Maureen Malloy, Healthcare Marketing Analyst
This episode will preview a report about unbranded websites that we released in Q2 2010. For the purpose of this podcast, as well as the report, an unbranded website refers to a condition or condition-related cause website sponsored by a pharmaceutical company. These websites are also sometimes called “condition websites” or “disease awareness” websites.
Unbranded websites like MSWatch were some of the first ones launched during the infancy of pharma digital marketing. But in the current state of DTC advertising, branded promotions have become the more dominant form of communication. According to data from SDI and Kantar Media, unbranded advertising accounted for only about 4% of total DTC spend in 2009.
Evolving consumer health information-seeking behavior and a growing focus on customer care throughout the patient life cycle, though, have sparked increased interest in unbranded initiatives and prompted us to write an in-depth analysis of these types of sites.
Survey findings indicate that unbranded initiatives are a viable consideration for pharma marketers, though whether or not it is an effective strategy for any given brand varies by disease category, product situation, brand goals, and the regulatory environment, among other factors. Depending on the circumstances, an unbranded website can support a variety of marketing goals.
Over half of consumers online for pharma info is using or is interested in using unbranded websites and only a small share mistrusts content from these sites. These findings suggest that there is an opportunity to use unbranded sites to connect with consumers if approached the right way and it makes sense for the brand.
Additionally, research indicates that unbranded websites and pharma-sponsored condition-focused content can be complementary assets to product sites.
In earlier days of eHealth, consumer use of the Internet to find health information was mostly sporadic, usually driven by new health concerns such as symptoms or side effects. Today’s increased broadband access has made consumers more likely to search for health information online at multiple points throughout the research, decision-making, and loyalty stages of the treatment continuum. The health resource mix varies by situation, and product websites aren’t usually the most frequented or top of mind destinations. Condition-focused or unbranded content can help pharma marketers cast a wider net in connecting with people throughout the patient life cycle, especially during the earlier stages.
An unbranded approach has also been favored by many marketers for social media initiatives. Glancing at the brand-sponsored communities listed on Jonathan Richman’s Pharma and Healthcare Social Media Wiki, many have a condition or cause-related theme, which can be a more personal and relatable way to connect with patients in a social way.
Until recently, the fact that unbranded initiatives generally faced less regulatory scrutiny than product-focused promotions was often seen as a mark in their favor. This past April, though, the FDA sent a warning letter to Novartis regarding two of its unbranded websites, GIST Alliance and CML Alliance, calling into question some of the industry’s previous assumptions about the regulatory aspects of these types of sites. Even though the sites didn’t blatantly promote the oncology product Gleevec, the FDA determined that the sites are quote unquote “false and misleading because they promote the drug for an unapproved use, fail to disclose the risks associated with the use of Gleevec and make unsubstantiated dosing claims.” The warning letter mentions a variety of ways that they found the sites promoted Gleevec, including the similarities between look and feel of the unbranded sites and Gleevec’s product website as well as links to the Gleevec product website, among other issues. In her ePharma Rx blog, Intouch Solutions EVICE PRESIDENT Wendy Blackman raises a number of interesting questions for agencies and product teams to consider as they straddle the blurred line between branded and unbranded promotions. Can branded and unbranded sites share the same color, shapes or other graphic elements? If the drug is the only one offered in its class, how conservative should we be with unbranded promotion? Does doing unbranded in a one-drug category inherently imply branding? And does mentioning the company name on an unbranded site imply a connection to the drug? Which in the case of Novartis’ alliance unbranded sites, it does. There are no clear answers to these questions at this point, but in any case, it’s likely that marketers will take a more conservative approach toward unbranded tactics in the meantime.
This concludes today’s podcast, and we thank you for joining us today. If you are interested in learning more about the Unbranded Website Module, please visit www.manhattanresearch.com/unbranded or email sales@manhattanresearch.com.
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