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 »

Who Will Be "Miss Viagra" 2015?

Wowie zowie! Is that a roll of dimes quarters in your pocket or are you just excited to see those sexy women of every ethnic persuasion (except latina?) in Viagra ads? If there were a "Miss Viagra" beauty contest, which one would you crown Miss Viagra 2015? (I included the woman who appeared in the first ad that aired in 2014.)

Which contestant should wear the crown for "Miss Viagra" 2015?

No. 1   No. 2   No. 3   No. 4

BTW, Actress, model and former Miss Hawaii Kelly Hu is featured in one of the new Viagra ads. She’s #4 in the lineup shown above.

My Favorite Drug Ad Celebrities

Drug Advertising Celebrities

2015 Was Another Good Year for Orphan Drugs & Pharma Marketers

UPDATED 4 Jan 2016: FDA approved 45 new drugs in 2015, four more than in 2014 and the highest number since 1996. Twenty-one (21) of those (47%) were "orphan" drugs (find FDA data here). This compares to 17 orphan drugs approved in 2014 or 41% of the total (see CDER New Drug Review: 2015 Update and "2014 Was a Good Year for FDA & Pharma").

Click on image for an enlarged view.

That's good news for the pharma industry, which often submits drugs to the FDA as orphan drugs but once approved the drugs are "used broadly off-label with the lucrative orphan drug protections and exclusivity benefits," according to the authors of a study recently published in the American Journal of Clinical Oncology (read "#Pharma Welfare: 'Orphan' Blockbuster Drugs on Rise - Including Crestor!").

Pharma marketers also have good news regarding FDA marketing enforcement actions in 2015.

Read more »

SEO Made Simple 2016

Many people are wondering if SEO, search engine optimization, still matters.  As someone who's been focused on SEO for a long time, I can definitely say it's essential for success. However, the process of optimizing your website and the process for doing so has radically changed.

Back in the day you could trick search engines into believing that your website had more authority than your competitors. Authority is essentially Google's way of assessing a point value to indicate site popularity. Google has become much more sophisticated and trying to put one over on them is a waste of time.

One of the most fundamental changes in search engine optimization is local optimization. Thanks to the proliferation of mobile devices, most searches using search engines have some type of local intent. This type of search query has changed the Google algorithm and ranking factors. Even if you are a national business, you must think locally and optimize for local search.

The second area that have evolved over the last few years is content.  As I talk about in SEO Made Simple (audio version), content is the driving force behind site authority and valuation.  The more engaging content you produce, the more users will stay on your site, interact with, and share your web pages. This had a dramatic and lasting impact on search engine results.

When people ask me for my optimization advice, I always point to the two items above, local optimization and content creation. When these two factors are at the heart of your optimization strategy, you can influence search engine rankings.

What about those old SEO tactics?

If you're still getting emails from India promotion number one Google rankings, there's probably a bunch of outdated tactics behind it. The best case scenario is that you don't get penalized when these companies start posting links to your website all across the internet. The worst case scenario is that Google catches on (and they will), banning your site.

I've found that websites who have received a Google penalty rarely, if ever, fully recover.  Is it worth the risk?  No, definitely not.  My recommendation is always to learn SEO best practices and either implement them on your own or simply hire a reputable firm to implement specific tactics like blogging, digital assets, etc. under your supervision.

To be successful with search engine optimization, you need to take a fresh approach. Focus on how to build quality information online that others want to interact with. When you do, you'll naturally attract links to your website or blog and improved organic rankings will follow.

Pharmaguy's 2016 New Year's Resolutions for the Pharma Industry

2015 is coming to an end, thankfully. It's not been an especially good year considering that the media and politicians have found a face for evil pharma and rising drug prices: Martin Shkreli!

Shkreli's recent arrest will only heighten pharma's bad press as some people wonder why more pharma CEOs have not been arrested.

Be that as it may, let's look ahead to 2016 and what I recommend as New Year’s Resolutions for the drug industry and especially pharmaceutical marketers. If you're interested in how well my 2015 resolutions fared, go here.

My #1 personal New Year's Resolution is the same every year:

Stop telling the pharmaceutical industry what to do all the time. Unfortunately, I have never kept that resolution. So, here's my recommended list of 2016 resolutions for pharma...

Read more »

Are All Pharma CEOs Martin Shkrelis?

Martin Shkreli claims he was arrested because he tried to maximize his company's profits by raising the price of a life-saving drug. There is no doubt that may have been a factor in the timing of the arrest, which resulted in even more attention to common practices employed by the drug industry to keep drug prices high and maximize profits as this NYT editorial points out.

NYT Editors: Shkreli No Different Than Other Pharma Leaders

Pharma Wars: Meet Shkreli the Hutt

Not such a long time ago in a pharma company pretty close by...

Looking Back on My 2015 New Year's Resolutions for Pharma

Before I publish my recommendations for 2016, let me review my 2015 New Year's Resolutions for pharma to see how many were actually achieved.

2015 Resolution #1: Forget about using Twitter to promote brand name drugs to consumers.

I don't know if pharma marketers have forgotten about doing branded tweets, but I haven't come across any nor have I heard many laments about how hard it is to overcome FDA's social media regulatory hurdles.

But there was one failed attempt to bypass the FDA via a promotional post on Instagram. Of course that was a post on Instagram by Kim Kardashian promoting Diclegis.

Before the Instagram ink was even dry the FDA sent a Warning Letter to Duchesnay, the drug’s maker. That letter put the kibosh on the “one-click rule”:

“We note the statement, ‘[F]ind out more www.diclegis.com; www.DiclegisImportantSafetyInfo.com[,]’ appears at the end of the social media post; however, this does not mitigate the misleading omission of risk information. By omitting the risks associated with DICLEGIS, the social media post misleadingly fails to provide material information about the consequences that may result from the use of the drug and suggests that it is safer than has been demonstrated.”

Read more »

My Twitter Audience as of Dec 2105

The following is an "Audience Insights" analysis of my Twitter account (@pharmaguy). You can also learn more about my audience from results to date of my reader survey.

Click on image for an enlarged view.

Gallery of Drug Advertising Mascots

These are my all-time favorite drug “mascots” (I call them critters) seen in direct-to consumer ads. Along with the gallery of images, I offer links to more information and the ads themselves (at least in a few cases).

If you know of any that I have missed, please tell me about it in comments to this post or contact me via Twitter: @pharmaguy.

Pharmaguy's Gallery of Drug Advertising Mascots from PharmaGuy.com

What the Drug Industry Can Learn from FDA's Social Media Policy

The FDA recently posted a new social media policy, but it's not for the pharmaceutical industry. The policy is for its own employees (read "FDA Releases a Long-Awaited Social Media Policy").

Like similar policies developed by pharma companies such as Roche (here), FDA's SM policy provides guidance to their employees about how to use social media for personal and professional purposes.

"The FDA encourages the use of social media technologies to enhance communication, collaboration, and information exchange in support of FDA’s mission to protect and promote public health," states the introduction. "This policy applies to FDA employees, contractors, and other personnel acting in an official capacity when using social media to communicate with the public regarding FDA-related matters."

I read "between the lines" to determine if this policy offers any hints as to how the FDA may further regulate pharma's use of social media in the future, especially with regard to correcting/deleting comments posted to its own sites and linking to external third-party sites.

Read more »