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Healthy Skepticism Library item: 16499

Warning: This library includes all items relevant to health product marketing that we are aware of regardless of quality. Often we do not agree with all or part of the contents.

 

Publication type: news

DTC marketers continue to talk to the wall as the possible demise of DTC marketing looms
Pharma Marketer 2009 Sep 16
http://pharma-marketer.com/2009/09/16/dtc-marketers-continue-to-talk-to-the-wall-as-the-possible-demise-of-dtc-marketing-looms/


Full text:

There are two stories this week which possible point to a demise, or at the very least a big cutback, in DTC spending. The first was that Lunesta sales continue to rise despite the fact they are not doing any major DTC advertising. The second was the announcement of 5,500 layoffs at Lilly as drugs in the pipeline fail and the impending loss of $1 billion in sales from the loss of Zyprexa as it comes off patent. If you think cuts in DTC this year were bad just wait till 2010.
Senior executives at most pharma companies are not big believers in DTC marketing which they see as an expense that can easily be trimmed. DTC marketers, instead of allocating money to new media, have chosen to ignore common sense and continue with their mindless TV marketing. Cialis sales are hurting so much that they have even taken to running full page ads in newspapers with free trial coupons.
While most marketers are cutting back on print and TV the drug industry continues to bombard consumers with ads that do nothing at all except make the networks wealthier. Sure there are some brand that are dabbling in social media but for the most part the drug industry has ignored new media and is clueless when it comes to Internet marketing.

I was at Lilly when Prozac came off patent and went through the first round of “reallocations”. I can tell you that the budget cuts that followed were deep and painful. Now with another major drug coming off patent and a pipeline that is as dry as a desert I am sure that the days of Cialis bathtub ads may also be coming to a quick end (thank God !). More and more executives are going to question the effectiveness of DTC ads and rightfully so. Rather than use a channel that can be measured with every click through targeted action DTC marketers have insisted on using TV and print which today are ineffective.
I often hear stories of what the drug industry was like before the “days of DTC advertising”. It seems that those days might be coming back as the drug industry comes to the realization that the days of huge drug sales are over and that new drugs are more costly to develop with a more failing in trials. Insurers are also sure to start recommending that patients use generic drugs where possible to reduce costs. It’s a new day for pharma and a leaner organization may just keep the Street happy.

 

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