Beginning with patient engagement
In a competitive market, brands rely on their reputations to give them an edge. However, these reputations are built on perceptions — and because it’s up to consumers to develop their own perceptions, brands may feel as though they have less control in developing lasting loyalty. This is especially true in the pharmaceutical industry due to where pharmaceutical manufacturers reside within healthcare’s value chain.
In the patient-doctor relationship, pharmaceutical companies are the left-out third wheel. Proactive reputation management is one of the reasons we’re seeing more and more brands take a stand on issues (including controversial ones). Today, the majority of people are “belief-driven buyers.” Consumers want to feel good about the companies they support, and pharma can improve relationships with their patients in plenty of ways.
