WHERE DO WE GO FROM

HERE ?

PHARMA MARKETING IN 2010

Richard Meyer

2009, What a year !

  Big pharma was in the news a lot and all too often the media was not kind to the drug industry

You think things are going to get better in 2010?

Some predictions for the drug industry

  Drug companies will sell ever-more-expensive drugs targeted at smaller groups of people. Health care reform will accelerate this trend.

  A new push for government-sponsored comparative trials will slam the medical device industry and insurers will ask for comparative trials of new brands against generic medications as standard practice.

  In 2010, a major drug company will break up.

  In one category there still is the possibility of another blockbuster: blood thinners, particularly those used to prevent strokes in people with atrial fibrillation.

  More people will continue to go online for health information and most drug company marketing efforts in social media marketing will fail.

  HCP’s will rely more on the Internet, and less on drug reps, for medical information.

  The Apple table will be embraced by the healthcare industry as they integrate the Internet with electronic medical records.

  DTC ads, via TV and print, will decline in overall dollars.

And of course health care could add a lot to the check

The drug industry may have to fork over another $20 billion in healthcare concessions.

Add it all up

+ More money for healthcare

+ Drugs coming off patent

+ Patients consumers of healthcare

+ Low trust in big pharma

+ Low trust in FDA

+ Increased power of insurers

Pharma needs to change their business model and the way

they market to consumers and HCP’s

Everyone is going to have to be more accountable

Everything we do is going to have to measured to ensure it meets specific brand and business objectives.

A lot of old marketing thinking is going to go in the trash

Awareness (that does not lead to new Rx’s)

Reach & Frequency

Big spends on TV spots

Full page print ads

Feel good print ads

Social media (if it can’t be measured as it relates to objectives)

Push marketing

One message for all segments

Because a key element is missing to make it effective with consumers

Marketers can’t hide anymore

Because consumers control the message

But is all marketing dead ?

Of course not !

But there are

Starting with consumers

  More patients are going online for health information.

  Most important aspect of online health information?

  Credibility

  Others experiences

Even Boomers are changing

  Of the almost 78 million baby boomers born between 1946 and 1964 in the U.S., more than 40 million are female, making up a little more than half of the boomer population.

  The top concerns of all baby boomers are their health and healthcare. Women are astute consumers of healthcare -- they are often responsible for making healthcare product purchases for themselves as well as their families.

*Engage Boomers, Robin Raff, November 2009

So where’s the leadership ?

There’s a gap between what senior healthcare executives say about the importance of patient experience and what they’re actually doing to improve it. What’s getting in the way? An absence of leadership and a lack of understanding about what, exactly, all this patient experience stuff is about. By GIenna Shaw Patient Experience Survey

Some believe social media is the answer

But regardless of what the FDA says social media, alone, is not the answer

Conclusions: Recent growth of social media is not uniformly distributed across age groups; therefore, health communication programs utilizing social media must first consider the age of the targeted population to help ensure that messages reach the intended audience.

Journal of Internet Medical Research Social Media Use in the United States: Implications for Health Communication 2009

It’s only part of a well executed integrated marketing plan

So what direction should marketing take ?

Marketing has to adapt…or perish

But, what if ?

Marketing was organized around the target audience?

We could

  Take the message to our audience where they are at the time when the message can have the greatest impact

Impact patients at each decision point to overcome objections

New

Rx

And work with HCP’s to deliver great information via their practice

Help me help my patients by providing great

information for better outcomes !

So maybe targeting marketing around our audience could work !

Such as New Patient Marketing

Objective Convert new patients into customers

Strategy Raise awareness of product/disease state

Optimize promotional mix to convert prospects into customers

Customized patient education via HCP

Measurement New Rx’s

+ Compliance-Adherence marketing

Objective Ensure current customers remain compliant and adherent to medication

Strategy Tie-in HCP CRM to motivate patients

Develop messages as needed to keep patients adherent & compliant to medications.

Measurement Adherence and compliance rates

Drop out rates

With Patient Satisfaction Marketing

Objective Convert customers into brand advocates

Strategy Develop relationship with current customers and ask for their input on marketing.

Offer value exchange in new information on disease state/medication via thought leaders and clinical trials.

Measurement Brand satisfaction rating

Trust of the company/brand with consumers-patients

Brand advocates

New Patient Marketing

X X X Disease State

Compliance Adherence Marketing

X CRM

X X

Patient Satisfaction Marketing

X X X

Each channel optimized for greatest impact on patients

By separating marketing into different channels with different objectives and measurement marketing can better be optimized for each channel.

But remember to integrate brand objectives with patient needs

This is often the hardest aspect of marketing to empowered consumers and patients. Go too heavy on brand objectives and you might lose consumers; too heavy on

patient needs and wants and you’ll wind up with a reduced ROI

And what about HCP Marketing ?

Believe it or not HCP’s are consumers too

HCP marketing is also changing

  Many physicians see detailers only with scheduled appointments.

  Pharma’s ROI in its sales force has plummeted*.   For every 100 reps who visit a

practice,   37 place their products in the office’s

sample cabinet,

  and only 20 speak to a physician in person

*The New York-based consulting group TNS Healthcare.

HCP’s are embracing social media

  Rise Of Physician-only Social Networking. There are a number of sites such as Sermo, Ozmosis and SocialMD that offer physicians the chance to connect with others in their profession for knowledge sharing, networking and support.

  Increasing Utility Of Pharma Customer Service Portals. Most large Pharma brands have their own specific physician customer service portals (Merck Services, Pfizer Pro, and Novo Medlink) where docs can do everything from downloading samples or patient education information to conducting live video conferencing with company representatives.

  Medical Journals & Ongoing Education Are Moving Online. Social media is taking a larger role in the information that physicians consume on an ongoing basis. Some medical journals are moving to an online-only format, while others offer a more interactive experience for physicians to engage with their content. Coupled with CME courses and other educational content, this area is growing rapidly as an easy and convenient way for physicians to continue learning and stay up to date on new developments and trends in their specialty.

  Widgets, Apps and Cool Tools Are In Demand. As more physicians continue to use smart phones and the iPhone in particular, they are seeking applications to help them to everything from calculations on the fly, to watching videos of real procedures and surgical techniques. Online video has been popular already, but the ability to now take these videos and make them portable to go anywhere is unlocking their potential to a wider range of Physicians.

  Blogging Physicians Humanizing The Industry. There are an emerging group of top physician blogs such as KevinMD which are offering the physician’s perspective on issues related to healthcare, but generally in a tone and language that is more approachable by non-medical people. As a result, they are unlocking some of the mystery behind medical decisions and helping to humanize the industry … a powerful social force.

How Doctors are using Social Media, Rohit Bhargava, Ogilvy Worldwide

They are inundated with too much paperwork today

So help them help their patients and enhance their practice

Patient educational materials

Patient compliance

Patient adherence

Integrate DTC marketing materials with HCP and patient needs

Any by taking the lead you can enhance your brand + company

Don’t forget that each HCP segment has different needs

  Physicians- Separate marketing messages by specialty, prescribing patterns and attitudes.

  Nurses- Don’t ignore nurses they are becoming a more important mix in the health care transaction model.

  Pharmacists- Patients who don’t have time to talk to physicians often talk to pharmacists and ask questions. They can be a valuable source of information on your product.

So what’s a marketer to do ?

"  Time to rethink marketing

"  Transform marketing NOW

"  Try new things

"  Really understand online analytics

"  Let everyone know that things have changed.

"  Bring regulatory and legal people into the fold and teach them why new marketing (media) is important

Time to change marketing because hope is not a strategy

Richard Meyer

HEALTHCARE MARKETING PROFESSIONAL

Results-driven senior marketing executive offering a strong balance between business savvy and creative capabilities. Proven track record of 17+ years of experience contributing to the advanced performance, growth, and profitability of leading pharmaceutical and medical device brands. Leverages market intelligence to devise performance driven marketing strategies that translate consumer attitudes and behaviors into business opportunities and revenue streams. Conceives, develops, and implements targeted DTC/HCP marketing campaigns that align business needs and objectives with value-added measured marketing initiatives. Teaches, builds, and spearheads top-performing teams, providing the guidance and support needed to transform sales and marketing channels into both tactical and strategic business drivers. Core competencies include:

Pre- & Post-Launch DTC/HCP Strategy Development & Execution New Product Introduction • Marketing Analytics • Strategic Planning • Market & Trend Analysis • Product & Market Positioning • Message Development Testing • Market Research • Agency Management • Internet Marketing • Team Leadership

richardameyer@me.com

Http://www.worldofdtcmarketing.com

http://www.richsblog.com