Frustration of working in pharma leading to defections?

Jan/17/2007 08:21 Filed in: Pharma Business
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Nearly half of all 11,000 respondents to a recent CNNMoney.com poll are thinking about changing jobs soon. In an online poll created as part of Fortune's 100 Best Companies to Work For coverage, CNNMoney asked readers "Do you expect to change jobs soon?" and found that many people were on the hunt. 21 percent indicated they were already job hunting, while 21 percent said they'd start looking sometime this year. Seven percent expected to be promoted in 2007. 42 percent of respondents said they were happy where they were. And eight percent were "not sure". I have know a lot of people in DTC and I can say that more than half have had it and are looking to get out of pharma marketing all together. This is too bad because the industry needs bright people who are willing to push the envelope to reach empowered consumers.


DTC marketing is not an easy career field to learn and excel in. Often we report to people who have no consumer marketing background and don't understand that marketing is an investment in the brand. However what has made DTC even more challenging is the revolution of empowered consumers. Consumer generated media is at the growth stage of its life cycle and everyone who has a PC can talk about your brand and, more importantly, share the brand experience with others. One disgruntled customer can reach hundreds and thousands with a BLOG or a post on a message board. Yet we continue to read that DTC marketing people are continuing to allocate more and more money to TV while doing the bare minimum for the Web and engaging people in dialogue. Product websites are often stagnant with content that is rarely updated. Before implementing any programs months of market research is needed because marketers want to cover their ass and don't know all they should about their customers.

While working in DTC I have seen good people who made a difference in patients lives passed over for promotion while others who were in the right place at the right time get promoted. Sure these people maybe competent at what they do but when I build a team I want people with a passion for what they do not people who "fit a certain profile". How would you feel when an intern comes back to work for your company, after getting her MBA, and gets promoted within a year while over the past 4 years you, and a lot of people like you, have won awards for your work and made a difference in patients lives? Can you say "work on my resume, I'm outa here!"

Those of you who read my posts here know that I am extremely passionate about DTC marketing and the Internet. DTC, when it's done right can help patients take a more active role in their healthcare choices. What continues to frustrate me however is that with all the great work I, and others, have done those who control DTC dollars continue to look at TV as the "golden egg" to reach consumers and patients. I once presented data that showed that over 85% of website visitors to my product.com website came from online media and search yet the next year my budget was cut in favor of TV even though an online survey of test and control groups indicated a 20% lift in intent to ask their HCP for my product vs. those that had not read content on my website. These are the kind of things that drive people crazy and out of DTC marketing. There are too many old school marketers in the field and to be blunt..it shows.
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