Healthy Skepticism Library item: 15543

Warning: This library includes all items relevant to health product marketing that we are aware of regardless of quality. Often we do not agree with all or part of the contents.

Publication type: Journal Article

Pitt L, Nel D.
Pharmaceutical Promotion Tools--Their Relative Importance.
European Journal of Marketing 1988; 22:(5):7-14
http://info.emeraldinsight.com/products/journals/journals.htm?PHPSESSID=l8l21ct3plsq3a52q73jef09v0&id=ejm

Abstract:

The article discusses the perceptions of general practitioners concerning the extent to which their decisions to
prescribe scheduled pharmaceutical products are influenced by some of the promotion tools available to pharmaceutical
marketers. Medical practitioners have a rather unique and often multiple role in the buying decision process of
pharmaceutical products. They may be users, they may play the role of influencers, they may play the role of gatekeeper,
with access to and control of important information to the buying situation and finally, they perform the role of
deciders and make the buying decision for their patients. The paper offers some practical implications and guidelines by
the results to pharmaceutical marketers, with reference to the relative effectiveness of various promotional tools and
the appropriate emphasis that should be placed on them. It also investigates the relationship between the effect of
these prescription determinants and certain categorical variables.