orThe DTC National Conference Agenda
April 15 - 17, 2009
JW Marriott, Washington DC

 For a printable version of the agenda, click here.

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"Get Results While Doing More with Less - Real Answers from the Digital World" A Pre-Conference Workshop - Gold Pass Attendees Only  

The Big Picture: Where DTC Fits in the New Political & Economic Environments
Moderators: Mark Tosh, Editor-in-Chief, DTC Perspectives
Sean Moloney, Executive Producer & President, Dramatic Health
With new leadership taking charge in Washington, pharmaceutical company marketers face a new era of regulation, review and, possibly, restriction. And with budgets shrinking, the imperative is to do more, with less. How did the industry get into this difficult position and what can marketers do to improve industry perception overall and DTC in particular? This opening segment, featuring commentary from executives closely involved with DTC issues, will set the stage for the key topics that dominate discussion at the DTC National Conference.

Where Should We Go From Here? Predictions and Advice for the Future
Bob Ehrlich, CEO, DTC Perspectives, Inc.
Don't miss a rare opportunity to hear from DTC Perspectives, Inc. founder Bob Ehrlich on what all the latest crises, criticisms and cuts really mean for DTC Marketing. Writer of the weekly e-column DTC in Perspective , he is widely acknowledged as the authority on DTC trends and strategic consumer marketing. As the author of the original Lipitor DTC campaign and consumer marketing veteran, Bob will share his expert interpretation of what insiders are saying and what you should be doing to prepare for the future.

 1:30 - 2:00

 2:00 - 2:30

 2:30 - 3:00

The New FDA: Regulatory Outlook for 2009 and Beyond - Understanding the Impact on Drug Marketing
Mike McCaughan, Senior Editor, Elsevier
New authorities, new resources and new leadership mean a transformation in how the Food & Drug Administration regulates new products—both in serving as the gatekeeper in allowing marketing in the first place, and in asserting a greater role over appropriate use in the marketplace. What will the new FDA mean for prescription drug marketing?

The Obama Impact: How Will the New Administration Affect DTC?
Jim Davidson, Chair, Public Policy Group, Polsinelli Shugart PC
What is the real impact of the 2008 election on DTC advertising? How will the new administration approach healthcare reform and how could it change our industry? Will early posturing from a stronger Democratic Congress result in new tougher legislation on DTC?  Legislative Expert Jim Davidson will review what's really happening in Washington and help the DTC industry best prepare for likely outcomes.  Learn what may change in the healthcare landscape and what you can do in response.

Thoughts on the Future – An Insiders' View of The New Political Landscape for DTC
Panelists to include: John Kamp, executive director of the Coalition for Healthcare Communication; Mark Senak, Senior Vice President, Fleishman-Hillard and author of the blog Eye on FDA; and Marci Hanlon, Director Orencia Consumer Marketing, Bristol-Myers Squibb
An insiders' panel discussion on the state of DTC advertising, the hot-button issues among legislators and whether industry efforts at self-regulation can be successful in this new era of heightened sensitivity and scrutiny of pharmaceutical marketing. What can pharma marketers reasonably be expected to do in the effort to enhance consumer promotion? What may happen at the FDA and in Congress and how should marketers prepare for moving forward under the new Washington environment? 

Celebrity Panel - The Importance of Disease/Condition Awareness and Patient Education
Moderated by: Kenneth Freirich, EVP, Health Monitor Network
Panelists:
- Jerry Mathers (Leave it to Beaver)
- Debbie Gibson (Award-winning Singer)
- Karl Nelson (former NY Giant)

Is Your Brand on the Bubble? Understanding, Protecting and Creating Value for Pharmaceutical Brands
John Gerzema, Y&R Group’s Chief Insights Officer and co-author of “The Brand Bubble”
A new bubble – twice the size of the subprime mortgage market – is looming: the brand bubble. Based on a decade of data from the brand study, “BrandAsset® Valuator,” a new book coauthored by John Gerzema presents credible evidence that businesses think brands are worth more than consumers do. Pharmaceutical brands face an intensified challenge given the unique dynamics of the Rx marketplace. Gerzema will present an overview of the BAV learnings that are the basis for the book, explain the unique approach required for pharmaceutical brand-building and suggest principles for Rx marketers who want to maximize consumer value and avoid the brand bubble.

How New Media Changes Pharmaceutical DTC Advertising
Meredith Abreu Ressi, Vice President of Research, Manhattan Research
Jeff Hitchcock, the President and Founder of Children with Diabetes, a Johnson & Johnson Company
There are several factors shaping the direction of DTC marketing. See examples of how use of new media across various therapeutic categories can significantly affect consumers' online health activities and behavior, including some real-life lessons learned from an innovative pharmaceutical social media case study by Johnson & Johnson.

- Erric Byrd, Marketing Manager, Sanofi-Aventis
- Lyndi Hirsch, Group Product Manager, Rituxan Immunology, Genentech
Moderated by: Dorothy E. Kelly Gemmell Senior Vice President, Pharmaceutical and Medical Device Markets,  WebMD
A candid discussion and case-study type presentation featuring examples of true DTC cross-platform programs. Pharmaceutical marketing / brand executives will discuss how they integrated new and traditional media vehicles while dealing with regulatory implications.  The panel will discuss best practices and innovative approaches to reach patients and caregivers in diverse condition areas.

ROI and Insights from the Top 25 DTC Advertisers of 2008
John Busbice, Principal, IMS Management Consulting
What are the leading DTC advertisers earning in return for their investment? IMS Health will present its latest findings from analysis of the returns on the Top 25 DTC spenders of 2008. The 2007 ROIs will be compared and contrasted with the current results. In an era of budget restrictions, marketers need to better understand what DTC investments are returning to optimize spending across all forms of marketing. This presentation will provide evidence from the leading spenders and guidance for considering investment in DTC.

Today’s Rules of Digital Engagement
Mary Ann Belliveau, Industry Director, Health, Google
Matt McNally, SVP Media, Digitas Health
As consumers / patients increasingly go online for personal, professional, information and entertainment purposes, marketers need to factor new rules for Web engagement into their thinking. The consumer Web and the businessWeb are longer trains running on separate tracks. This presentation will outline key tenets and case examples for how to succeed using today’s digital Main Line – (1) Maximize your assets; (2) Get connected; (3) Get instrument-rated; (4) Look everywhere, (5) Be “open”-minded, and (6) Get ready for what’s next.

Managing the Marketing Mix in a Recession
Sam Trujillo, Director, Consumer Marketing, Women's Healthcare Business Unit, Bayer
Contrary to what many marketers believe, in times of recession some of the biggest opportunities arise for brand, media and marketing innovations. Learn from Sam Trujillo, a true marketing expert who's practicing what he preaches and find out about practical, immediately applicable tools you can use to bring your brand through the tough economic times unscathed.

Six Prescriptions for Healthier DTC Advertising
Dr. Michal Galin, SVP, MRI Starch
Recent research shows DTC advertising ranks #55 out of 60 product categories in effectively grabbing consumer's attention through print advertising.  During this talk MRI Starch, which has conducted advertising readership studies for 75 years, will illustrate which elements of print advertising best attract and hold reader attention.

Creating Effective Television DTC Ads – What Works and Why?
Moderated by: Bob Hogan , President, cognito! Communications
Panelists:
- Steve Pashkoff, EvoLogue
- Chris Abate, PreTesting
- Fariba Zamaniyan, Nielsen IAG
With DTC budgets getting squeezed in this tough economic climate, marketers are under pressure to improve the returns generated from the millions of dollars allocated to television advertising each year. Get the insights on how to develop more impactful television advertising – what works and why with quantitative analysis – from this expert panel with years of experience in creating and analyzing ads. The session includes a review and breakdown of many widely broadcast DTC ads of the past few years.

New Findings on Programming and Audience Composition That Can Make Broadcast DTC More Effective
Fariba Zamaniyan, Senior Vice President, Healthcare, Nielsen IAG
In a time of shrinking budgets and the movement to lower cost media, DTC marketers are being challenged more than ever to maximize the ROI of their TV advertising investment.  New syndicated research from Nielsen IAG will demonstrate how marketers can optimize their national TV campaign potential with the selection of programming that is not only optimal in GRPs, but also the most efficient in capturing viewer attention and dense with targeted patient populations to increase performance results. With the addition of these new tools, DTC marketers can measure the strength and impact of their advertising based on performance at the network and program level to make adjustments in the commercial inventory investment in real-time and in-preparation for new campaign launches.

 5:00- 7:00

DTC Advertising Awards Dinner
The DTC National Advertising Awards honor excellence in DTC creative. Each campaign is judged by an independent expert panel against campaigns run within the same medium or context. The Advertising Awards Dinner is an exciting industry event, sponsored by RealAge. Gold, Silver and Bronze Winners are announced live and awards are presented to brand and agency team members.

Reading Between the Lines: Implications of Regulatory Actions
Arnold I. Friede, counsel to the law firm of McDermott Will & Emery
Ross Fetterolf, VP of Digital Strategy, Ignite Health
The DDMAC division of the FDA issued 22 regulatory letters in 2008, including eight letters directed at various consumer promotional pieces. What prompted these letters, and what are the implications of these notices that marketers must factor into campaign planning in 2009. A panel of experts will look at the issues covered in the DDMAC actions and examine the implications for 2009 and the future.

Updates and Research from FDA's DDMAC
Kristin Davis, Deputy Director
Marci Kiester, Group Leader
Amie O'Donoghue, Research Team
Hear DDMAC Team members provide updates on key issues and research from FDA's DDMAC.

Delegate Q&A with DDMAC Representatives
Attendees won't want to miss this unique opportunity for an extended Q&A period with DDMAC representatives. Find out the answers to your toughest and most urgent questions on guideline meanings and maximizing efficiency in working with DDMAC.

A Strategic Game Plan for Effectively Using New “Health” Media
Melissa Clark, Director, Integrated Consumer Marketing, CV Franchise, Novartis
Sean Moloney, Co-Founder/Executive Producer, Dramatic Health
There's a change in mindset among marketers as the promotional landscape undergoes a shift from advertising-driven to one in which marketers are positioning themselves as valued content producers in the new world of “health” media. This session will examine the accomplishments made in this “new media” landscape in 2008 and measure the success and impact of some of the innovative programs, including the “first-runners” among pharmaceutical companies using YouTube, Facebook, and other media options. Also includes a closer look at the role of the “support group,” and the ongoing revolution in patient-to-patient interactions using the new “health” media tools.

Top 25 DTC Marketers Panel: 5 Issues in 30 Minutes
Moderator: Mark Tosh, Editor-in-Chief, DTC Perspectives
Panelists Include:
Amy West, Senior Marketing Manager, Pristiq, Wyeth Pharmaceuticals
Laurie Kowalevsky, DTC Manager, Eli Lilly and Company
Ingrid Nagy, Marketing Director, Plavix, Bristol-Myers Squibb
Members of the Top 25 DTC Marketers discuss their views on the crucial issues facing DTC Marketers and share their key conference learning.

Top 25 Awards Luncheon
The Top 25 Marketers of the Year Award recognizes individual achievement, innovation, branding success and influence in our industry as well as the individual DTC marketers behind the most successful campaigns. These individuals lead the way at pharmaceutical companies of all sizes. Each Top 25 Marketer is individually awarded and recognized at this awards luncheon, sponsored by PARADE.

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