Cyberchondriacs Unite!
Bristol-Meyers-Squib (BMS) announced a couple weeks ago that it is moving away from direct-to-consumer (DTC) marketing, such as television and magazine ads, and will be investing its marketing money in direct-to-patient marketing. They hope that by focusing their money on grabbing the attention of people who are already being treated by doctors, as opposed to DTC's scatter-shot appeal to the entire population, they’ll make more sales.
It’s a smart strategy. Any Marketing 101 course will teach you to focus your resources on the people most likely to buy your product, and to avoid campaigns targeted to the “general public.”
Do you wonder how they plan to pull off direct-to-patient marketing? Through doctors? Nope. Through pharmacists? Uh-uh. Through posties and the mail? Wrong again. The patients will be reached via the Internet.
According to David Stern, VP-Marketing at Serono, Rockland, Mass. (As reported at EyeForPharma.com)
And of course, those sales reps will have nothing but my best interest at heart when they're telling my doctor about their latest miracle cures.
No doubt BMS’s decision to switch advertising media was based on some solid research that lead them to believe they would get a better ROI from websurfers than from channel surfers. Studies, perhaps, such as the one recently done by polling house Harris Interactive.
Now, the target audience for the poll that Harris Interactive did is pharmaceutical company decision-makers, not the public. It's not you or me. I raise this point to draw attention to the language that BMS is using regarding their new strategy as compared to the language the polling company is using for what would be the same target audience.
While BMS is talking about marketing their products “direct-to-patients via websites,” Harris Interactive calls the people who look for health information online “cyberchondriacs.”
I think that much can be gleaned from this choice of a moniker for pharma’s target audience. Of course, a hypochondriac is a person who has imaginary symptoms or ailments. A cyberchondriac, more than just being a person who looks for health info online, implies that this person is someone who goes online to find the disease that matches his or her symptoms. I’m very happy to be challenged on my leap of logic, but that’s how I read the word.
And, if a cyberchondriac really is someone looking to match their symptoms with an identifiable cause (disease, condition, you name it), then are they really “patients” or, are they “want-to-be-patients,” or perhaps, “primed-to-be-patients?”
Given that the word was used in a report directed to pharma industry folks, I suspect in the full report (which I cannot access) the word is well-defined and defined in such a way as to indicate that cyberchondriacs are ready and willing to be moved to action, which is what BMS clearly said it wants its advertising to result in: "patient demand at the doctor's office."
So, what did Harris Interactive find out in their research?
Just think about this. Pharma builds the patient-oriented websites that have your trusted doctor’s face and name on it. The website surveys you and collects all kinds of data that you feel comfortable telling your trusted doctor. The website gives you information about the symptoms that match diseases you have indicated you are either predisposed to or concerned about in your survey. The solution that is presented is the name of a drug and the ubiquitous, “See your doctor if you have further questions.” The doctor, of course, is complicit, having his website paid for by the pharma company, so he is primed to write the prescription to you, his patient, the cyberchondriac.
Maybe I’m a conspiracy theorist…but industries don’t manage to earn billions of dollars a year unless they are very strategic. And this approach to grabbing market share is pure brilliance.
It’s a smart strategy. Any Marketing 101 course will teach you to focus your resources on the people most likely to buy your product, and to avoid campaigns targeted to the “general public.”
Do you wonder how they plan to pull off direct-to-patient marketing? Through doctors? Nope. Through pharmacists? Uh-uh. Through posties and the mail? Wrong again. The patients will be reached via the Internet.
According to David Stern, VP-Marketing at Serono, Rockland, Mass. (As reported at EyeForPharma.com)
"It's a tumultuous time. The return on investment for traditional advertising is really waning . . . the Web is where we can get a return on our investment."Sweet mother of darkness.
Stern said DTC spending had skyrocketed, but patient demand at the doctor's office was relatively flat. He suggested one alternative was to custom-build Web sites for individual doctors who could then recommend their patients seek more health information from the site. The pharma marketer would then end up knowing more about the patients' interests than the doctor would, Stern said -- invaluable for sales reps on their next visit with that doctor.
And of course, those sales reps will have nothing but my best interest at heart when they're telling my doctor about their latest miracle cures.
No doubt BMS’s decision to switch advertising media was based on some solid research that lead them to believe they would get a better ROI from websurfers than from channel surfers. Studies, perhaps, such as the one recently done by polling house Harris Interactive.
Now, the target audience for the poll that Harris Interactive did is pharmaceutical company decision-makers, not the public. It's not you or me. I raise this point to draw attention to the language that BMS is using regarding their new strategy as compared to the language the polling company is using for what would be the same target audience.
While BMS is talking about marketing their products “direct-to-patients via websites,” Harris Interactive calls the people who look for health information online “cyberchondriacs.”
I think that much can be gleaned from this choice of a moniker for pharma’s target audience. Of course, a hypochondriac is a person who has imaginary symptoms or ailments. A cyberchondriac, more than just being a person who looks for health info online, implies that this person is someone who goes online to find the disease that matches his or her symptoms. I’m very happy to be challenged on my leap of logic, but that’s how I read the word.
And, if a cyberchondriac really is someone looking to match their symptoms with an identifiable cause (disease, condition, you name it), then are they really “patients” or, are they “want-to-be-patients,” or perhaps, “primed-to-be-patients?”
Given that the word was used in a report directed to pharma industry folks, I suspect in the full report (which I cannot access) the word is well-defined and defined in such a way as to indicate that cyberchondriacs are ready and willing to be moved to action, which is what BMS clearly said it wants its advertising to result in: "patient demand at the doctor's office."
So, what did Harris Interactive find out in their research?
- In 2004, 117 million American cyberchondriacs went online to look for health or medical information.
- That cyberchondriacs look for health info online an average of 7 times per month.
- That 90% of the adults surveyed say the information they find online is either “very reliable” (37%) or “somewhat reliable” (53%).
- And that 57% of people who have sought health information online say they have discussed the information with their doctors at least once.
Just think about this. Pharma builds the patient-oriented websites that have your trusted doctor’s face and name on it. The website surveys you and collects all kinds of data that you feel comfortable telling your trusted doctor. The website gives you information about the symptoms that match diseases you have indicated you are either predisposed to or concerned about in your survey. The solution that is presented is the name of a drug and the ubiquitous, “See your doctor if you have further questions.” The doctor, of course, is complicit, having his website paid for by the pharma company, so he is primed to write the prescription to you, his patient, the cyberchondriac.
Maybe I’m a conspiracy theorist…but industries don’t manage to earn billions of dollars a year unless they are very strategic. And this approach to grabbing market share is pure brilliance.
posted by Donna at 12:01 a.m.
4 Comments:
Salem said: "As an aside, if a hypochondriac actually does get sick, what kind of Hallmark card is appropriate? Get well soon or congratulations?"
The above, clever way if thinking is why http://salemwatchen.blogspot.com/ is my fave blog these days!
Thanks for th laugh - and for the rest of the comment, too!
um...i didnt get what was wrong with that? so these companies need to find a way to market their products and if this is what works then why not? its the doctors reliability and patient's trust twards those specific drs thats gonna be severed later on if it turns bad...and thats what they deserve for endorsing stuff they not sure about, isnt it?
but then again how else are new products sposed to get into the market?
A good way for a doctor to ruin a patient's trust is accidentially killing them.
Marketing is fine, but when the marketing is seeking to override the de facto safeguards of peer reveiwed journals and an independent medical establishment, the marketing starts to look a lot like rackeetiing.
It’s 11:00 in the morning and your energy is waning. Minutes seem to tick by like hours and your mind feels foggy. You’ve still got six more hours to look alert and act productive and get over depression anxiety medication, so how do you cope with the afternoon blahs? Follow these six tips!
1. If you have a job that involves sitting at a desk all day or staring at a computer screen, take five minutes to stand up or lean back, close your eyes and stretch, especially in your shoulder and leg areas. Being seated all the time can make your whole body feel stiff and sleepy. A good stretch session helps limber up your body and gets the blood flowing again.
2. Avoid the tempting lure of caffeine or sugar-laden foods such as coffee, tea or chocolate. Caffeine may perk up your energy levels temporarily, but it also has a bad habit of leaving you sluggish after the effect has worn off. Instead, choose whole grain foods, fruits and vegetables to give your body the fuel it really wants! Eating healthier will boost your mood, elevate your alertness, change depression anxiety medication and make you feel better all day long.
3. Along with healthier foods, take a quick 10-15 minute walk during your lunch break. Just a few minutes will give you a burst of energy that refreshes you and makes you feel more alert – while burning off your lunch calories in the process!
4. Sometimes, afternoon slumps can be your body’s way of telling you that it needs something. You may be feeling tired if your blood sugar is low (which happens especially after the effect of those caffeine and high sugar foods has worn off!). Packing a low calorie snack like graham crackers, granola, fruit or vegetable slices can give your body a boost and keep you from feeling hungry in the late afternoon and caving in to the urge to devour the entire contents of the vending machine after work!
5. Drowsiness is often a sign that you’re not getting enough water. Drinking more water throughout the day not only helps keep you awake, but also keeps you from feeling those hunger pangs that inevitably creep up in mid-morning. Taking a large sports bottle that you can drink from throughout the day is a great way to get your recommended eight glasses a day as well!
6. If afternoon fatigue is a recurring problem, it may be a side effect of medications you are taking. Allergy pills are well known culprits, as are some blood pressure and anxiety/depression medicines. Don’t try to circumvent these effects with caffeine, otherwise you’ll overload your body with stimulants while it’s already trying to deal with drowsiness, and you’ll feel mentally and physically exhausted. Instead, try a short 15-20 minute catnap. You’ll be surprised how refresh you’ll feel when you wake up! (Don’t try this at work though – I know it’s tempting!)
If you follow these tips on a regular basis, you’ll not only make it through the afternoon blahs, but you’ll also feel better physically and mentally, sleep better at night, and wake up rejuvenated and re-energized the next morning. Make it a GREAT day! depression anxiety medication
Post a Comment
<< Home