ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the process of developing the strategy for a healthcare relationship marketing (RM) program. The strategy consists of business and brand objectives, segmentation, experience planning by segment, behavior modification objectives, strategic insights, campaign creative and messaging. Professional Relationship Marketing (PRM) must be designed with a business strategy in mind that goes beyond the basic drug product message. Developing that strategy helps a pharmaceutical company plan appropriate promotional channels, in-market tactics, and tailored messages to reach their valuable professional customers. The strategy starts with understanding the healthcare professional (HCP) segments appropriate to the therapeutic categories in question. The dimensions of segmentation include treatment patterns, office practice objectives, preferred promotional consumption mix. A critical element of CRM is selecting media tailored to the CRM segments, at the moment they are making critical healthcare decisions. The segmentation and personas are valuable starting points for this media planning.
