Tag Archives: audit

Time To Audit Pharma’s Doctor-Engagement And Other Digital Strategies

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It’s now over a year since the unprecedented global health crisis commenced. In this grueling saga, a silver lining is also visible. It helped pharma industry gain a fascinating operational experience, while navigating through disruptive business changes. The changes in the health care ecosystem, ranges from rapid espousal virtual medical care to the meteoric rise of e-marketing and e-visits to physicians.Encouragingly, the entire industry displayed a remarkable resilience to quickly get on to its feet, after initially getting knocked down by the overpowering impact of the pandemic.

One critical pharma-brand demand generating tool – in-person engagement between doctors and pharma reps, also came to a grinding halt – almost overnight, as it were, for well-known reasons. Moreover, companies started facing a crippling situation for all physical business events, such as, Continuing Medical Education (CME), active participation in medical conferences, patient engagements, and so on – as an integral part of their brand or corporate value delivery strategy.

Catching many by surprise, almost in no time, finding no other effective alternatives, several drug companies imbibed e-marketing – many of them in bits and pieces, though. Interestingly, technology based organizational transformation, which was progressing at a snail’s speed, thus far, gained momentum during the pandemic. Since then, there hasn’t been any looking back in this area. Instead, the speed of digital transformation in pharma is expected to accelerate further, as we move on.

Notably, many doctors are still not inclined for in-person sales calls. But, they haven’t stopped looking for product and other information from drug companies. More importantly, after more extensive charting the cyberspace during lockdowns, information requirements of many doctors have changed significantly, as confirmed by various surveys. The same holds good regarding their preferred channels of information and interaction.

This prompts one to ponder over a critical question. Although, a shift towards digitalization, including pharma marketing, is necessary in the changing scenario, do companies need to audit their digital marketing strategies in this area – now?

Nonetheless, this performance audit needs to be an independent assessment of a company’s e-marketing operations to assess whether its digital programs or functions are working as intended to achieve the expected goals. This article will dwell on this subject.

Are companies satisfying doctors’ information needs digitally?

The answer to this question was captured in a recent survey conducted by Abelson Taylor/Veeva. Some of its important findings are as follows:

  • Amid peak of Covid pandemic, 42 percent physicians surveyed, wanted from drug companies, specific treatment protocols tailored to their patient populations. Alongside, they also need to know the latest Covid related developments in medical silences, information on how the outbreak impacts their day-to-day practice, and how they deal with patients. The survey revealed, most of these unconventional information needs were slow to arrive to many doctors.
  • 83 percent physicians reported they hadn’t received any new information from reps, even remotely, in the week before the survey – in late March 2020.
  • Despite reps’ visits being more preferred by doctors, which included e-visits and tele-detailing calls, these declined by 63 percent, while emails between the two increased by 263 percent during the same period.
  • The average time for online meetings is now 17 minutes, despite the above preferences of doctors – versus a pre-Covid average meeting time of just six minutes. One reason could be doctors had more time with them as patient calls were less.

Therefore, the question arises, couldn’t these visits be made more customer need oriented? The possible reason for the same could be lack of simultaneous feedback mechanism for pharma marketers. Similar assessment is essential in other related areas, as well. Because, for reps’ effective virtual ‘visits’, data based – right selection of customer-preferred digital channels, content and formats for communication is crucial.

For Rep’s effective e-visits – channel, content and format selection is vital: 

This area has been well-researched in an India specific article, published by Bain & Company on December 20, 2020. The study found that physicians in India are more likely to engage with certain channels, content and formats for virtual ‘visits’ of medical reps.

The study also found – otherwise, physicians’ click-rates for digital information from pharma companies has traditionally been low – at an average around 10 percent to 15 percent, with some variation for specialties. Thus, with well researched e-visit strategy, pharma companies will have the opportunity to double or even triple levels of engagement in many cases, the study assessed. However, the drug companies would need to necessarily tailor their digital programs to physician preferences.

The study found the preferences of Indian doctors’ in these areas, as below:

Preference

1

2

3
Channel 71% – WhatsApp 20% – E-mail 3% – SMS
Content 29% – Publication findings 26% – Clinical Case Study 12% – Promotional Brand
Format 55% – Videos 15% – Articles and infographics

The above data, therefore, suggest:

-  Physicians in India overwhelmingly prefer communication via WhatsApp, with click rates 3.5 times higher than email and nearly 24 times higher than SMS.

-  Content matters: Scientific content, such as published findings and clinical case studies, generated up to 2.5 times higher engagement than promotional brand content.

- And format makes a difference too, with physicians 3.5 times more likely to click on short video content than articles and infographics.

These vindicate the point – pharma players in India require to initiate a meaningful process of an independent periodic review of their digital strategies – now. More importantly – based on the company-specific emerging trends, if a player quickly adapts accordingly, the possibility of getting a bigger bang for its buck on physician outreach,’ would likely to be high – even in the new normal.

Some key points to consider during long-term digital strategy formulation:

Just as today’s pharma operations aren’t a replica of 2019 and before, the same holds good for tomorrow and thereafter, as the process, span and magnitude of digitalization will keep improving. A glimpse of the same is available in an article on digitally engaged physicians during the digital health transition, published in PLOS ONE, on September 28, 2020. Following are the two – among several other points, on further democratization of medical information, as articulated by the authors:

  • Broader role of doctors is during the digital transition. Companies need to spot and understand quickly how it’s evolving over a period of time.
  • Digitally engaged physicians may also consider themselves as a guide and participate in the medical information managing function – in the description, collection, and sharing of credible content in the online space.

Conclusion:

Nevertheless, a section within the pharma industry still nurtures the hope of a return to the ‘old normal.’ Whereas most others don’t really subscribe to this seemingly unrealistic hope. Hence, even after the pandemic gets over, some critical changes are likely to last longer. These include more e-visits of reps than in-person doctor calls, webinars for doctors and patients, in company virtual meetings for training and other strategic physical events. None of these are expected to happen in similar frequency, scale and manner as what used to happen in 2019 and before.

Further, in the new normal, with more enlightened and digital savvy customers around, just talking the talk of ‘patient-centricity’ will no longer suffice. Companies will need to walk the talk - mostly through more transparent digital platforms, henceforth. Similarly, just talking about data and analytics won’t just be enough, pharma companies need to marshal enough wisdom in their people inventory, to capture and make productive use of credible data and information.

Undoubtedly, pharma’s digital strategies in all these areas have started taking roots. However, the yield of the same, apparently remains much below their potential, in most cases, for various reasons. Which is why, I reckon, an independent, in-depth, and periodic audit of each pharma company’s doctor-engagement and other digital strategies, since the onset of Covid-19 pandemic, is now essential.

The objective is not to revert to the old traditional model – jettisoning the digital transformation pathway, especially in pharma marketing, especially when the yield is low. The idea is to review or redraft the digital strategy, based on periodic audits. Or it may even be just tightening some loose knots of a patient-centric and doctor-friendly contemporary game plan for business excellence in the new environment.

By: Tapan J. Ray     

Disclaimer: The views/opinions expressed in this article are entirely my own, written in my individual and personal capacity. I do not represent any other person or organization for this opinion.

 

Aptness Of Pharma Marketing Audit In Covid Days And Beyond

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That, Covid-19 pandemic has changed the operational dynamics of many areas of the pharma industry, as compared to the old normal, is being felt by many. These changes generally fall into two categories. Some are broad industry specific changes, giving rise to a new normal. Whereas, a lot more could often be specific changes required by individual companies in the changing times – depending on how these companies were operating in pre-Covid days. The good news is, the industry specific ones are being well deliberated by many domain experts, almost on an ongoing basis.

Most experts are suggesting digital solutions, for a number of problem areas in the pharma industry as a whole. But, the reality is, for rapid adaptation of the new normal, there is also a crucial need to dovetail the Company specific solutions, with the industry specific generic ones. This effort will call for effective use of robust, well-structured and time-tested systems. However, not as many discussions seem to be taking place in this area, as on date.

As I see around, one such comprehensive and well proven approach is ‘Marketing Audit’. This can be effectively used to ascertain Company specific changes, required for successful pharma business operation during the Coronavirus triggered paradigm shift. It may not sound as zesty as a ‘digital approach,’ but remains fundamentally important for pharma marketers, nonetheless.

In this article, I shall discuss the relevance and the key importance of a comprehensive pharma Marketing Audit, in this trying time for business. Its key purpose is to give shape to a cutting-edge strategy in today’s unfamiliar order. Let me begin with a brief background of the same, for better understanding of all.

Marketing Audit demonstrated its perennial importance over decades:

To put it in perspective, let me refer to a landmark article by Philip Kotler, titled ‘‘The Marketing Audit Comes of Age.’ It was published by the MIT Sloan Management Review, on January 15, 1989. In his review of the need for Marketing Audit, one can get a sense of perennial importance of Marketing Audit, proven over decades.

In Kotler’s own words: ‘The marketing audit as an idea, dates back to the early 1950s.’ An executive at Booz Allen & Hamilton, conducted marketing audits as early as 1952. Its importance of improving business results, was captured by an excellent set of papers under the title ‘Analyzing and Improving Marketing Performance,’ published by the American Management Association, in 1959.  

Covid-19 Surveys highlight general trends, not any Company specific:

We all are witnessing these days, how the Coronavirus pandemic is changing the pharma consumers. In my June 22, 2020 article in this blog on ‘Enhancing Pharma Brand Experience in The New Normal,’ I highlighted some of the basic changes required in the traditional pharma sales and marketing practices.’ These were the generic changes in the marketplace involving the stakeholders. To illustrate this point better, let me cite some recent examples.

The pandemic has suddenly accelerated certain trends:

The lockdowns have brought to the fore certain shortcomings of the pharma industry, more than ever before. Consequently, its serious fallout compelled almost all players ‘to evaluate and adapt its roles and responsibilities almost overnight.’ This point was captured in the ‘Survey results: Accelerating digital transformation during COVID-19,’ published by Reuters Events– Pharma on September 04, 2020. Some of the survey findings included the following:

  • Although, adoption of digital engagement has accelerated, pharma’s ability to deliver exceptional virtual engagement and content is being put to test.
  • Customer Relationship Management (CRM), Content Management Systems (CMS) and customer engagement platforms were found wanting and not fully exploited.
  • There will be a greater emphasis on the Connected healthcare customer journey.
  • Providing a unique customer experience will emerge as a competitive edge.
  • The industry must re-direct resources accordingly, and re-tool to make the most of them.

Let’s now examine some India specific findings from another survey in this space.

Some India specific survey findings:

To explore the impact of COVID-19 on the Indian pharmaceutical industry, another survey, conducted by C Com Digital of India, came out with some interesting findings, some of which are as follows:

  • The new normal warrants a strategic shift in the business operation, besides engagement with doctors and patients.
  • Increasingly, drug companies are moving into online business operations from mostly offline operations of pre-Covid days.
  • Many companies are considering dedicating about 5 percent to 10 percent of their marketing budget towards creating webinars and online communications.
  • Teleconsultations and online consultations are steadily increasing and around 42 percent patients are getting their prescriptions in this way.
  • Doctor visits dropped by 5 percent only during March-April 2020 period.
  • Companies are expanding in online patient education, and online field staff training through custom made e-Learning modules.

As we find above, the emerging new trends are all generic in nature – not enough to prepare any comprehensive company specific strategy for success in the prevailing situation. This brings us to the question: What exactly is Marketing Audit and its relevance during pandemic days?

Relevance of Marketing Audit during pandemic days and beyond:

Thus, the extent of changes required on all sales and marketing related areas, during the pandemic period and beyond, has to be carefully and productively evaluated by each Company, separately. No wonder, why a comprehensive ‘Marketing Audit,’ is also considered “a marketing mirror” - so appropriately.

Without going into the theoretical details, let me first try to explain this terminology in simple terms. It has clearly been established that a Marketing Audit helps understanding, both internal and external marketing environments of an organization, in a comprehensive way. Mainly because, it involves an in-depth and data analysis of the concerned company’s business domain, not just to accurately diagnose the new areas of problems, but also to work out a contemporary – cutting edge marketing strategy.

Thus, I reckon, this tool should be effectively used by pharma marketers, as a high potential mechanism in the marketing warfare, especially during the global pandemic and beyond. Still, some can raise the question, what exactly pharma industry surveys will tell you and what those won’t, – and what gaps company specific surveys will help bridge.

The gaps that Marketing Audit will help bridge:

Industry specific surveys on Covid-19 pandemic would tell the Companies where they should aim to reach. However, each Company would still need to figure out where they currently are in those areas, and most importantly how to reach the target point. An effective Marketing Audit will help the Companies get exact information on where they currently are, and how to reach where they want to reach.

As the new normal is changing, it needs to be done periodically: 

The information obtained through a robust Marketing Audit will help address both customer and market needs – on the one hand and honing or reorganizing the company’s internal value delivery systems commensurately, on the other. However, when an unprecedented or a disruptive change, such as the Covid-19 pandemic keeps striking all conceivable entities, very hard, ‘the new normal’ keeps changing. In this situation, most of the past success ingredients will no longer yield results. Thus, to realign the business with changing market demand, pre-Covid strategic blueprint needs to be redrawn, alongside the necessary wherewithal required for the same.

Marketing Audit, therefore, becomes a periodic requirement for all organizations, assuming the importance of a key business success imperative, if not for survival in the new normal. Any delay in this area may lead to significant loss of Company business.

Conclusion:

According to Covid-19 update of Evaluate Pharma, ‘seemingly uncontrollable advance of Covid-19 in India,’ is perturbing. As on September 20 morning, the country had recorded a staggering figure of 5,400,619 of Coronavirus cases with 86,774 deaths, overtaking Brazil the week before.

The above report points out the potential danger of ‘the country’s health care system to buckle under the weight of hospital admissions for the virus.’ However disturbing this trend may be, from the pharma industry perspective, it sends, at least, four clear signals:

  • It’s a long-haul struggle for the business, as Covid-19 is not going to vanish any time soon.
  • The barriers to in-person interaction will continue for an indefinite period.
  • The market dynamics will keep changing, mostly based on Government’s new guidelines.
  • A robust, flexible, contemporary and comprehensive marketing strategy needs to be supported by stronger and time-tested marketing systems for all times.

From the above perspective, one such time-tested mechanism still remains – ‘the Marketing Audit.’ For business excellence during Covid times, it carries a game changing potential, by dovetailing the industry specific generic problems with company specific strategic solutions.

The criticality of ‘Marketing Audit’ does not remain limited just to bright pharma marketers. It also provides an equally critical top management decision support tool, especially for risk-benefit analysis of the corporate business. Thus, relevance and importance of ‘Marketing Audit’, would remain undiluted, not just during the Covid pandemic – but much beyond.

By: Tapan J. Ray   

Disclaimer: The views/opinions expressed in this article are entirely my own, written in my individual and personal capacity. I do not represent any other person or organization for this opinion.