KEY SUMMARY: WebMD has been sold to an investment group and you can bet that there are going to be some big changes coming to the number one health portal that might not include a strategy to attract online pharma dollars.
WebMD
KEY TAKEAWAY: WebMD is proof that having the numbers doesn’t make you a viable business. Pharma marketers have moved to programmatic online media buys which, in most cases, leaves WebMD in the cold and possibly for sale.
KEY TAKEAWAY: WebMD needs pharma and medical device companies, but pharma doesn’t need WebMD. Here’s how WebMD can get its mojo back.
KEY TAKEAWAY: Pharma does not need WebMD, even though they are the number one health portal, because there are better opportunities for ad placement and integrated content. If WebMD wants to work with pharma they need to earn it via a clear demonstration of ROI.
KEY TAKEAWAY: WebMD has appointed a new CEO and once again the number one health portal shows signs that it’s struggling to monetize its popularity with online health seekers.
KEY TAKEAWAY: Although WebMD is the number one health portal patients do not make healthcare treatment decisions based on a stop at one website. WebMD could be part of an online media plan, but there are better options available to reach online health seekers.
KEY TAKEAWAY: The correlation between traffic for a healthcare site and ROI is proving more elusive as consumers spend more time debating various treatment options yet drugmakers continue down a path of “build it and they will come”. Think of the journey to treatment rather than just a digital component.
POST SUMMARY: WebMD is the number one health portal on the Internet, but is it really required to consider WebMD as part of pharma marketers online media plans? Not really.