Even with the fate of online pharma advertising waiting in the FDA’s hands after the hearings, some have found a new way to get around the technicalities of banner advertising and have gone for a much more branded, yet handheld approach.
Ever since the iPhone and iPod touch came out, iTunes has been seeing owners download at least 10 new apps per month on average, and recently just celebrated it’s 1.5 billionth download. Interestingly enough, the commercials you see are right: you name it and there’s an app for that. Some do nothing and sell nothing, like the Zippo Lighter app. But then there are other branded apps that actually provide value to a consumer. And now pharma’s getting into the branded app mix, too.
Sanofi-Aventis recently rolled out its GoMeals iPhone app that acts as “a food-tracking tool that allows users to search thousands of foods and dishes from popular restaurants and grocery stores to easily see the nutritional content of meals and snacks,” according to MedAdNews.
Even though GoMeals was created as a tool to support their online diabetes community, the app can be used by just about anyone who is looking to watch their daily intake. But more importantly, it gives the online diabetic community a trusted source of information and a brand to look to for all of their diabetic needs, even if Sanofi-Aventis isn’t directly selling Lantus, their 24-hour insulin shots.
Online advertising is no doubt a powerful means of communicating to targeted audiences. But, oftentimes a branded application or portal for information can be just as powerful when it builds up brand loyalty. Because once brand loyalty has been firmly established, you don’t have customers anymore; you have brand evangelists, which is one bond that’s incredibly difficult to break.
