DTC Perspectives Magazine

  

  March 2009
  Also in this issue...
  DTC in Brief
  Spending Review
  Media Watch
  People on the Move

A 'Friend' in Health: A Practical Understanding of Social Media
By Mark Miller, senior vice president, strategic & analytic consulting group at Epsilon

Consumers are more active than ever regarding their healthcare – demanding greater access to providers and actively searching for services they currently are not getting from many of their doctors. Coming to meet their needs are 24-hour, information-packed Internet resources where users worldwide are gathering information about their health. read more >>

Make the ROI Needle Jump the Groove Five Steps to Better Targeting Health
By Kevin Clancy, chairman of Copernicus, and Eric Paquette, senior vice president at Copernicus

With questions about the effectiveness and value of DTC advertising now being frequently thrown at marketers, what's needed to answer these questions is a format for improving the targeting efforts at the heart of most campaigns. The authors suggest a five-step "wellness program to remedy your segmentation efforts and reinvigorate ROI." read more >>

Marketing to Millennials: How Will Marketers Reach Generation Y?
By Barry Collin, chief executive of Moddition Inc.

The behaviors of Millennials are so substantively different from those of older generations that healthcare marketers need to establish a better understanding of this group and begin planning specific tactics that will engage them. A failure to act quickly may lead to Generation Y becoming the most difficult of all generations to engage and treat. read more >>

How the 'New' New Media is Changing the Game for Pharmaceutical Marketers
By Meredith Abreu Ressi, vice president of research for Manhattan Research

The year 2009 could be the year in which pharma marketers opt to invest in the tools it needs to change course and develop a new way of communicating with – rather than to – its audience. The author states that there have been "tectonic shifts" in physician and consumer behavior which renders current promotional methods as less effective than before. read more >>

Six Steps to Building a Successful Database
By David Bernard, managing director of DB Marketing Technologies

DTC marketers depend on marketing databases to steer and evaluate their marketing programs. Yet, few marketers really understand how their databases work; much less can evaluate the accuracy and reliability of their output. This article is designed to give marketers a basic knowledge of how to work with their marketing databases to ensure success. read more >>

Adding Value with Segmentation and Targeting
By Debrianna Obara, vice president of media at Razorfish

Technology has given rise to new segmentation and targeting opportunities that exist online and which are critically important for marketers to consider as they determine budget allocations and message development for online campaigns. read more >>

The Latest Update in DTC Spending: Surprises?
By David Kweskin, senior vice president & practice area leader at TNS Healthcare

As overall DTC ad-spending trends continue to weaken, television has managed to remain a relatively strong media option for pharma marketers, while magazine publishers overall have struggled with the downturn. And the future seems to bode well for the Internet. read more >>

Eye on the Hill: The Washington Merry-Go-Round on DTC Advertising
Jim Davidson reports on what to expect in the coming year from Washington

In this issue's Eye on the Hill column, Davidson discusses how despite entering its 12^th year, DTC advertising is continuing to face the same criticisms. Even though Congress rejected a moratorium proposal in 2007, critics, such as newly appointed Energy and Commerce Committee chairman Rep. Waxman, will not give up that easily. read more >>

Search: From the Inside Out: Speaking the Customers' Language
By Jeremy Sanchez, co-founder of Global Strategies International

Perspectives on Books: Worried Sick
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 Dr. Nortin M. Hadler's book, "Worried Sick: A Prescription for Health in an Overtreated America." read more >>

DTC Perspectives Editorial: Facts Do Matter

DTC advertising provides a good return on investment, but its effects and influence are often over-stated by critics and legislators. What consumers and politicians do not see, however, is the other forms of medical marketing that can have a greater influence on prescribing.
read more >>