December 2009
Also inside this issue...
Editor's Desk
DTC in Brief
Spending Review
Advertiser Index and Resource Center
NEW! Market Guide

2010 Outlook: Doom and Gloom for DTC? 10 Points for Winning with Patients
By Ellen Hoenig Carlson, founder of AdvanceMarketWoRx

Here are 10 Points for Winning with Patients in 2010. Now is the time to re-think about DTC marketing in the 21st Century. With all of the new ways to engage with patients, the author suggests 10 prescriptions to help marketers improve their DTC efforts in 2010. read more >>

The 2010 Forecast for DTC
By Amanda Ehrlich, associate editor at DTC Perspectives, Inc.

Trying to get a sense of the industry in 2010 is not an easy task. To some, the future is doom and gloom, filled with regulatory restraints and new "ad tax' implications. To others, the future is brighter, with healthcare reform providing the opportunity for improved DTC messaging and new media creating a forum for more educational and targeted messages. read more >>

Lies, Damned Lies and Statistics: How to Avoid Paths that Lead to the "Dark Side" of Analytics
By Louis Winokur of DKI Direct

People love finding information that furthers their cause, but many times bend or hide the facts to put things in a different perspective. The author reviews common analytic errors to avoid by focusing on four areas where a small investment of time and effort will pay big dividends on the back end in better data collection and interpretation, leading to more insightful presentations. read more >>

Creative Thinking: Healthcare Ads That Stood Out in 2009
By Marc Weiner, managing partner of CommonHealth and Scott Watson, executive vice president, group chief officer of CommonHealth

Marketers and their agency partners worked hard in 2009 to overcome such obstacles as a 60-second fair balance statement, as well as the 'same-old, same-old' content that has dominated the advertising in some healthcare categories. read more >>

Effectively Reaching and Motivating the Senior Segment
By Robin Raff of ECI Healthcare

A majority of seniors today feel much younger than their actual age. However, basic cognitive and physical changes still occur. The author discusses numerous vision, auditory, cognitive and attitude changes that seniors experience as they age to help marketers effectively communicate with this age segment. read more >>

Turning the Typical Communications Pyramid On Its Head:
A Case Study in Unleashing the Power of Patients and Their Community
By Mark Saunders formerly of GlaxoSmithKline, Leonard Tran of Asian Health Foundation, and Michael Wong of Davies Public Affairs

The authors discuss an actual case study of how a pharmaceutical company, its agency and community-based organizations turned the traditional communications approach upside down and took a patient-centric approach to achieve both business and social goals in the same program. read more >>

The Keys to Effective Patient Communications in the New Information Environment
By Ian McKinnon, PhD, CRO at KantarHealth

In today's rapidly changing information environment, patients can assess brand information and be heavily involved in treatment decision making. At the same time, patients today are better informed to evaluate a brand's message as they tap into new online communities for information and analysis. read more >>

The Health of Pharma as Measured Through the Lens of Consumer Trust
By Hensley Evans of imc2

This article outlines a model that demonstrates how both trust and transactions are critical to creating sustainable brand relationships. imc² then applied the model to the pharmaceutical industry to specifically evaluate how the industry is doing as measured through the lens of consumer trust. read more >>

2009 Hall of Fame Awards

At the recent Reform & Refocus Conference, DTC Perspectives inducted Herb Ehrenthal, Paula Garrett, Joe Hoholick, and Lucy Rose into its second annual DTC Hall of Fame. Profiles of each member of the 2009 Class, along with coverage from the ceremony, will be included in this special section. read more >>

Viewpoint: Social Media-Debating its Merits
By David Kweskin, senior vice president at The Research Intelligence Group

Without discounting completely the influence of social media, it's a good idea for DTC marketers to reflect on the fact that for many who are among drug marketing's primary audience, social media is not by any means an end-all media choice. read more >>

Eye on the Hill: A Tax on Advertising – Plain and Simple
Jim Davidson reports on what to expect in the coming year from Washington

Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) may offer a troubling amendment disallowing as an ordinary and necessary business expense, not only the cost of all Rx advertising, but most if not all marketing expenses, including salaries of sales personnel, marketing seminars and free samples of medications. The Franken bill would establish a dangerous precedent for all advertising. read more >>

Perspectives on Books: The Healing of America
Reviewed by Robert Ehrlich of DTC Perspectives, Inc.

In each issue, our chief executive will discuss a current book relevant to the pharmaceutical industry. For this issue he has reviewed "The Healing of America: A Global Quest for Better, Cheaper, and Fairer Health Care" by T.R. Reid. read more >>

DTC Perspectives Editorial: The Assault That Has No End

The assault by critics of DTC and legislators is not likely to end no matter what happens in the current legislative session. This means drug companies need to hold the line and argue for their right to provide DTC information to consumers. read more >>