Drug Interactions

Open up and say “ahhhh.” Or pick up a pamphlet in your physician’s office. Or type your symptoms into a search engine. Today, pharmaceutical companies are using every trick in their doctor’s bag to connect with potential prospects. Direct talked with DraftFCB Healthcare’s COO Harold Corbran Jr. and director of CRM Mike Brzozowski about trends in healthcare direct marketing.

DIRECT: What’s the biggest movement in pharmaceutical DM?

CORBRAN: Overall, using a word-of-mouth approach.

BRZOZOWSKI: I would agree, for targeting physicians as well as consumers. From a marketing perspective, one thing that’s interesting is that pharma companies are beginning to treat patients more like humans — the approach is [similar to] how a consumer packaged-goods firm or a financial services company would look at folks, especially on the patient side. They’re trying to manage those relationships, in addition to considering whether or not you’re on a drug or if you have a condition that needs to be treated.

CORBRAN: The ability to get that information to prospects when they need it is what everyone is striving to do. They want to better understand prospects as individuals, and see what information will really help affect a behavior or attitude.

BRZOZOWSKI: Consumer-powered healthcare sounds trite, but it really is true. The Internet gives consumers unparalleled access to a lot of information, some of it good, some of it not so good. They’re able to be advocates for themselves when they’re having conversations with doctors.

DIRECT: Is this translating into more CRM-type initiatives?

BRZOZOWSKI: Yes. There’s a lot of data that shows money is shifting out of mass media and into more targeted vehicles, whether it be CRM or pharmacy renewal programs. There’s also a lot more money funneling into areas like the doctor’s office. Pharma companies are figuring out the key touch and interaction points and where they need to be to target consumers effectively. And it goes without saying that there’s a huge amount of money going into online media.

DIRECT: Is everything shifting online, or are you still seeing money going into more traditional media, like direct mail?

CORBRAN: Direct mail has been a cornerstone for the professional side. A little bit of the shine has come off of that, but it isn’t gone. We’ve done some personalized direct mail pieces using on-demand printing to customize for a person or group.

BRZOZOWSKI: On the consumer side, there’s more money going into the Web, mobile marketing and other new media vehicles. But if direct mail is targeted and has the right message for the right person, you can see double-digit response rates, especially in pharma. Direct mail is a workhorse vehicle. Many of these medical conditions are complicated and sometimes it helps to get people’s attention.

DIRECT: Physicians have many different constituencies vying for their attention. Does this make it difficult to market to them and build relationships?

CORBRAN: Yes and no. Probably back in the 1950s, companies started to market to physicians in ways that brought agencies like ours into being. Ever since then, pharmaceutical firms have always been considered a source of information for the physician. That continues. But the dynamic of how you get to them has shifted. Currently there are still large sales forces that work to communicate with medical professionals. The amount of time available with physicians varies because of constraints on their time. But it’s not just a transactional sale any longer, where a rep talks about a product. It’s more of an enterprise approach now — the rep needs to understand the physician’s overall practice and his or her needs for information that might go beyond the product itself. If the rep can have that in hand, it’ll make the relationship even stronger.

For more articles on integration, go to http://directmag.com/disciplines/integration/.