A few years ago,
barely a month went by without an article or blog criticising the
pharmaceutical industry’s reluctance to embrace digital marketing tools and
strategies. Lately there’s been a slow shift towards a more digital-minded
pharma industry, but there’s still a long way to go.
Research from
Havas Lynx revealed recently that executives are tuning into multi-channel
marketing for their 2014-2015 plans, an approach which integrates digital into
more traditional forms of marketing. This suggests that digital is gradually
becoming more embedded in their thinking.
The same research
highlighted increased interest, from both pharma companies and employees, to
get involved in mobile apps, healthcare networks, closed-loop marketing, and,
to a lesser extent, e-details and social media activities.
Despite these good
intentions, pharma is still miles from consumer businesses in terms of
harnessing digital marketing methods. Crucially, half of the big pharmaceutical
businesses still don’t have a mobile website.
Often the addition
of a mobile site is sidelined in favour of a second or third product e-detail,
revised only to capture more customer data. Whilst that’s useful, the decision
to re-create e-details shouldn’t be based solely on data capture. These tools
need to be designed to reach Healthcare Professionals (HCPs) as human beings.
Any e-detail revision not borne out of the need to improve user engagement is
not as worthwhile.
Similarly, many
pharmaceutical companies jump too soon into educational apps as a way to dip
their toes in digital. Whether they’re for HCPs or patients, they may not be
the best use of resources. And even if the need is there, will the app be
engaging enough to ensure it’s not dumped after the first use? A new Deloitte
survey found that people are more likely to use WebMD or a Google search as a
source of health information, over pharma.
Despite these cautionary tales, adopters of digital,
or ‘mhealth’ are now capitalising on their efforts. From the relatively small
expenditure, a single app can offer huge public relations and collaboration
opportunities through the value it provides
physicians and their patients. The likes of tablet
trackers, disease calculators and other educational tools can advance competitive advantage by genuinely improving lives, as well as
revealing insights on patient treatment routines. Sanofi continue to
invest significant resources into its successful diabetes apps. Likewise, Merck
has recently launched a $500M Merck Global Health Innovation venture fund to
invest in digital health.
Investment doesn’t
just have to be all about websites, apps and social media. For example, direct
mail and GP leavepieces can now be cost-effectively fitted with ‘talking head’
videos or augmented reality clips, helping to create a more engaging vehicle
for your product messages.
Adoption of
digital was never going to be an overnight switch for pharma. The highly
regulated nature of communication in this industry makes it a minefield for the
uninitiated. But it’s a challenge worth undertaking, with the support of a good
digital-focused healthcare agency. Digital marketing is often the only way to track
today’s customer interactions, therefore, one of the few ways to get the
necessary insights to drive your brand forward.
Martin New
Martin clearly likes a challenge. He's worked for two of the most regulated industries - three years as press officer in a financial services company and six as copywriter for a healthcare ad agency. Along the way, he's shown that the same fundamental rules apply when creating compelling communications, whatever the audience, industry or medium. He's now copywriter at Purple, writing for clients across a whole host of industry sectors.
Martin clearly likes a challenge. He's worked for two of the most regulated industries - three years as press officer in a financial services company and six as copywriter for a healthcare ad agency. Along the way, he's shown that the same fundamental rules apply when creating compelling communications, whatever the audience, industry or medium. He's now copywriter at Purple, writing for clients across a whole host of industry sectors.