To optimize the uptake of medical foods for disease treatment or prevention, medical companies need to target both consumers (patients) and healthcare professionals. These two target groups have a different level of knowledge and different needs, and therefore require a different marketing approach.
Published on Research and Results , our Healthcare Client Solutions Manager – Robert Dossin, shared how you best allocate marketing activities to target patients and healthcare professionals.
The Consumer as a Key Focus
Major medical nutrition players used to focus on delivering medical nutrition for malnutrition (for example countering a lack of nutrients). As these products are covered by health services and insurers in most countries, medical nutrition marketers traditionally focus on healthcare professionals: the prescribers. Limited attention is paid to convincing end-consumers. With consumers as final purchase decision makers, it is crucial to understand their needs and perceptions and how to best convince them to purchase these products. Hence a new expertise is required: defining successful consumer marketing approaches.
