Audio: Dr. Shafiq Qaadri, Speaks on "message crafting" for the family physician (2 ½ minutes)

Meeting Summary by Marla Weingarten

For the final event of the 2008 OPMA speaking series, Dr. Shafiq Qaadri, family physician, lecturer,

Dr. Shafiq Qaadri, MD, MPP

medical writer and broadcaster presented his views on pharmaceutical Marketing, and how to maximize communication with physicians. He provided practical tips to help ensure our messages are informative, compelling and engaging.

Dr. Qaadri opened his presentation with a fitting quotation, “healthcare is the most scientific art and the most artistic science.” He believes presenting information is an art and audiences can be influenced when simple, but effective techniques are put into action.

He appreciates that we have restrictions and regulatory hurdles with PAAB and Rx&D. However, Dr. Qaadri refers to much of the medical marketing as “hardening of the categories,” in that we keep to the tried and true. He fully believes there is still room for further creativity in order to keep our respective messages alive, understood and remembered.

He encourages the “global approach” to Marketing that involves various elements and vehicles for successful message diffusion. In addition to a good drug and a competent sales force, Dr. Qaadri recommends the following Marketing mix:

• CME workshops that allow for engagement among the participants
• Journal advertising
• Support materials to keep the message alive
• Direct to consumer advertising
• Phase IV studies to offer hands on experience
• Electronic know-how
• positive exposure in the press is exceptionally valuable (when possible)

Also of great importance are the champions for your product. Dr. Qaadri acknowledges that although specialist support is a key component of the Marketing strategy, other health care professionals as well as patient advocates are essential to further advance and spread the message. He strongly believes that Family Physicians can explain the essential components of a product message in more simple terms and provide “emotional resonance” allowing for greater data retention. “They [Family Physicians] can help keep the information real!”

In any CME directed at Family Physicians, the presentation slides must be simple and avoid clutter. Otherwise, participants will not have a chance to fully absorb and retain the material. Dr. Qaadri has come across so many slides in his speaking career with information overload or slides with an abundance of acronyms that will never be remembered. He highly recommends the use of visuals wherever possible, keeping the data to a minimum. He believes it is the responsibility of the speaker to provide further details and engage the audience.

As an advocate of the use of touch pads, Dr. Qaadri illustrated how this tool can draw in participants. When questions are addressed as an aggregate, people can learn from one another and their answers often lead to stimulating discussion.   

As diagnosis and treatment can vary depending on one’s ethnicity, Dr. Qaadri highly recommends the engagement of diverse communities when crafting a message. It is vital to incorporate cultural differences into our messaging. This will help ensure physicians are aware of any ethnic variances in the use of the medication and prevent under-assessment, under-diagnosis and under-treatment of their patients.

Dr. Qaadri also reinforced a message that OPMA members have heard from previous presentations: the use of social marketing as a communication tool is being under utilized in our industry. He has personally experienced the value of search engine optimization and believes that we, as Marketers, should further investigate the use of this technology.

In conclusion, Dr. Qaadri reinforced the need to understand the mindset of our audience and to match participants’ needs with an appropriate speaker who will ensure the content is presented in a clear, memorable and engaging manner.

About the Author:
Marla Weingarten is a marketing consultant, specializing in the Canadian pharmaceutical industry. She can be reached at marla.weingarten@sympatico.ca