In the year of COVID and Black Lives Matter, what have you learned that has made you change your approach around/attitude towards behavioral marketing?
Gary Lyons, head of medical strategy, Fishawack Health
The lasting impact from COVID-19 is the move to virtual engagement which has created a huge challenge for how pharma maintains contact with healthcare professionals. The pandemic has given us the opportunity to meet this challenge in several ways. Firstly, how content is delivered in the virtual setting becomes critical. HCPs have many opportunities to connect with content – any ‘offering’ must be a differentiated experience that deepens their engagement.
We consider ‘user journeys,’ which ensure HCPs receive personalized content, interactivity, and delivery formats across all activity phases based on their learning needs. It’s also critical to offer onward linked activities within broad ‘digital ecosystems’. Finally, we have been delivering scientific meetings on platforms that consider audience size, ease of access, interactivity, and communication between attendees. In re-thinking our customer engagement strategies, we have sought to add more value to every interaction, now and in the post-COVID-19 world.
John Monahan, CEO, HealthPrize Technologies
Just as we’ve seen a sharply decreased volume of in-person clinical visits due to COVID, we’ve also come to realize the importance of the team approach to supporting health outcomes and wellness. A quarterly or annual visit to a prescribing physician, even when uninterrupted, can fall short of what is required to sustain the motivation and momentum needed to drive long-term behavior change. But an ecosystem of patient support delivered via multiple channels can provide that necessary daily support, encouragement and motivation needed for patients to embrace positive health and wellness.
Post-COVID, HealthPrize has been actively building partnerships with solution providers, such as patient access services, nurse educators and call centers, across the patient support spectrum. Through collaboration and integration, our collective services can provide a full, impactful digital support experience for patients with chronic conditions who require daily or weekly medications and potentially a lifetime of disease care and management.
Share an example of a situation where the use of immersive technology, included but not limited to augmented/virtual reality, did NOT achieve its desired end in a pharma, health or wellness campaign.
Nilu Davies, senior CX consultant, Fishawack Health
Immersive technologies are often used by marketers to attract attention through the creation of novel and engaging experiences at booths in pharma congresses. However, technology is often designed without much thought behind how it will engage customers and achieve your goals.
New technologies are often designed haphazardly, without taking into account attendees’ needs, and can actually create distraction. For example, attendees at congresses sometimes struggle to access relevant content and data easily, or dizzying animations may rule over form and function. Resulting frustration might cause an attendee to miss the message – the change you hope to affect and the information you want to convey. This can damage brand equity and prevent you from receiving a successful return on investment for the booth–and ultimately– for your brand.
To maximize the usefulness of immersive technology, design experiences with customers’ needs in mind. Delegates attend congresses not only to learn about advances in their therapy area, but also to network and fulfill personal goals. To design an immersive experience that meets the needs of customers, map out the customer journey that will take place before, during, and after the congress. This will create experiences that attract, engage, educate, and activate delegates. Doing so will help build engagement at your booth and with your brand.
From the November 01, 2020 Issue of MM+M - Medical Marketing and Media
