So, Media Daily releases a blurb on a survey regarding consumers use of phrama web sites. In short:
"CONSUMERS WHO CONDUCT ONLINE HEALTH-RELATED research favor general health information Web sites and specific ailment-focused sites rather than pharma company sites, a survey shows"
The study was conducted by Prospectiv which has skin in the pharma lead generation game, so in the interests of "research literacy" (like media literacy and means know where the money comes from), I would look more closely at the study before accepting the recommendations that they offer.
Here are a few interesting nuggets:
- 54% favor general health Web sites and 37% prefer specific ailment-focused sites, while only 4% prefer pharmaceutical company sites
- 75% view the Internet as their most trusted resource for ailment- and drug treatment-related information, followed by broadcast media (15%) and magazines (10%)
- While the majority (40%) said that they had conducted online research only two times or less during the past six months, 33% reported research frequency of at least once a month, followed by every other month (27%)
- 83% surveyed expressed concerns that pharmaceutical ads on television can be confusing and misleading
Prospectiv's conclusion is that pharma brand managers have funny sounding product names and their Web sites have low awareness. His perscription is more vigourous marketing like the kind they do.
TRUST- Based Marketing
What if consumers were flocking to health media sites, condition sites, communities, et al and not pharma sites because they do not feel they can trust pharma sites. For the same reason they do not like pharma TV ads - confusing and invasive - they may not trust pharma sites.
Maybe the solution is not more invasive direct marketing online. maybe it's a rigorous trust building exercise. Pharma could provide valuable health information and services to consumers while still highlighting their product. I would guess that many pharma brand managers feel that is exactly what they are doing with their one-two-punch of the non-branded condition site and the branded product site. Looking at this study, their current approach isn't working so well. Pharma has long had a higher bar to reach due to the reputation problems of the industry. If ever there was a time to suspend the short-term sales-driven-at-all-costs approach to communications and pump up the volume of good old brand building, now is it. If pharma Web marketing does what it did to TV comercials, the reputation hole will just get deeper.
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