Introducing the ROF Metrics Series

March 27, 2011

Introducing the ROF Metrics Series

Filed under: Marketing Effectiveness,What We Think — Tags: measurement, metric series, patient marketing, testing — dreinhardt @ 8:54 pm

This is the first blog post in what I hope will be a series of ongoing posts for the remainder of the year that attempts to introduce potential new metrics in the pharmaceutical industry. My goal is to serve as a catalyst for the development of new pharmaceutical marketing metrics, all the while recognizing that I, by myself, won’t nail it completely. As always, I invite you to comment and ladder up the thinking.

For the first post in this series, let me tackle the potential communicative value of DTC print advertising for an individual brand. “Real estate,” meaning the space on the page, is a precious but limited resource in print advertising due to exorbitant costs. In committing to a single-page ad unit, you’re always committing to at least one additional page (if you’re lucky) for the prescribing information. Therefore, the one page of promotional copy really needs to work hard for you in order to justify the investment in print. I’d like to introduce the Benefit/Risk Copy Ratio (BRCR) metric. It’s the ratio of the surface area of positive promotional copy to the surface area dedicated to fair balance + ISI. A score of 1 translates into having as much surface area on the page dedicated to positive brand promotion as to safety and fair balance. Looking at this month’s Prevention magazine I would say that the BRCR is hovering around .4. A brand with an unduly lengthy ISI will be penalized—but that might not be such a bad thing. Maybe it forces the question that isn’t asked often enough, “If three-quarters of our one-page DTC ad is covered by the ISI, will our ad generate enough impact to achieve a positive ROI?”

I don’t know, but I’d be happy if we just started asking the question!

Comments (0)

March 20, 2011

Credibility is Currency in MD Media Consumption

Filed under: Marketing Effectiveness,Professional Marketing,What We Think — Tags: CRM, HCP crm, professional marketing — dreinhardt @ 9:25 pm

We’re all frustrated that physicians are spending less and less time with our representatives. The knee jerk reaction has been to try to become their trusted sources through non-personal communication, whether through websites or robust e-mail programs. Physicians, across a range of specialties, have told us that it’s just not our place.

As one MD said, “When I’m looking to evaluate a new car, I don’t go to GM.com, I go to Edmunds.com and ConsumerReports.com.”

The currency for busy physicians is credibility and objectivity. Pharma companies just don’t have it for the most part because in the end, they’re selling a specific product. All one has to do is conduct some quick concept testing on these approaches to see that the same initiative that tanks in testing when offered by a pharma company, comes to life when it’s offered by the specialty association. What is this telling you?

Comments (0)

March 13, 2011

Are You Practicing Faux Authenticity?

Filed under: Marketing Effectiveness,Patient Marketing,What We Think — Tags: patient marketing — amanning @ 9:42 pm

Do you have the same reaction that I do to a 16-year old wearing worn-looking Madonna Blond Ambition World Tour t-shirt? My reaction is – ‘you weren’t even born yet.’ The tour was in 1990! While the t-shirt looks vintage and worn, it’s not — it’s faux authentic.

It reminds me of how many major pharmaceutical brands practice patient authenticity in their DTC marketing efforts. The execution often attempts to exude authenticity, but the patient portrayed is actually an actor/model. The copy has been developed by a young copywriter at the ad agency who has ‘read’ about the disease, but has not experienced the disease first hand. The execution attempts to portray how a patient would actually feel. Like that Madonna t-shirt, only those who are truly experienced know what is real and what isn’t.

In contrast, a few innovative marketers are imbuing real patient authenticity into their consumer efforts. Should I even have to use the adjective ‘real’ in front of patient authenticity?

Comments (0)

March 7, 2011

LCD Patient Marketing Runs Counter to Driving Adherence ROI

Filed under: Marketing Effectiveness,Patient Marketing,What We Think — Tags: adherence, patient marketing — kyork @ 7:20 am

Over the course of your career, you’ve definitely heard it said that to be effective, patient marketing materials have to be written at a 6th grade reading level or below to ensure comprehension among the masses. Well, this does not necessarily tell the full story.

Recent studies^1,2 have demonstrated that education level is directly and strongly correlated with patient adherence to treatment. While there are certainly other factors at play when it comes to continuing a particular therapy, it has been proven repeatedly that education is a biggie.

So, here’s the conundrum. All things being equal, lower educated patients are likely going to have lower adherence rates. This is the group where adherence interventions will produce the lowest return.

Why then are we exclusively developing our branded patient materials to speak to them?

The truth is—and the authors of the studies I’ve cited have noted this previously—there is a true need for patient education materials at both low and high educational levels. If your brand is only developing materials for the lowest group, then you are likely alienating your best prospects for optimal adherence with drug therapy.

I know there are cost implications to what I’m suggesting. But consider what you might be giving up in revenue if you don’t also tailor your messages to your more sophisticated brand users.

How do your target patients feel about your brand’s communication style? Not sure? Give us a call.

1. Mehta, RH, et al. Association of Mortality with Years of Education in Patients with ST-Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction Treated with Fibrinolysis. J of Am Coll Cardiol. 2011;57(2): 138-146. 2. Wolf, MS, et al. Literacy, Self-Efficacy, and HIV medication adherence. Patient Education and Counseling. 2007;65(2):253-260.

Comments (0)