DTC in Perspective: FDA Doing Study About Risk Communication
FDA is proposing a study which I call “less is more.” The study is long overdue. They are concerned that too many risks are being presented in television ads and perhaps this confuses consumers. The basic lesson of advertising is to focus on the main point or compelling benefit if you want people to remember […]
Prescribing Programmatic Buying for DTC Media Plans
Programmatic advertising, the automation of media buying and selling using technology and data for hyper-targeting, is one of the ad worlds’ hottest trends. Research firm eMarketer recently estimated that digital display ads bought programmatically in the US grew 137% to more than $10 billion in 2014, and now account for 45% of all display ad […]
The Pharma Marketers’ Innovator’s Dilemma
Why innovate? It’s a question frequently asked by many pharmaceutical marketers. From a campaign development perspective, innovation is seen as a way to break through the clutter in order to set new benchmarks for success. Unfortunately, in the process, it’s easy to just innovate for innovation sake, and implement the latest thing without regard to […]
Can DTC Marketers Develop Digital Content Interesting Enough to Hold the Attention of Patients?
The strategic role of content marketing in DTC campaigns is a hotly debated topic. While many industries have shifted their focus to building content that is authentic, educational and even whimsical in the hopes of building a rapport with patients, the healthcare industry is still finding its voice. Brands leading discussions can be perceived as […]
A Generational Approach to DTC Creative
Direct-to-consumer marketing efforts for many prescription drug brands rely not just on appropriate clinical targeting but on creative executions that are emotionally relevant and resonate deeply with appropriate patients. That creative, whether it’s a television or a print ad or a website or a brochure, needs to be grounded in a big creative idea that […]
Branded vs Unbranded Media Buying Dynamics
Get with the Program(matic)
The experience of encountering advertising tailored to one’s behaviors or interests on the internet has become ubiquitous in a very short time. We’ve all had that experience – shopping for a particular shoe on Zappos or gadget on Amazon, not buying it, then having an ad for that shoe or that gadget magically appear in […]
Digital Musings for Pharma: Creating Content for Distracted Use
A recent survey by Nielsen found that up to 70% of Americans now own a mobile device and that most of those mobile devices are smartphones. Healthcare marketers should take note because behavioral trends like these suggest new ways for us to interact with consumers, and share timely and relevant information with them. The Nielsen […]
How to Identify Breakthrough Ideas and Dramatically Improve ROI
Increasingly, patients have become a critical link in the prescribing process. Individuals are taking more responsibility for their own healthcare choices, proactively seeking disease and drug information online and initiating dialogues with their doctors – and it’s having a significant effect on the treatment they receive. A 2014 study published in the Medical Care journal […]