By now, everyone has heard that Millennial’s now outnumber every other demographic cluster (the Boomers are dying fast). Two recent studies crossed my desk that when combined tell us much about how, in healthcare, Millennial doctors can be engaged in the mobile-first world.

First, a little background: in Pharma, brands are struggling with an outdated Sales Force model based on relationships and the one-to-one ability to sell directly to a doctor. But that door is closing fast; as of 2017, it is predicated that up to 53% of doctors will no longer grant sales reps access. So, that one-to-one model is quickly being replaced with NPP (Non-Personal Promotion) of which email is a major part.

Yes, good old email. It seems doctors like it more and more every year — in fact, in a recent HealthLink Dimensions study, 68% of doctors said they preferred email contact from a brand more than another channel.

Next fact: as of 2016, 35% of doctors are under age 39…basically Millennial’s.

Now, the fun part…Adobe did a recent White Paper on Millennial email habits. Mobile is a must:

• 88% check email on smartphone
• 98% check personal email every few hours at work
• 80% of doctor’s receiving an email from one of our Pharma clients use a Smartphone

Timing is everything. Millennial’s are also more likely than any other age group to check email from:

• Bed (70%)
• Bathroom (57%)
• While driving (27%).

Why is this hot? Because while email cannot replace the impact of a face-to-face sales call, CX and “smarter’ data/event triggered email can have a immediate impact and be a key channel in the multi-channel mix of engaging these younger no-see doctors. Simply because the doctor is proving to be an always-on customer; their consumption of brand content not only has to be mobile-first, but also move past the traditional email metric of click-through-rate and move to a model where we are providing value in the email and measuring it with tools like Litmus. Also, given the demographic habits native to Millennial’s, the emails need to me more visual, snackable and allow for all those varied experiences — from a glance in the car to a longer engagement in bed. Or in the bathroom.

In 2014, Biopharma manufacturers spend $4.5 billion in DTC advertising. Yet there is growing chasm between what Biopharma marketers want and what patients are doing. Or at least such is the finding from a new study from Finn Partners (an quasi-PR agency) shows.

It all starts with DTC (Direct-to-Consumer) marketing. Biopharma brands spend billions each year on creating awareness and driving patients into the doctor’s office. Since it’s inception in the mid 1990’s, DTC TV alone has created millions of new patients, driven drugs to become blockbusters and in some cases, even created disease conditions that did not exist before! Most of all, DTC efforts across all channels are single-minded in getting the patient to ask for their treatment.

This model has worked for nearly 20 years — until the Affordable Care Act and its focus on cost control and shifting costs to the patient. This has forced the patient to be more aware of drug prices and more cautious in what they spend — and open to anyone offering them ways to stay healthy and save money. In many ways, moving the burden of cost to patients has also created a fair amount of anger about pricing and non-transparency around what everything in healthcare costs, not just treatments.

Basically, the power has shifted from Brand/doctor/patient, to a new model of brand/insurance company/pharmacy/patient. In other words, brands are spending billions, driving in loads of patients only to have the pull-through fall apart because the insurer of pharmacist basically say, “No, that treatment is too expensive, unproven to be worth it, and we have something cheaper.”  DTC TV creates the need, insurers blunt it. And patients? They are confused and somewhat angry.

Let’s look at some of the study findings that identify the chasm:

• 1 out of 2 patient ask a doctor questions about a prescription
• 1/3 also ask a pharmacist their opinion, especially on if they can save more with a different medication
• 43% say that their pharmacist always or frequently recommends an alternative brand or type of medication in order to reduce out-of-pocket costs
• 48% of Americas usually or always will accept that recommendation.
• Only 8% visit a Brand.com site
• Only 19% are aware of copay savings programs

The power has shifted, and the impact is being felt across the industry.

Just take Express Scripts, the largest PBM (Pharmacy Benefit Manager or the folks who send you drugs in the mail) isn’t issuing any apologies for its role in stirring the conversation about pricing. “Clearly we have played a big part in generating that,” says Dr. Steve Miller, the company’s chief medical officer. “But we also believe the conversation has taken a shift and we hope we’re part of that.” Express Scripts is actually rejecting FDA-approved medications because of expense and that the manufacturer did not make the health economics case for why their new, more expensive treatment, is better than what exists.

Why is this hot? For McCann, one response was to create a pharmacy-focused marketing agency to address this ever-increasing influencer. But there is a larger vision of what is needed: instead of relying on TV (usually with a weak call-to-action) the focus has to be on the entire Customer Experience and how we insert ourselves into the flow of decision-making. Clients are beginning to understand that a Patient Journey is good to have, but to truly do CX Marketing, knowing as much about each influencer, how we engage with them on their terms and their needs and measure all those myriad touch points. The good news is then that while the old business-driving model may be fading, CX and those who know it best, our time is here.