Culture Clubs: Independent Ethics Committees
April 1st 2006Before clinical trials began to cross international lines, recruiting patients was fairly simple. Recruiters had to research only one country's cultural and regulatory standards. But as trials go multinational and the various players in the global study community begin working together for the first time, sponsors discover new levels of complexity. Divergent regulations, cultures, and languages hamstring efforts to find a single approach to patient-outreach communications.
Direct to Consumer: Inspirational Insights
April 1st 2006Ask for their favorite new products or advertising campaigns, and most folks in pharma marketing can easily rattle off a whole list. But ask, "What were the consumer insights behind the product or advertising?" and you may be met by a blank stare. That's too bad, because whether brand marketers are developing a current product or launching a new one, powerful consumer insights are what they need to get into the hearts and minds of their target consumers.
Media Spend Trends: Change the Channel
April 1st 2006It's not closing time, but it does seem like the nine-year, direct-to-consumer (DTC) advertising happy hour is winding down. PhRMA's new Guiding Principles are dimming the lights, and television, the most glamorous and visible media channel for DTC, will have to turn down the volume.
Pharmaceutical Executive's Ad Stars
April 1st 2006In 2005, healthcare advertising hit a new level of refinement in strategy and sophistication in execution. Even better, it reached a new place, where promotion and education sit comfortably together. Brand teams are growing and learning, particularly about using emotion to inspire action.