Market Shaping Research: Using Survey Research to Inform, Instruct, and Influence Decision Makers and Consumers

As much as branding research can offer invaluable insights about how to support products and services, it is not the only kind of research that can open up doors for brands. Ipsos Health and Public Affairs researchers in North America and around the world partner with pharmaceutical companies on studies that increase the knowledge and understanding of particular conditions, identify unmet needs among patients, or point the way toward better industry practices. This sort of research, and the literature it produces, often contributes medical knowledge and prompts dialogue on treatment practices. It also helps companies to position themselves as thought leaders, and it enriches how brands are perceived by physicians and possibly legislators. Along the way, therapeutically oriented or practice patterns research can reveal opportunities to treat patients better.

Knowledge, Valuable Knowledge

These studies fill an important need in the medical community. They often identify the gaps between best practice - like clinical guidelines - and what really happens in every practice. The research differs substantially from market research studies directed at refining sales and marketing strategies for a particular brand. And it's unlike clinical trials that focus on demonstrating the efficacy or safety of a particular drug or agent. Findings are usually directed at healthcare practitioners and policy makers, although some companies also release them to the media.

For example, a large pharmaceutical company recently engaged Ipsos to conduct a study into the care and treatment of type 2 diabetes. The physicians who participated in the study gave us information on 2,500 patients in total. We found that about 50% of type 2 diabetics are not well controlled, and that they suffer considerable disease burdens, even at the early stages of their disease. Moreover, physicians planned to step up therapy for only half the patients who weren't at target levels. The research revealed a real need for more aggressive treatment of type 2 diabetes. The client used the results in multiple ways: with opinion leaders, to demonstrate the need for education on the guidelines; with primary care physicians, to encourage them to be less complacent in treatment; and with diabetics and caregivers, to make them aware of the potentially dire consequences of not achieving and maintaining control over their condition.

Another example is the study initiated by a large pharmaceutical company that wanted to improve how drug information is conveyed to consumers. The FDA was planning to change the requirements for reporting information about prescription products in print ads - the so-called "fair balance" statements that are similar to the product monograph. You know this information: it's the stuff in tiny type written in medico-legal jargon that nobody understands. The company wanted to shed light on the best means of improving the communication of this information. So we tested a number of format alternatives among consumers and determined which conveyed the greatest amount of correct information. Results were presented to the FDA and will inform their determination of how prescription drug information must be displayed in print advertising in the United States. We are currently working with the company to write a medical journal article to ensure the learning gets into the literature and shapes the debate about how to successfully communicate risk and benefit.

A final example is a study we conducted for a company dedicated to quantifying the prevalence of migraine sufferers and examining the experience of having a migraine. This research underlined the fact that different individuals suffer from different types of migraines - not all of which are treated appropriately. The study made it clear that sufferers were not being adequately equipped to treat their most severe and debilitating attacks and that if physicians were equipped with a few simple questions they could better understand, and therefore better help, their patients with migraines.

Leadership Benefits Everyone

Pharmaceutical companies that pursue this kind of market shaping research not only add value to the medical community, they establish themselves as thought leaders. They demonstrate that they are interested in improving more than just their bottom lines, and in return, they garner the respect and greater consideration of physicians, their main customers. Their brands often become stronger, because when doctors think of the brand, they also think of its contributions to the field of medical research. This establishes credibility and helps develop positive emotional associations with the medication.

In some cases, therapeutically oriented or practice pattern research can influence the entire environment in which a brand operates, by revealing unmet needs and opportunities to better treat patients to opinion leaders and payers. Having identified room for improvement, a company can work on its brand to leverage its strengths in a particular therapeutic area.

In all, research that considers broader concerns than branding alone can create a new, and powerful, marketing channel while it also contributes to better practices. Ipsos Health and Public Affairs researchers are well practiced in both conducting this sort of research and in partnering with companies to publish the results. We know how to design and conduct research that will stand up to the scrutiny of the scientific community and peer reviewers. We have expertise in a vast number of therapeutic areas and have published in many peer-reviewed journals. And we specialize in helping companies communicate their findings to target markets. If your company might be interested in research of this kind, please feel free to write me at [email protected].