Script lift is the ultimate goal for many pharma marketing campaigns, but definitively tracking it often proves elusive. Populus Media, however, believes it has made gains in boosting script lift in telehealth campaigns across several categories, including type 2 diabetes and respiratory conditions, according to a new study.

The study, conducted by Lasso, linked one type 2 diabetes campaign to a 90% increase in new prescriptions (NRx) and a 72% boost in new patients. Sessions lasted three minutes and 30 seconds on average.

In the respiratory and dermatology categories, the study found a 24.7% increase in total prescriptions (TRx) and 6% in NRx, as well as a 14.3% jump in the number of new patients.

The power of telehealth campaigns lie in “removing the guesswork” that’s often involved in search-based strategies, according to Populus VP of analytics and research Lee Daniels.

“The beautiful thing about digital marketing is that you’re not wasting your dollars on patients that may not be interested in the category or the brand,” he explained. “We have an advantage over traditional marketing, where the ads aren’t delivered until the patient is engaging in the platform and has actively submitted their reason for visit. So we know that if somebody is searching for migraine headaches, for example, they’re not going to be delivered an ad that’s not connected to migraine headaches.”

The campaign incorporated ads minutes before the patient’s virtual consultation with the doctor, with the goal of providing an opportunity for communication about a specific medication during the session.

“We’re basically the last touchpoint before that critical messaging and we act as a reinforcement for it,” Daniels said. “We believe that timely messaging leads to an increase in script and also consideration for future prescription possibilities.”

For Daniels, the results affirm the promise of harnessing telehealth visits to tailor advertising efforts based on the patient’s condition. Not surprisingly, he expects to see more of this sooner rather than later.

“We know that people of all age groups are finding it extremely easy and efficient to use telehealth for their meetings with their HCPs,” Daniels noted. “It’s a reinforcement that it’s here to stay.”