PHARMA: Online Spending Is Growing Very Slowly

The pharmaceutical industry is one of the largest US advertisers. In spite of shifting regulatory hurdles and economic malaise, direct-to-consumer (DTC) ad spending on prescription drugs increased in 2009, largely on the strength of blockbuster brand promotion in traditional mass-market media.

The internet is helping 175 million US healthcare consumers become more involved in managing their personal health. Increasingly, they are turning to online sources to gather information, seek care, compare diagnoses and find treatments. As consumer discussions of prescription drugs increasingly move online, the opportunity for pharmaceutical players to reach consumers in more targeted ways is growing exponentially.

Yet even as the largest companies and brands improve their internet marketing savvy and launch integrated online programs, internet pharmaceutical activity remains a small component of total US online ad spend. According to eMarketer estimates, online healthcare and pharmaceutical advertising, which includes DTC and over-the counter remedies, will account for only about 4% of total US online ad spending through 2014, despite relatively robust annual growth rates. (Ver)

Ver Tambien...

Report: Pharma Digital Spending Growing - But Slowly