Sep/14/2008 10:00
Parade
Magazine has a circulation of 32 million and
readership of 71 million with 52% of readers female.
So when Parade, this weekend, issued a special
section called Inspiration on "Living With Cancer" my
belief is that it is going to be read by a LOT of
people. Once again Amgen's Neulasta is the sole
sponsor both online and offline in print. Someone at
Amgen is sure paying attention to detail because they
are taking advantage of targeted opportunities to do
some great advertising. Read
More...
Sep/09/2008 01:16
About time
! That's my reaction to the new Gardasil print ad
that I came across this week. A great black and white
picture of a mother and daughter with the caption "I
chose to get my daughter vaccinated because no matter
how old she gets, she'll always be my little girl".
It then goes on "I'll do everything I can to help
protect her. Hey, I'm her mother and that's my job".
Finally a drug ad with lot's of emotion to make a
connection to the audience. Is ANY mother out there
does not at least consider this ad than they are
don't have a young daughter. Read
More...
Sep/08/2008 06:10
If you had
a chance to watch Stand Up to Cancer
last
week you noticed the Amgen logo on
the backdrop as the sole pharmaceutical sponsor.
This week Time Magazine had an in depth article on
the war against cancer and the sole advertiser was
again, Amgen. Great tactical placement and a great
way to own the share of mind for two very
important media events with lots of
exposure. Read
More...
Sep/06/2008 07:13
"For the
right opportunity, the [online] space offers fresh
ways to commercialize new and existing brands, target
specific audiences on needs more cost effectively."
This quote from the Chief Marketing Officer of
Kelloggs was in response to his determination that
online ad spending provided a better ROI than TV.
While of course there are major differences between
cereal and prescription drugs there are some lessons
to be learned here. Read
More...
Sep/03/2008 06:20
That clink
you heard was the clutch giving way with the new
Paradigm shift. The new Lipitor campaign is excellent
and spot on for an audience that is confused about
all the news around high cholesterol and medications
that may or may not work. Add to that the recent
death from Tim Russert and a lot of people are asking
their physicians what medication is right for them
and which medication is best to prevent CV problems.
More often than not that medication is going to be
Lipitor. Read
More...
Sep/01/2008 10:50
There has been a lot
of talk about branding within pharma products but a
lot of branding touch points are often overlooked by
marketers. A perfect example are starter kits which
are usually given away as samples. Why not use
starter kits as a first Rx and enhance the packaging
to get closer to customers? Read
More...
Aug/29/2008 06:33
Direct-to-consumer
drug advertising dropped nearly 30% in the first
quarter of this year but now scrutiny may turn to
unbranded ads according to an article this morning in
the Wall Street
Journal. "One night
during the Olympic Games, NBC host Bob Costas
noted that the 3 a.m. rerun of the primetime
broadcast was sponsored by the maker of Ambien.
"No lie," he said. "There's irony there
somewhere." While the Ambien Rooster ad is a great
approach for out of the box DTC advertising some
other unbranded ads are simply an
"end
run" while the brand gets negative
publicity.
Read
More...
Aug/28/2008 05:53
Cialis just went
from 36 hours to respond to partner when the moment
is right to 126 hours (hours in a week) with daily
dosing. In todays time pressed world this is going to
be a great benefit for men who may not have the
clinical definition of ED but look to the little
yellow pill to provide them the confidence when they
and their partner do have time for
intimacy. Read More...
Aug/27/2008 12:42
There
has been a lot of buzz about the new iPhone and
faster Internet mobile connections, but even with
these faster connections only 15.6% of US mobile
phone user have Internet access. What does this mean
for DTC marketers? Don't have to worry about mobile
marketing yet unless your target audience is online.
Read More...
Aug/27/2008 09:03
There are some great
DTC campaigns running right now, Neulasta (I'm
Ready), Cymbalta (depression hurts), Detrol (its time
to have the Detrol discussion), Cialis
(interruptions), Enbrel (you could do more) but one
has to wonder if great DTC campaigns are enough to
increase business when there are so many
environmental factors that can delay or stall
treatment?
Read More...
Aug/26/2008 07:42
I
continue to applaud the Cymbalta DTC spots that are
currently running. A lot of creative people forget
that emotion is a powerful motivator and the Cymbalta
spots, with the music in the background, clearly show
how depression can effect the patient and those
around her/him. In my opinion this is THE best DTC
spot on the air right now but then I would not
expected anything less from a great Cymbalta DTC team
led by an outstanding consumer marketing Director.
Read More...
Aug/25/2008 08:13
Amgen is starting a
new wave of DTC for Enbrel and the new spots are only
the beginning of a great DTC campaign that includes a
redone and greatly improved website. This is a great
pharma product website and a new campaign that should
ensure that Enbrel’s sales remain strong and provide
a health solution to patients suffering from a
variety of conditions. Slowly Amgen is becoming a
very good DTC marketer and the big DTC pharma
powerhouses could learn a lesson from Enbrel campaign
and website.
Read More...
Aug/19/2008 09:17
Look at any Web
analytic log for a pharma product and you’re sure to
see that one of the most viewed pages are the side
effects and safety warnings. People want to know the
risk/benefit of taking pharmaceutical products and
can judge for themselves if they want to ask for new
drug. One therefore, has to wonder why in the world
Shire would launch DTC print ads for Vyvanse
targeting the adult ADHD market. The warnings are
enough to scare anyone away and is certainly not
worth the risks in this authors
opinion. Read More...
Aug/15/2008 09:03
While I believe that
a lot of DTC ads could be improved there are some DTC
ads that I feel are very good. Here is a list of some
the DTC ads that I believe are some of the best on
air right now and are sure to continue to drive new
Rx’s as well as educate and inform customers which,
at it’s best, is what DTC ads should be all
about. Read
More...
Aug/14/2008 10:13
I
don’t think there was ever an industry that is going
through such a funk as the pharma and health
industries. This week we learned that in fact
exercise does not help people who are depressed and
that there actually maybe something to the Atkins
diet after all. Is it any wonder that consumers are
confused about what they should do to take better
care of themselves and what medications are actually
safe with the least amount of side effects?
Read
More...
Aug/05/2008 09:02
TV
is great for building awareness of new treatment
options and the new DTC for Menactra does a great job
in communicating meningitis risks to parents.
Meningococcal meningitis strikes just 1,400 to 2,800
Americans a year -- but with terrifying speed and
consequences. Roughly 10% of victims die, often hours
after symptoms set in. About 15% of those who survive
are left with brain damage, hearing loss or
amputations; gangrene sets in rapidly if the disease
disrupts blood flow to the limbs. Many victims are
adolescents and college kids living away from home
for the first time. The use of this product is going
to come down to risks vs. possible outcomes but some
may say this product is worth the risk.
Read
More...
Jul/18/2008 01:59
Yesterday I saw a
great DTC ad for Detrol LA. The ad opens with a women
in her physicians waiting room and rushing to the
bathroom while the voice over talks about “having the
Detrol discussion with your doctor” As the women
reads the Detrol material she confidently says to her
doctor “I’m ready to have the Detrol discussion”.
What I like about this spot is that it addresses the
moment of truth when the patient meets with her
physician and gives an example of just how easy it is
to ask for Detrol. Read
More...
Jul/13/2008 11:48
Well as this author
reported many times this year DTC budgets are in fact
decreasing according to various media reports. Those
of us in the industry knew this was coming as the
changes to the pharma business model were as sutle as
100 car freight train traveling at 80 MPH.
Read
More...
Jun/10/2008 09:36
So
what do you do when your brand is being talked about
negatively in the press and on social media sites?
Well first you hold a round table that only has one
side and then you launch a back approach to
advertising with general disease information that
leads people to your brand. This back door marketing
approach has no respect for people’s intelligence and
stinks. Rather than address the issues head on Pfizer
has chosen to ignore it with double talk.
Read
More...
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