The Effectiveness of Pharmaceutical Promotional Products

In Australia there are regulations against Pharmaceutical Companies advertising their products and therefore many companies rely heavily on the recommendations of their product from local GP’s to patients. One of the most effective methods of having GP’s aware of your product is through the use of Pharmaceutical Promotional Products or Advertising Specialty Products as they are commonly known as in the U.S.A.

The Archives of Internal Medicine have published a comprehensive research study entitled “Effect of Exposure to Small Pharmaceutical Promotional Items on Treatment Preferences”.The research attempted to find whether small promotional items were likely to influence prescribing behaviour. The controlled experiment involved 352 third and fourth year Medical Students at the University of Miami School of Medicine and the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine (where restrictive policies are in place limiting drug marketing).

They were all exposed to branded Lipitor items without knowledge that they were part of a study, Fourth-year students at Miami had a more favourable attitude (by a score of 0.66) toward Lipitor compared to the control group (0.47). The scores were derived from an Implicit Association Test.

What this study really proves is that the basics of marketing always apply in terms of brand awareness and recognition, it is just the method of achieving this that changes based on the industry and the advertising restrictions that apply to.

Tips to picking the right Pharmaceutical Promotional Products:

• Think about your Target Market; if you are giving the product to GP’s you need to think of an item that they are going to use at the time of prescription. While giving a lifestyle product they can use away from the office may be a nice thought the goal should be to have your brand at the front of mind at the optimal time which is when the Doctor is with the patient and diagnosing their condition.
• Pick a practical item. A dancing skeleton that does the moon-walk may be a quirky item but ultimately while it may be discussed and take pride of place on the Doctor’s desk for a few days when it comes time to do an office clean-up the first things to go are always items not necessary to the work at hand.
• Pick products with large branding areas – this enables you to not only put the logo but also a key message that you want to be associated with your product.

Suggested Pharmaceutical Promotional Items:

• A pen is by far the most popular item and is something that will most likely be kept for a long time and be used on a regular basis. If you want to go a step further and incorporate the product with access to information about your product you can do a Banner Pen. A Banner Pen is a pen that contains a paper banner coiled around the inside of the barrel that can be used as a brochure. The banner is 175mm x 68mm and can be printed in CMYK 4-colour on both sides with your product information.Therefore your product is informative, practical as well as being a talking point in the office. Another unique pen for the medical industry is the anti-bac pen – which kills harmful bacteria and viruses while you write.
• USB People – we have a Doctor and a Surgeon that can be branded with your company logo. The USB People range come in standard sizes as well as Mini People version. The USB memory capacity also comes in various sizes. The USB People will definitely be a talking point between Doctor’s and their patients thus exposing your brand.
• Mouse Mats have a huge branding area and with the right artwork you can create a mouse mat that will act as an advertisement for your product.
• Jelly Bean Dispenser – always a crowd pleaser and your rep can fill the dispenser with jelly beans each time he makes a call.
• Ampoule Opener – SnapIt Ampoule Openerensures safe and easy opening of glass ampoules, minimising risk of injury. The Snapit Solution is simple, safe and cost effective. SnapIT avoids ampoule sharps injuries by keeping both hands away from the sharp edges during ampoule opening. One hand holds the base of the ampoule while the other hand simply uses the SnapIT to snap off the ampoule lid. The ampoule lid is contained safely within the SnapIT until ejected.

• Other popular items include the Bone Pen, Pill Boxes, Pedometers and Mugs.

If you would like to enquire about our Pharmaceutical Promotional Products contact us on (02) 8205 1334 or complete our Online Enquiry Form.

(Courtesy of JEM Promotional Products)

If you have any questions relating to promotional products, please don’t hesitate in contacting us.
JEM Promotional Products
Phone: (02) 8205 1334
E-mail: enquiries@jempp.com.au

Website: www.jempp.com.au