Pharmaceutical Marketing

(Pharm 305)
Assignment

Topic
Prospect of Digital Pharma - marketing in covid pandemic

Submitted To
Ananta Saha
Internatiobal Business Manager
Renata Limited

Submitted By
Avishek Chakraborty
Reg. ID - 19103053
3rd Year 1st Semester
Department of Pharmacy
University of Asia Pacific

Date
06/10/2021
“Digital Marketing” is the use of digital platforms such as the internet, mobile devices, social
media, search engines, and other channels to reach consumers. In simple words, if a marketing
campaign involves digital communication, it is known as digital marketing.
Digital marketing in Pharmaceutical Industry -
Digital marketing is in the developmental stage in the pharmaceutical industry. Pharmaceutical
companies are using technology-based services, helping patients learn more about their
conditions and helping them monitor their health. It may also be useful to give the physicians an
insight into the health of the patient, any side effects for any particular product. These digital
services also make it easier for doctors to communicate their messages to patients with ease on
certain health conditions.
Covid - 19 and Digital Pharma - Marketing Revolution
The global outbreak of COVID-19 has forced businesses to radically change their way of
working. Healthcare companies have been in the vanguard of this change, with an enormous rise
in the use of telehealth and all forms of digital communications. With medical staff working
tirelessly and lockdown restrictions in place across the world, the way pharma markets
medications have changed, too.

Pharma - marketing in Pre - Pandemic era- Before the pandemic, pharmaceutical companies
were not dependent on several digital platforms. The ways they used to market their products
were mainly based on whom they were targeting. Pharma marketers have two audiences –
patients and doctors. In terms of marketing strategy, it’s important to identify the most suitable
audience and know the difference between them. Consumers have a tendency to contact their
local doctor for medical solutions or at least consult these individuals before purchasing a
pharma device or prescription of some kind. So, it is expected that the consumers are much more
likely to buy with the recommendation of a doctor. As a result, marketing to doctors was more
beneficial for pharma companies.
Pharma - marketing in Pandemic situation - When the pandemic hit, the whole world was under
lockdown. People were staying at their homes and avoiding all kinds of gathering. In case of
emergency, if someone had to go out he/she had to main proper social distancing. In this kind of
situation, people were too afraid to visit the doctor’s clinic or go to the pharmacy because it
would have increased their chances to get infected by the virus. People felt necessary to remain
at their homes and that’s why pharmaceutical companies needed to implement digital marketing
strategies, which included -

a) SEO-based marketing strategies - Search Engine Optimization allows experts to

understand what the consumers are mainly looking for on the web. Search ranks are
manipulated with the help of search engine optimization strategies, which improve
Google or any other search engine's search ranking. This was a significant opportunity
for pharmaceutical companies to reach their target audiences via SEO strategies. They
marketed their products by getting products featured in the top rank of the search engines.
Organizations that are not in search engines lose a massive chance to reach the target
population.
b) Running ADs on different platforms - Pharma companies ran several advertisements
regarding their products on different health related websites, medical apps, medical blogs
etc. This helped patients to get information regarding their new or existing products.
c) Availability of products on e-commerce sites - Before the pandemic the consumers
preffered to go to pharmacies to buy medications. During pandemic almost everyone got
comfortable with online shopping which forced pharma companies to collaborate with
popular e-commerce sites in order to sell their products. The main cocentration of those
companies got shifted from local pharmacies to local e-commerce sites. So, they had to
ensure good amount of supplies for those e-commerce shops.
d) Website and Social Media Marketing - Marketing in social media allows the company to
be connected directly to its consumers. This strengthens the corporate values and
improves the organization's image. During pandemic there was a influx of people in
social media sites, so it became the most ideal place to market any product. Pharma
companies also took participation with others and started promoting their products on
social media. They also focused on their own websites to ensure good user experience.
New Ideas for Digital Pharma Marketing :

1. Collaborative business model: behind its conventional obstacles, the pharmaceutical

industry is increasingly innovating by collaborating with and beyond its partners.
Comprehensive collaboration is possible thanks to the availability of digital technologies.
The workers can work and develop new treatments effectively and efficiently. Pfizer, for
instance, has developed a ground breaking cloud-based clinical data platform to collect,
interpret and visualize patient data in clinical tests through trials and medical programs
and to help smart test design, precision medicine, pharmacovigilance and regulatory
enquiries.
2. Sharing data on population studies: Extensive overtime data collected appears to be
wasteful if not analysed. The results of the data should be reported. The combination of
point, mobile and analytical content will be the real transformation in digital healthcare.
3. Patient and Healthcare Provider services (HCPs): Patient and Healthcare Provider
services (HCPs) are also expected to provide patients with technology-based services that
can support patients with quality monitoring and administration by using more software
on a daily basis. These services can also contribute substantially to new therapies
research and development. To order to support and show outcomes, it also connects
partners across the broader healthcare community. Patient services that are digitally
enabled, such as apps or on-line platforms or educational resources linked to a wider
range, should be used to assist patients and HCPs dealing with health issues.
4. Ensure IT support: Adequate IT support is required to solve digital marketing problems

Conclusion :

Covid pandemic has introduced a lot of people to the vast world of digital marketplace. The
increase in the number of consumers has pushed the companies to compete with each other and
come up with products with high quality. Pharma companies have been silent in the digital
marketplace for long time but now their presence is prominent. If the companies keep improving
their IT sector then in near future when there will be no such pandemic consumers will keep
using digital platforms to buy products.