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Over half of internet users access company sponsored sites for medical advice

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An American survey has revealed that more than half of all adults look at drug company sponsored information on the internet to find information about health issues and treatments. The information was viewed on either a website or a mobile phone app that was linked directly linked with a pharmaceutical company.

The survey, carried out by Manhatten Research, interviewed 6,634 adults in the United States in the final quarter of 2011 and revealed that 51% of internet users used pharmaceutical company sponsored digital resources. This is promising information for digital marketing in the phrama sector.

For the sector, the results are a welcome sign that the public is not averse to looking at sponsored information when it comes to matters concerning their health. The results showed that internet used the websites as a resource on a wide ranging field of topics including diagnosis, information on illness and disease, management of conditions, possible treatments, drug information and even how to broach subjects with their doctor.

Another finding of the survey, and a further encouraging sign for the industry, was that 43% of those surveyed also revealed that they discussed the prescription drugs identified by their online research with their doctors.

The Senior Healthcare Analyst at Manhattan Research, Maureen Malloy identified helping internet users prepare for raising the results of their online research as a key opportunity for brands which was currently being underutilised.

Other results showed that the use of company sponsored information increased dramatically in the event of people suffering from a chronic condition. Approximately 75% of angina patients and 68% of people with rheumatoid arthritis had accessed online information directly sourced from sites associated with pharmaceutical companies.

Mobile Medical Apps: A Great Way of Reaching HCPs?

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Damon Lightley featued in Clinical Business ExcellenceDamon Lightley, Marketing Director at Genetic Digital was approached by one of the editors from Clinical Business Excellence to write an article about medical apps.

The article has now been published and appears on page 8 of the August 2012 issue of Clinical Business Excellence. It is titled: “Mobile Medical Applications: A Great Way of Reaching HCPs?” A PDF version is also available.

Mobile Medical Apps: A Great Way of Reaching HCPs?

Access Pfizer for Professionals launches for UK pharmacies

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Pfizer has launched a new website design aimed at increasing its direct reach and interaction with UK dispensing chemists. The site accesspfizer.co.uk was developed following an in-depth survey of 200 pharmacists and will replace will the current pfizerdtp.co.uk as a one-stop-shop providing information on Pfizer products for pharmacists and other healthcare professionals.

The limited access site will provide detailed information on all of Pfizer’s products and services. The survey revealed that dispensing pharmacies wanted 24 hour access to stock and supply information, as well as enhanced access to commercial deals. According to the company, the new online portal will deliver all this information and Pfizer account holders will be able to view, in real time, full ordering histories and available discounts. Pfizer customers will be able to order products directly though the site which would provide significant improvements on the efficient management of their accounts.

One of the key findings of Pfizer’s survey was the desire for better access to training and support. As a result, the new portal incorporates a professional development section which will provide training materials and information on company workshops based around their products.

Another feature of the site provides materials enabling pharmacists to better serve and provide the public with information on treatments and therapies. This includes providing links to third party websites which will give pharmacies easy access to the most relevant health information on the web.

The new service marks a further development in the use of the internet by pharmaceutical companies to connect directly with their customers by providing more integrated and improved communications.

A digital audit to discover why your pharmaceutical business website is not receiving traffic

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There is nothing more frustrating for a pharmaceutical or health care company than having invested significant resources into building a website and establishing a social media presence for it to result in a disappointing traffic flow.

Unfortunately however, this is all too common as an attractive website and a good company reputation is no guarantee of traffic. Today, the online world is intensely competitive and nowhere is this more the case than in the health and pharmaceutical industries. Industry players have invested huge sums in their digital marketing strategies and without specialist knowledge it can be extremely difficult to elbow into those markets, regardless of how good your content or attractive your design.

However that is not to say it is impossible; the internet is changing at breakneck pace and processes and activity that keep companies on top today may not be so efficient in the future.

The starting point for any improvement is a thorough examination of current digital assets. By using state of the art digital analytics and specialist software, it is possible to study website traffic and internet users’ habits to determine why a site is not generating desired traffic levels.

The results can then be used to build an online strategy to achieve higher performance levels from a pharmaceutical company’s digital assets. These can include a wide variety of actions from small keyword tweaks to entire website redesigns and the creation of new online portals.

New Google search update raises privacy concerns

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Two weeks ago Google changed the nature of search with its Search Plus Your World update which adds social media results to its search returns.

This evolution in the way search engines work is an acknowledgement of the fact that consumers continue to move their internet activity onto social media networks.  While the update was highly controversial in the tech world it is becoming increasingly clear that the modification could have major implications for pharma companies that have embraced Google’s own social network, Google Plus as a way to interact with the public.

On the positive side, early pharma adopters of Google Plus business pages will benefit from their content on the network gaining more traction in search returns which should drive more traffic to their online portals. However the update has also raised privacy concerns which could derail some companies carefully conceived Google Plus marketing strategies.

The big appeal for pharma marketing of Google Plus was the networks’ functionality allowing the allocation of an individual communication network to specific groups, the Circles feature. This allowed the companies to set up separate networks for each of their target markets, for example one for cancer another for circulation and so on.

Members of the public who joined the individual Circles were able to share experiences with others that were dealing with similar issues within a limited and empathetic environment. The problem with the Search Plus Your World update is that snippets of those conversations could now subject to a much wide distribution by appearing in search returns.

Pharma companies on Google Plus should be aware of the privacy issue and the effect of the new update.

Pfizer has biggest marketing spend and best social media presence

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A new report from healthcare technology and services company Cegedim has investigated how much the world’s top 100 pharmaceutical companies spent on traditional sales force and marketing channel spend as well as their presence on Facebook and Twitter.

Pfizer achieved first place for traditional spend and has also achieved the best social media presence – it’s in third position for the number of likes on Facebook and first position for the number of followers on Twitter.

Whilst Novartis came second in terms of traditional spend, its position for social media was far less impressive, coming in 17th for the number of likes of Facebook and fifth for the number of Twitter followers.

Meanwhile, Merck & Co achieved eclectic results. It ranks tenth for the number of Facebook likes, but comes top for the number of pages. Similarly, it ranks 15th for the number of Twitter followers but third for the number of tweets.

Johnson & Johnson came second for the number of Facebook likes whilst Roche came second for the number of Twitter followers.

Christopher Wooden, head of promotion audits at CSD said: “The study shows clearly that most major life science companies are establishing a presence in social media – but coverage, methods and sophistication do vary significantly.

“We can see an attempt by companies to reach out and create a positive, on-going message about their contribution to better health. The ability to target that message and encourage constructive dialogue through social media will bring value.”

Pfizer and Grunenthal bag brand new digital pharma awards

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Pharma giants Pfizer and Grunenthal have won a new award for excellence in digital pharma marketing.

Senior employees at the two companies were winners at the PharmaTimes Marketeer of the Year Awards. Grunenthal’s UK Senior Marketing Manager Matt Lowe was named Digital Innovator in the UK, while Pfizer’s European Brand Director Robert Collingbourne was awarded the European title.

This marks the first year that PharmaTimes has officially recognised digital excellence in the pharma industry. The magazine says that the awards are for those who “embrace the new opportunities presented by digital marketing in an innovative and ground breaking way but within the spirit and code of the relevant regulatory frameworks”.

Other finalists nominated for the new awards include people from Shire, Roche, MSD, Bayer, Boehringer Ingelheim and Amgen.

The value of digital marketing in a high-cost environment

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The cost of developing new drugs has increased dramatically whilst the number of drugs in late-stage development has continued to decrease.

According to a new report by professional services firm Deloitte on the world’s 12 largest pharmaceutical companies, the average cost of bringing a product to market rose by more than 25% to more than $1bn (£630m) this year, from $830m in 2010.

Meanwhile, the number of drugs in late-stage development dropped from 23 to 18. Ten of the 12 companies have also experienced a drop in returns from research and development (R&D), going from 11.8% last year to 8.4% this year.

Julian Remnant, head of Deloitte’s European R&D advisory practice, said that the news was not all bad: “While this picture reflects a snapshot of the very real productivity challenges the industry is facing, it belies some underlying successes. Of the 12 companies we analyse each year – the top 12 research-based pharmaceutical companies globally – nearly two-thirds succeeded in realising more value from product commercialisation than has been lost from late-stage product failures.

“Also, across the 12 companies, non-R&D costs have declined, resulting in a higher operating margin – which helps to free up cash flow that could be reinvested in R&D.”

The figures do however point to a need for pharmaceutical companies to find more cost-effective ways to develop and market their products in order to maximise on returns.

One way to do this would be to practice more digital marketing, where products can be promoted for relatively little cost but to a very wide audience.

Pharma company uses YouTube game to heighten brand awareness

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A pharmaceutical company in the States is getting its message across via the innovative use of YouTube videos.

Zyrtec, a Stateside allergy medication, used the video channel as a forum for launching a social media game in order to raise awareness of the brand.

It launched a YouTube game called Parks Unleashed on 5 September, the date acknowledged the US as the start of the autumn allergy season.

The premise of the game is that dogs have buried Samsung Galaxy Tabs all over the park and that the game player (the user) has to find them. The user is spoken to by various characters throughout their gaming experience and is allowed to make choices in their responses to the questions that the characters ask them. These choices determine the direction of travel for the game.

Whilst the game does not actually talk about pharmaceutical issues – largely because of strict guidelines governing what pharma companies can and can’t discuss with customers over the internet – its mere presence engages users more deeply with the brand.

The Zyrtec YouTube channel has collected 2.2million views so far, almost all of which happened as a result of the game – and in a short six-week period too.

Colleen Sellers, senior brand manager at Zyrtec, said: “YouTube is one of the most powerful channels online and using it for Zyrtec to reach such a massive audience, via Parks Unleashed, is a big win for us during the important fall allergy season.”

Ad-funded drug apps on the rise

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The popularity of smartphone technology within the pharmaceutical industry is growing, and while some prefer to pay to receive services ad-free, an increasing number of US medical professionals are opting for a different business model.

Epocrates, the app that provides information on drug dosage, side effects and interactions, has seen a rise in the uptake of its free ad-funded version.

According to reports, plans for its development include a virtual sales rep for pharmaceutical companies to showcase their new products.

Pharmaceutical giants such as Pfizer have already recognised the importance of putting their products literally ‘in the hand’ of the medical professionals within smart devices. Not only is this a more direct and measurable form of sales, but it can also create a better return on investment long term.

While the marketing messages offered in the free version of Epocrates will need to be refined to become more relevant to the user (as they currently have to be filtered  to get to the information requested), the launch of this type of app  introduces a new business model into the increasing mix of medical apps available.

Medical portal InPharm recently counted a total of 39 apps produced by the 11 largest pharmaceutical companies, across various markets and target groups.

Like Epocrates, the key to the success of smartphone apps will be the extent to which developers meet the needs of the specific medical groups by providing relevant content and timely propositions, so that an ad-funded business model doesn’t hinder their ability to access information they need to help their patients.