Marketing Forecast from Ad-ology

For years, network TV and magazine advertising have grabbed the largest portions of pharmaceutical firm (direct-to-consumer) DTC marketing. But as marketing budgets drop and new technologies develop, pharmaceutical firms are looking for alternative ways to effectively reach their target audience. The change in strategy, according to Cegedim Dendrite’s 2009 U.S. pharmaceutical direct-to-consumer (DTC) marketing survey, is leading many companies to explore relationship marketing and online advertising.

With all of the attention paid to oil and coal reserves, and renewable energy sources, the availability of fresh, clean water has become a background issue. But think tank CERES sounded an alarm recently that shortages of water will increase costs significantly for industries such asbiotech , pharmaceutical and metals and mining, which rely on this natural resource. A CERES reports also cautions that water shortages could lead to global political and economic instability.

Just as consumers finish digesting the bad news about the traditional American diet and its links to chronic physical disease, more studies are emphasizing the importance of brain food. It’s not about fruits and vegetables but about stimulating brains cells that may have been dozing since high school chemistry class. Consumers must be getting the message because the market for brain fitness software rose from $100 million in 2005 to $265 million in 2008.

If you’re bleary eyed this morning, take comfort in knowing you’re not alone. One casualty of the recession has been a good night’s sleep. The numbers from various recent studies all point to our general state of exhaustion and anxiety.

Few would argue that life sciences is not a risky industry. But a firm’s risk depends in part on the stage of its offerings in traditional product life cycles. A new Ernst and Young report that assesses the nature of risk in the life sciences industry contains instructive information for ad agencies who help drug companies market their products.

Social media influenced nearly 40% of recent hospital or urgent care center patients, with 25 to 34 year olds reporting the most influence (53.2%), according to the Spring 2009 Ad-ology Media Influence on Consumer Choice survey.