New Consulting Firm Helps Companies Meet ROI Challenge
While pharmaceutical executives recognize the need for building long-term relationships with patients, they are demanding more sophisticated ROI systems, according to an executive survey released last month.
The survey, launched by The Acuity HealthGroup (AHG), a newly created New York-based marketing consultancy, found that 85 percent of pharmaceutical executives plan to increase their focus on database-driven consumer marketing initiatives and relationship marketing efforts. But upwards of 59 percent do not feel poised to take advantage of new data systems that track these campaigns.
AHG will consult with pharmaceutical companies on how to take their marketing programs to the next level through assessing customer knowledge databases, identifying key patient/physician groups and measuring economic results of marketing programs.
HPRMN caught up with Rob Dohble, AHG's president and COO, to discuss the survey's findings and how pharmaceutical marketers can stay ahead of the direct-to-consumer (DTC) marketing curve with data management tools that measure long-term results.
Prior to joining Acuity, Dohble was executive VP and COO of Torre Lazur Healthcare Group, part of McCann-Erickson Worldwide. He has 12 years of client-side pharmaceutical marketing experience.
HPRMN: How will Acuity Group tackle the ROI challenge for pharmaceutical companies?
RD:
The traditional model involving cost-per-lead formulas doesn't give [pharmaceutical companies] a full ROI picture. Long-term relationships are where the money is and where data systems should track patient involvement with the drug.
[Pharmaceutical] data needs to capture why a patient stops taking a particular drug or discontinues a compliance program. The Acuity Group's proposition involves building [data] systems that track patient involvement and compute ROI over a long-term period.
HPRMN: Where are the greatest opportunities to develop long-term relationships with patients?
RD:
Through value-added services and products that help patients with medical conditions long-term. These programs could be part of a DTC advertising effort. Clinical studies have found that healthcare professionals must manage the whole patient, which involves follow-up contact, but health plans don't make this commitment a priority.
This is a great opportunity for pharmaceutical companies to develop mini-health plans. For example an obesity drug manufacturer could send customized diet plans to its patient base to promote drug compliance, based on the patient's permission. Data management needs to really be about knowledge management.
HPRMN: The survey stresses the need for increased patient-level retention, how can marketers best achieve this?
RD:
Don't assume you know what patients need. One patient satisfaction survey is not enough. You need to be on the cutting edge by constantly testing new methods of customer satisfaction. It's incredibly risky to not be as innovative as your competitors in managing patient relationships.
HPRMN: In developing database-driven relationships, you stress the need for pharmaceutical companies to develop relationship management initiatives instead of relationship marketing efforts. Explain the difference.
RD:
Relationship marketing is too broad. It's like when you mention the Internet. It tends to mean something different to everybody. But relationship management transcends the marketing department and involves a corporate-wide commitment to building communications [with consumers].
For instance the way you segment consumer groups should involve marketing as well as research and development. Building corporate-wide connections to consumers lessens the tendency for people to discontinue using products or services.
HPRMN: So what should this mean to the pharmaceutical marketer?
RD:
That good campaigns must involve the whole pharmaceutical organization and that major results may not be realized in 12 or 52 weeks.
As marketing programs promote medications and physicians prescribe them, from that point on, pharmaceutical companies must develop a high level of communication. (Rob Dohble, Acuity, 212/407-5743.)
Executive Outlook
Eighty-five percent of pharmaceutical executives expect marketing to play a bigger role in achieving brand profitability, according to Acuity HealthGroup, a newly formed New York-based marketing consulting firm. But these managers want bottom line ROI assurance that their budgets are well justified.
Acuity surveyed 41 high-ranking managers (VP-level and above) at 39 U.S. pharmaceutical companies and found that:
Source: Acuity HealthGroup