Mapping Out the Emergent Non-Personal Promotion World Mapping Out the Emergent Non-Personal Promotion World 2 Digital channel growth in a post-pandemic environment The ever-growing digital marketplace is both the present and future of pharmaceutical brand marketing. Decreasing in-person access to HCPs in recent years has been accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic and has created an increased demand for digital approaches, including non-personal promotion (NPP) as a key component of the digital marketing strategy. In 2020, nearly 95% of all marketers employed digital tactics for messaging physicians, and overall had a 44% increase in budget allocated to paid digital advertising. 1 As HCPs look for more efficient ways to access information, the emerging “new norm” creates a space where virtual presence is even more relevant than it was in the past and will continue to be vital in a post-pandemic world. Over 80% of HCPs agree that brand advertising is appropriate and necessary. 2 According to a recent CMI Media Vitals survey, brand marketers are seeing an increased reliance on NPP through easy-to-access online sources for both HCPs and consumers, with over 80% of HCPs agreeing that brand advertising is appropriate and necessary. 2 But while physicians may agree on the necessity, up to 50% have indicated dissatisfaction with the current state of pharma marketing. 3 As dollars continue to shift away from in-person events towards digital, identifying where and how best to effectively reach HCPs is key to getting the message across. Charting a strategy across platforms To effectively reach HCPs, first ask the question: Where are they spending their time? While computers are present in every modern-day practice, smartphones are being used nearly as often for professional purposes (98% vs. 90% usage – see Figure 1). When establishing a digital strategy, it is essential to consider both desktop and mobile messaging through an omnichannel method. By diversifying the approach to digital marketing and utilizing different sources to emphasize the message, pharma can minimize the risk of brand-direct promotional fatigue and instead present a comprehensive story across platforms. 4 98% Desktop/ Laptop 85% laptop 78% desktop 90% Smartphone 64% Tablet 25% Smartwatch 60% triple-screen users Figure 1. Where US physicians are accessing data for professional purposes. Source: Taking the Pulse® US 2020. 5 Engaging HCPs on multiple channels is a necessity for a successful campaign. But rather than deploying siloed or copy- and-paste messages to every outlet, the preferable method is to instead use a content journey approach to tell a brand’s story. By measuring HCP engagement with different channels, a more personalized series of material can be disseminated to physicians on an individual level, providing them with the data they want in a more accessible way. 60% of US physicians are triple-screen users: smartphone, tablet, and computer. 5 Finding “true engagement” with your audience When deploying messages across channels, marketers may be tempted to maximize message reach by hitting as many targets as possible across channels – but it comes at the cost of decreased target engagement. Maximizing reach without planned engagement results in minimal touches on each individual HCP, and with fewer opportunities to engage each individual, there is an increased chance that the message will not be seen. Recollection is linked to repetition, which can be achieved through multiple touches on each target throughout the content journey. Although more than half of doctors in a recent survey indicated they have more time to learn about new therapies, this is a short-term effect; as free time lessens for HCPs in an increasingly more accessible post-pandemic world, strategic targeting and personalization must be ready to respond. 6 ? Ask 7 questions before choosing a platform for your brand messaging. As a next step in reaching an HCP audience, consider: Is it good enough to just get the message out, or is it about getting a deeper engagement? When evaluating total reach across channels, it is important to study the user base for each platform; some vendors will indicate target reach across the history of their channel, whereas others will provide the reach to their engaged (or active) audience. This discrepancy can lead to ineffective solutions when estimating multi-channel reach. Instead, a balance must be struck between total outreach and how often physicians will interact with each channel during the day, as well as their inherent trust for each resource. Mapping Out the Emergent Non-Personal Promotion World 3 Questions to Ask When Choosing a Platform 1 What is the user experience your platform provides? 2 When during the HCP’s workflow do they engage with your content? 3 Can you provide insights to my targets’ behavior on your channel? 4 How engaged is your audience? 5 Do you have data demonstrating user influence? 6 Are there any ROI or case studies showing the benefits to your platform? 7 Is there an opportunity to create a content journey for our targets? Figure 2. Gaining insight to potential partners: Essential questions to ask about ad behavior Building on the value of target engagement, it is also crucial to evaluate the key performance indicators (KPIs) for the planned campaign. Throughout the planning process, as the focus mainly falls on overall campaign design, the idea of KPI may be overlooked. Discrepancies may also exist between performance expectations for a media planner versus the brand team, as there is much to consider as part of a KPI; does it include ROI, driving physicians to seek more data, total views? Running an ideal campaign includes consideration of these outcome drivers: this can include looking at deeper metrics such as a change in market perception, competitive blunting, changes in script writing, and hitting other brand-centric unmet needs. As such, evaluating just one base metric applied across all channels is unlikely to yield a full picture of target engagement. The value of an individual channel lies in understanding how each tactic works, and how it can influence target behavior. To understand the full impact of a platform, ask potential partners about deeper insights and data (see Figure 2) as a guide for understanding impact. Maximizing the NPP landscape Once an engaged and targeted audience has been identified, deploying content through an NPP approach can emphasize the brand message. NPP can be a key component regardless of where a brand may be in its lifecycle, from pre-launch or disease state awareness to maturity (just before loss of exclusivity). Flexibility and agility are essential to reaching physicians in the digital marketplace, and utilizing personalized NPP messaging will allow brands to reach the right audience at the right time. By diversifying the approach to digital marketing and deploying cohesive brand messaging across channels, the HCP can find more value in the limited time they have available. As opportunities for personal relationships with physicians decrease, synchronized tactics creating an ongoing story provide opportunity to disseminate the story in the way brands want targets to consume it. *% rating source a 4 or a 5 on a 5-point influence scale (base varies by source) Among all U.S. physicians Influence of pharma vs. non-pharma mobile apps * : Reach of pharma vs. non-pharma mobile apps: (% have used at least once per year) 46% 52% 55% 63% 70% 73% 2018 2019 2020 42% 41% 37% 44% 50% 55% Non-pharma Pharma Non-pharma Pharma 2018 2019 2020 Figure 3. Reach and influence of pharma vs non-pharma mobile apps. Source: Taking the Pulse® US 2018-2020. 5 When considering maximizing the NPP landscape, part of it is under- standing what tactics have the most impact, the most reach, and the most aligned KPIs, but it also includes personal outreach through a next best engagement approach. While only 10% of physicians indicate they would go back to the pre-pandemic “norm” for in-person meetings, the sales rep can still play a role in a virtual campaign approach – although it may not be as impactful as other digital strategies. 6 Since reps, medical science liasons, and emails are not seen as highly impactful resources, promotion through NPP tactics such as non-pharma apps can yield higher engagement from the HCP audience. 5 Mobile app usage in par- ticular has a large gap between the influence of pharma vs. non-pharma; only 37% of physicians found pharma apps to be highly influential during 2020, versus 55% for non-pharma apps (see Figure 3). As physicians move along a content journey, aligning rep touchpoints with content on a more influential platform such as this emphasizes the overall message. The overall shift to digital-centric marketing is here to stay, and utilizing NPP as part of an omnichannel storytelling approach will be key to the future success of pharma outreach. Mapping Out the Emergent Non-Personal Promotion World 4 References 1. “The 2021 MM+M/HealthLink Dimensions Healthcare Marketers Survey.” Medical Marketing and Media. https://www.mmm- online.com/home/channel/features/the-2021-mmm-healthlink- dimensions-healthcare-marketers-survey/. Published March 10, 2021. Accessed March 18, 2021. 2. Henault, Fabian. What Prescribers and Patients Want and Need from Life Sciences Manufacturers. CMI Media Group. Media Vitals™ 2020/21 Edition. 3. Bulik, Beth S. “Satisfaction not guaranteed: Doctors disappointed in pharma’s digital pandemic efforts, survey says.” FiercePharma. https://www.fiercepharma.com/marketing/satisfaction-not- guaranteed-doctors-disappointed-pharma-digital-during- pandemic-survey. Published February 1, 2021. Accessed March 18, 2021. 4. “Non-Personal Promotion in the Time of COVID-19.” Future Pharma. https://pharmaforce.wbresearch.com/blog/non- personal-promotion-covid-19-strategy. Accessed March 18, 2021. 5. Decision Resource Group. Taking the Pulse® 2020: U.S. Physicians Toolkit. 6. “Reinventing Relevance: New Models for Pharma Engagement with Healthcare Providers in a COVID-19 World.” Accenture Healthcare Provider Survey May 2020. https://www.accenture. com/_acnmedia/PDF-130/Accenture-HCP-Survey-v4.pdf. Accessed March 18, 2021. Interested in learning about epocrates’ marketing solutions for your brands? Contact us at epocrates@athenahealth.com today. © 2021 epocrates. All rights reserved.