We agree: A flashy DTC platform means nothing if it’s not solving a real patient problem.

A recent piece in MM+M raised a tough but fair question: Are pharma’s DTC platforms actually engaging patients?

As folks who work on this every day, we think the answer is often no. Not because the ideas are bad, but because they skip a step.

A lot of campaigns start with a launch plan before they’ve nailed the insight. Things like a campaign idea before an emotional truth, or “we need x number of emails” before the we know patient’s unmet need.

We get why it happens. Timelines are short and expectations are high. But when you build before you listen, you end up with something that might look great, just not to the people it’s meant for.

We’d rather start with the problem, not the platform.

And we only move when we’ve found the sharp insight that makes the rest worth building. Sometimes that leads to an ad, sometimes an email, sometimes a support tool patients didn’t know they needed until they had it.

But it always starts with the why.

We’re glad MM+M is asking these questions. We think more of us should.

Carlos X. López
SVP, Director of Strategy