The pharmaceutical industry affects most in US society and is one of the largest sectors in the world. Advancement and medical research have transformed the way we live our lives and continue to improve the standards and expectations of healthcare each year.
For companies and organizations working within the pharmaceutical industry, effective communications and strong content strategy are essential. Whether it is a healthcare company looking to launch a disease awareness campaign or a pharmaceutical announcing the findings of its latest research project, it is important to have the right tools available to create content and successfully distribute it to the media.
- LIVE vs LIVE TO TAPE – Let’s just begin by being upfront and honest about the state of pharma Satellite Media Tours and Radio Media Tours. Unless you have an “A” list spokesperson, more than likely most if not all the TV interviews will be Live to Tape. Stations just want to protect themselves and the message that is broadcasted. One our 4 T’s, TIMING could help with more “Live” hits, but more than likely, TV stations will still want to record the interview to protect themselves from overbranding. Radio stations are a little more flexible, but again it’s all about the 4 T’s (Talent, Topic, Timing, Target.)
- BRANDING – As in any tour, branded messages need to be kept to a max of 2 per interview. One of the areas that seems to always be very branded is the website. It would be best for a website to have the name of the campaign and not the brand. This will help with stations allowing that message to be broadcasted.
- ISI (Important Safety Information) – ISI messaging is mandatory on many tours. This is just something that cannot be avoided and no doubt will affect bookings.
- Earned vs Paid– Pharmaceutical tours are for the most part an ALL EARNED activation, or at least they should be as per regulations. If a vendor is promising 30+ interviews, be weary and ask A LOT of questions, like information on the stations and ask if your interview is being bartered with TV stations, which is still considered paid. 4media group is transparent when it comes to bookings. We can typically guarantee 18-22 bookings if most of the 4 T’s Talent, Topic, Timing, Target are present in the activation.
- LANGUAGE – Spanish activations are affected the same as General Market, but Hispanic local stations in smaller markets are still VERY attainable. One of the things that I have found is that Hispanic Activations on occasions are piggy backing a general market campaign. This said, it’s important that if possible, the website link be translated.
For pharmaceutical companies, direct-to-consumer marketing is advantageous for consumers. So, in an industry which is so highly regulated, it is more important than ever to work with an agency that understands the specifics of the industry and can help deliver the highest ROI for your clients.
Need help with an upcoming Pharmaceutical Satellite Media Tour? We can help!