coverage


The Changing Face of Healthcare Advisors from The Core Study

Of 35 different sources , HCP's

remain #1 and traditional media is

still important.

Digital media has grown the most as

a valued source for healthcare

information.

83%

64%

26%

78%

64%

40%

Healthcare Professionals

Traditional Media

Online

2005 2010

Valued sources of information – very much/somewhat


Source: MARS 2010 OTC/DTC Study

Findings From The Core Study About The Internet

Total US Population


Source: MARS 2010 OTC/DTC Study

Roughly 1 out of every 4 adult who use the Internet, access it for

researching health and medical information

Among the 50+ Population:

• 2 out of 3 accessed in last 30 days

• 1 in 4 spend at least three hours a day online

• Those using social networking increased 2.5x in last 2 years

MARS Online Behavior Study

The 2010 MARS Online Behavior study was developed as a valuable tool in

assisting healthcare marketers make better decisions on how to incorporate

online into traditional marketing and media strategies.

The Internet has become an integral part of Healthcare decisions


MARS Online Behavior Study Provides:


• An understanding of consumer opinions and behaviors regarding the Internet

as a health and wellness source.

• Insight into the use of different types of digital media - from diet/nutrition

sites and social media to ailment specific resources.

• Background into the website characteristics that drive consumers to sites

and keep them coming back.

• Ailments consumers are researching online, the stage of the condition and

types sources they go to.

• Direct linkage to the core MARS study of drug usage, attitudes, media

behavior, etc.

MARS Online Behavior Study – Quick Overview


• According to the 2010 MARS OTC/DTC Study, 78% has accessed the Internet in

the past 30 days. This Internet population is represented by 15,298

respondents.

•These 15,298 respondents were invited to go online to participate in the Online

Behavior Study.

• Among those who completed, 5,007 respondents matched back to the original

respondents of the MARS 2010 study.

• The MARS 2010 Online Behavior study projects back to the 178 million MARS

2010 Internet users, integrating data from the core 2010 study.

How important is the Internet as health information source?

Source: 2010 MARS Online Behavior Study


Very important Somewhat important

Somewhat unimportant Not important at all

83% find the Internet

important as a source of

health & wellness

information.

What prompts people to look for health & wellness information

online?

Reasons for going Online for Health Research in the Past Year

14%

14%

30%

33%

37%

42%

48%

59%

71%

Read reviews about doctors

Prep for a Dr's appointment

Find an alt. medication to treat symptoms

Find healthcare professionals

Research a condition after Dr visit

Research a condition you feel at-risk for

Gather info about medication

Research symptoms

Gain knowledge about a condition



80%

69%

65%

I use the Internet to supplement information from other sources

The Internet is a good way to get a second opinion

I refer friends to sites I find helpful

Attitudes about the Internet as a Health Research Tool

57% of the online population agree the Internet is the first source they turn to when researching health and wellness

On the positive …

On the negative …


81%

67%

57%

I am cautious about which sites I access

Websites are invading my privacy when I have to register to access information

It's hard to know which sites I can trust


Characteristics that make a Website Trustworthy

Top 3 when it comes to health and wellness information



4%

5%

8%

14%

16%

20%

33%

38%

39%

46%

56%

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60%

Sponsored by a pharma company

Has articles written by someone like me

Seen or heard ads for it

Has minimal advertising

Has a well known brand name or logo

Has articles written by a high profile Dr

Friend or family member recommended it

Association or non-profit site

Easy to understand Information

Has academic articles & scientific research

A healthcare professional recommended it 56%

4%

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http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.progressad.com/progressad_images/Online1.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.progressad.com/&usg=__yicMpluQtf69CNcq_mZp-MbHbPw=&h=396&w=600&sz=22&hl=en&start=1&zoom=1&um=1&itbs=1&tbnid=ZsW6vmXBdLjMAM:&tbnh=89&tbnw=135&prev=/images?q=online&um=1&hl=en&sa=G&tbs=isch:1

The 3 most useful resources for locating health & wellness websites

The #1 most cited resource is

healthcare professional (59%),

followed by search (48%) and

friends & family (41%).

© 2010 Kantar Media


13

Our data confirms the importance of the healthcare professional


The use of the internet for health and wellness varies by:

• the stage of the condition

• the type of ailment

• if researching for oneself or someone else

The greatest number of people going online are those with ongoing conditions,

followed by those undergoing treatment and experiencing symptoms.



2%

First medical

appointment

Ongoing Condition

38%

Undergoing

Treatment

36%

Prevention

28%

Just Curious

28%No longer have

symptoms

29%

Recovering

12%

Recently

Diagnosed

12%

Experiencing

Symptoms

36%

Stage of a Condition

78%

85%

67%

50%

23%

15%

89%

79%

57% 55%

24%

15%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

Healthcare Professional

Conducted research online

Friends or Family Printed publications Television Other (includes radio programs)

Experiencing Symptoms

Undergoing Treatment



Where do they go for information?

Varies by Stage

The type of site varies by stage

Ranked by the stage of the condition.

Health

information

websites

Online

communities or

support groups

Association or

non-profit

websites

Drug brand

websites

Websites

dedicated to this

particular

condition

Diet and fitness

websites

Prevention 4 3 3 4 4 3

Experiencing Symptoms 4 4 3 3 4

Undergoing Treatment 3 2 2

Ongoing Condition 2 2 2 2



1

1

1 1

1

1

Conditions vary whether you are researching for yourself or for someone else…

17%

12%11% 10% 10%

Cancer Diabetes Depression AcidReflux

Cold/Flu

20%

18% 17%16% 16%

Backache/Pain

Cold/Flu Body Ache HighCholesterol

Allergy



Researched for Myself Researched for Someone else

Average of 5.5 Ailments Average of 4.0 Ailments

50 million Americans accessed social networking sites in the last 30 days – twice as many vs 2008.

• Regardless of the condition, close to 60% who go

online to research a condition also use social media.

• 10% of the online population claim to have used mobile apps to track health

content

– 62% are using prescription medications

– 65% have a BMI >25



• 1 out of 4 users have embraced the use of online

video/audio*, yet nearly 1 out of 2 diabetes researchers

use them for health & wellness information.

* podcasts, video clips, full-length programs/episodes, vlogs

33 million Americans have gone online to research Diabetes in the

last year.

65% researched diabetes for someone else:

• She’s more likely to read parenting magazines

& watch reality TV

• The Internet is her 1st source for information

• She reads blogs

• She shops for medicine online & prints coupons

• She uses the Internet to gather info on medications

& does research after a Dr visit

• She listens to healthcare professionals to find sites

• She trusts sites that have articles written by high

profile doctors

• And she likes sites that have online tools

like BMI calculators/health quizzes, have

Q&A capabilities & sites that connect

her to a larger community with similar

issues

42% researched for themselves:

• He’s more likely to read newsweeklies

& health magazines and watches

science fiction & sports television

• He uses the Internet to supplement

information from other sources

• He likes online videos

• He goes online to read reviews of meds

and buy them online

• He uses the Internet to find alternatives

to meds and prepare for doctor visits

• He finds that newspapers & magazines

are useful to find websites

• He trusts articles written by someone

like himself & sites with minimal

advertising

• He like sites where the information is easy to

understand and like her, he wants to be connected

to a larger community with similar issues



Thank you

For more information about the MARS OTC/DTC Study

or the MARS Online Behavior Study, please contact

Michele Deutschman at (212) 991-6008.

mars study outlines online habits of health consumers

Health & Medicine