Listening: A Bitter Pill? - Article from ClickZ.com

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Listening: A Bitter Pill?

Pete Blackshaw

December 28, 2004

This article can be found online at the following location:

http://www.clickz.com/experts/brand/cmo/article.php/3451731

When the tide of public opinion threatens your enterprise, perhaps it's time to

acquire some deeper consumer understanding.

2004 was a tough year for drug marketers, with the seemingly unstoppable

momentum of media and regulatory scrutiny for being a step or two removed from

the full effect of their products.

Despite an explosion of direct-to-consumer advertising (well over a billion

dollars in 2004), drug marketers remained tepid at best to leveraging the Web --

arguably the world's most potent consumer expression vehicle -- as a

direct-to-company listening vehicle. Some would argue they go out of their way

to avoid consumer feedback.

Mind you, I have no axe to grind with the drug industry. Not a day goes by when

I'm not hoping -- nay, praying -- for some miracle drug to arrest the painfully

sobering advance of my 75-year-old mother's early-stage Alzheimer's condition. I

would probably even advocate her taking an unapproved drug. Some hope is better

than none.

That said, in the course of my marketing career I've analyzed the DNA of

thousands of brands and company Web sites. What continues to surprise me is drug

marketers, merchants of hope who probably have the most to gain from proactive

listening and sensing, do the least to invite or encourage direct consumer

feedback.

When's the last time you saw a real " contact us " or feedback form on a

pharmaceutical Web site? Take a stroll around Merck's Web site, for instance,

and try to find a venue for sharing your opinion - any opinion, even about its

latest ad campaign.

In stark contrast to thousands of other brands with an online presence, you

won't find an email link or online feedback form. If you look really hard, you

might find an address for mailing a letter and even a telephone number. But the

number isn't toll-free, and you can only call between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m., EST.

In fairness, Merck's site does note:

If you have questions related to Merck prescription products, your medical

condition or personal health matters, please contact your physician or

healthcare provider since he or she is most familiar with your medical

condition.

It makes sense to involve the physician, but limiting " feedback moments " to the

doctor seems odd, given the almost-overwhelming shift by drug manufacturers to

direct-to-consumer advertising. Drug brands can now talk directly to consumers,

but if consumers wants to talk back, they must go through an intermediary? What

if the doctor gives short shrift to an alleged " adverse event, " leaving the drug

manufacturer in the dark?

If You Listen, You're Liable!

It's not that drug marketers don't want to know, but FDA reporting requirements,

despite good intentions, have de facto prohibited drug manufacturers from

genuine consumer-to-company listening. Even a one-sentence consumer complaint

attributable to a specific drug about an alleged hiccup can kick the " adverse

event " disclosure process in full gear.

Put another way, if you listen, you're liable. So, why listen? There's an

obvious reason for disclosure, but in its current form the requirements seem to

have created a chilling " why bother " effect. Inevitably, " play it safe "

conservatism, led by in-house lawyers, creeps into the system. Basic

communication tools such as Web sites consequently remain in the Stone Age.

With a high dosage of paranoia in the system, how does the truth emerge? Are

outsourced clinical studies or rerouted physician assessments sufficient? How do

you make a smart marketing or business decision when only half the data are on

the table? As marketers, we're taught to be analytical and data driven, so

partial data, or " half-listening, " can only get us so far.

The reality is this: Whether you are Merck or Mc's, you need to listen to

the consumer, and you need to do so using the tools consumers so readily embrace

in their daily routines. In the end, proactive listening -- even with strings

attached (e.g., FDA reporting) -- can inform judgment, improve vision, reduce

guessing, and provide critical early warning to what may be coming around the

corner, including regulatory policy. Yes, you'll have to endure a few bogus,

unsubstantiated complaints. But just consider all the ad garbage consumers must

tolerate to receive legitimate marketing messages.

Remember: Consumers who bitch, rant, or publicly complain on message boards or

blogs are often taking revenge on companies that ignore, shun, or silence them.

So they publicly spew their anger, often within easy earshot of insurance

companies and litigation-hungry class-action lawyers looking for consumer

cartels of discontent. Healthcare and wellness is one category in which

consumers create lots of consumer-generated media.

Believe me, the lawyers are listening -- better than the drug companies

themselves. Just type Vioxx or Celebrex into Google. See the parade of

$20-per-click lawyer-sponsored ads in the right corner? Indeed, today's

class-action lawyer can skim bad consumer experiences off the Web as easily as

fishing at a trout farm.

Pete's Prescription

My advice to drug marketers: Revisit your feedback loop. Interactivity brings

new rules. There's a real risk of what lawyers dub " intentional ignorance " if

you keep the feedback door closed. The fact that you're going directly to

consumers brings new expectations. Consumers expect a degree of reciprocity.

The worst that could happen? Regulatory requirements would become more onerous,

bureaucratic, and stifling. If that happens, everyone loses -- including the

consumer.

Keep hope alive.

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