Testing and optimizing promotional messages for a global pharma company

A leading pharma company had recently completed a clinical trial for a lung cancer treatment that included some promising, breakthrough results. The client wanted to determine how the results of the trial could be used to best support the brand positioning, as well as identify which specific messages would be most likely to increase physician confidence in prescribing their drug.

doctor reviewing xrays of chest

Methods Used

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HawkPartners started by conducting in-depth interviews with target oncologists that specialize in treating lung cancer. We wanted to understand the degree to which the data from the clinical trial – which included primary and secondary endpoints, and safety/tolerability claims – were considered motivating and differentiated to physicians, and why. We used the in-depth interviews to optimize the wording and cull the list of potential messages to test in the quantitative phase.

We then tested the impact of over 30 promotional messages through an online survey with US oncologists. We utilized a MAXDIFF/TURF methodology to identify the messages and message bundles that are most impactful on prescribing behavior, to the widest possible audience of target physicians. We also tested and optimized the story flow of these messages.

The client used the outputs of the study to prioritize the most impactful messages and data to include in their promotional materials with physicians, including visual sales aids, journal advertisements, and digital communications.