20.04.2011

Japanese Pharma places confidence in digital

A study by Creation Healthcare into engagement amongst pharmaceutical companies in Japan reveals a significant trend emerging towards digital channels and social media, in what has until now been a traditionally conservative environment.

In partnership with Eyeforpharma, Creation Healthcare‘s research surveyed senior marketers, communicators and executives amongst the Japanese pharmaceutical and healthcare industry. The goal of this research was to provide insights into the evolution of digital communications channels in healthcare engagement in Japan.

Creation Healthcare will present the full results of this research in Tokyo at the 4th Annual Marketing Excellence Japan 2011 Conference, which takes place May 17-18 2011, where we will outline digital engagement trends we discovered amongst Japanese pharmaceutical companies. In this article we will present some of the trends that we will discuss in full during the event.

Insights from Japanese Pharmaceutical companies

Responses from professionals in pharmaceutical companies in Japan to an online survey developed by Creation Healthcare with Eyeforpharma provide a clear picture of trends in the current use of digital platforms and channels, highlighting the challenges faced internally to implement digital projects and forecasting changes in future budget expenditures across communications channels.

The research also reveals participants’ perceptions about the evolution of the relationship between patients and doctors in Japan. Participants shared interesting responses about how their industry could use social media to connect better with patients, and the kind of outcomes that companies are looking for from such initiatives.

Budget priorities

The research indicates some clear changes in pharmaceutical companies’ budget spend between “old” and “new” channels, with a trend towards an increasing allocation of budget to digital, much as we have already seen in the European and US markets. In the presentation of our results, we will outline in detail which channels will attract the most significant budget increases and decreases.

Budget trends will be presented in Tokyo

Creation Healthcare’s presentation in Tokyo will cover the following areas:

Awareness

We will show which digital channels are being used now or being planned for the future; and we will provide a picture of the social media platforms currently used by Japanese pharmaceutical companies and the extent to which they are being used to communicate with different stakeholders.

Challenges

Whilst social media and other emerging channels of communication open many opportunities for healthcare and pharmaceutical companies, the heavily regulated pharmaceutical environment has the potential to raise new challenges with every new channel. We will present insights into the most important challenges faced by Japanese professionals in implementing digital projects.

Top social media engagement pharmaceutical companies in Japan

Respondents told us which pharmaceutical companies they most admire for their effective use of social media in Japan. We will share the top pharmaceutical companies as ranked by their peers.

Future

Finally, the research presentation will look to the future and outline respondents’ vision for the evolution of the use of social media in healthcare in Japan, including details of how channels will be prioritised in future Japanese pharmaceutical engagement strategies.

To find out more about these insights into digital trends in the Japanese market, meet us at 4th Annual Marketing Excellence Japan 2011 in Tokyo or get in touch now.

 

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