Better Products, Better Health Through Patient Engagement

Ask a Celebrity If Drug X Is Right for You

Dear House Rules,

Our company is in the early stages of developing a marketing campaign for a new product. I’ve seen other pharma companies use celebrities to influence people regarding a particular brand—sometimes, it seems to work perfectly, sometimes, not so much. As for our company, we’re skeptical. Having a Kardashian endorse make-up is ideal synergy, but what credibility can a celebrity bring to a pharma brand? Where do you stand on the concept of using “influencers” in pharmaceutical marketing? Is this something we should look into?

Signed,

Should I Be More Starstruck?

How to Be Hip (HIPAA-Compliant, That Is)

Dear House Rules,

As a pharmaceutical marketer, I’m excited about our company’s social media presence and digital advertising strategy. However, some of the stories I’ve heard from my colleagues have made me skittish about violating privacy laws. I know that no marketing progress can be made these days without venturing into the digital space. How can I use social media and deploy regular digital content while staying on the right side of the law?

Signed,

Missing Print

Watching is Believing: Add Video to Your Marketing Mix

Dear House Rules,

As pharma marketers, we do our best to stay on top of the current trends in the field. We’ve produced emails and eDetails, developed ongoing social media post calendars, and even created guerilla marketing campaigns to accompany more traditional new product announcements after launch meetings. It’s important to us – and to the clients we serve – that we’re ahead of the curve. So what’s next?

Signed,

Living on the Cutting Edge

Telling the Story of Your Brand

Dear House Rules,

Our marketing team has noticed an increasing amount of “chatter” about our brands on social media, and this is content we cannot control. How do we counter this and take back the reins? We welcome input from our patients, but ultimately, we want to be the ones driving our brand’s marketing message. How can we accomplish this without turning off social media comments and rejecting the input of our end users?

Signed,

Want to Stay in the Driver’s Seat

Putting the “Social” Back in “Social Media”

Dear House Rules,

At our pharma company, we know how important social media is. We have a LinkedIn presence, a Facebook page, and even a Twitter feed! We use all these new media as additional ways to get our message out, whether that message is about a new product or important legislation or an article that mentions our product in a favorable light or—well, you get the idea. Still, we get almost no “likes,” “comments,” or “shares,” and sometimes I wonder if anyone’s actually reading our content. How can I engage our customers more via our social media outlets?

Signed,
Helllloooo? Is Anybody Out There?

It Only Takes One: Building a Network of Influencers for Your Brand

Dear House Rules,

Dear House Rules:
We’re a relatively young marketing firm in the pharmaceutical space. As such, we don’t have a vast network of past clients to rely on, and we haven’t yet produced a huge amount of work worthy of our online portfolio. Everything I read tells me we just need a single good push to be off and running – but how do we find the person or company to give it to us?

Signed,

Just need one chance… we’ll do the rest!

More Than Black and White: How Color’s Transforming the Medical Device Field

Dear House Rules,

I’m a pharma company executive, and every time I see a medical device, it looks clinical, capable – and boring. All that beige. Can color really affect how physicians and patients perceive devices? Is it possible that we might even be able to tie these perceptions into (or let them inform the choices for) a device’s branding colors? 

Signed, 

Technicolor medicine  

Does Print Still Have a Place in Healthcare Marketing?

Dear House Rules,

The future of healthcare marketing is digital – everyone knows that. So what about the few holdouts in our company’s marketing department who continue to advocate for print as part of an effective overall marketing mix? Are they stuck in the past – or are they actually on to something?

Signed,

Is little paper the secret weapon of Big Pharma?

Media Kits: The At-a-Glance Company Story You Control

Dear House Rules,

What’s a media kit and why do I need one? We already have a website, after all.

Signed,

Not a public relations firm

Does Our New Device Launch Ad Have to Look Like an IFU Cover?

Dear House Rules,

We’ve been marketing medical devices for years, and have run many ads. However, we’re about to launch several new devices, and we’d love to be able to do something unique with our creative to make it stand out. Help?

Sincerely,

Want to Shake Up Our Device Advertising

Long Time Coming: Pharma’s Progress in Mobile Advertising

Dear House Rules,

I’m a marketer for a major pharmaceutical company, and it feels like we’ve done it all when it comes to promotion: eDetails, websites, product animations, email blasts, journal ads, consumer ads—you name it. I’ve wanted to join my colleagues in other industries who are taking advantage of the opportunity afforded by mobile. Pharma, though, has really been dragging its feet. Do you think this is changing?

Sincerely,

Is mobile really happening?

Everything Old Is New Again

Dear House Rules,

Our brand has been around for decades, but it still makes a contribution to our bottom line. How can we continue to promote it, while not compromising our marketing spend for newer products?

Sincerely,

Promoting the Old?

Patients: Never Forget the Real Audience

Dear House Rules,

I’m not just a pharma marketer, I’m also a patient, so whenever I go to the doctor’s office, I take note of the marketing opportunities. It doesn’t seem like the tactics have changed, but I know the patients have. We’re all so much more tech-savvy, for one thing. How can my company leverage this, aside from the standard consumer website?

Sincerely,

Another Patient Brochure? Really?