Recently, Tracey Davies, Associate Sales Director, Wiley, was joined by Karl Franz, Regional Sales Manager, US, Wiley, and Jamie Brewster, National Sales Director M3 MI, Kantar Media Healthcare Research, for an interesting webinar on the evolving healthcare advertising landscape. The panelists shared their observations about pharma marketing and the most effective ways to achieve HCP engagement. Here are key highlights from their conversation.
1. Stand out in an overcrowded marketing space: The healthcare advertising landscape is becoming increasingly complex. In today’s multimedia-rich environment, each individual is exposed to up to 10,000 advertisements per day.2 HCPs are inundated with information from different sources and platforms. In fact, it is estimated that they need to read 21 hours a day to maintain their level of medical knowledge.3,4
Key takeaway: Design carefully calibrated, data-driven engagement strategies aligned with HCPs’ needs and preferences. This will help you cut through the noise and establish meaningful connections with them.
2. Use content as the key differentiator: A survey conducted by Wiley5 revealed that HCPs focus on content credibility – more than 50% of HCPs consult two or more sources before using an insight to make a clinical decision. They are also three times more likely to notice an advertisement if it is displayed in a trusted source (like peer-reviewed journals), and 57% are motivated to click on advertisements linked to scientific content compared to pharma-sponsored channels.
Key takeaway: HCPs’ content choices are influenced by their need for education and knowledge. They refer to a few select reliable platforms/sources that publish validated information. Therefore, concentrating your message dissemination efforts on providing educational content through these trusted platforms is more likely to have a significant impact.
3. Make digital an integral part of your marketing strategy: The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the adoption of digital technologies in healthcare. Today, HCPs are increasingly turning to online resources for information, leading pharma marketers to incorporate digital channels into their omnichannel marketing mix.
Key takeaway: Leverage the power of digital in your marketing strategy. Focus on channels and formats HCPs prefer to access.
Examples: To emphasize the importance of a digitally forward omnichannel marketing mix, the panelists shared a few examples:
- Multimedia: A multimedia campaign by Wiley in which interactive videos were embedded in a digital publication successfully captured HCPs’ attention and provided them with an immersive learning experience.
- Topic collections: Another solution by Wiley involved topic collections offered through dedicated web pages on a particular disease or condition with advertising from the sponsor. This helped deliver information to HCPs on platforms they could trust.
- PDF advertisements: Wiley recently introduced an enhanced marketing solution in the form of PDF advertisements. These include rich media that enable video integration and multiple click points. PDF advertisements appear at the forefront of an article and are an unmissable part of the reader’s journey. Since they cannot be overlooked by the reader, they have achieved higher engagement rates than other formats, with a Click Through Ratio of up to 6%.
- Society/Publisher partnerships: The panelists highlighted the benefits of working with academic societies/niche scientific publications to target controlled circulation or to reach out to non-member HCPs who have not previously interacted with the journal.
4. Use data to focus on quality outreach and engagement: A data-driven approach is essential for designing strategies that are based on a micro-level understanding of HCPs’ needs and behaviors. This approach also helps understand the impact of healthcare advertising campaigns. However, the quality of engagement is critical – clicks and impressions6 are useful digital metrics, but they cannot be used in isolation.
Key takeaway: Use HCP engagement as an indicator of campaign success. Focus on the quality of outreach and engagement through real-time data targeting and syndicated audience measurement. For example, script lift campaigns could help you determine if you have met HCPs’ educational needs or influenced their prescription behaviors. Develop a marketing plan that envisions precision-focused engagement.7
5. Stay updated and adapt: The healthcare landscape is evolving rapidly. New trends and technologies are reshaping the way HCPs consume information and how pharma marketers can engage with them. From exploring AI-driven audience profiling for precision-marketing to following comprehensive data protection policies in target geographies, pharma marketers need to stay updated and adaptable.
Key takeaway: Being agile and ready to pivot will be your biggest advantage. Monitor the evolving preferences of your target audience (HCPs). Stay on top of relevant legal and policy-level changes. Leverage emerging technologies to design customized advertising strategies. Use AI and machine learning to tailor the messages HCPs see. Collaborate with trusted content providers to deliver content that aligns with their educational and informational needs. Focus on ensuring that the right message gets in front of the right audience at the right time.
The evolving healthcare advertising landscape highlights a move toward data-driven and audience-centric strategies, a dominant role played by technology, increasing reliance on digital solutions, and a focus on the quality of HCP engagement. It also emphasizes the need to adapt to new developments while pursuing the core goal of engaging HCPs through valuable content.
While summarizing the key takeaways from their discussion, the panelists emphasized how carefully designed marketing strategies hold the key to HCP engagement. Partnering with trusted content providers who have a vast reach, large portfolio of health science journals, and team of experienced and agile advertising experts can bring unique value to a pharma marketing strategy.