Reaching Oncologists Online: Aligning Online Marketing Strategies with Demand

This publication has been discontinued on July 19, 2011.

Introduction

Reaching Oncologists Online: Aligning Online Marketing Strategies with Demand

Introduction

• Oncologists are an important group of physicians to target given their sizeable number and the specificity of drugs they prescribe. As it has become increasingly difficult to present product information to oncologists, the Internet has enormous potential as an effective marketing medium. Pharmaceutical companies should prioritize Internet-based services according to oncologist demand.

Scope of this report

• Examines current online activities of oncologists in the US and Europe, and the online activities they would like to be involved with in the future
• Presents strategies on developing oncologist-targeted websites based on the demands of oncologists
• Evaluates the market potential of various online services, including eCME, online forums, eDetailing, eSampling and online disease management tools
• Looks at the future markets for oncologist-facing websites and online services with the potential of building brand equity

Research and analysis highlights

• Pharmaceutical companies should take the demands of oncologists into consideration when developing their oncologist-targeted websites. By providing oncologists with relevant health information in a convenient and efficient format, companies can enhance their branding efforts.
• Online resources experiencing significant demand from oncologists in the US and Europe include health information websites, online continuing medical education, eSampling and eDetailing. All online services provided should be aligned with the overall marketing strategy and effectively integrated with each other.

Key reasons to read this report

• Understand the current and prospective market for oncologist-targeted online initiatives and where the key opportunities for your company lie
• Identify which types of information oncologists value the most if featured on a health website
• Learn which online services should be prioritized when developing and implementing online marketing strategies to reach oncologists

ACTION POINTS

• Scope of the report
• Pharmaceutical companies should take the demands of oncologists into consideration when developing their oncologist-targeted websites. By providing oncologists with relevant health information in a convenient and efficient format, companies can enhance their branding efforts
• Online resources experiencing significant demand from oncologists in the US and Europe include health information websites, online continuing medical education, eSampling and eDetailing. All online services provided should be aligned with the overall marketing strategy and effectively integrated with each othe

REACHING ONCOLOGISTS ONLINE

• Introduction
• Characteristics of oncologists and their online behavior
• What types of health information are oncologists looking for?
  • Internet-based activity of oncologists
  • Usage frequency of online and offline health information channels
  • Time spent visiting a health website
  • Online concerns of oncologists
  • Information of greatest value to oncologists
  • Online Continuing Medical Education
• Online Forums
• eDetailing
• eSampling
• Information on clinical trials
  • Comparative clinical trial data
  • Clinical trials for participation as investigators
• Online disease management and compliance tools
• Patient-Oncologist Interaction
  • Demand from patients for online services
  • Demand from patients for specific medications

THE FUTURE DECODED

• Outlook for oncologist-facing websites
  • Clinical trial information
• Outlook for oncologist-facing online services
  • Online continuing medical education
  • eSampling
  • eDetailing
• Online strategies to reach oncologists and build brand equity

APPENDIX

• List of figures
• Methodology
  • Physician Insight Survey 2004
• How to contact experts in your industry
• List of Figures
  • Figure 1: In the US and Europe, the majority of surveyed oncologists search for information on specific drug treatments
  • Figure 2: When looking for health information, drug-specific websites are the most 'frequently' used online channel among oncologists in the US, France, Spain and the UK
  • Figure 3: Oncologists in both the US and Europe typically spend a significant amount of time on a health website in a single visit
  • Figure 4: Across the surveyed geographical markets, time issues are the greatest factor preventing oncologists from using the Internet to find health information
  • Figure 5: Pharmaceutical sponsorship is a factor affecting the decision of a significant portion of oncologists in Spain and the UK to not use a particular website to find health information
  • Figure 6: On average, drug information is the type of information considered the most valuable in the US and Europe
  • Figure 7: Half of surveyed oncologists in the US spend 5-9 hours per month partaking in CME classes
  • Figure 8: None of the surveyed oncologists access online continuing medical education programs on a daily basis
  • Figure 9: The demand to participate in online continuing medical education programs is high among oncologists in both the US and Europe
  • Figure 10: The frequency of online forum usage is greater among oncologists in the US than their counterparts in Europe
  • Figure 11: Forty-three per cent of oncologists in the US would like to participate in physician online forums in the future
  • Figure 12: A significant portion of oncologists in both the US and Europe see the value that eDetailing services can add to the detailing process
  • Figure 13: Eighty-six per cent of surveyed oncologists in the US and 88% in Europe have participated in an eDetailing session
  • Figure 14: In the US, over half of the surveyed oncologists affirmed that they would like to use eDetailing in the future
  • Figure 15: All surveyed oncologists from the US and Europe receive samples from sales representatives
  • Figure 16: All surveyed oncologists from the US, Italy, Spain and the UK use eSampling to some extent
  • Figure 17: The majority of surveyed oncologists in both the US and Europe expressed the desire to use eSampling in the future
  • Figure 18: A significant portion of surveyed oncologists in the US and Europe use the Internet to search for comparative trial data on a frequent basis
  • Figure 19: All surveyed oncologists from the US and Europe use the Internet to look for information on clinical trials to potentially participate in as investigators
  • Figure 20: The majority of surveyed oncologists in both the US and Europe would like to use the Internet to look for information on clinical trials to potentially participate in as investigators
  • Figure 21: The demand among surveyed oncologists to use the Internet to monitor their patients in the future is high in both the US and Europe
  • Figure 22: The majority of oncologist in all surveyed markets stated that the number of patient requests for specific online services has either increased or remained the same
  • Figure 23: The majority of oncologists in all surveyed markets cited that the number of patient requests for specific medications or treatments has either increased or remained the same

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