Healthcare Marketing New Year's Resolutions- Part 2 | Dose of Digital - Digital Marketing in Pharma and Healthcare

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Healthcare Marketing New Year’s Resolutions – Part 2

2. Stop the TV Ads

Hey, I sound like Congress…and the FDA…and the general public…and the AMA. What are the odds? I’m not sure how everyone else can make it clear to pharma marketers that TV ads simply aren’t welcome anymore. Sure, the TV networks, media buying agencies, and traditional advertising agencies love them, but most of the targets for the ads don’t. Unfortunately, there’s still a perception that these ads work within the industry despite numbers like this:

According to FDA research, about 6% of all doctors’ appointments are scheduled because a consumer saw a DTC commercial.
In 6% of those DTC-generated office visits, a previously undiagnosed condition was discovered.

So, there go two of the big arguments for DTC. One, it gets people asking for drugs in the doctor’s office and, two, it helps uncover previoulsy untreated conditions (thusly saving the world). Basically, DTC TV has a 6% response rate (which is actually generous if over-simplified). That’s terrible. Can’t we come up with anything better? At least can’t we come up with something that’s more cost effective (and doesn’t include a jingle with the words “Viva” or “Viagra”)?

(To be continued tomorrow…)

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Posted by Jonathan Richman in Room for Improvement,The Basics on January 8, 2009 | View Comments

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Josh

Have you ever thought that perhaps more than 6% of all doctor's visits DONT NEED advertised, expensive pharmaceuticals? Or am I just crazy?
Jonathan Richman

I'm not saying that pharma should be aiming to increase the number of people who get an appointment because of a TV ad. My title for this post was "Stop the TV Ads." Rather my point was that pharma needs to find more effective tactics. A really low response rate opposite the cost isn't a viable long term strategy. And yes, these drugs aren't for everyone so part of the solution is better targeted messaging to those who do need these drugs and educating those who don't about the reasons why. In the long run, everyone benefits from this. Patients get the right treatments and pharma companies spend less dollars on marketing to the whole world instead of the right, select few.
Jonathan Richman

Thanks for the comment, Suzanne. Some companies, for many brands, actually spend more on magazine ads versus TV, so that's probably a worthwhile tactic to consider for the chopping block. The fine print, of course, is a requirement and many companies have tried to cut down the amount of copy on these to make them simpler to read. Of course, they're still unintelligible anyway.

I particularly enjoy the print ads to count the number of cliche images that appear in them. "Smiling couple," "Playing with Kids," "Shopping with the girls," "Playing a sport," and "Walk on the Beach." They're all classics.
Suzanne Dewey

Here, here! And while we are making those pharma advertising resolutions, does it make sense to also quit doing the magazine ads with the fine print insert that NO ONE ever reads? I also would suggest that hospitals and other health care organizations limit their television spots -- so expensive and with dubious ROI impact. Good job with the healthcare marketing resolutions! Keep them coming.