Lets face it: digital technology has empowered us to such new heights it has actually changed forever how we interact with marketing messages. In today’s world, the physician/patient/consumer simply behaves differently. We need to adapt our marketing approaches in order to better meet the needs of our audience. I believe it is time for Pharma Brand Managers to think of themselves as Brand Publishers.
The consulting firm McKinsey was so obsessed about this new consumer that they commissioned a huge study to understand them better. (20,000 consumers, 5 industries, 3 continents)
(Click above to enlarge)
Click here to run video with voice-over explanation.
I believe there are many implications of this study for Pharma marketers.
1) We know that physicians, patients and consumers are on-line in record numbers “actively evaluating” and searching for solutions to the questions they have. These are actively engaged people looking for something. (Yes, it may vary based on therapeutic and average customer audience….but please, can we put this debate to rest?)
2) Pharma has traditionally been focused on “push” rather than “pull” marketing. Pushing a product-focused message to the proper target across many channels (including digital) at a high frequency has been the name of the game for decades.
3) Within this traditional model, it is very difficult for the engaged, on-line audience and “Push” Pharma to intersect. Pharma is largely on the sidelines in the digital space when it comes to meeting the needs of the actively engaged physician, patient or consumer who is not looking for a brand, but rather a solution to their problem. See for yourself – just try typing in some symptoms of a disease and see how many Pharma companies are trying to engage you to provide some answers.
Given the strong push by Pharma to redefine themselves as patient-centric health management companies, I strongly believe they need to take a broader view of their role in the online space. This could start with brand managers redefining their roles as “Brand Publishers”.
Brand Publishers:
1) Create a comprehensive set of customer-desired digital assets (branded and un-branded) based on a current and deep understanding of needs.
2) Deploy these assets across the expanding digital landscape. (Evaluation of digital opportunities required)
3) Ensure these assets are “Findable”, “Discoverable” and “Shareable”. (Think Search Engine Optimization and Marketing)
4) Leverage every customer engagement to further your business objectives. Always give them somewhere to go “Next”.
5) Measure their digital initiatives and refine content/experience accordingly based on customer needs and web analytics.
Inherent to this new brand publishing model is responsiveness and speed to market…..something that we all struggle with given our internal and external regulatory environment. Lets face it…big Pharma is not the CBC….and we will never be able to publish content in real-time. However, I believe that buy-in from senior leadership that there is a need to focus more on customer-centric pull marketing is a first step to creating the organizational change it will take to make it a reality.
What do you think?
Addendum August 9/2010: Check out this article from Forbes.com “Publish or Perish” for some interesting insights from the leader of McKinsey’s Digital Marketing Practice, David C. Edelman.
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