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Too many damn conferences
Jul/19/2008 07:28 Filed in: eMarketing
I have presented at many eMarketing seminars and conferences over the last few years. At the end of my presentation I always allow time for questions and answers but I have been surprised at the lack of really good, probing questions, from the audience. My guess is that a lot of the people who attend these conferences are either new to eMarketing or only have partial responsibility for the brand interactive strategy and implementation.
As I have said many times before on this BLOG I feel that eMarketing is NOT a skill that should be learned on the job. You can’t stick someone who used to work in market research in an eMarketing role and expect them to excel in the position. The technology and the way people are using and accessing the Web are changing quickly and one has to be able to understand that the Web is about users not pushing irrelevant sales messages. The skill that is needed in one in which an eMarketing person can effectively communicate this to senior managers thus getting their buy in on the marriage of business objectives and user needs and wants.
A lot of people in DTC, and eMarketing, are still trying to figure out “this web thing” so they can meet their objectives and get a good raise. Then there are the people who are starting to understand the potential of the Web but constantly have to fight to get dollars. This results in endless Power Point presentations to a bunch of people who envision the Web as a place to repurpose sales brochures.
Finally you have some people who KNOW what to do but don’t have the resources. They are told to build a best in class website and online ad campaign with a budget that is not adequate for either program. This is where the budget drives the strategy instead of the strategy driving the budget.
It’s actually ironic because at a time of declining DTC budgets the Web can drive new Rx’s with LESS dollars than are used on TV or print ads. I have found that the reason more dollars are not allocated to online is that senior people don’t understand consumer behavior on the Web or how to measure Web initiatives. DTC managers also see the Web as a necessity but way too many view this channel as a threat to DTC dollars for other programs like TV and print.
Is this going to change anytime soon? I’m not sure. There is a lot of potential to use the Web for healthcare marketing but most of it remains untapped. What is needed are passionate eMarketing people who can effectively communicate the advantages of the channel and an organizational structure that encourages risk. Right now pharma is in risk adverse mode which is sad because in any downturn there is a chance for someone to come forward as a leader and light the way.
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