Vol. 12, Issue No. 6: 31 July 2013 – EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Welcome to Volume 12, Issue No. 6 (31 July 2013) of Pharma Marketing News. See the featured article summaries below.
John Mack, Publisher & Editor
editor@news.pharma-mkting.com
@pharmaguy Featured Survey 
The Value of Social, Mobile, & Gaming Technologies for Improving Adherence
We are beginning to see the launch of social media campaigns and mobile apps designed to support patients by increasing disease awareness and improving medication adherence. Some of the more innovative approaches are incorporating gaming technology that provides incentives, reward points, and discounts. The question is: Are SMAGs (social, mobile, and/or games) effective in improving medication adherence? Or is all this just a new-fangled way of reminding patients to take their medicine?
This survey is designed to inform the discussion on the pros and cons of how these new technologies drive patient engagement and what value they have in solving the long-standing medication adherence “problem.” CLICK HERE to take the survey. Pharma’s Digital Media Adoption Curve The Timing is Right for Innovators to “Hook Up” with Big Pharma
Although some pharma marketers may be using legal/regulatory issues as an excuse for not investing more in digital technologies, the industry as a whole is warming up to digital innovation.
The industry seems to be moving along an adoption curve that looks something like the “Gartner Hype Cycle,” which has traditionally been used to understand how emerging technology is adopted. The “Pharma Digital Media Adoption Curve” illustrates how the drug industry is overcoming the regulatory hurdles to adopting emerging digital technology and especially social media.
Topics include:
- Technology Trigger
- FDA’s 14 Letters Kill One-Click “Rule”
- Figure: L2 Digital IQ Index
- Figure: Digital Barometer 2013
- Figure: The Pharma Digital Media Adoption Curve
- Peak of Inflated Expectations
- Trough of Disillusionment
- Digital Enlightenment
- The Roche Digital Academy
- Training Employees
- Bayer HealthCare Grants4Apps™
- Johnson & Johnson’s Digital Health Masterclass
- It’s Good to Be the Innovator!
The full text of this article is available to subscribers. Subscription is free.
Pharma Marketing NewsEmail Addr: 
The Comeback of CME without Pharma More Physician Participants, More Revenue, But Less Pharma Support
Although the pharmaceutical industry still contributes slightly over $1 billion to support continuing medical education (CME) via grants, advertising, and exhibits, total pharma support continues to decrease.
This article summarizes some of the key trends in CME in the U.S., including the level of commercial support provided by the pharmaceutical industry, how this support is divided among different categories of CME providers, and what percentage of physicians receive CME credits via the Internet.
Topics include:
- Commercial Support of CME
- Figure: Sources of CME Revenue
- Figure: Physician and Nonphysician Participants in Online CME
- More Physician Participants
The full text of this article is available to subscribers. Subscription is free.
Pharma Marketing NewsEmail Addr: Redeemed “Sinners” as Pharma Spokespeople Novo Nordisk’s Faith-Based Marketing
It makes sense for diabetes drug marketers at Novo Nordisk to implement marketing programs specifically to reach African Americans and lower-income people where they pray, play, and eat.
Part of that strategy involves celebrities who usually do not register with “hoity-toity” upper-income white folk. These include NASCAR racecar driver Charlie Kimball, southern belle celebrity chef Paula Deen, and recently ordained Pentecostal minister Joseph Ward Simmons, aka Rev. Run of the hip-hop group Run-D.M.C.
“Redeemed sinner” seems to be a pattern among Novo Nordisk’s celebrity spokespeople. Deen’s “sin” was promoting high-calorie, fatty, and sugary recipes years before revealing she had type 2 diabetes, which is often associated with a diet rich in fats and sugar — the staples of Deen’s recipes. Now Deen says she includes more greens in her meals and eats in moderation.
Topics include:
- Rev. Run’s “Sin”: Kool-Aid
- Deen’s “Sin”: the N-Word
- Appealing to African-American Christians
- Novo “Suspends” Activities with Deen
- Vetting Celebrity Spokespersons to Ensure Return on Investment
- Brilliant or Dumb?
The full text of this article is available to subscribers. Subscription is free.
Pharma Marketing NewsEmail Addr:
