Are Marketers Artists or Mathematicians?
How many marketers does it take to calculate ROI? None. There's a lot of talk about ROI, but no one's got the time, money or the inclination to do the...
Social Media to Congress: “Piss Off!”
I love a Congressional investigation as well as the next guy, especially when it involves purported wrong-doing by pharmaceutical company bigwigs.The House Committee on Commerce investigation into "who knew what when"...
Jarvik Can’t Prescribe and Can’t Row a Boat, But Can He Sell?
"He can't row," said Dr. O. H. Frazier of the Texas Heart Institute of Dr. Jarvik, Pfizer's Lipitor celebrity spokesperson. And Dr. Frazier should know -- he's a "longtime collaborator" of...
Making Fun of Pharma Marketing is Easy
I've just returned from a few days vacation on the beach in Sunny Isles, Florida and I haven't yet recovered from the Motivational Deficiency Disorder (MDD) symptoms that resulted!Haven't heard about...
What’s Your Social Media Readiness Score?
Sometimes, pharmaceutical marketers must feel like they are doomed if they do or if they don't engage in new media marketing such as "social media" (aka, Web 2.0) marketing.If they do...
Montel Says Goodbye to TV! May Leave PhRMA’s PPA Program Also
According to an AP story, "Syndicated talk show host Montel Williams is being replaced by a younger version of himself. CBS Television Distribution announced Wednesday that 'The Montel Williams Show' will...
Caucuses, Coffee Shop Focus Groups, and Cholesterol
I'd like to explore the connection between the current presidential campaign--including its caucuses and coffee shop interviews--with the direct-to-consumer (DTC) marketing of drugs like cholesterol. An Avodart print ad found in...
Crestor Print Ad Touts Plaque Buildup Advantage
Click image to enlarge.Have you seen this new Crestor print ad from AstraZeneca? Crestor is one of the newer anti-cholesterol drugs that recently gained the right from FDA to claim it...
Women Need More Love, Less Drugs
There seems to be a proliferation of "real" diseases that "primarily affect middle-aged women." That, for example, is how fibromyalgia is described (see "Drug Approved. Is Disease Real?"). The "real" adjective...
Jarvik Falters in His Own Defense
While all of us bloggers were either blasting or defending Dr. Robert Jarvik for promoting Lipitor as an unlicensed "doctor," he appeared on the "Good Morning America" show to answer critics...