Pharma: Dip Your Toes and Other Tips From DTC Perspectives Conference
Posted by Ellen Hoenig Carlson on Wed, Oct 21, 2009 @ 05:24 AM
We're in the midst of conference-frenzy. Last week I was able to attend day two of DTC Perspective's Fall Conference: Reform & Refocus (For twitter followers: #dtcfall). Here are some of the key themes that I picked up:
Dip-your-toes approach. This was said over and over about social media. Get started, and evolve as you learn and your company becomes more comfortable with the effort. (This is also a common theme in Digital Pharma's conference taking place this week. #digpharm)- Remember your overall marketing strategy--Before you clarify objectives for social media and start running with tactics...
- Give the team TIME. Initiating new social media programs took many more hours and resources than originally planned. And there is always the unexpected...
- The Internet is for marketing-not just advertising. This also requires a shift in mindset. (Bill Drummy of Heartbeat Digital)
- Technology is moving oh soooo fast-Mobile, video, ‘smart' advertising using behavioral data, gaming and of course social media are musts to be more than experimenting with in 2010.
During day two, two presentations stood out to me:
Hologic and Greater Than One: How Social Media Can Become Real in Healthcare. Marnie Rosenberg, Partner, Greater Than One and Mary Pietrowski Director of Consumer and eMarketing of Hologic did a great job presenting four case studies, including a branded YouTube video. This is also where the infamous twitter tweet: "60% consumers don't care who sponsors health info- just want good info, community-value". (Turns out it's based on Infomedics Survey.) They also presented iCrossing data showing that of the online tools and websites, social media is used by 34% to locate healthcare information.
The On Demand Brand (book due out spring, 2010) by Rick Mathieson: Digital to Consumer-- The 5 Top Trends in 2010
- Social Networking of course...Regarding video, Rick presented data saying that nearly 50% of US adults say online video is a key way they research DTC drugs. His suggestions for pharma: use Social Media more for event based marketing, keep it social and targeted.
- Smart Advertising using behavioral data, but being careful not to target too well or to become invasive
- Mobile, especially texting, apps and use of QR codes
- Video Games For Health and Advergaming (See my blog covering 2009 Games For Health Conference and PharmExec article Video Games: Key To The Future of Healthcare?)
- Augmented Reality. The rules: Entertain, Educate and Engage
Wrapping up the conference, there was a good panel discussion with Pharma Marketers and Industry experts on The Use of Online Video in DTC Marketing led by Raj Amin, CEO, HealthiNation. Monique Levy @monasante also reviewed some recent Manhattan Research data. One of the points she made was that 25% of consumers view video on product.com sites.
Overall, the discussion centered around the big opportunity of video and suggestions to optimize its use e.g.: keep it moving (no more than 2-3 minutes) and tell an interesting story with great content. Saatchi Wellness talked to their successful rooster campaign and the move from unbranded to branded. Nike was also discussed as a great example of parceling out video info depending on a consumer's interest. They keep initial video short, but enable additional video watching for those who want more info etc.
Any other thoughts? Overall, day two was a good day!