Saturday, January 12, 2008

THE CONCEPT OF PHARMA eMARKETING MANAGER

This blogpost is a sequel to my earlier blogpost on the Digital Nervous System. Please CLICK HERE.

By rote, Marketing Managers’ influence the 4Ps (Product, Price, Promotion, and Placement ie. distribution and availability), and increase the consumption of products. The intention is to generate higher sales and profits. In this activity, precise data will help Marketing Managers and Product Managers (mini Marketing Managers) generate better approaches, strategies, and campaigns. In essence, accuracy and immediacy of information ensures better bang for the buck. The digital nervous system will enable Marketing Managers and Product Managers get precise and timely data to analyze, and obtain information for refined marketing campaigns and strategies.

The management and analysis of data generated by the digital nervous system will require field level experience. This is important to obtain correct insights, and contribute to generation of ideas.

A SUGGESTED VISION STATEMENT FOR AN eMARKETING MANAGER

The digital revolution is on in the society. It is a major trend and the sagacious will bank on it to add value, and augment business processes. The pharma industry is not insulated from the digital trend.

The activities of an eMarketing Manager will:

a) Help identify target markets, gather and maintain electronic database (qualitative and quantitative) on target markets (prospects, doctors, chemists…): the electronic database will provide new prescribing opportunities, maps of the prescribing behaviors, OTC push and pull behaviors…
b) Provide value added inputs and strengthen focused strategies through collaborative working for best return on investment (ROI) on use of inputs
c) Provide e-learning tools that will augment marketing – communication activity of field force and other media addressing the target markets
d) Creation of digital tools that will provide clinical insights on promoted brands and collaborate with knowledge workers (doctors, medical and paramedical professionals) to strengthen delivery of value added patient welfare. The digital tools will also enhance brand communication efforts aiding brand recall, and building prescribing habits in favor of the promoted brands

For eg.: often hypertensive patients on atenolol therapy are not advised by the family doctor to progressively stop atenolol therapy before undergoing coronary angiography, it is often overlooked by the family doctor, delaying the coronary angiography intervention, a brand digital tool can help prompt the family doctor to initiate the withdrawal therapy and then recommend coronary angiography

e) Collaborate with field force to provide online and enhanced in-clinic activity
f) Creation of digital tools to strengthen clinical/hospital pharmacy practice and deepen relationships with Pharmacists for brands (to enhance OTC push – pull)
g) Institutionalize the market learnings' in the company system for future use. Thus, even if a MR leaves the territory, the market learnings are present in the digital nervous system, and this business intelligence can facilitate working of new MR(s)
h) Facilitate mapping of macro and micro trends (through analysis of data) and aid generation of successful campaigns
i) Strengthen concept selling of new therapies and concept brands through online support
j) Create brand communities through interactive brand websites based on the OTX model
k) Help generate the appropriate mix of promotional inputs and approaches in the OTX model and thereby provide the best bang for the buck

Suggested mission of an eMarketing Manager :

To ensure that the digital mix and non digital mix of Pharma product promotion will be 50:50, and help increase revenues by 50% through superior eMarketing initiatives.

The bottomline: eMarketing initiatives will collaborate and synergize with existing marketing structures, add value, increase perceived value of brands, support activities of field force digitally, boost brand equity and brand sales, and provide better ROI.

Some ways in which eMarketing Management initiatives can help:

Case A: Let us say, data analysis shows that there are five important doctors for brand Revital who have the same birthdate. Based on this information, a bond-through-Revital campaign can be launched...In this campaign, each of the doctors can wish each other (even though they do not know each other) through a card and gift sponsored by the company. And they can add a key message on the card on how they find Revital useful in clinical practice. This special CRM activity based on the data generated by the digital nervous system can be easily implemented by the field force, and will result in even greater brand loyalty and exponential results. Revital is a unique marketing approach wherein Revital is marketed to both doctors and end consumers - the marketing model being called Rainbow coalition marketing model.

Case B: Let us assume there are three diabetologists of Delhi in the age group of 35 years to 40 years who are prolific prescribers of Becosules Z. Of course, the word prolific needs to be defined quantitatively. This gives an opportunity to launch a special CME for Delhi " The Z factor in diabetes management". While Z stands for Zinc, it need not be mentioned in the invites, and this will enhance attention value of the CME. The CME can be targeted mainly to doctors in the age group of 30 to 40 years. A senior renowned doctor in the age group of 50 can be invited to give the scientific lecture on zinc, and the other three diabetologists can address the audience through case studies in their practice where Becosules Z was useful, as brand advocates. Due to this campaign, the three diabetologists will further increase their prescription patronage, and those doctors who are giving a moderate support will increase their prescription support, while doctors who are yet to give support will be motivated to increase prescription support.

The above are but two hypothetical case studies in which the eMarketing Management initiatives have helped. In fact, the digital nervous system can further help in pinpointing target doctors who are early adopters for new therapeutic concept products.

All in all, it can be summarized that eMarketing Management is a sunrise concept based on the digital nervous system, and can produce better results in Pharma marketing of chemopharmaceutials, herbopharmaceuticals, and biopharmaceuticals.

The above image is obtained from
www.cmrus.com/cmr/emarketing.php

I thank you for reading this blogpost, please scroll down to read more interesting blogposts...including by clicking on older posts. I wish you all Happy Sankranti.

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