One (BIG) Reason Pharma Shouldn't Reconsider Instagram

It's the comment moderation policy. Most of the Pharma Instagram accounts just focus on nice corporate "feel-good" images that are not about products. The comments attached to such posts are likely to be benign and even full of praise. But any substantial promotional-type posts to Instagram by pharma are likely to generate more negative comments.

Should #Pharma Consider Instagram for Promotion & Patient Engagement?

See all my Scoops about Instagram here, where you can find links to pharma Instagram accounts.

The Wrong Approach to "Patient-Centricity"

This post was inspired by an article in MM&M written by an IMS digital consultant who obviously is barking up the wrong tree as far as "patient-centricity" is concerned, IMHO. The original article: "Is Pharma Taking the Wrong Approach to Patient-Centricity?" to which I say "No!" You, sir, are taking the wrong approach!

"Patient Centricity" Should Not Be About Listening to Patients to Sell More Products!

Making Sure You're Getting Your Money's Worth Out of Your Website

Competing with giant online companies is difficult, but proper web design for small business will convince your share of visitors to become customers. Here are some ideas on how to get more sales.

1. ONE-CLICK
 Make it simple. The more involved purchasing is, the less likely it happens. Complex or multiple forms may be asking too much. So are needless steps. Making it easy for visitors to convert to customers is the best way of upping conversion rates. It might be worth paying a web design company for an eye-catching and streamlined process.

2. BRIEF COPY
Let images sell, as images inspire deeper emotional reaction than paragraphs of text. If visitors want to learn more, provide links or menus that allow them to do so. But try to limit explanatory text to thirty words or so, and choose images that show off your product and its benefits. The right photos get an instant positive response. If you need to do explaining, use a series of images and meaningful captions, not a stream of text. It's frustrating to scroll through long paragraphs on a small screen, these are reasons why design website that suitable for mobile devices. If you don't know how to embed YouTube videos, find out.

3. REPEAT, REPEAT
 It's boring in everyday communication, but mental conditioning comes from repetition. Not that you want to brow-beat or brain-wash your visitors. Repeating a few key selling points can help drive the point home. Regarding repetition, frequently review your own site to identify room for improvement. Your selling strategy should always evolve with your market. Always make the time to see what your top competition does, and make note of any web design tips and tricks that could improve your own customer conversion.

4. FREEBIES
This might seem contrary to the whole idea of making a profit, but you want visitors to be pleased with your website, even if they aren't ready to purchase. You don't have to give away merchandise. Offer a free service, or buy or create informative eBooks as free downloads; just make sure it’s relevant to your site, that it's fairly unique and quality information, and includes a link back to your site.

You might also consider giving away freeware. If you're prepared to spend, you might hire someone to produce brand-able software with your own logo and links. A Google search can surprise you with what you can get for nothing. Add more, and let subscribers know; this way, you've got a network of happy people, for little or no cost.

Search for free tools, such as search engine submission, SEO analysis, or keyword research. There are free sources for art, eBook compilers, and logo and banner makers. Used correctly, these things bring more professional results.

5. PROMISES
 Believe it or not, your word is still worth something. If you provide guarantees, discounts, or next-day shipping, make sure visitors know it. Willingness to go the extra mile might be what seals the deal. Once you make a promise, though, go out of your way to make it happen. Site admins know better than anyone how tough it can be to get noticed and get paid. Adopt and track successful website design tips and tricks for yourself. Knowing what works with your visitors will mean steady increases in sales.

A 10,000 Character Limit Won't Solve Pharma's Twitter "Problem"

Doug Weinbrenner, senior director of social media at marketing firm Intouch Solutions, suggests that Twitter's plan to extend its 140-character limit to 10,000 will put the platform "back into [pharma marketers'] consideration set" because marketers are stymied by FDA regulations requiring important safety information (i.e., side effects) to fit in a 140-character Rx-branded tweet (see here).

He thinks this will be "revolutionary" for pharma marketers: "Twitter revolutionizing the platform is probably one of the biggest things that happened in social media over the last year, and there's a considerable amount of interest in us being at the forefront of social pharma," he said.

But there's one possible fly in the ointment that will continue to stymie pharma marketers.

Read more »

Online Marketing Outsourcing: Is it Right for Your Business?

Your initial reaction to outsourcing may be to say no. After all, if something needs to be done, then it needs to be done correctly, right? Despite this mentality, outsourcing is necessary for success; there aren't enough hours in the day to do everything yourself, and one of the easiest tasks to outsource is online marketing. 

There are a host of benefits of outsourcing, but there are downsides as well. Let's focus on the benefits first. 

Outsourcing can be a hearty boon to most businesses, especially startups. If you lack the skillset to get a necessary task done, then outsourcing it to an offshore worker can be a great way to focus on your strengths while still accomplishing everything you need to do for your business. You could outsource SEO work to a third-party firm and rely on them to revamp your website to generate the most organic traffic possible. You could outsource your marketing emails in order to find web design clients. 

If you need a logo designed but have only rudimentary Photoshop skills, then outsourcing is a better use of your time. While you may be able to design a passable logo by investing 10 or more hours into it, is it worth it? By spending a small amount of money and outsourcing the task to someone else, you can have your logo done and still accomplish a host of other tasks. Whether this is worthwhile to you or not depends on how much you value your time; what is an hour worth? 

That said, despite all the benefits, there are a few glaring disadvantages to outsourcing. Perhaps the first and most commonly felt issue is that of communication. Outsourcing means you must develop clear and cohesive communication skills with your offshore staff; failing to do so can result in mistakes or dissatisfaction with the delivered product. While many people can explain what they want easily enough in person, the same cannot be said for email. Take the time to read over any briefs you send and ensure they contain the necessary information. 

Another downside is that you will have to train your offshore staff. While they may ultimately save you time in the long run, there is an initial investment of time necessary to ensure they know how to perform the tasks you need them to perform. This applies to more general staff; as a rule, those hired to perform specific jobs will already know what they're doing. 

 Finally, your work will be outsourced to people who are not as passionate about the job as you are. While your startup may be your pride and joy, to your staff it is nothing more than a paycheck. This doesn't mean they won't deliver the right quality, but it does mean they're not as likely to respond to you at 3AM when you're pulling your third all-nighter in a row in search of clients. 

Whether or not to outsource is your decision. Take the time to evaluate the possible benefits and disadvantages and decided whether it is right for you.

Britannia Good Day : Har Cookie Mein Kayi Smiles

Brand: Good Day
Company: Britannia

Brand Analysis Count: # 561

Good Day is an interesting brand. Launched in 1987, the brand had come a long way. The brand was launched by Britannia when it identified a gap between the glucose biscuit category and cream-biscuit category. According to a report in Business Line, the company felt that customers want an indulgence product which they can consume during tea-time. The company thus pioneered the "Cookie" category in India by positioning Good Day just above the glucose biscuits. The  new product was different from the glucose biscuits by the inclusion of berries and dry fruits. 

The Indian biscuit market is worth Rs 25,000 crore and the cookie is the fastest growing category in the industry. According to ET and Business Standard, the cookie category is worth around Rs 6000 crore. Good Day is leading the category with around 30% market share. Parle and Sunfeast are close followers with a share of 27 % and 25% respectively.

Good Day, which created the cookie market at one time enjoyed more than 70% share in the market. The decline is attributed to the competition it faced from Parle and Sunfeast. 

Good Day as a brand was promoted on the basis of the happiness platform. The brand had the very famous tagline " Have a Good Day " which was reinforced by some very good campaigns. 

Watch the earlier campaign of Good Day: Campaign 1, Campaign 2

According to news reports, the core philosophy of Good Day is happiness and optimism. The brand has been consistent on the positioning platform since launch. 

2015 saw a relaunch of the brand. The brand has been suffering from the onslaught of ITC's Sunfeast. Sunfeast virtually changed the face of the biscuit market. Sunfeast brought lot of energy to the biscuit market with lot of new launches and varieties. 

Britannia is now responding by elevating Good Day into an umbrella brand with lot of new varieties and sub-brands. For example the Chunkies is a premium cookie brand launched as a sub-brand of Good Day, endorsed by Deepika Padukone. 

During the relaunch, Good Day also have changed the tagline to " Har Cookie mein kayi smiles " roughly meaning - every cookie has many smiles. The brand is reinforcing its happiness positioning through the packaging also. Good Day now has put a smile into the packs and is now selling the curved lines of the biscuits as smiles. 

Watch the ad here : Smile Good Day

The new avatar of  Good Day is a smart move by Britannia. The brand is not complacent in the face of competition. How ever, the brand could have retained the tagline " Have a Good Day " . The original campaign is so powerful and popular, Good Day has virtually let go a very powerful brand element.

Major Drugs Going Off Patent in 2015

Click on the image for enlarged view:

A Few Major #Pharma Drugs Will Lose Patent Protection in 2016

Why Is FDA Issuing Fewer Marketing Violation Letters?

As mentioned in a previous Pharma Marketing Blog post, the FDA's Office of Prescription Drug Promotion (OPDP) issued the fewest ever enforcement letters regarding non-biologic Rx drug promotions in 2015 (read "2015 Was Another Good Year for Orphan Drugs & Pharma Marketers").

Mark Senak - who works for the public relations firm Fleishman-Hillard and who writes EyeOnFDA blog - suggested a couple of theories as to why OPDP is issuing fewer warning letters these days:

Senak noted that these days "letters largely involved companies that are lesser known and are likely to have fewer products on the market," which implies that they have less experience complying with FDA regulations whereas larger pharma companies are becoming better at complying with FDA regulations. A Pharmalot blog post also suggested that "smaller drug makers [are] bigger risk takers when it comes to promotions" (see here).

It is interesting that the pharma companies that received serious WARNING LETTERS as opposed to less serious UNTITLED LETTERS in 2015 were two small Canadian companies. One of these companies was Duchesnay  which received a warning letter for the promotion of Diclegis via Instagram. It should be noted that an American agency was responsible for dreaming up the violative Instagram post. This agency claims to have a deep understanding of FDA regulations especially when it comes to social media. For more on that, read "How Kim Kardashian Got Hired to Shill for Diclegis".

Senak has another, more interesting theory. But I can trump that with a totally different theory based on the tried and true investigative journalistic axiom; i.e., "Follow the Money."

Read more »

A Deeper Look at FDA's 2015 Enforcement of Drug Promotions

As mentioned in a previous post, the FDA's Office of Prescription Drug Promotion (OPDP) issued the fewest ever enforcement letters regarding non-biologic Rx drug promotions in 2015 (read "2015 Was Another Good Year for Orphan Drugs & Pharma Marketers").

Of the 9 letters OPDP sent to drug companies regarding violations, 2 were serious "Warning Letters" and 7 were "Untitled Letters." The following chart shows the Warning vs. Untitled letter trend from 2010 through 2015.

One Warning Letter went to Duchesnay for the promotion of Diclegis via Instagram. FDA cited 2 violations: (1) Omission of Risk Information (see "OMG. Kim Kardashian Shills for Pharma! No Worry - No Side Effects!") and (2) Omission of Material Fact (the post failed to provide material information regarding DICLEGIS’ full approved indication, including important limitations of use). The other Warning Letter went to a Valeant subsidiary for the promotion of Tussicaps. FDA cited 3 violations: (1) Omission of Risk Information, (2) Inadequate Communication of Indication, and (3) Unsubstantiated Claims.

Read more »