Pharma marketers looking for new way to attract consumers

The FDA warned that some brands had been lax in using fair balance language, which put them in violation of fair balance guidelines; the lax language could also be harmful to consumers because those not using 'fair balance' would mislead consumers about the potential risks of using certain drugs.

Prior to the warning letters, comScore reports that sponsored link exposure was roughly 11 million per month. After the warning letter, that number dropped to about 1 million. Unbranded link exposure and vanity link exposures also showed declines but smaller than sponsored links.

"The FDA letters changed not only how pharmaceutical manufacturers are marketing online, but what consumers are being exposed to when they search for health information," said John Mangano, vice president of marketing solutions for comScore. "Independent of what is happening on the regulatory front, we see continued increases in consumers turning to the Internet to research health conditions, treatments and drugs. It is important that marketers and the FDA find a middle ground that meets the spirit of the FDA guidelines and is supportable in the various emerging online media."

Although this warning sign is strictly pharma at this point, it should serve as a warning to all marketers that good marketing is really good communications. Using fair and balanced ads is a good habit to begin and continue. As consumer habits, rules and regulations change all the time, marketers need to be on top of what is happening - online and offline - so that they can combat issues such as the FDA warning letters before their revenue is harmed.

Tags: comScore, FDA, pharma ads, PPC marketing, search marketing, sponsored links