(5) Pts journey : To-dos before quant research

Insight based Brand Plan

1. Pts journey: Quantitative analysis
2. Pts journey Qualitative analysis
3. Pts journey : Qualitative research, dr interview
4. Pts journey: Qualitative research, patients
5. Pts journey : To-dos before quant research
6. Pts journey; Quant market research
7. Pts journey: Pts Quant Research
8. Quantify Pts Journey by Market Research Results
9. Pts Journey based Forecast Model
10. Insight for Pts Journey
11. Current/Desired Perception
12. Let's try Insight Workshop
13. Segmentation, Easy to Say, Difficult to Use
14. What is Brand Strategy? CSF?

Once your competed doctors/patients' pts journey qualitative research, the next step is quantitative research (web research). Some researchers and brand managers blindly conduct qualitative and quantitative research as a single set, but market research is expensive and time-consuming.  We've conducted qualitative research because we did not know much about the market, doctors, and patients at the launch of the new product X. However, if you are confident in your hypothesis for an existing brand, I think there are many cases where you can update the pts journey by yourself and start with quantitative research.

If the qualitative research is well-designed with a solid hypothesis, you can get Insight, but I've seen qualitative research that turned into a one-question-and-one-answer interview after the Brand Team created a list of things they wanted to know, but it's hard to get to Insight, and it's a waste of money and time.

From the qualitative findings of the physician interviews (or before the survey is conducted), summarize the physician's thoughts at each stage (moment) of the pts journey. This is also recommended to have a workshop between the research firm and Brand team members.

It's time to summarize what you know (and don't know) from desk research and qualitative research for what do customers think about hay fever treatment, product X, in a frank and honest pace?   Have "insight workshop" is also recommended at this phase.  Let's do "product X insight workshop" figuring out;

【Diagnosis】

• Some drs consider hay fever is not in their specialty (low interests)
• Diagnosis of hay fever is self-reported by patients, and they do not feel the need to diagnose it strictly (diagnostic treatment of hay fever if antihistamines work)
• Drs consider the treatment of hay fever is "annal spring event" outside of their specialty (or worse), it's just a annal routine of providing medicine when hay fever symptoms such as rhinitis appear in the spring.
• ...

Here's how doctors really feel about the diagnosis of hay fever, in a sentence  (insight)

"I don't specialize in allergies or hay fever, and if a patient comes to my clinic in the spring with hay fever symptoms, that's hay fever, so I listen to the patient, check the symptoms, give medicine, and that's the end of the routine,” he said. I don't have any trouble diagnosing hay fever, and to be honest, I'm not really interested in hay fever, so I just deal with the patients solemnly.”

【Treatment】

• When hay fever patients come in, give them medicine (antihistamines + nasal, eye drops, etc.)
• Not very interested in the latest treatment for hay fever
• The source of information on hay fever treatment is digital channels and sales reps, but they do not proactively access to hay fever treatment information by themselves.
• The examination of hay fever patients seems to be a routine process, and when they look at the chart, they think, “Oh, this is the same patient who came in last year” (the examination time is also short).
• ・・・

"I am not interested in hay fever and not actively looking for information on hay fever treatment. I know that antihistamines, eye drops, and nasal sprays will improve patients' symptoms, and I don't hear any complaints from them."

【Antihistamine drug selection】

• Many physicians are not interested in the details of antihistamines and the evidence (although they listen to the sales reps.
• There are many new drugs on the market, but they all seem to be not differentiated, and many think that there is no major difference between second-generation antihistamines.
• We use several drugs according to the strength of efficacy and side effects (drowsiness), depending on the patient's needs.
• Many doctors introduce several drugs to patients according to their effectiveness and side effects, and ask them to choose the one they prefer.
• No patient ever complains that the drugs they prescribe do not work or have side effects.
• I am willing to prescribe antihistamines that the reps are doing a good job (if they are equally effective and safe, I'll take the reps' drugs that are doing a good job anyway).
• If a patient requests a drug, prescribe that drug.
• If I'm happy with the same drug as last year, I'll check with the patient and prescribe the same one
• …

"I use different antihistamines according to their efficacy and side effects, but I don't see a big difference between them, so I prescribe 2-3 drugs in a pattern. New drugs have been introduced, but there is not a big difference, and I listen to MRs, and there is not much difference, so I think it is OK to use the antihistamines of the MRs who are doing their best. To be honest, I'm not too interested in antihistamines because they all work for hay fever, and I solemnly prescribe the ones I'm used to using.”

And by this point, you've probably already noticed that many physicians are not interested in hay fever treatment.

• It's not my specialty and I'm not really interested in it.
• I see patients in the spring because they come to see me.
• Diagnosis, treatment, and prescribing are pattern, routine, flow work
• I know that there are differences in antihistamines, but to be frank, they are not that different.
• I use several different types of antihistamines depending on their efficacy and side effects (drowsiness).

A bit digression from Product X, marketing strategies for antihistamines for existing drugs are quite difficult. Even if product differentiation is not very effective (physicians are not interested in it), sales reps' efforts will be appreciated, so I think there is also a way of promotion that is split between “get prescriptions through power and hard work” i.e. SoV push promotion.

In this qualitative study, we also asked about physicians' reactions to having them see the product characteristics of product x.

【reaction to product X】

• One dose of medication lasts for a month, great and revolutionary!
• I would like to use it because I will not forget to take it and the hay fever season will be over after 1-2 doses.
• I am concerned that if the effect lasts for a month, it will be difficult to deal with side effects, and I want to prescribe it after checking the symptoms.
• Worried about whether patients will accept the high price (since neither doctors nor patients are troubled by existing drugs in the first place)
• If I have to spend time and effort to explain and get approval from the patient for once-a-month medication, I would like to keep the existing treatment because I am not troubled by the existing antihistamine.

When we SWOT Product X, the first strength of the product is that it is “effective for one month after a single dose,” and this message is recognized by physicians as “groundbreaking and clearly different from other antihistamine drugs. On the other hand, it has also been found that there is a concern that long-lasting effect = long-lasting side effects if side effects should occur.

Let's summarize physicians "insight" , current perception and desired perception.

The current/desired perception at this point is tentative and can be brushed up as we move toward Launch. Looking at the current/desired perception, don't you think that the gap between current and desired is still too big and should be broken down a bit more? Specifically, there seems to be some steps from the current to desired .

1. interested in hay fever treatment and antihistamines (and Product X)
2. Understand the product characteristics of Product X and that “one dose, one month effect” is clearly different than the competition
3. remove concerns about continued side effects of Product X
4. "Benefit of Product X" is bigger that routine drug choice of hay fever

Sometimes this "step breakdown" is better to organize it like a checkbox, like if some conditions are met.  Breakdown works (and needed) because

• the GAP is too big to fill this GAP in one shot.
• possible to clarify the way to achieve desired perception = easy to plan strategy and action

If the drug like Glivec, which was a super breakthrough drug for chronic myelogenous leukemia that “allows patients to maintain a complete remission and lead a normal life if they continue to receive oral medication,” the gap could be filled with P3 trial data alone without the need to create such a Step, and there would no longer be a need for a marketing strategy. However, most brands are not that good, so it would be better to think in terms of Steps. I think it would be better to create a Brand plan while thinking about it. Of course, this is tentative, since we are still in the process of completing the qualitative research.

Strategy is the way to achieve desired perception = positioning.  Strategy is fuzzy words, definition is vague...  to align Brand Team members "strategy" definition, I recommend to share the image of this diagram.

This "step" can also be "segment" of target drs, i.e. 

Segment(1) No interest in hay fever drs

Physicians who have no interest in hay fever or antihistamines and are not interested in talking about product X and go through with it.

Segment(2) Understand Product X profile but no rx drs

Physicians who understand that “one dose of Product X, one month effect” is clearly different from the competition and think it's good, but are concerned about side effects and familiarity with the product and are not prescribing it.

Segment(3) Routine > product X benefit drs

Physicians who understand Product X and say “I'll use it” without concern for side effects, but ultimately do not prescribe it because they are busy, forget to prescribe X, save time of explaining product X.

Segment(4)Product X 1st choice drs（＝desired perception）

You may need not to break down to this detials, however, you can now more clearly understand profile of drs in each steps (segment) and action plan, strategy.  If your analysis, hypothesis get into this level, now you are ready to conduct quant (web) research for;

• Quantify the (tentative) pts journey, clarify and complete what is not understood!
• Quantify physicians' thoughts on each moment
• How many physicians are in each step of the hypothetical Segment? Estimation of
• Prescribing intention of product X (also used for forecasting)