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Ipad Apps Pharma
Ipad Apps Pharma
PHARMACEUTICAL EXECUTIVE
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Content?
Pharma has been unusually quick to strike while the iPads hot when it comes to embracing new platforms for content delivery. But the industrys inherent conservatism means it has some way to go to fully milk the devices potential.
BY JULIAN UPTON, EUROPEAN EDITOR
harma is not an industry known for launching headlong into new ideas and new ways of doing thingsat least not without indulging in a considerable period of cautious study rst. So its embrace of the iPadboth as a new sales tool and as a new way to communicate with and educate patientsstands out as somewhat anomalous. Granted, the sheer economic and cultural impact of the device, which was rst released in April 2010, has been hard for any technologically focused industry to ignore: Apple sold 15 million iPads in the rst nine months of launch. And its uptake among the medical profession has been particularly staggering. In May 2011, Manhattan Research reported that 30 percent of physicians in the U.S. already own an iPad, and this proportion will have already risen considerably, given that another 28 percent revealed they were planning to purchase one in the next six months. But recognizing the iPad as a phenomenon and making a quick decision to embrace the hardware is just the beginning. The iPad revolution brings with it a new challenge, that of effective content creation. And this is where pharma has sometimes come undone. There seems to have been a race to get something out there for technologys sake, says David Ashley, head of digital marketing at UK agency Oi. But a lot of agencies have designed apps for pharma that are really just converted PDF detail aids; they have very little functionality apart from a linear ow. The result is that there have been a lot of disappointed product managers out there. David Hunt, digital director of Creative Lynx (UK), agrees: By combining the innovation of the hardware with traditional marketing techniques we can deliver an engaging and compelling experience. A strong story and great creative blended with the features of the iPad delivers a truly immersive experience.
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Whether we are doctors or patients or just casual iPad users, were all massively impatient when it comes to apps, Hunt reminds us. Unless were immediately engaged by an app, we get rid of it. An app has to deliver immediate value. As soon as you download one, you need to know how to use it and how youre going to bene t from it. There are companies that appear to be getting it right, however. Johnson & Johnsons psoriasis app for dermatologists and patients, which allows a quick and simple evaluation of the severity of their condition, has been averaging almost 60 downloads a day for well over a year. The reason for its success, explains Hunt, is that it is pick-up-andplay, and immediately rewarding. On the sales/CRM side, Abbotts pilot app, developed by Oi, was successful because it was a real closed loop solution, says Ashley. In creating it, the agency went out with the sales reps to ascertain the various needs of the different clients: It was a case of understanding that it wasnt a matter of delivering a PowerPoint solution. The rep wants something that supports his conversation. This is a view supported by Neeraj Singhal, vice president of product strategy and innovation at Cegedim Relationship Management. Far from being a device to replace the sales rep, which has been one of the more hysterical reactions to the iPad, it serves to augment the relationship between reps and physicians. And the rep is more ef cient in the relationship, says Singhal, when he has the right app.
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Bill Cooney, president and CEO of MedPoint Digital, believes the essence of the iPad is to deliver immediate, tangible value to the end user. Pharma must build around that customer-centric ethic; its not about what the app developer wants, or what IT wants, he says. Your apps content has to be excellent, its functionality must be superb, and it had better focus on a task or topic that relates directly to the everyday needs of physicians. Of course, says Bill Drummy, founder and CEO of Heartbeat Ideas, the elements of an app are dependent on the marketing objectives of the brand. But Drummy does believe in ve key principles for approaching app development: Identify insights about your audience and product differentiation (dont start by thinking about the iPad; start by thinking about the marketing
droid market has reached a milestone, hitting 500,000 submitted apps. With around 600,000 apps published in its App Store at the same time, Apple was not that far ahead. But the two figures are not exactly comparable, as the report qualified: Google ascribes to an anything goes policy with the Android market, letting in any app to be submitted. iOS apps, on the other hand, are subject to Apples strict approval process before theyre allowed into the App Store. The actual number of active apps then, it was claimed, was 319,161 for Android and 459,589 for the App Store. Even so, the report went on, considering Google went live with Android only about a year after the debut of the iPhone, the growth rate for the Android market is undoubtedly impressive.
The iPad revolution brings with it a new challenge, that of e ective content creation. And this is where pharma has sometimes come undone.
problem at hand); explore the unique capabilities of the tablet to generate meaningful engagement; consider innovation within practical boundaries (for example, does the app need to talk to CRM systems?); test at every stage (no one knows exactly what will work best, so develop, measure, improve); and optimize for the future. Also, it should not be forgotten amid the free publicity and hype the iPad has attractedthat the Apple device is not without its aws. Its not the most powerful computer in the world, says David Ashley. You cant, for example, store eight hours worth of video content for instant presentation. And while Drummy believes the iPad in its current state is the best content consumption device ever created, he admits that it is not the best content creation device. But, he adds: There are rumors that future devices will make content creation easiera projectable keyboard perhaps? For Cooney, however, the biggest drawback is not the development of
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PHARMACEUTICAL EXECUTIVE
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Content?
iPad apps, but the distribution and management of them. One option is to distribute through the Apple Store, which is great if you want your app to be available to the universe, he says. But it isnt if you want selective distribution, such as to your sales force. That requires private distribution of apps, which is a challenge. iPad apps were not really designed for private distribution, and although it can be done, it poses several technical hurdles. Still, concern about the iPads quibbles remain relatively minor. Ashley is quick to add that the iPad2 has offered signi cant improvement on the rst model with regard to speed and processing and the kind of content you can store. And the consensus seems to be that other devices will not gain ground very quickly. For Drummy the only serious tablet competitor
at the moment is the Kindle platform, and that is not likely to have much impact in the pharma world. Cooney is unequivocal: Apple simply has too many signi cant advantages. First, there is the iPads overwhelming current market share among physicians. He believes that physicianswho place greater value on quality than pricewill be among the last consumers to convert to other tablets. Android-driven tablets may offer more variety of hardware congurations, but that engenders more diversity of screen sizes, resolution, processors, etc., and their apps are less likely to perform consistently well across diverse platforms. Cooney also says that Android-compatible apps supported as they are by open distributionare inherently less secure and prone to threats. Physicians and pharma wont like that, he adds.
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