75 Percent of Consumers Say Internet is Their First-Choice Resource for Drug Treatment Information, According to Prospectiv Survey

WOBURN, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--A recent study by Prospectiv shows that for the majority of consumers, the cure for what ails them can be found online. In fact, the Internet was overwhelmingly their most trusted and reliable resource for researching ailment and drug information, beating out broadcast media and magazines by a large margin. Seventy-five percent of 800 consumers who responded to Prospectiv’s 2007 Pharmaceutical Marketing CPI poll said they view the Internet as their most trusted resource for ailment and drug treatment information, followed by broadcast media (15 percent) and magazines (10 percent).

“What’s particularly interesting is the low number of consumers who rely on pharmaceutical sites for information, indicating that brand managers need to find new ways to peak consumer interest and engage them”

Prospectiv (http://www.prospectiv.com), a provider of online customer acquisition solutions to leading consumer brands, is the owner of the online properties Healthier.com and Eversave.com, and operates a lead generation platform used by publishers across the web.

The survey also found that consumers who conduct online ailment and drug research largely favor general health web sites (54 percent) and specific ailment-focused sites (37 percent) over pharmaceutical company sites (4 percent). Respondents also shared their frequency of conducting online health-related research. While the majority (40 percent) said that they had conducted online research only two times or less during the past six months, 33 percent reported research frequency of at least once-a-month, followed by every other month (27 percent).

When asked what would peak their interest in specific drug treatments for their ailments, the majority cited drug samples (55 percent), followed by e-newsletters to help them learn more (35 percent) and coupons (10 percent) as the top incentives.

“What’s particularly interesting is the low number of consumers who rely on pharmaceutical sites for information, indicating that brand managers need to find new ways to peak consumer interest and engage them,” said Jere Doyle, President and CEO of Prospectiv. “Educational e-newsletters, health-focused web sites and micro-sites focused on specific ailments have proved very effective in this regard. The first step toward initiating these online resources is for brand managers to build an in-house database of self-profiled consumers who have expressed an interest in learning more about their treatment options.”

Consumer opinions: Pharmaceutical ads on television

Prospectiv’s 2007 Pharmaceutical Marketing CPI poll also gathered consumer opinions about television pharmaceutical ads.

83 percent surveyed expressed concerns that pharmaceutical ads on television can be confusing and misleading
89 percent agreed with the sentiment expressed by some government organizations and consumer advocacy groups that television drug treatment advertisements need to be more closely regulated
72 percent of respondents also said that there were too many drug treatment advertisements on television

Prospectiv conducted the 2007 Pharmaceutical Marketing CPI Poll online, gathering responses from 800 consumers across the United States. The survey was conducted from June 20 – June 22, 2007.

About Prospectiv’s Consumer Preference Index (CPI):

Millions of active, self-profiled consumers have registered at Prospectiv’s vertically-targeted online properties – Eversave.com (connects consumers with quality offers from leading brands), TheKnowledgeStop.com (premier resource for online and campus-based education and degree programs), and Healthier.com (website offering consumers information, promotions and products to achieve a healthier lifestyle) – enabling Prospectiv to compile insightful survey data for advertisers and marketers. Prospectiv’s 20-point data authentication, cleansing and validation process ensures the database of self-profiled consumers is current, active, and accurate in order to deliver the highest quality data to clients.

About Prospectiv:

Prospectiv provides industry-leading customer acquisition, email marketing and data analytics solutions to leading consumer brand marketers. The company’s solutions enable the world’s best brands to find and build profitable relationships with the right customers through expert media buying, broad media reach, proprietary technology, and comprehensive analytics. Millions of active, self-profiled consumers have registered at Prospectiv’s vertically-targeted online properties – Eversave.com, TheKnowledgeStop.com and Healthier.com. Prospectiv also provides leading publishers with a lead generation platform that creates a significant incremental revenue stream from their website traffic. Prospectiv generates more than 50 million pre-qualified responses per year on a pay-for-results basis for clients, including many Fortune 1000 companies such as Procter and Gamble, Wal-Mart, Pfizer, Dell, Nestle and Schering-Plough. Founded in 1999, Prospectiv is privately-held and is based in Woburn, Ma. Please visit http://www.prospectiv.com for more information.