Search seen as effective by pharma firms

Search engine marketing is viewed as one of the most effective online advertising practices by the pharmaceutical sector, new research has revealed.

MarketBridge and Pharmaceutical Executive magazine sought the views of 220 executives within the pharmaceutical sector and found that search was seen as one of the best online strategies, with Web 2.0 tactics generally viewed as more risky.

The report also showed that 32 per cent of pharmaceutical firms spend between ten and 20 per cent of their marketing budgets on the web, with MarketBridge and Pharmaceutical Executive predicting further growth for this segment in the next two years.

"Digital marketing spend is expected to rise and digital has at least 'some influence' in hiring, as organisations move more towards digital marketing adoption," the report suggested.

Earlier this year, a comScore study revealed that AstraZeneca's Nexium website was the most visited pharmaceutical brand site in the US during the second quarter of 2008.