Earlier this month, the Keller Fay Group, a word-of-mouth marketing company,
released research that has gotten a lot of attention amongst some of my colleagues. The study, which was featured in eMarketer’s newsletter recently, indicates that 74% of peer-to-peer pharmaceutical-related conversations happen offline. Less than 10% occurs on the Internet.
Ed Keller, CEO of the Keller Fay Group had this to say: “This statistic should be an eye-opener for marketers obsessing over emerging digital media and blogs. For some brands, it’s important to facilitate talk online, but reaching influencers at events or by providing information they can share offline is crucial.”
My take on this study is that it makes a lot of sense – especially if you understand how people are consuming health-related content online and who they go to for advice. According to a report issued by iCrossing in January 2008:
“34% of health searchers use social media resources to delve into health-related topics, with Wikipedia, . . . online forums and message boards the most important individual tools; as with other areas of interest, social media hold a particular appeal for 18-to-34 year old health searchers, while overall, men appear more likely than women to use online social media to research health and wellness issues.”
iCrossing also found that “trust in Internet resources . . . is not yet proportionate to their overall popularity.”
All of this research can only lead us to one, common sense conclusion: The Internet is important, but should not be the only focus of a pharma marketing effort. I think most marketers would agree that an integrated marketing campaign that utilizes each channel (social technologies, mainstream media, mobile wom) appropriately for the maximum benefit is the smart way to go.
The Keller Fay study is certainly interesting, but no eye opener for those taking a common-sense approach to pharmaceutical marketing.
The distinction between offline and online WOM (like most distinctions in real life) is not as black-and-white as the Keller-Fay press release would make it seem. The Manhattan Research data makes clear that among the most active offline WOM propagators in healthcare are those who are also active online...and it is often information picked up online that is subsequently propagated widely offline.
Posted by: Bruce Grant | July 29, 2008 2:17 PM | Permalink to Comment