Postscripts Rx
Conversations Beyond the Prescription. Where pharma, HCPs, life science and digital health solutions meets patients—after the script is written. Conversations on digital health, engagement, and real-world impacts that are re-writing the future of patient engagement.
Postscripts Rx
'Opti-Channel:' When marketers stop being everywhere and start being where it matters.
The future of pharmaceutical marketing and patient engagement is undergoing a profound transformation. While omnichannel strategies have long been considered the gold standard, promising seamless experiences across all platforms, they've often devolved into inefficient "scattergun" approaches that prioritize presence over performance.
This episode explores the evolution from traditional omnichannel to what industry leaders are calling "opti-channel" marketing – a data-driven, personalized approach that matches the right channel to the right user at precisely the right moment. Unlike its predecessor, opti-channel focuses on impact rather than mere coverage, using real-time analytics to understand behavior, prioritize efficient outreach, reduce waste, and deliver content when and where it matters most.
The results are compelling: companies implementing advanced personalization see up to 30% revenue increases, while tailored patient experiences boost medication adherence by over 150% in certain chronic conditions. For healthcare professionals facing increasing burnout and limited time, opti-channel strategies recognize individual preferences – whether for peer-reviewed content or digestible formats – and target only historically effective channels.
Beyond marketing, these principles transform clinical trials through timely patient nudges and education, with leading sponsors reporting 20% jumps in protocol adherence. Platforms like Medisafe exemplify this approach, offering voice-activated agents that adapt to individual preferences – calling some patients after missed doses while texting others based on stated preferences.
The shift doesn't mean abandoning omnichannel principles entirely, but rather enhancing them with intelligence, precision, and adaptability. For pharmaceutical leaders navigating evolving expectations from patients, providers, and payers, the message is clear: success comes not from being everywhere, but from being exactly where you're needed, when you're needed, with content that truly resonates. Subscribe for more insights at the intersection of pharma technology and patient impact.
PostScripts Rx is not intended to constitute medical advice, nor is it intended to influence prescribing decisions or any other medical or clinical decision-making. All medical and clinical judgment and decision-making, prescribing decisions, and all related considerations remain exclusively the responsibility of providers and patients.
Welcome to Postscripts, the podcast exploring what happens after that first prescription. We cover the latest innovations in patient access support, digital tools, HCP engagement and pharma marketing that drives better outcomes that we all hope for for patients. This podcast is for informational purposes only and does not constitute any medical advice or should it be used to influence any clinical decision-making. Patients should always consult their healthcare professionals. Welcome to the podcast. My name is Brian Carr. I'm with the Medisave team, although any opinions expressed here are my own and not necessarily those of Medisave or its partners.
Speaker 1:Let's talk about the promise and pitfalls of omni-channel marketing in pharma. So this is strictly for the marketers out there, I think. For years, the term omni-channel marketing in pharma so this is strictly for the marketers out there, I think. For years the term omni-channel has been the hailed as the gold standard, even in pharma marketing. The philosophy is sound Meet healthcare professionals and patients wherever they are, ensure a seamless, consistent experience across all platforms. But in practice, omni-channel often turns into a scattergun approach, spreading resources across every channel imaginable for the sake of presence rather than performance. For brand marketers and patient access teams, the challenge becomes less about communication and more about orchestration, and that's a heavy lift. So is Omnichannel, which is a term we use as well. Matt is safe. We've used it for years. Is it still delivering on its promise or is it time to evolve? This is where you're now hearing people talk about the opti-channel era.
Speaker 1:Unlike omni-channel, which seeks uniformity across all touch points, opti-channel marketing is data-driven, personalized and efficient. It aims to match the right channel to the right user at the right moment, optimizing for impact, not just coverage. This targeted approach is made possible by using real-time data in advanced analytics to one, understand customer behavior and channel preferences. Two, prioritize outreach based on efficiency and ROI. Three, reduce waste from unused or underperforming channels. And also deliver personalized content to HCPs and patients when and where it matters the most. And, importantly, it goes beyond marketing right. Opti-channel strategies are infused across patient engagement platforms, whether it's Medisave or others like it, where pathways you know we've got custom journeys that are made out HCP engagement, just-in-time interventions these real-time optimization that you can get in digital channels really does ensure interactions can adapt to evolving patient behaviors and needs. It's a necessary evolution in an increasingly personalized healthcare world, and data tells a story.
Speaker 1:So why? Optichannel works, sometimes a lot better than OmniChannel. Well, the move to OptiChannel, it's not just theoretical, it's response to measurable outcomes. Research underscores how precision pays off. So, for example, we know personalization delivers results. Companies using personalization across multiple channels could see a 10% to 30% lift in revenue. This is from McKinsey a few years back. Patients engage more when it's personal Tailored experiences, we know, boost adherence rates by over 150% in some chronic conditions. Opti-channel is more efficient. Focusing efforts on high-performing channels reduces marketing spend ways by up to 40%. This is coming from Deloitte in their digital report in 2022. Deeper insights for smarter pharma decisions also result. When you narrow that data pool, you elevate your signal to noise ratio, driving better decisions downstream for brand managers and access teams. This comes out of the Harvard Business Review in 2022.
Speaker 1:Pharma has always been data rich. We know that. Right Now it's a time really to be insight rich. An opti-channel sheds the legacy model of just be everywhere all at once and can replace it with where it works the best. And the whole reason for this is patient expectations are evolving. Today's patients don't want volume, they want value. They expect content that's timely, delivered when it aligns with their health journey. Two personalized, adaptable to their preferences, conditions and routines. Three supported built just with empathy. Built with empathy, not just compliance, in mind, right? So digital therapeutics and platforms like MetaSafe totally exemplify this shift. You know we've got MetaSafe, via and data can allow brand teams to see what is working in the real time.
Speaker 1:Close this loop between strategy and outcomes and HCP engagement is no longer one size fits all. Hcp burnout is growing and field rep access is declining. Pharma must become smarter in HCP engagement strategies. Optichannel allows field teams and non-personal promotion NPP teams to recognize which HCPs prefer peer-reviewed content versus digestible native formats. Target only those channels that historically drive interaction or script adoption. Leverage AI modeling through platforms. Native formats. Target only those channels that historically drive interaction or script adoption. Leverage AI modeling through platforms. And in a study there was, a study by Accenture found that 87% of HCPs say pharma companies really need to improve how they share product information. So efficiency and relevance matter more than ever. So think beyond marketing what happens with OptiChannel in clinical trials and support.
Speaker 1:Many of the benefits of OptiChannel, which is personalization, timeliness, relevance are critical not just for commercial launches, but also during clinical development. In clinical trials, where participant engagement is crucial, optichannel really helps with reduce those dropout rates through timely nudges and tailored education, improving protocol adherence with real-time interventions and enhancing engagement with both participants and investigators. Leading sponsors have seen protocol adherence jump by over 20% when augmenting trials with digital opti-channel support. This is an IQ report from 2023. Metasafe's platform and others like it integrate into clinical trial ecosystems which really support recruitment, onboarding and monitoring, while ensuring patient-centric design comes first. So let's talk about the economics of precision.
Speaker 1:Roi in an optichannel world is well. The old adage was if you build it, they will come right. So today's mantra is if you personalize it, they will stay. Roi isn't all just about revenue anymore. It's about efficiency. With optichannel, brands can reduce cost per engagement by eliminating low-performing channels. Focus content development budgets on what performs. They can improve medication adherence rates, which ties directly to brand value. According to a study by McKinsey, organizations using this advanced personalization strategies in their marketing efforts achieve a 20% higher marketing ROI compared to those that didn't. So our own analytics show campaigns using MetaSafe's GIDI, for example, which delivers these just-in-time interventions triggered by patient behavior data, significantly improve refill rates and treatment continuation than the standard NPP efforts.
Speaker 1:So I mean, in the end, should pharma dump Omnichannel? No, not entirely, and we don't do that at MetaSafe either. It's not something we're going to dump. But Omnichannel lays the foundation out. It really teaches us to think across platforms and to coordinate stories. But today's world of fragmented attention, rising expectations, omnichannel can feel like trying to be everything to everybody. That's why pharma leaders, especially those on commercial innovation, brand marketing and patient support, really are shifting to opti-channel.
Speaker 1:The model is proactive, not reactive. It's about tailoring strategies in real time to deliver relevance at scale, and it's supported with tools on digital platforms for end-to-end patient engagement or pharma integration care connectors. What we use at Medisafe the clinical collaboration and patient support tool collaboration you know really, really targeting those moment-based interventions that we know here at Medisafe definitely drive value. When you can talk to someone on a personalized basis on something that's happening in real time for them, it really does make an impact. So the path forward isn't about abandoning Omnichannel. It's really about taking Omnichannel to the next level and optimizing it into something smarter.
Speaker 1:So why opti-channel wins? Well, the shift from omni-channel to opti-channel really reflects just the next evolution in digital health, one that prioritizes precision, performance and personalization Rather than broadcasting everywhere. We target where the impact is felt the most, supported by real-time data. Opti-channel drives engagement, improves ROI, decreases friction and ultimately supports the one stakeholder who matters the most and that's the patients. So farmer leaders who embrace not only OmniChannel and then take it to the next level with OptiChannel on an individual patient basis, will not only cut through the noise but orchestrate more empathetic, effective and efficient customer journeys.
Speaker 1:So, for example, you know you may have, for example, we have a Medisafe, medisafe Via, which is a voice-activated agent which can talk to patients, remind them to do a symptom check, for example, or an adherence check. Hey, we noticed, you didn't take your medication on time. The point there being is, some patients may want to get a phone call right from an agent, right, some may say no, text me, send me, say listen, email me next time. Or we've actually had only call to me after seven o'clock at night, busy during dinner time, and if you call me then I'm not going to answer the phone, things like that. You can set that as an omni-channel platform. Right, we can see a Medisave where patients have taken a dose or not go to the next channel saying, hey, we're going to give them an extra reminder or SMS text or even a phone call from a voice agent.
Speaker 1:That's Omni Channel, optimizing it that way and this is a person who may opt into. Yes, I want to be called if I miss a dose at night from my med friend on Via, for example, and that's a phone call. So that's switching from the hey, we're just about a mobile platform. Now you're into a phone call and flat room, or I'd rather just email me. Here's an email address I want to be contacted on. This is what we're talking about optimizing the Opti channel all the way through, all right folks. So thank you so much for joining us here. On Postscripts, if you found this conversation valuable, follow or subscribe for more insights at the intersection of pharma technology and patient impact. Until next time, keep looking forward. The real work begins after that script is written.
