PM360 January 2010

DTC 360

STOP TALKING WHILE I’M INTERRUPTING!
By Richard Meyer

The old saying “challenges mean opportunities” is more relevant to DTC marketers this year than ever before. The environment around healthcare and health costs coupled with so many drugs due to come off patent means that most drug companies are going to have to look for new ways to do business while reducing costs.

One of the areas of opportunity is in mobile marketing. eMarketing is projecting strong growth for mobile advertising spending, and cellphone providers are already in a war of words over who has the fastest and best coverage. While some progressive companies are already experimenting with mobile marketing, using interruption advertising is only going to get consumers angry at your brand or company at a time when the trust in pharma is at an all-time low.

Integrate Brand Objectives
So what’s the best way to approach mobile marketing? The first thing that you need to ask yourself is: “Can I reach my audience with a mobile marketing program?” If your target audience is using a cellphone or PDA to access the Internet, you need to determine how you can integrate brand objectives while providing value to your customers. This means that you need to think outside the box from advertising to applications that integrate brand objectives.

Apps (applications) are growing rapidly thanks to Apple’s iPhone and with new cellphone platforms coming on the market every month, there seems to be a rush to add applications for users. Sanofi’s GoMeals, although limited in use, is a great example of providing value to consumers while meeting brand needs. The GoMeals app allows users to keep track of nutritional information in the foods they eat, view calories and fat content of different foods, as well as find restaurants based on their location. This application was professionally done and is free to users, but the key here is that it may have value to diabetics, who often have to track what they eat.

The key to any successful application is to make it valuable to your audience and ensure that it stays up to date as changes occur. What does this mean for DTC marketers? It means if you hire an agency to develop an application, you need to think about a long-term commitment to keep it functioning and updated as hardware evolves. You can’t hire an agency to develop the app and then say goodbye when it’s launched, unless you plan to have the app shelf life shortened.

Value First
You also don’t need to do market research around the app. As a DTC marketer, you should have a pretty good idea of what your audience wants and needs for both medical and lifestyle information. An app for osteoporosis, for example, might track the amount of exercise users get and the foods they should be eating that are rich in calcium. Again the key is to provide value first and decide how to integrate your brand later. You need to forget the “hard sell” because consumers aren’t biting at sales information anymore without listening to and talking to others.

Mobile marketing is a great opportunity for DTC marketing to add value to consumers and patients. There will also be real HCP marketing opportunities in 2010 when Apple introduces its tablet, which will be a great tool for physicians struggling to integrate their practice online.

Any successful marketing program takes the message to where your audience is, whether that’s online via home Internet or on the road via iPhone. The one rule that is a game changer though is that you had better provide value to keep your customers engaged.

Richard Meyer has worked in healthcare marketing for more than 12 years and is the author of www.worldofdtcmarketing.com and www.richsblog.com. He currently works in Internet consulting and can be reached at richardameyer@me.com.