In most sectors, marketers have the luxury of talking directly to the consumer. With doctors in the middle responsible for writing prescriptions before a patient can even get a drug, pharmaceutical companies usually aren’t quite that lucky. ??? This is one of the challenges faced by Mitch West, director of consumer relationship marketing for GlaxoSmithKline. GSK was formed in late 2000, when Glaxo Wellcome merged with SmithKline Beecham. West joined Glaxo Wellcome prior to the merger in March 2000 to head up e-business and CRM. Before that, he oversaw integrated marketing at the Mead Johnson division of Bristol-Myers Squibb for products such as Enfamil, Boost and Sustical. ??? He began his career by working for Targetbase for 10 years, where his first assignment was programming databases for companies such as Warner-Lambert and R.J. Reynolds Tobacco. To reach patients who use medications such as Flonase, Advair, Avandia and Paxil, GSK’s Raleigh, NC-based pharmaceutical division sends more than 10 million pieces of direct mail annually, as well as e-mail newsletters, both from GSK itself and third-party partners like Yahoo! It’s often not easy, because the Food and Drug Administration reviews all communications. ???

In most sectors, marketers have the luxury of talking directly to the consumer. With doctors in the middle responsible for writing prescriptions before a patient can even get a drug, pharmaceutical companies usually aren