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Key Trends & Innovative Activities in Biopharma Digital Marketing

Best Practices, LLC Strategic Benchmarking Research & Analysis

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Table of Contents

Executive Summary pp. 3-9

• Research Overview p. 3

• Key Findings & Insights p. 6

Detailed Research Findings p. 10

1. Hotspots in Digital Innovation p. 15

Assessing Key Growth Areas

Measuring ROI in New Activities

2. Winning in the Mobile & Wearable Device World p. 25

Mobile Targeting, Uptake, Search & ROI

Wearable Preparedness

3. Succeeding with Today's Physicians p. 35

Effective Channels & Campaign Measurement

Deploying Dynamic Content

Making the Most of EHRs

4. Maximizing Social Media Presence p. 44

Team Structure & Staffing

Top Activities

About Best Practices, LLC p. 49

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Field Research & Insight Development:

Best Practices, LLC engaged 39 digital marketing

leaders at 30 companies through a benchmarking

survey instrument.

Research participants worked in such functions as

digital, multichannel marketing, business excellence &

intelligence, marketing, and sales.

• Identify innovative digital

marketing approaches in

healthcare

• Assess the impact,

effectiveness, and ROI of new

leading activities

• Capture insights for

implementing innovative

programs

Research Objectives & Methodology

Research Objectives:

This benchmarking deliverable is part of a series of Best Practices’ studies designed to

examine Digital Marketing performance excellence in the healthcare industry.

This study analyzes “hotspots” in digital and multichannel innovation, including:

Mobile

Social media

Dynamic content

Advanced customer insights

Business Objective:

This research examines the innovative programs and activities being implemented by high-performing

digital marketing teams in the healthcare space. This benchmark study identifies and evaluates key

trends in the successful education and engagement of customers across online channels.

:

Electronic health records (EHRs)

Wearable devices

Campaign automation

Digital customer service

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Data Segmentations & Acronyms Used in this Study

Data Segments:

Large Company: Annual revenue of > $10 billion

(US) in 2014

Medium & Small Company: Annual revenue <$10

billion (US) in 2014

Centralizing DM Team: Any respondent company

where the digital marketing function is becoming more

centralized in structure (e.g., housed in a designated DM

group, multichannel group, or Center of Excellence)

De-centralizing DM Team: Any respondent company

where the digital marketing function is becoming less

centralized in a single structure or group (e.g., DM is

embedded within individual brands, units or therapy areas)

Brand-Aligned DM Teams: Any respondent company

where digital marketing capability is a mix of both centralized

teams & individual brand teams or business units

Digital Is Part of MCM: Any respondent company

digital marketing capability resides within a centralized

multichannel marketing group or Center of Excellence

To help distill the most precise and relevant benchmark insights, several data segments were used in this

study. Definitions of these data segments, as well as other research terms and acronyms used

throughout this research, are provided below.

Key Terms & Acronyms:

DM – digital marketing

EHR – electronic health record(s)

HCP – healthcare provider

MCM – multichannel marketing

ROI – return on investment

SEO – search engine optimization

SM – social media

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Universe of Learning: 30 Top Companies Contributed to this Research

This research engaged 39 digital marketing leaders from 30 leading pharmaceutical, biotech, and life

sciences companies. Thirteen study participants represent large pharma organizations, while the

remaining benchmark class represent medium or small companies.

Benchmark Class:

Large Companies (Revenue > $10 Billion US in 2014)

Medium & Small Companies (Revenue < $10 Billion US in 2014)

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The following key findings and insights emerged from this study.

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Key Findings

High-Performing Mobile Campaigns Have Delivered an Average ROI of 17%: For their most

successful mobile programs, healthcare digital teams have been able to show an average return of 17% on

investment. Median ROI for signature mobile campaigns was 7%. While one group has exceeded a 100%

return, others have been yet unable to credibly demonstrate any return.

Top 3 HCP Channels: Point-of-Care Apps, ePresentations & eMarketing: The top channels for

informing and engaging physicians appear to be point-of-care apps (highest effectiveness rating, a growth

opportunity for many orgs), digital presentations (96% somewhat effectiveness rating), and e-marketing

(91% effectiveness rating). Search and website activities are somewhat effective for most companies.

Top Social Media Activities include Listening/Data Collection & Facilitated Peer-to-Peer Discussion:

To succeed with social media, biopharma companies must listen openly to customers and interact on their

terms. Currently 76% of benchmarked companies - and 89% of large pharma - conduct some form of data

gathering through social media listening. Sixty-five percent are also facilitating peer-to-peer interactions via

social media. More traditional “push” approaches to branding, such as a highly active Twitter account, are

less common today on the social media side.

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Universe of Learning: Insights Drawn from Host of Biopharma Experts

Q. What is your current job title?

N=39

Participant Job Titles:

C-Suite/VP, 5%

Director, 33%

Manager, 38%

Lead/Head, 13%

Other, 13%

*Other research participants:

Business Analyst, Digital Project

Specialist, Assistant, Senior

Territory Business Executive

*

This research features quantitative insights from a wide range of leaders from the digital marketing

function. Roughly half of respondents serve at the VP or director level, or as heads of digital units.

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USA & Canada, 54%

Asia-Pacific, 21%

Europe, 15%

Latin America, 5%

Other, 5%

Benchmark Research Reflects Digital Practices around the Globe

N=39

Country:

*Other countries represented:

Saudi Arabia, Russia

*

Q. In what country or region are you currently located?

Study participants provide digital services to major markets around the world. More than half serve

the US and Canada, with strong representation from both the Asia-Pacific and European markets.

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104

111

129

132

139

154

188

190

195

Social media engagement

Advanced analytics & predictive modeling

2-way online community engagement

SEO & online advertising

Mobile

E-marketing

Internal training & skills development (e.g., iPad fieldsupport)

Dynamic content & other collateral building

Websites

Improved Dynamic Content a Key Development in 2015 DM Picture

Q. Which of the following common digital activities have had the greatest positive impact on engaging and

influencing your customers?

Ranking the Impact of Digital Activities:

N=35

= Key focus area

of this deliverable

This research deliverable analyzes a host of innovative activities in biopharma digital marketing,

highlighted in red against other core areas below. A rapid improvement in the deployment of dynamic

content is one notable trend, while companies have made slow but steady strides in social, analytics, and

mobile engagement.

Research Note: The above scores represent a weighted average based upon survey participants’ rank order of impact of various digital activities. Higher scores indicate higher impact ranking for a particular digital channel or activity area.

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High-Performing Mobile Campaigns Have Delivered an Average of 17% ROI

Q. What is the highest level of return on investment you have been able to clearly demonstrate for any specific tactic,

campaign, or activity associated with your mobile programs?

N=10-11

ROI for Mobile Programs:

10%

17%

7%

1%

75th Percentile Mean Median 25th Percentile

Greatest Digital Success Story in

Last 12 Months:

“We leveraged MCM capabilities to

increase market share & FF customer

access." -Multichannel Lead

Three-fourths of small and mid-sized companies that are leveraging the growing use of mobile among

physicians and other customers to analyze usage patterns. Armed with these critical insights, many

digital teams create high-impact point-of-care resources that sync with other popular applications.

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4%

4%

8%

8%

17%

17%

21%

21%

29%

63%

50%

83%

38%

79%

38%

25%

13%

29%

13%

4%

8%

4%

4%

4%

4%

4%

50%

50%

29%

38%

42%

Twitter

YouTube

Company or product websites

SEO & paid search

E-marketing

Online community interactions

Digital presentations

Point of care applications (e.g., Epocrates)

Highly effective Effective Ineffective Highly ineffective NA (not active in this area)

Point of care applications

Top 3 HCP Channels: Point-of-Care Apps, ePresentations & eMarketing

Q. How effective are each of the following channels for informing and engaging physicians about new therapies?

N=24 % Respondents

Effective Channels for Reaching Physicians:

The top channels for informing and engaging physicians appear to be point-of-care apps (highly effective,

a growth opportunity for many orgs), digital presentations (96% effectiveness rating), and e-marketing

(91% effectiveness rating). Search and website activities are somewhat effective for most companies.

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12%

18%

24%

29%

65%

76%

Shared games / maps / tools / visualizations

Highly active Twitter accounts

Clinical development news and trial publicity /recruitment

Sponsored discussion

Facilitated peer-to-peer interaction

Social listening and data collection

Social Media Listening & Data Collection Used by 76% of Social Marketers

Q. How has your DM group made use of social media over the past year?

N=17

% Respondents

Innovative Use of Social Media:

To succeed with social media, biopharma companies must listen openly to customers and interact on

their terms. Not surprisingly, the most prevalent SM tactics include social listening and data collection

(76% of organizations) and facilitated peer-to-peer interactions (65%). A more traditional “push”

approach to branding, such as a highly active Twitter account, is less common.

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Best Practices®, LLC is an internationally recognized thought leader in the field of best practice

benchmarking®. We are a research, consulting, benchmark database, publishing and advisory firm that

conducts work based on the simple yet profound principle that organizations can chart a course to superior

economic performance by leveraging the best business practices, operating tactics and winning strategies of

world-class companies.

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Chapel Hill, NC 27517

(Phone): 919-403-0251

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