I keep hearing from pharma marketers that their sales reps are getting less and less face time with physicians. Clearly, we need to engage physicians in more ways that can extend sales reps’ efforts.

Of course, the Internet is an obvious pathway, particularly since 99% of physicians are now online every week for professional purposes, according to Manhattan Research. Plus, a Google survey recently revealed that 77% of physicians are specifically looking for information about a drug.

We must, however, challenge ourselves to find new, creative ways to communicate on multiple levels (visually, verbally, etc.) about how a medication or therapy can benefit a physician’s patients. While pondering this, I remembered a commercial I saw last fall for Mitsubishi Outlander Sport that invited consumers to take one of their cars for a spin on a closed course, controlling it remotely via the Web.

Yes, it’s a completely different industry, but the challenge is the same: getting customers to try your product.

For consumers who weren’t willing to go to the showroom and take a test drive, Mitsubishi brilliantly brought the test drive to them.

This is exactly the kind of approach to pharmaceutical marketing that we need to take with physicians.

Physicians have nothing to lose by “test driving” a brand on their computers (or other interactive vehicles), while pharma marketers have everything to gain. But it won’t be as easy as it sounds.

You still need to engage them to start the engine.

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