Opportunity is Knocking. Are You Ready?

Pharma marketers are missing out on vast opportunities. Did you know, for instance, that 158.6 million women live in the U.S.? That’s more than half the population—a big market. But they are underserved, or not at all served, by either marketers or the overall healthcare system. Communications outreach to women, especially those who recently entered the insurance exchanges, is sorely, nearly desperately needed.

In Where Healthcare for Women Must Go Now, author Meg Columbia-Walsh notes, “Many women, especially socially disadvantaged women groups, have limited understanding of ACA health benefits, including for their own health service coverage and utilization”—and they could use your help. She illustrates five key areas to improve for better patient outcomes, including delivering culturally appropriate marketing and education communications through mobile channels.

Similarly, emerging markets in the BRIC countries are again catching eyes for their vast market possibilities. In Building Improved Healthcare Access One BRIC at a Time, Ash Kuchel notes, “eMarketer forecasts that by 2018, 91% of 18- to 24-year-olds and about 89% of 25- to 34-year-olds in China will use a smartphone”—and that’s just China! Again, mobile is the most direct and best way to reach these patients. mHealth tools that deliver culturally relevant and easily understood messaging are the quickest and most reliable methods, our author says, to reach and help these patients.

But is pharma ready? Not yet. Getting there will take significant investments in digital to allow deeper analysis and provide more people-significant and culturally relevant insights—and insight into specific unmet needs. Pharma can and should take the opportunity to build the necessary tools. It’s a win-win for everyone.

Speaking of winning: The polls are open for 2015’s PM360 Pharma Choice Awards—and you decide the winners. Visit our online voting site (www.pm360online.com/pharmachoice-vote) and choose your favorite in each of 13 categories. Our January issue will showcase the winners.

And next month, don’t miss our annual Innovations Issue. It will virtually burst with our industry’s forward-looking work, demonstrating the creativity, ingenuity and chutzpah it takes to stay at the leading edge—and then push beyond. Get ready to have your mind boggled.

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