3 Ways ViralGains is Solving Advertising Pain Points in the Pharmaceutical Industry with Zero-Party Data

Pharma advertisers invest billions in ad impressions annually, aiming to reach specific patients and caretakers to impact their business goals. Yet, many pharma advertisers face difficulties in finding and reaching their core patients. With the disappearance of third-party cookies and increased privacy regulations, pharmaceutical marketers are searching for effective ways to reach their target audiences while adhering to privacy and compliance guidelines. 

In the ever-evolving landscape of pharmaceutical advertising, one of the key challenges revolves around identifying potential patients with specific medical conditions without relying on cookies. With Google Chrome planning to start the elimination of cookies by year-end, targeting the right audience has become a complex puzzle for pharma advertisers.

So, what’s the solution? One promising avenue that aligns with privacy regulations is the collection of zero-party data or data that a consumer willingly and proactively shares with a brand. However, collecting this valuable information while respecting privacy regulations demands a cautious approach. Pharma companies can navigate restrictions by engaging potential patients in conversations about their familiarity with drugs related to the advertised condition or by inquiring about the symptoms they are experiencing. Competitive conquesting and questions about current medications can also be effective strategies.

Audience Engagement – Privacy Considerations and Compliance

For a practical example, let’s delve into a case where a pharmaceutical brand aimed to educate people suffering from Chronic Spontaneous Urticaria (Hives) about treatment options. The challenge here was to find an addressable audience with this specific ailment. Their solution? Partnering with us to create custom Zero-Party Audiences and manage media activation for their display campaign. We devised a unique plan, including:

• Creating ViralGains’ Zero Party & VoiceAlike® Audiences of people suffering from or familiar with CSU.
• Targeting both third-party and ViralGains Audiences with display ads to raise awareness of the medication.

The results were impressive, with a 2.1x Audience Quality Score, surpassing the 1.6x benchmark, and a remarkable 42% higher CTR compared to a 3rd party segment of “CSU Sufferers”. Notably, the campaign also achieved a 30% more efficient Cost-per-click (CPC) than the 3rd party “CSU Sufferers” segment.

When finding the right audience, pharmaceutical advertisers must navigate stringent compliance and legal language guidelines. Each company’s compliance team has its own standards, making it crucial to craft advertisements within those boundaries. Compliance isn’t a one-size-fits-all situation, and even if a strategy worked for one company, it may not work for another.

To illustrate the effectiveness of zero-party data in driving audience engagement while respecting privacy, let’s take the example of a pharmaceutical brand striving to raise awareness about a medication for a specific type of breast cancer. The challenge lay in identifying individuals who qualified for this medication and their caregivers.

We devised a strategy to meet their unique requirements:

• Utilized a ViralGains survey to create Zero-Party & VoiceAlike® Audiences composed of individuals familiar with a common medication used by metastatic breast cancer patients.
• Targeted both third-party and ViralGains’ Audiences through display ads, directing them to the website for more information.

The website engagement results were impressive: a 30% reduction in bounce rate and a 1.2x increase in pages per session, underscoring the potential of zero-party data in effectively engaging audiences while adhering to privacy compliance standards.

Finding & Educating Qualifying Consumers

Zero-party data is a game-changer for pharmaceutical advertisers looking to connect with the right audience and educate them about their products effectively. It allows companies to gather valuable information directly from consumers, helping them find and engage with potential patients and caregivers.

A pharmaceutical company joined forces with us to raise awareness about their medication for Type 2 Diabetes and provide education to new patients and caregivers. 

We strategically distributed the pharmaceutical company’s video ad in targeted placements across the open web. This approach ensured that the content reached the most relevant patients and caregivers. However, what set this campaign apart is the use of zero-party data via surveys at the end of the video ad.

We designed the ad to ask viewers a crucial question: “Do you or someone you love suffer from Type 2 Diabetes?” This simple yet powerful inquiry allowed the brand to identify potential new patients or caregivers based on the feedback directly provided by the viewers themselves.

Moreover, the survey served a dual purpose. In addition to helping the pharmaceutical company pinpoint the right audience, it was also used to drive qualified site traffic and encourage key on-site actions. By optimizing their campaign to target those who responded with a “Yes,” the results spoke for themselves.

Month-over-month campaign performance improved by an impressive 15%. Even more compelling, the cost per qualified viewer decreased by a remarkable 12-fold. This reduction in costs not only translated to budget savings but also drove major efficiencies for the brand. These newly identified individuals were now prime candidates for re-messaging, allowing the pharmaceutical company to maintain both its engagement and education efforts. 

The pharmaceutical industry continues to face unique challenges in advertising, but with the strategic use of zero-party data, these hurdles can be overcome. By understanding the pain points and utilizing zero-party data effectively, pharmaceutical advertisers can enhance patient engagement and ultimately improve health outcomes.

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If you’re looking for a way to apply a zero-party data strategy to your pharmaceutical advertising campaign, reach out to us at marketing@viralgains.com for a free proposal.