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Why can't pharma move beyond Web 1.0?
Nearly all pharma product Websites are stuck in Web 1.0 and even with new product and DTC launches each day pharma websites give no indication that they are ready to embrace Web 2.0 or even 1.5. While consumer product manufacturers have moved their marketing models to the social web and started to question the effectiveness of mass channels like TV pharma marketers keep beating the old drum in hopes that the turtle can indeed catch the rabbit.
Here are some of the possible reasons why pharma has not embraced Web 2.0:
We're a regulated industry and can't engage patients or customers- This is pure garbage ! When you post an 800# don't you engage people? DDMAC can't issue Web guidelines because they don't even know how to approach the Web and works with customers and patients.
Lawyers- Legal people on DTC review teams need to go back to school to learn about social media and risk management. They don't know and aren't aware of the changes taking place in the consumer landscape but more importantly senior legal counsel needs to work with the head marketing person to take risks and start engaging people. Think it can't be done? Well if a conservative midwest company can run ads featuring women wearing towels and couples in bathtubs working with legal to get them up to speed can be implemented.
Old school marketing people- A lot of DTC marketers came from "old school" marketing organizations where expressions like reach and frequency and measurement of audience messages are yardsticks for marketing campaign effectiveness. Well that was then...THIS is now. That old marketing is as dead as Mrs Clintons chances for the nomination. Relationships with agency people, whose job it is to get the client to spend more money, can also cloud judgement about the best way to reach the target audience.
Lack
of good eMarketing people- I see this again
and again. Pharma organizations have a habit of doing
something that still puzzles me: when someone excels
at a position or job they promote them to another
position that has little to do with the old ones? If,
for example, someone is great at eMarketing why in
the hell would you promote them and move them out of
eMarketing to market research position? eMarketing is
not something you can learn overnight and really good
eMarketing people are hard to find.
Power
Point Poisoning - You develop and
edit presentations to get "buy-in" from management on
the importance of the Web. After 4-6 months of giving
the same presentation and just when people are
beginning to see your side of the story someone
leaves and is replaced by another person who wants to
add more salespeople. This fact alone is responsible
for the strong sales of Jim Beam in this country.
Strategic
Planning and implementation of Web
initiatives- Marketing people
will start to develop strategic plans around a new
product years before FDA approval but eMarketing
people will not be brought into the process until the
FDA is getting ready to approve the NDA. By then
we're playing catch up an don't have the time for
usability studies and a process to develop a world
class website. I was lucky that the approval of
Cialis was delayed as it allowed us to refine our Web
strategy and conduct more research to develop a
better website. Believe it or not you DO need to do
research with your audience to determine what THEY
want in a website.
Inside
looking out- This, I believe, is
responsible for more bad pharma websites than
anything. The Web is a pull channel not a push
channel and we need to look from the outside in when
we develop our websites rather than the outside in.
Customer wants should always be first before business
objectives because people can turn off our message
with a click.
Hiring
a GREAT agency- This is the most
important thing you can do when you develop a
website. I don't mean an agency experienced in pharma
and health, I mean an agency that is creative and can
think outside the box. I want an agency that pushes
the envelope and asks "why not" rather than acts as
task masters. Look through any pharma trade magazine
and you'll see the same agencies over and over again.
If I see a great website or TV commercial I try and
find out who the agency is and then learn all about
their capabilities.
We
can't measure Web interventions- This is pure 100% BS
! There are a number
of ways to measure Web interventions and Web
analytics are becoming more and more sophisticated.
The real problem is that market research people don't
understand Web analytics and that eMarketing people
don't have the time to due a deep dive into analytics
and make recommendation that will be implemented way
too long after the fact.
During my career in DTC marketing I have always tried
to push the envelope. I have run into a number of
obstacles but in the end I try and remember that what
I do can effect peoples lives. If I really believe
that my product can help them to live a more normal
and better quality of life than it is my job to keep
pushing for what I believe is right. DTC marketers
need to stop playing it safe and developing programs
that management will understand. They need better
insights that are actionable with speed and quality
and they need eMarketing people who can give them the
tools so they understand the power of the Web and
social media. Only when they do this can they move to
Web 2.0 and start to bury the mass marketing mindset.