Shifting Trends in Pharma Marketing

I love stats! Doubleclick recently provided a June 2009 report to us on some research conducted by ORC Guidelines. The report, titled The “E-Dimensions” of Pharmaceutical Advertising, looks at "continually shifting trends of pharmaceutical marketing in the interactive space to determine whether marketers are able to deliver the information consumers are looking for in a way that meets the requirements and expectations of an “e-society.”'

While the research study was small, there were some salient points that emerged that were worth sharing:

• 47% of those surveyed that saw an online ad for an Rx ended up going to the product website
  
• 77% agreed that mentioning the advertising to their doctor resulted in a better discussion


• With regards to representation of safety information – one in four respondents indicated there is too much emphasis on the risk
  
• The majority of consumers would rather be exposed to a condition-specific message rather than product-specific (see past blog posts on trends in unbranded marketing)
  
• Currently one in three pharmaceutical companies are currently using some type of emerging media for their DTC communications – and this number is expected to double in three years

All food for thought as you kick in gear for your 2010 planning. Wow, is it that time already?

Special thanks to Doubleclick for the data, and to our Media Director, Tina, for the key points!