Across Health Launches US the Digital Barometer Survey

Online, September 7, 2011 (Newswire.com) - Building on the successful completion and industry wide recognition of the 2011 European Digital Barometer survey, Across Health announces the launch of the US Digital Barometer survey on September 8, 2011. Targeted to pharmaceutical and life science marketers across a broad functional spread, includes Marketing, Digital, Sales, e-Business, Medical and IT, the survey aims at delivering a revealing look at US pharma marketers and their use of new digital channels. Participants are eligible to win iPads. Please go to http://bit.ly/pOyyrX for the US Digital Barometer survey.

Craig Parnell, managing partner of Across Health US, explains the previous EMEA Digital Barometer findings. "Two thirds of pharma respondents believed that they were significantly behind other industries when it came to digital spending, and in this instance they were right. Pharma's spend on digital was only 7 to 8% of overall marketing. Company (83%), product (67%) and disease (65%) websites get most investments with the least used tactics of mobile (9%), eMSL (8%) and virtual reps (12%)."

The survey showed that pharma is overwhelmed as health care professionals and patients are spending more time online. Pharma struggles with how to engage audiences online and understands that it needs to change while dealing with significant barriers preventing change.

Parnell cited the Digital Barometer's report showing the top European barriers as regulatory and legal issues, having no clear e-business strategy, return on investment questions and not having enough internal knowledge. "Only 12% of marketers are satisfied with their digital activities" Parnell said. "The survey points out that the life sciences industry needs to spend more on digital to align itself to its stakeholders and enter a dialogue with them on their own territory. The critical point is that it must spend this money on the right things." To view the Across Health EMEA Digital Barometer results, visit http://slidesha.re/oJgrvA.

Across Health's Digital Barometer is inviting US participation now and hopes to complete the report before the end of the year. Visit http://bit.ly/pOyyrX for the US Digital Barometer survey.