What’s Wrong with Online Relationship Marketing? High-impact tactics have the potential to generate significantly higher returns — but only when tied into a larger relationship marketing strategy that considers the unique needs of every customer. The promise of online, one-to-one direct marketing was that companies would be able to make connections with customers, the likes of which had not been seen before. In the pharmaceutical industry — like others — that’s a promise that’s still unfulfilled. Challenges such as technical complexities and strategic shortcomings have slowed the advance of one-to-one marketing to an enfeebled crawl. And it’s not just brands that have suffered. Poorly supported patients have logged suboptimal dosing compliance, persistency, and ultimately, outcomes. So, where does the industry go from here? First, marketers need to recognize that online relationship marketing is often defined too narrowly as “a Website that collects e-mail addresses and then sends e-mails to registered customers on a semi-regular basis.” Some might ask what’s wrong with that approach? Because it’s “easier” to send generic messages than to target customer segments, that’s exactly what tends to happen. The problem is when those one-to-one results aren’t as good as expected, relationship programs face rapid extinction. Another problem is that people have put their eggs into one basket and insist on serving them all sunny-side up, rather than trying to serve them the way each customer prefers. The menu might consist of one spectacular sunny-side up serving, but it’s never going to be appreciated by a “scrambled only” customer. And that’s too bad, because high-impact tactics do have the potential to generate significantly higher returns, but only when tied into a larger relationship marketing strategy that considers the unique needs of every customer. Getting It Right with New Tactics It’s essential that pharma brand managers develop a centralized, HIPAA-compliant customer database and a suite of integrated digital messaging options to cocoon customers in messaging that works for them. E-mail alone won’t do it; it doesn’t have to. During the past 18 months, a variety of PC and mobile technologies have sufficiently matured for use in the e-marketing environment. These newer tactics include instant messaging (IM), targeted e-mails, blogs, and branded RSS (Really Simple Syndication) feeds. SMS (Short Message Service) messaging and audio podcasting are tactics that put cell phones and MP3 players to work, offering an entirely new level of convenience. Since customers prefer the opportunity to choose their way to connect, Website registration pages need to offer multiple communication channels and multiple levels of exchange. Customers must have a clear understanding of why providing a cell phone number instead of, or in addition to, an e-mail address has real value for them. And marketers must be prepared to deliver. An Example: Mobile Phone SMS Messaging SMS text messaging makes it possible for customers to communicate with marketers via mobile phones — virtually wherever and whenever they need. According to the Pew Internet & American Life survey, about 34 million Americans have used the text message feature on their phones within the past month. And that includes almost 40% of adults 35 to 44 years of age. Consumer-oriented SMS offerings include all forms of reminders and alerts (dosing, refills, appointments), as well as SMS-initiated support requests that combine text messages with follow-up e-mail messages, phone support, or direct mail. Professional offerings also have exciting potential. Role of Better Online Integration Texting and e-mail can work together to aid the customer and add actionable information to a centralized database. By integrating these and other tactics, brands realize an increase in exposure of promotional and educational content; new opportunities to enhance compliance and persistence; an increase in customer retention; and more product buzz in the marketplace. Talk in marketing backrooms used to be about how a brand needed to integrate its online and offline tactics. That was when there were just one or two online components to integrate, and, at the end of the day, integration meant putting the URL on the print pieces. What’s wrong with online relationship marketing is not that it hasn’t been taken to the next level; it’s that marketers haven’t even achieved its very earliest potential. What we must do now is seamlessly marry smart relationship marketing strategies to online tactics that are integrated with each other and with offline activities. Anything less shortchanges the brand — and the relationships with the customers who drive it. E-Marketing Euro RSCG Life Interaction, New York, is a digital communications company that specializes in developing innovative relationship marketing programs for pharmaceutical brands. For more information, visit erlinteraction.com. Euro RSCG Life Interaction July 2005 VIEW on E-Solutions Robert Hammond President Doreen Moran Director, Creative Strategy

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