June « 2011 « Return On Focus --- http://returnonfocus.com --- Return On Focus

ROF Metric Series: Brand User to Discontinuer Ratio

June 24, 2011

Do You Really Know What You’re Supporting in Your Patient Support Program?

Filed under: Marketing Effectiveness,Patient Marketing,What We Think — Tags: , , — dreinhardt @ 2:56 pm

I was recently asked to review the output from a Client workshop that centered on coming up with components for a patient support program for a neurology product. The ideas that came out of the meeting were the usual suspects of our fast-follower industry:

  • Starter Kit, including patient brochure
  • Patient website
  • Call Center
  • CRM Program
  • Caregiver Component
  • Co-pay Card
  • Requisite Premium

Taking a step back, I wondered what we were actually supporting as part of the program. As an evidence-based marketer, I ran a literature search to see if I could at a minimum undercover a validated construct for patient support in this disease state. I was quickly able to identify a construct that had been validated through a series of real world experiments in the targeted disease state and had been published in peer-reviewed journals. The construct not only identified 6 key factors for support, but also outlined validated interventions to address each.

Meeting with the Client, we decided that the backbone for the development of the patient support program should be rooted in the ‘science’ and the construct became the touchstone for the development of the program. Ultimately, this experience became one of our strongest case studies for the rationale behind evidence-based marketing. I’d be happy to share it with you.

Or, how about we get started on your Brand?

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June 19, 2011

Online Listening Depends on the Sculptor, Not Just the Quality of the Clay

Filed under: Marketing Effectiveness,Patient Marketing,Social Media,What We Think — dreinhardt @ 8:37 pm

While it’s almost a year old, the Forrester Blog Post by James Kobielus – ‘Social Media Analytics: You Still Need Actual Analysts in the Loop’ continues to ring true. The post focused on the false belief, exposed by many, that sophisticated tech tools can eliminate the need for human intervention in monitoring/listening of online discussion.

It’s true that the technology tools for gathering, sorting, and processing publically-accessible information are getting more sophisticated, but these improvements do not obviate the need for skilled human intervention. Specifically, it is the strong and refined marketing lens that is required to, as Mr. Kobielus points out, “distinguish false positives from false negatives, ignoring the former and restoring the latter.” Too often pharmaceutical marketers are getting caught up in the subtle variations of the technology (i.e., the clay) and not focused on the skills (or even existence) of the experienced sculptor.

If you’ve recently gotten a social media analysis and wondered what you could actually do with the information, you’re missing out on actionable insights for your brand. How much longer are you going to go without the artistry of marketing application?

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June 12, 2011

30% of Your Patients are Automatically Not a Target

Filed under: Patient Marketing,What We Think — Tags: — dreinhardt @ 8:58 pm

Too many of the DTC ROI models that I review, start with 100% of the population with the disease prevalence being the potential target. It ignores the evidence that’s been established across a number of disease states.

The fact is, roughly 30% of patients do not want to play a role in their treatment.

I’ll use evidence from research with metastatic breast cancer patients because surely this is the disease state with patients most apt to have a collaborative treatment approach with their physician. Grunfeld, in 2006, demonstrated that even as patients fail lines of chemotherapy in metastatic breast cancer a significant minority remain passive in their treatment even as their condition progresses.

30% of Patients Not Your Target

In developing a realistic ROI model for patient marketing investments in metastatic breast cancer, I would automatically discount the targeted population by at least 30% based on the evidence provided by Grunfeld. It’s difficult to make the case that marketing efforts would change a patient’s innate behavior when blowing through a line of chemotherapy does not.

Yet another illustration of how you can leverage evidence-based marketing easily and efficiently to get more mileage out of your marketing and market research efforts.

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June 6, 2011

ROF Metric Series: Brand User to Discontinuer Ratio

Filed under: Patient Marketing,Social Media,What We Think — Tags: , , , — dreinhardt @ 10:32 am

When discussing the utility of Social Media in the pharmaceutical industry, all too often the focus is on the benefits accrued from positive word of mouth. The downside is the negative word of mouth that typically isn’t discussed among purveyors of social media marketing solutions.

When a patient is prescribed your brand, do you want them to be in a ‘room’ with all current users of your product or former users of your product who have discontinued for a range of reasons? At ROF, we use the User-to-Discontinuer Ratio to help clients understand the likelihood that a patient newly prescribed a brand will encounter a discontinuer or former user versus a current user. A score of 1 translates into an equal likelihood that the authors of the discussion viewed by this newly prescribe patient are discontinuers or current users. Why is this important?

Our work has shown us that former users are much more apt to poison the social media well for the newly initiated, particularly those holding a prescription but seeking a second opinion online. Taking a look at this ratio for the discussion boards in your disease state may give you a whole new perspective on the insights you can gain from analyzing online discussion related to your brand.

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