New Pharma Marketing Model

I watched a short video summarizing the need for a change in the pharmaceutical marketing model. It was made by Matt Rowley of The Central Group in London.

New Pharma Marketing from Matt Rowley on Vimeo

Matt makes some fantastic points that ring true in today’s rapidly changing healthcare market. He makes the point that life sciences and pharmaceutical marketers must move away from the old ‘reach and frequency’ model and move towards a commercialization and marketing model based on the Rogers Diffusion Model.

Rogers Diffusion Model is based on the effect of networks on the adoption of new innovations and the importance of local, regional and national opinion leaders on the adoption process. Each has a different role to play and the new marketing model will align the role of the opinion leader with the adoption process. Rogers’ model also emphasizes the importance of networks and relationships on learning and adoption behavior. The amazing part of all this is that none of this is new…Rogers ‘Diffusion of Innovations’ is in the 5th Edition and the first study in pharmaceuticals studying the effect of physician networks on the adoption of a new product was done in 1955 by Pfizer!

If you haven’t read Rogers ‘Diffusion of Innovations’, it is a must read for anyone who wants to understand how networks affect the adoption process. Watch Matt’s video and change your fundamental assumptions about marketing!

Social Media and Healthcare 2.0

Great article in The Economist, “A Special Report on Healthcare and Technology.  Health 2.0” http://www.economist.com/specialreports/displaystory.cfm?story_id=13437940

Patients are moving from the margins in healthcare to the center thanks to the emergence of social media.  This makes we wonder how social media might transform the delivery of healthcare and how we will ‘consume’ health care services in the future?  As I thought about how Twitter, Yammer, Blogs, Podcasts, etc. might be used, I came up with an idea for diabetes blood glucose monitoring.

Imagine the current blood glucose meter being more like an iPhone or Blackberry rather than a device that measures, stores and transmits blood glucose readings to the patient and their physician.  BG measures could be uploaded on a regular basis (virtual continuous glucose monitoring) to a secure system (‘tweet the reading’) and personalized feedback could be ‘tweeted back’.  Patients could communicate with their doctor and with other patients to form a virtual diabetes network.  If these devices had apps (like the iPhone apps) that were also integrated with their home computers and connected to web sites like “Patients Like Me”, they could receive more tailored education and information could be pushed to the patient on their own personal ‘Diabetes Facebook’ page or web site.  Plus get connected to online groups, chats, blogs, etc.

Services could be at the patients fingertips with apps like “Around Me” and reviews could be written and posted immediately on a “Diabetes Yelp”.   This is some pretty cool stuff and I think these technologies will reshape how we manage our health and treat our illness.

CNN.com How to Create Buzz: The Business Lesson for Marketers

CNN.com World Business in London picked up the Wharton Opinion Leader Study today!  Great news!  http://edition.cnn.com/2009/BUSINESS/03/15/execed.buzz/index.html

According to CNN.com, “companies have spent millions over the years trying to work out who in their marketplace are the “connectors,” those who spread the word about a new product or service throughout their peer group.

“Now, new research from a leading U.S. business school suggests that many marketing departments have been looking in the wrong place, and that these all-important opinion-formers might crop up in seemingly unlikely places.”

Only by doing network analysis can one identify the “unlikely people”.  Simply identifying their names doesn’t provide the insights necessary to understand their role in word-of-mouth or “buzz.”  Too many of our clients want to just know the names of opinion leaders (or influencers) and don’t yet fully appreciate the value gained by looking at network position, connections and structure.