Impact of Influencers on Consumer Healthcare Decision Making

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Impact of Influencers on Consumer Healthcare
Decision Making
Presented by NFO Migliara/Kaplan
May 19, 2003
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Objectives

• Consumer Healthcare research typically targets
• The patient/sufferer
• The obvious caregiver (e.g., parent of
  childrenwith asthma, children/spouses of
  Alzheimerspatients, etc.)

• This research explores OTHER people who influence
  patients

FAMILY -- Mother, Father, Sister, Brother, Son,
Daughter
FRIENDS/NEIGHBORS/ COWORKERS
SPOUSE
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A 20-minute interactive survey with over 1800
consumers from NFOs Consumer Ailment Panel
(iCAP). Each suffered from one of the target
ailments and discussed their condition with at
least one other person.
Methodology
Type II Diabetes
Depression
Insomnia
High Cholesterol
High Blood Pressure
Erectile Dysfunction
Osteoarthritis
Migraine
Congestive Heart Failure
Obesity
Osteoporosis
Prostate Cancer
Self-Reported (Undiagnosed) OR Physician
Diagnosed Condition
Physician Diagnosed Condition
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DTC advertisers have an opportunity to
incorporate influencers, (primarily spouses) as
targets in addition to patients in developing and
testing messages.
Implications.

• DTC advertising primarily target the patient, or
  obvious caregiver (e.g., Alzheimers). Depending
  on condition there appears to be an opportunity
  to broaden the target group.
• For marketers, the DTC research and creative
  process could be enhanced by including key
  influencer groups and not just patients.
• Almost half of all patients (across a selection
  of twelve conditions) indicate they took action
  related to Rx medication as a direct result of
  the influence of others (non-healthcare
  professionals).
• Importantly, when the influencer initiates the
  conversation, it more often results in the
  patient taking action.
• Television would appear to offer a particularly
  appropriate medium to take advantage of reaching
  both the patient and patients key influencer,
  usually the spouse, as both may often be viewing
  the same programs
• Advertisers should consider targeting both the
  patient and the patients spouse
• Advertisers should test executions that will
  generate a discussion between the patient and the
  spouse
• In other media, such as print, executions should
  be tested to motivate the influencer to initiate
  a conversation with the patient as this is
  especially impactful communication.

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Influence is when communication with others
results in a specific condition-related action.

• Communication can be..
• Talking about condition, treatments
• Talking with physician
• Involvement in decision making can be ..
• Discussing treatment options with
  patient/consumer
• Making recommendations for drugs, procedures,
  etc.
• Action taken by patient as a result
  ofcommunication or involvement of others
  include
• Visiting a physician
• Requesting medication
• Exploring treatment options
• Making lifestyle changes

• This study focuses on actions
• involving medication
• Requesting specific medication
• Began taking Rx medication
• Switched to new/different Rx medication
• Add new/additional medication

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The amount of influence is high nearly half
stated that they took a drug-related action
(start taking Rx, request specific medication,
etc.) as a result of the influence or involvement
of another person.
Rx Related Action
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Sufferers who are influenced to take a
drug-related action are most influenced by a
spouse. Immediate female family member, or
female friend/neighbor consistently make up the
second most important group of influencers.
Spouse
Son
Sister
Daughter
Mother

• Consistent across several measures
• People discussed condition with
• People most involved in decision making
• People most influential in decision making

Female Friend/Neighbor
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Those not living with a spouse/partner are most
influenced in their healthcare decision making by
an immediate female family member or a female
friend/neighbor.
Male Friend/Neighbor
Daughter
Son
Female Friend/Neighbor

• Lower ranked influencers
• Father
• Female Co-worker
• Brother
• Daughter-in-Law
• Support Group Member

Sister
Mother
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Sufferers who are more likely to be influenced
into taking drug related actions can potentially
be targeted more effectively if marketers
understand how this influence can differ by

• The CONDITIONS patients suffer from
• The BEHAVIORS patients exhibit
• Their ATTITUDES, and
• Their EMOTIONAL reaction to influence

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There is a noticeable difference in the
propensity to be influenced based on the
condition suffered.
Percent Influenced to Take Drug-Related Action --
By Condition --
Overall Influence 45
Q.24-Of the actions you just indicated you have
taken regarding your ltinsert conditiongt, please
indicate which ONE, if any, of the people with
whom you have discussed your condition was the
most influential you taking each action. Drug
Related Actions Requested specific
medication, Began taking Rx medication,
Switched to a new/different Rx medication, and
Added another medication
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Certain behaviors are more indicative of those
patients who admit to being influenced by others.
People who have been influenced to take a drug
related action...

• Go to their physician more often
• Suffer a greater number of conditions
• Talk to more people about their condition
• Tend to initiate conversations about their
  condition
• Importantly however, there is a greater level
  ofinfluence when the other party initiates the
  conversations

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The patient initiates the discussion about the
condition with the influencer about two-thirds of
the time. However, when the influencer initiates
the discussion, the patient is more likely to
take a drug-related action.
Taking Drug Related Action Due to Influence --
By Party Initiating Discussion --
Initiator of Conversation
Spouse
Daughter
Mother
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There are also attitudinal differences between
those who areinfluenced to take drug related
actions and those who are not.

• Influenced people are more likely to
• Be more open with, comfortable with, confident
  and trusting in their physician
• Follow their physicians advice for their
  condition
• Be more satisfied with the treatment options
  available for their condition
• Worry about and recognize the impact of their
  condition on loved ones
• Seek out and try new treatments for their
  condition
• They are less likely to
• Consider their condition an inconvenience or
  believe it will eventually be cured
• Put off going to the doctor until absolutely
  necessary
• Discontinue a prescription due to unwanted side
  effects
• Get annoyed when people give unsolicited
  information about their condition

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Understanding the emotions surrounding the
condition, the patients emotions towards the
physicians, as well as other influencers could
impact a marketers ability to communicate
effectively with patients.

• Migraines, obesity, insomnia, depression,
  congestive heart failure and erectile dysfunction
  sufferers all have very negative feeling about
  their conditions..
• Erectile dysfunction and obesity sufferers have
  more negative feelings about talking to their
  physicians about their condition. Prostate
  cancer, high blood pressure and osteoporosis
  sufferers are more comfortable talking to their
  doctors about their conditions.
• Sufferers are more relaxed about talking with an
  influencer than with their physician. Prostate
  cancer sufferers especially are emotionally
  accepting of the influencers help and find the
  help of influencers to be empowering. Insomnia,
  erectile dysfunction and obesity sufferers are
  somewhat less positive about an influencers
  involvement in making healthcare decisions.

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AdSAM measures the emotional response to stimuli
(e.g., feelings about conditions, interaction
with others, brands, concepts, ads, etc.) and
places them in a three-dimensional emotional
space.

• AdSAM is a non-verbal, well-validated,
  cross-cultural visual measure of emotional
  response.
• Recent studies have shown that emotional
  response, as measured by AdSAM is highly
  predictive of behavioral intentions. 
• AdSAM is based on the pleasure-arousal-dominance
  (PAD) theory of emotion.
• All emotions are some combination of the three
  PAD dimensions
• Anger Low Pleasure, High Arousal, High Dominance
• Anxiety Low Pleasure, High Arousal, Low
  Dominance

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Feelings about all these conditions are generally
negative, especially obesity and insomnia.
Migraines are seen as intensely negative.
How do you feel about having your condition?
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Emotions surrounding talking to a physician
differ somewhat by condition. Obesity and
erectile dysfunction suffers have more negative
feelings while prostate cancer sufferers are more
comfortable talking to their doctors about their
conditions.
How do you feel about talking to your doctor
about your condition?
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People suffering from any of these conditions are
more relaxed about talking with an influencer
than with their physician.
How do you feel about your person most
involveds involvementin helping you make
healthcare decisions about your condition?
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DTC advertisers have an opportunity to
incorporate influencers, (primarily spouses) as
targets in addition to patients in developing and
testing messages.
Conclusions.

• It is time to look beyond just the sufferer.
  Treatment choice and compliance could be impacted
  by broadening beyond just the sufferer and the
  physician. There is no one rule however, that
  applies across all conditions.
• DTC advertising is still evolving consumer
  goods have long understood the influence of
  others in the decision making process. Packaged
  goods, fashion, computers, cars etc. are all
  successful targeting more than just the primary
  users/buyer and also vary the message by target.
  
• Cereals target parents for health, children for
  taste.
• Clothing stores target parents for value,
  children for fashion.
• Cars target one family member for image the
  other for safety.
• Computers target parent for functionality,
  users (teenager) for coolness
• DTC advertising that successfully targets both
  the sufferer and the influencer will result in a
  change in action especially if the advertising
  is impactful enough to provoke the influencer to
  initiate the conversation.
• More needs to be done to understand the role of
  the influencer their attitudes and emotions
  towards the sufferers condition, their
  understanding of the available options and where
  they, in turn, go to for education on the
  condition.