Late last year, analysts started writing about how large consulting firms are moving into ad agency territory. The consultancies’ not-​so-​secret weapon is their ability to use technology to efficiently buy digital ads. Some industries may be harder hit than others in this shift. But health care is not one of them. How pharmaceuticals are marketed to health care providers likely won't be effected in many cases.

For example, the speculation about health care marketers’ widespread defection from agencies to consultancies may have been overblown. So far, only about 27% of large health care marketers have increased their use of consultants. That is one of the key statistics in the new MM&M Healthcare Marketers Trend Report. Agencies should also know that, in many cases, when a health care marketer hires a consultancy, they are doing so with additional funding. That money could be coming to your agency if you start positioning yourselves as experts in the fields that most concern these businesses.

The top qualities that the health care marketers that participated in this survey said they desired in an agency they would partner with include efficiency, flexibility, and innovation. Too many times, these marketers have found themselves being forced to sit through presentations that include slides outlining agency prowess in proprietary audience insights, “creative risk tasking” and marketing communications.

Starting now, your pitches should emphasize the top qualities health care marketers want from agencies:

• New services like data science or machine learning 36%
• Trust because of a long-​standing relationship with the agency 30%
• The agency has demonstrated increase sales through previous campaigns 28%

The health care businesses in this study included pharma, medical device and biotech companies. To review a profile for these types of businesses, check out the local account intelligence reports in AdMall from SalesFuel.

How Pharmaceuticals are Marketed to Health Care Providers

The good news is many health care marketing groups will be spending more money on marketing in 2018. They often need to reach a number of targeted groups in order to drive sales. Here are the details for this year:

• Physicians/​specialists 57% (meaning 57% of health care products companies will spend more to reach physicians/​specialists)
• Patients/​consumers 49%
• Payers/​manager care 32%
• Nurse practitioners/​physician assistants 32%

Is it time for you to change your marketing strategy in order to win more business from health care accounts? Especially when it comes to how pharmaceuticals are marketed to health care providers?

For example, did you know that ads on social networks were the top way to target Health Care Practitioners last year, according to AudienceSCAN, with 62.2% taking action after seeing one? When it comes to how pharmaceuticals are marketed to health care providers, your health care marketing clients should consider a multichannel advertising campaign. Other popular ad types that lead Health Care Practitioners to take action last year were direct mail ads, TV commercials and sponsored search results. Consumers in the health care profession are also 27% more likely than other consumers to take action after hearing an ad on the radio, either over-​the-​air or digitally.