Agenda 2020: Choose your own adventure
Industry contributors shared with Med Ad News topics that will have a major impact on pharma marketing during 2020.
We have our eyes on TikTok. – Julie Hurvitz Aliaga
The youngest generations are highly engaged on TikTok, yet brands have not migrated there in the same way as they have to other social media, and there is a lot of opportunity on the table. A friend’s 11-year-old daughter spends all of her screen time making and viewing TikToks, and it was the first place she went for information when her new braces were bothering her (yes, orthodontists – and other medical professionals – are creating content there.) One challenge is that TikTok’s audience wants to engage differently with brands than other generations do. That doesn’t mean they do not want to engage. But they are highly cynical of traditional advertising, and of native advertising as well. They question everything – including social media influencers. Brand marketers will have to be savvy and strategic about how we approach this audience, and I think we need to go back to basics: show we truly care about HCPs and patients, often take an unbranded approach, and win their trust. We need to offer content of value that doesn’t feel like advertising.
What should pharma, as an industry, collectively come together to focus on in 2020? – Wendy Blackburn
I would love to see 2020 be the year that pharma continually and visibly chooses to do the right thing. It’s time for ALL of us to live up to all those missions and visions and promises to put the patient first, and to shout it from the rooftops. “Patient-centricity” was the buzzword a decade ago with “customer experience” more recently taking its place. As an industry, we need to act on – versus giving lip service to – buzzwords about doing good. “Doing the right thing” comes in many different forms — from committing to inclusion in our workplaces and diversity in our advertising, to ensuring accessibility of our websites, to addressing societal gaps in clinical trials, to practicing responsible promotion and beyond. And yes, this includes pricing products in a way that patients can afford them.
It’s not only good for our customers, but it’s where their mindset is today. Consumers today want to know that major brands – including their medications – care about them and their world. They want to see evidence of a company’s heartfelt goodwill, and heartfelt goodwill goes a long way toward being in a customer’s good graces.
Let me be clear – I realize pharmaceutical companies already do a LOT of good and have much to be proud of. The American Cancer Society just announced that 2016-2017 saw the sharpest drop in cancer death rates ever, and pharma’s novel new treatments are largely being credited for that. Only recently, it has been through the work of pharmaceutical companies that hepatitis C became curable, shingles and HPV became preventable, and we’re closer and closer to a cure for HIV. The industry is unrivaled in its charitable giving, donating products, cash, and valuable health programming throughout the world. Yet, the public doesn’t seem to notice. This headline from a 2018 Freakonomics podcast said it best: “The Most Vilified Industry in America Is Also the Most Charitable.”
Clearly, the industry’s major modern-health advancements and monumental charitable giving aren’t enough. We must all commit to being more, to doing more good, in ways big and small, visible and invisible. It must be more than writing a big check or even curing a disease. In a way, in fact, it can be much smaller than those actions. Let’s bring the positive customer experience to life at every touchpoint in a customer’s journey. Connect the dots for them. Make it easy for them. Show them that you understand them (because I know you do). Commit (and re-commit, if you must), to inclusion and diversity and accessibility across your marketing programs. And whenever the choice arises, choose patients over profit. Only when we all “make good” on our promises to “do good” will the world truly see and celebrate pharma’s “good” side.
EHR and connected care devices in 2020. – Angelo Campano, VP, point of care practice (EHR/ABM), Ogilvy Health
Manufacturers have already been developing connected devices that allow for continuous monitoring, and we expect the majority of implantable and chronic care devices (e.g., gene therapy) to be cloud connected and feeding data to HCPs in the next decade. Pairing these with data collected from wearables will help paint a clearer picture of a patient’s health and habits outside of what is reported in a clinical visit. These devices have begun moving away from a unidimensional view of providing patients care for their disease. We expect most companies to offer patients therapeutic regimens (e.g., behavioral exercises) through digital avenues. The added benefit of digital therapeutics is easier oversight of adherence and changes in clinical outcomes over time. These data can also be fed into the EHR system in real time, allowing an earlier intervention by an HCP.
There will also be a slew of digital tools for patients who are managing chronic conditions and interacting with the health system (e.g., virtual AI chatbots). Data on utilization of these services and insight into metrics, such as symptoms a patient may be asking the chatbot about, may also help identify issues earlier and inform the physician about appropriate care plans.
Many partnerships with key data providers/companies provide customer insights with data that can potentially shape the conversation with a patient These providers focus on the transparency of information with a customer such as genomic data can inform the HCP and the patient decisions, from pregnancy planning to end-of-life care. The ubiquity of genomic data will likely help HCPs move from making therapeutic regimen decisions customized to an individual based of their genetic makeup. Similarly, these data will also inform preventative care based on risk factors for diseases like Alzheimer’s or breast cancer.
Once a health system has implemented an EHR, there are myriad innovative ways to build upon this infrastructure. There are market opportunities (this year, 2020) at every stage post-implementation, from record collection workflow to leveraging the macro-level data to drive better care decisions.
Effective PRC review meetings lead to faster speed to market. – Karl Kraft, senior VP, commercial solutions, TGaS Advisors, a division of Trinity
PRC (Promotional Review Committee) meetings can be tedious and contentious by nature. In 2020, companies are making preparation and execution of the review meetings a priority. Some companies are ahead of the pack, realizing faster review cycles and speed to market as a result. Best practices:
Lay the groundwork: Align all PRC meeting participants. Create a PRC mission statement to display in the meeting room. Establish ground rules and ensure alignment on an annual basis. Establish a culture of collaboration and mutual support – relationships matter. Clearly define the role for all MRL team members and reaffirm on an annual basis. Encourage live participation versus remote (when possible).
Preparation matters: Thoughtful preparation for PRC review meetings sets you up for success. Establish, maintain and enforce a timeline. Track and audit participant preparation on a regular basis. Create and enforce guidelines for expedited reviews/walk-on submissions. Encourage alignment by reviewers (e.g., Regulatory and Legal) prior to the live meeting. Foster informal/ad hoc discussions between the reviewers and submitters/champions.
Execution is key: Once you’ve established the groundwork and enforced meeting preparation by all attendees, it’s time to execute. Create a culture of strong collaboration, mutual respect and solutions-oriented mindset. Active facilitation is a key factor in successful meeting execution. Document key decisions and learnings to help inform future submissions. Make decisions in the room and move on.
They roles and dynamic of each PRC review team is constantly evolving. Companies who proactively monitor these meetings and hold participants accountable will save time, money, and unnecessary frustration.
