QUICK READ: DTC is not going to go through a revolution it’s going to be evolutionary. Now is the time to get the right people in place and understand how people are going to verify your product claims.
Category Archive: DTC Review
QUICK READ: According to Fierce Pharma “mostly because DTC works. Study after study finds that patients follow the well-worn DTC advice and actually “ask your doctor” about a condition or a specific medicine after they’ve seen ads for a prescription drug on TV or online”. Uh…no
KEY IDEA: We live in a post-truth world. The institutions that were once trusted sources of truths are now regarded with deep skepticism by citizens and consumers alike. That’s changing the face of advertising.
SUMMARY: AZ is using non-branded DTC to educate lung cancer patients about different biomarkers. Why haven’t all the companies that offer lung cancer drugs joined forces to educate a public when only 40% of lung cancer patients get their tumors tested?
KEY TAKEAWAY: While patients are going online to research new drugs and treatments, pharma websites are becoming a less important part of the decision making. DTC marketers need to focus more on digital and less on TV.
KEY TAKEAWAY: Pharma agencies either have not communicated what effective reach and frequency is or DTC managers are spending money so they don’t lose it. Either way, what I learned in analyzing quantitative data is that people are tired of the same ads that are repeated over and over.
IN SUMMARY: Proponents of DTC advertising argue that advertisements can raise awareness about treatments and health conditions, though others say that DTC advertising can lead to overprescribing. However, the authors of a recent study found that information seeking behavior following exposure to DTC advertising. Some of these studies associated information seeking more strongly with patients with chronic conditions and those with a more positive view of DTC advertising.
IN SUMMARY: Launching a new drug in today’s challenging market can be tough. Your first objective, when it comes to DTC marketing should be to reach your target micro-segments with relevant messages. Today, one message for all segments doesn’t work. More emphasis on digital that works and less emphasis on mass channels.