Pharma Commitment to e-Marketing Grows

A survey of pharma marketers has revealed growing commitment to e-marketing with online spend on the increase across the sector.      

The research, of 250 senior executives, revealed just under three quarters (71%) of marketers have allocated digital spend in 2010, with a fifth of these (19%) dedicating more than 10 per cent of their budget to online activity. 

Furthermore, digital budgets are set to rise significantly next year with 84 per cent of those pharma marketers responsible for spend, planning to increase allocation.  Of these, one in twenty (6%) plan to double budgets, whilst an eighth (13%) are set to increase e-marketing spend by at least half and one in two (53%) by a fifth (20%).  Just one in six (16%) are dedicating the same amount or less than this year.

Budget increases indicate growing recognition of the value of online communications in comparison to tradition pharma marketing channels.  For example, when asked about making pharmaceutical calls to medical professionals just under half (49%) of marketers perceived online calls to be better value than face-to-face in some, if not all, cases.

The statistics highlight a step change in pharmaceutical communications strategies, to take advantage of doctors’ growing reliance on digital, to source professional information and news.   

Carwyn Jones, head of pharmaceutical for Doctors.net.uk, said: “Until now digital marketing spend has generally been regarded as an ‘add-on’ for pharma, so it’s really promising to see that budget is now being set aside specifically for this purpose.”

“As time pressures increase, opportunities to get in front of doctors are rapidly diminishing - so it’s critical that the pharmaceutical industry explores other routes to reach this audience.  As the resource of choice for doctors, the internet offers a wealth of opportunities for pharma to exploit so it’s reassuring to see that marketers are finally starting to take digital seriously.

*Research obtained live through audience response technology at the EyeforPharma marketing summit in February 2010