Journal of Medical Marketing: Device,Diagnostic and Pharmaceutical Marketing

As different stakeholder groups become more interrelated, influence and decision patterns in the healthcare environment change. The authors argue that pharmaceutical companies need to find better ways of integrating into the healthcare network to address present challenges such as issues of public trust and decreasing access to medical professionals. The paper shows the root cause of such challenges to lie in the lack of value created by pharmaceutical companies for the healthcare network as a whole and proposes a framework to measure that value beyond pure financial metrics. Based on concrete examples, an approach for integration into the healthcare network leading to more successful interaction with various stakeholders is presented. Integration is seen as successful if pharmaceutical companies are able to create sustainable value to all relevant stakeholder groups in a balanced fashion.

As the healthcare environment for the pharmaceutical industry is undergoing major changes, salesforce effectiveness replaces the traditional ‘size sells paradigm’. Consequently, pharmaceutical companies are being forced to optimise both their bottom and top line. This paper applied a quantitative approach based on an interactive survey to analyse these developments. The survey results confirmed major trends, including the growing importance of payors, and showed that the development of salesforce size and structure will soon head in a different direction as sales representative numbers stop growing. Clearly, there is no silver bullet with which pharmaceutical companies can increase salesforce effectiveness. The industry is, therefore, preparing for the future by exploring and piloting innovative sales and marketing models. Once they have identified a suitable approach to salesforce effectiveness and implemented it in the best possible way, companies can create competitive advantages.

Field sales force bonuses can help to drive exceptional sales performance through enhanced motivation and in so doing create competitive advantages for businesses. There are, however, several pitfalls that must be avoided if a bonus scheme is to become wholly successful and have the desired motivational impact. Innovative new processes and software tools can help pharmaceutical businesses overcome typical bonus scheme design weaknesses and provide business managers with a toolset for driving results-enhancing behaviours. One such process is the Commitment Process™ that aligns the interests of the individual and company harmoniously and incentivises sales people to stretch their performance and maximise sales results.

This paper provides an overview of the current requirements for pharmaceutical packaging and highlights the challenges faced by the pharmaceutical industry and packaging manufacturers. Taking the implementation of Braille for pharmaceutical packaging in Germany as an example, it is shown how packing manufacturers respond to changes in the legal environment. At the same time, the reader gains an overview of the latest developments in packaging technology, which today ensure that pharmaceutical products are child resistant as well as senior and consumer friendly, and are protected against counterfeiting. In response to increasing competitive pressure, the pharmaceutical industry has also discovered the significance of packaging as an important sales instrument. Consequently, apart from technical challenges, packaging design expectations are increasing as well. The author demonstrates the possibilities whereby usually rather plain factual pharmaceutical packaging can live up to modern sales and marketing guidelines thanks to appropriate finishing technologies.

Much research has been done on whether or not branding plays a role in consumer purchases. Consumer goods companies have followed a particular structure in how they brand their products. It is still debatable, however, if this model can be transferred and adapted to the pharmaceutical industry. This paper discusses branding in general together with its advantages and disadvantages. Next, the pros and cons of branding specific to the pharmaceutical company are discussed. Primary research is conducted by the author in order to supplement information learned through secondary research, in order to answer specific questions to gain a perspective on consumers' perceptions of branded versus generic drugs. Results are discussed, followed by recommendations about how to effectively brand pharmaceutical products.

The objective of the study was to examine patients' acceptance of and attitudes towards a new tablet reminder and protective device. The study was designed as an internet survey. Respondents entering the survey site received an introduction, an animated presentation of a tablet reminder device and a questionnaire consisting of close-ended questions, followed by open-ended questions. The survey was completed by 403 respondents. The overall assessment of the functions of the device, its usefulness and design were very positive, with few negative comments. Of the respondents, 87 per cent found the tablet card protection to be excellent or acceptable and 85 per cent of all respondents found the reminder function excellent or acceptable. The feedback function received 80 per cent positive answers. Usefulness and design were assessed comparably. Respondents older than 60 years and respondents receiving more than six different medications a day assessed the device less positively. Only the oldest patients assessed the protective function of the device significantly less positive. Otherwise, no significant differences could be found. The majority of respondents, users as well as non-users, irrespective of their demographic and socio-economic background, reported a high acceptance of the device functions, its usefulness and design. The concept of the device is less appropriate for patients receiving more than six different medications. Patients acceptance of medical devices is crucial for devices used in everyday life. Hence, an attractive design and an easy to understand functionality are crucial for new medical devices.

The importance of media selection based on media consumption habits has increased over the past two decades, with rising media placement costs coupled with expanding media options leading to fragmented target segments. Media planners spend valuable resources to understand their consumers' relationships with media, but such information is hard to come by for special audiences. This article characterises medical journal readership of 457 general practitioners (GPs) who responded to a mail survey. GPs were clustered on their medical journal readership patterns. Results indicate that there are four distinct groups of medical journal readership, a finding that is of interest to marketing managers in the healthcare industry.

This paper explores the primary issues surrounding the malpractice crisis currently facing the healthcare system and asks the question ‘is it truly a crisis or is it an effective marketing campaign waged by interested parties?’ The authors discuss the primary issues presented by both the supporters of tort reform and the opposition to tort reform. As is true for many issues in healthcare, final analysis suggests that tort reform is needed or not needed depends on the analysts' role in the system. The authors argue that the evidence suggests malpractice reform will produce desired results if the goal is to reduce the physician's cost of doing business and/or enhance the profit margin of insurance companies. If it is society's goal to reduce overall healthcare costs, the evidence at best is, however, unclear. The authors speculate that providers and others are employing fear marketing in an effort to reduce their cost of doing business.