by Dr. Dov Reichman, Spectra Analytics Ltd.
In many Bio-tech and Bio-med companies, clinical trials constitute as one of the most central stages of development, throughout the process of product development. Clinical trials consume most of these companies' budgets and resources, due to the grave implications that clinical trial have on their company's future success and value.
Nonetheless, there are ways to utilize parts of the clinical operations for future needs of marketing, and for promoting the required image of the company towards its target market.
Marketing steps during a clinical trial can promote recruiting patients, and will advance the new technology's stature substantially among the medical community.
Finding Patients with an Interesting Story
The criteria's for acceptance of patients, which appear on the experiments protocol, periodically allow locating patients who have a case that might arouse an interest to the media. Among these patients, one can find public figures, celebrities, cases in which a patient's quality of life can be affect in a drastic manner and patients who have the talent of sharing their personal story in an interesting and captivating manner.
The impact of successful treatments on these kinds of patients is quite substantial. In these cases, the study's technological innovativeness and potential for success are projected to the medical community on a high impact, which adds immensely to the company's value perception.
In a double-blind clinical trial, it's understood that a patient who hold an interest to the media can be treated as a part of the control group, which means that there's a possibility to miss the positive effect on some of the patients that can assist marketing the trial. However, there is an option to implement this approach by a framework of compassionate care (in cases when the drug is not yet authorized for marketing) or at an additional medical center, besides the trial itself (in cases when the drug is authorized for use, and the trial is in order to expand the use of it).
Placing a Representative Staff on the Trial's Front Lines
The company which runs the clinical trial should consider in what manner to expose its team to the public, and should check the extent of their marketing orientation precisely. In most cases, a varied staff will work with the medical center running the trial, including the technical staff, entrepreneurs, businessmen working on contracts and payments, logistics workers and additional controllers following the trial on behalf of the company.
There are cases in which a clinical trial is one of the first times a company works together with external elements, such as leading doctors who will determine the company's future image, product or technology.
A negative impression from the trial's organization and interpersonal relations can create a problematic image, which will be hard to fix in the future.
An impressive representative executive staff will strongly influence the medical staff's positive approach and will indirectly assist in intensifying the tested technology.
Correct Indication of Opinion Leaders in the Medical Community
Medical issues naturally have many varied competing medical disciplines. Pharmaceutical companies must identify the opinion leaders fitting to the discussed medical discipline ahead of time, in order to involve the relevant opinionates to the technology. Those opinion leaders should be gifted with high interpersonal communication skills and an ability of appearing on the media when needed.
This aspect, although is secondary in importance, should be taken into consideration. When it comes to high-tech companies, especially in the medical sector, it is more appropriate that a professional will lead the campaign since not every doctor is presentable in a required measure.
High Quality Documentation of the Trial's Development
Documentation should be taken into consideration, not only for the scientific medical aspects, but also for the marketing aspects which will follow the trial.
High quality photography of cases, in a way that can allow comparing the necessary background and information, pictures, videos, interviews with the patients and the medical staff, are all very important in creating the required credibility and sensitivity, in order to convey the marketing message later on.
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Dr. Dov Reichman, is the CEO and owner of Spectra Analytics Ltd. which specializes in strategic planning for high tech
companies and accompanies business throughout processes of business development and international marketing
