Medical Affairs and Digital Opinion Leaders: Identifying, Engaging and Succeeding with Online Influencers

Industries Profiled:
Biopharmaceutical; Pharmaceutical; Manufacturing; Biotech; Consumer Products; Diagnostic; Medical Device; Consulting; Health Care; Communications


Companies Profiled:
Alkermes; AstraZeneca; Bayer; Baxter International; Biogen; Biolink Marketing LLC; bioMerieux; Biosplice Therapeutics; Boehringer Ingelheim; Cara Therapeutics; Cipla; Eisai; Ipsen; Johnson & Johnson; Kartos Therapeutics; Kyowa Kirin; MEDiSTRAVA; Merck; Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma; NexGen Healthcare Communications; Novartis; Novo Nordisk; Pfizer; Purdue Pharma; Roche; Sanofi Genzyme; Santen; Sandoz; Terumo BCT: Terumo Blood and Cell Technologies; UCB Pharma

Study Snapshot

Best Practices, LLC engaged 40 executives from 30 leading life sciences companies in this study through a benchmarking survey. Directors and upper management executives represent 60% of the benchmark participants.

Benchmark data is also broken down into three different segments to provide deeper insights. Segmentations used in this study are as follows:

• TBC (Total Benchmark Class) (includes all 40 survey respondents)
• DOL Program Leaders (11 respondents)
• DOL Program Majority (16 respondents)
• DOL Program New-to-Space (13 respondents)

• Unique benefits of DOL engagement
• Identification of right DOLs to target
• Mapping of online communities for DOL influence
• Strategies and tactics for maximizing Medical Affairs impact through DOL engagement
• Structure, staffing and DOL outreach in Medical groups

• Identifying online influencers: Medical teams identify and select DOLs to target based on a mix of social media metrics, traditional opinion leader markers, and subjective “fit and alignment” indicators.

• Formal partnerships with DOLs: Many companies use the same contracting model for DOLs as used for KOLs, but 38% have no formal relationship in place with any DOLs as yet. On average, companies have established a formal contracting relationship with an average of 19% of all the DOLs they target for engagement. Two-thirds of immature companies have yet to formally contract with any DOLs so far.

• Present stage of development of benchmark organizations’ medical DOL program or initiatives
• Percentage of DOLs belonging to each of the listed categories
• Top-ranked DOL program objectives
• Maturity level of DOL programs within benchmark companies
• Value of the DOL program to organizations – Total benchmark class
• Value of the DOL program to organizations – DOL Leaders vs. DOL Majority vs. New-to-Space segment

• Three-step approach to success in the digital opinion leader space
• Effectiveness of listed factors in identifying the right DOLs to target – Total benchmark class
• Effectiveness of listed factors in identifying the right DOLs to target – DOL Leaders vs. DOL Majority vs. New-to-Space segment
• DOL influence, publication credits and DOL count per therapeutic area
• Management of highly influential online accounts or “handles” representing major institutions

• High impact communication channels used by digital opinion leaders – Total benchmark class
• High impact communication channels used by digital opinion leaders – DOL Leaders vs. DOL Majority vs. New-to-Space segment
• Case example of a superstar DOL
• High-impact DOL engagement activities – Total benchmark class
• High-impact DOL engagement activities – DOL Leaders vs. DOL Majority vs. New-to-Space segment
• Types of content valued by DOLs – Total benchmark class
• Types of content valued by DOLs – DOL Leaders vs. DOL Majority vs. New-to-Space segment
• Average number of DOLs engaged online by staff member; Percentage of proactive and reactive DOL interactions – Total benchmark class
• Average number of DOLs engaged online by staff member; Percentage of proactive and reactive DOL interactions – DOL Leaders vs. DOL Majority vs. New-to-Space segment
• Highly effective metrics for assessing the impact of DOL engagement efforts – Total benchmark class
• Highly effective metrics for assessing the impact of DOL engagement efforts – DOL Leaders vs. DOL Majority vs. New-to-Space segment

• Role played by each of the listed groups in managing the DOL engagement program and executing key activities – Total benchmark class
• Lead role played by each of the listed groups in managing the DOL engagement program and executing key activities – DOL Leaders vs. DOL Majority vs. New-to-Space segment
• Frequency of medical DOL program team’s collaboration with other functions – Total benchmark class
• Frequency of medical DOL program team’s collaboration with other functions – DOL Leaders vs. DOL Majority vs. New-to-Space segment
• Total number of internal FTEs supporting DOL program
• Staff members typically responsible for external engagement of DOLs – Total benchmark class
• Staff members typically responsible for external engagement of DOLs – DOL Leaders vs. DOL Majority vs. New-to-Space segment
• Focus of internal staff responsible for DOL engagement – Total benchmark class
• Focus of internal staff responsible for DOL engagement – DOL Leaders vs. DOL Majority vs. New-to-Space segment

• Group primarily responsible for each of the listed core DOL program areas and activities – Total benchmark class
• Group primarily responsible for each of the listed core DOL program areas and activities – DOL Leaders vs. DOL Majority vs. New-to-Space segment
• Effective approaches for managing Adverse Events monitoring across the platforms where DOL program is active – Total benchmark class
• Effective approaches for managing Adverse Events monitoring across the platforms where DOL program is active – DOL Leaders vs. DOL Majority vs. New-to-Space segment
• Ensuring medical team has compliant engagement with DOLs that the organization is seeking to partner with – Total benchmark class
• Ensuring medical team has compliant engagement with DOLs that the organization is seeking to partner with – DOL Leaders vs. DOL Majority vs. New-to-Space segment
• Percentage of targeted DOLs who are contracted

• Distinct strategies and tactics necessary for successfully engaging DOLs in respective therapeutic area(s)
• Greatest success stories of benchmark organizations in the realm of DOL engagement
• Top lessons learned around DOL engagement

• Geographic responsibility covered by of benchmark participants in their current role
• Therapeutic area responsibility of benchmark participants and their Medical Affairs organization
• Job titles of benchmark participants