Very interesting work here. Are you familiar with this survey?
http://whatdoctorsthink.com/cgi-bin/comments.cgi?markettodoctors-results

Results of item #17 are consistent to what you are saying with regard to e-marketing. In the US we have Category 2 CME, a slightly lest strict continuing education program than f”Category 1″. What do you think about a Category 2 CME, or similar caliber information, being the deliverable which is e-marketed? To me it seems like it would foster that respected relationship that is so important.

Joe

Now working in the industry i’d still be very interested in hearing your thoughts…

I conducted in depth qualitative interviews across a range of primary care and secondary care prescribers.

In summary, my dissertation concluded that electronic marketing in most secondary care products was ineffective ‘alone’. However, e-Marketing used effectively as an integrated approach i.e. synchronising the appropriated messages and campaign themes created synergy and showed that the channel had potential to save sales force costs.

Primary care respondents told a different story altogether. All GPs within the study claimed they refused to grant reps access. Google was used as their primary source of information for branded products. However, GPS claimed not to used sponsored links (i.e., add words). All claimed never to have been sent an e-detail before. I’m not sure if this was down to email permissions or if they have not been targeted. I’m unsure as I have only had experience working in e-marketing within secondary care.

I’d be interested to hear more about the work your doing in primary care, as from what I concluded its seems a difficult area to market as attitudes are really against the marketeer to at perscriber level.

I’d be happy to forward you a copy of my final dissertation if it is of interest to you as it explores a range or areas around this topic? Please email myself at: imrie54@hotmail.com

How is your dissertation going? I am a pharmaceutical marketeer looking at launching a simplistic product to GP’s for which electronic media could be ideal.

Looking forward to your reply

In my experience, a ‘personal seller’, or ‘hospital specialist’ has come to mean ‘business advisor’ to many of the secondary care clinicians in both the adult and paediatric psychiatry sectors. It is for this reason that I argue against the notion of e-marketing replacing the personal seller. A member of a sales team in a specialised, secondary care setting provides an awful lot more than a simple sales pitch to the clinician. In a setting where the needs and circumstances of individual patients are complex, I fear that an e-marketing tool will be insufficient in providing carefully structured and tailored answers to increasingly difficult and complicated questions.

A ‘personal seller’ should be considered as a ‘live’ competitive tool that can provide an instant and personal counter strategy to competitor actions and claims that are put forth by their clinicians. Clinicians in such an environment view their time with drug representatives as an opportunity to validate and discuss claims and data provided by competitors. Such experiences are relayed back to the central marketing team promptly, enabling an interfunctional awareness of competitor activities and the development of longer term coordinated counter marketing strategies. It can be argued that the medium of e-marketing will not be able to fulfil this aspect of the ‘personal sellers’ role.

In the secondary care environment gaining access to influential and ‘important’ clinicians is also something that e-marketing may not be able achieve. I also fear that de-personalising and altering the dynamic of the relationship between pharmaceutical companies and clinicians too much will result in negative consequences when it comes to recruitment for larger conferences and meetings whereby a stronger competitive drive is employed.

In a primary care setting, especially in the instance of a generic undifferentiated drug, I do believe that e-marketing may be able to provide a very useful solution and even replacement to the ‘personal seller’. Given the fact that GP receptionists are notoriously difficult gatekeepers, and the almost ‘uncooperative’ or ‘begrudging’ culture of GP pharmaceutical sales it can be argued that e-marketing can provide valuable solutions.
• GP’s will not be exposed to the ‘annoyance’ of having countless meetings with drug reps they would rather not see – the e-marketing tool will allow GP’s to access information at times that are more convenient and at their own discretion.
• Valuable GP appointments are not taken by drugs reps and can be given to patients who really need them.
• Pharmaceutical companies will not have to recruit and pay a whole sales team.
• A basic e-marketing campaign can be employed at relative low cost (in comparison to employing a national sales team), especially for undifferentiated generic drugs such as antibiotics.
• CRM activities can easily be employed.

The implementation of closed loop marketing with the use of tablet P.C’s has allowed my previous business unit to gather metric CRM data on clinicians patient trends and prescribing habits allowing a more targeted marketing approach when it comes to activities such as mailers, saving a substantial amount of marketing spend. It has also allowed central marketing teams to tailor and enhance their electronic sales aid on the basis of what pages are being accesses for frequently. It is on this basis that I recommended that e-marketing could be used to compliment personal sales and enhance value in the secondary care setting. The success of the closed loop marketing pilot has been felt in juxtaposition with the use of the ‘personal sales team’.

I think this viewpoint is verified by the fact the salesforce that I supported has been let go, as their worth was deemed to be not enough considering their cost. So therefore in a market where the problem is underestimated, or embaressing to talk about, e- marketing may be the medium of promotion for the future.

A consumers perception is that the internet may be cheaper. They also may feel that they have control of the outcome of the transaction without third party influence i.e sales people.

This has the effect of empowment and control as a consumer which can be a positive experience.

When there is a customer service query, the process when making a purchase online is then potentially a difficult one in terms of speaking to someone directly or sending an e-mail.
Things to consider are timescales, premium or local rate numbers or not having the option to speak to someone whatsoever.

My belief is that face to face business will have indefinite longevity if the company supplying the service has the correct business strategy. If this strategy is excecuted effectively in terms of sales, service, product availability, value for money and the brand has loyalty on the high street. This can overcome the potential issues an online consumer may encounter.

For example the product is faulty and they can go straight to the local retailer and have an instant exchange.

Another example is when customers do not fully understand their own needs and must be qualified so that a considered choice is made to help with the decision to purchase.

In short whether you are an online retailer or you are based on the high street the quality of service the consumer has recieved historically will dictate where they make a purchase. One won’t outweigh the other and dominate all purchases as some consumers like to buy face to face. Some don’t trust using card details online and the offers on the high street due to competition doesn’t differentiate massively compared to online deals.

Yes, I’d agree, Secondary care reps (especially therapy area such as HIV)may never be replaced by methods such as ‘interactive eDetailing’ and animated websites.

Companies such as Merck have piloting virtual reps which are able to complete 13 calls per day (compared with 8 for field reps) spending an average of 9 minutes (compared with 3 for field reps). Can you see this ever working in secondary care?

With tighter regulatory controls, marketing professionals have been driven to look for new incentives. You mention CPD (Continual Professional Development) credits for completing on-line education? How did that work out?

Were you able to measure the ROI? Do you feel that the project added value to the product, or creates better CRM between brand and company?