• Stakeholder research and psychographic segmentations that expose the underlying values, motivations, mindsets and belief systems of the targeted groups, including:
  • Physicians, pharmacists and other health care professionals
  • Hospital administrators, government officials, and others whose decisions can affect policies related to pharma issues
  • Patients and users of pharma products
• Corporate reputation research
• Strategic planning
• Branding and communications strategies
• Public affairs and policy issues

• Extensive experience in the pharma area, who are thoroughly conversant with pharma organizations and issues
• Many years of research experience conducting a wide range of research - quantitative, mail, Internet and intercept surveys, as well as one-on-one and executive interviews and focus groups - on issues related to pharmaceutical products and health care in general
• The kind of broad understanding of pharmaceutical and health care issues that allows for sophisticated and nuanced interpretations of survey results
• A sensitive and inclusive manner that involves the client in all phases of the research design process

• Reports and presentations that are timely, accurate, and user-friendly
• Analyses that are firmly grounded in science
• Interpretations of the data that go well beyond demographics
• Actionable insights and recommendations

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THE PROBLEM

THE SOLUTION

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• Telephone survey of patients with respiratory illness and combined telephone/mail survey of physicians and educators who treat them. Purpose of the research was to collect, for PR purposes, high quality data that could be used as the basis of a series of articles for publishing in peer-reviewed medical journals.
• Self-administered mail survey of the recipients of a pharma company newsletter. Respondents were sent two surveys: the first, to test top-of-mind awareness of the publication; and the second, to assess reaction to actual stories, editorial content, etc. Purpose of the research was to provide the client with ideas for ways to increase the profile and readership of the newsletter.
• Telephone survey of key opinion leaders and an accompanying drivers analysis to determine the key factors that influence a pharma company's corporate image. Research was designed to help the client determine how best to invest resources to improve its corporate reputation.
• Telephone survey of ophthalmologists. Purpose was to investigate physicians' attitudes toward treatments for dry eye, and preference for various brands so that programs could be developed to increase loyalty to the client's brand.
• On-site intercept survey of attendees to a major health conference along with an earlier telephone survey of the general public. The two surveys were designed to show the similarities and differences in elite and public opinion on key issues in health care as a tool for building stakeholder support. The results to both surveys, including the one that was actually carried out at the conference, were made public at the conference itself.
• Mail/internet survey of pharmacists to develop a sense of their orientation to the profession. Purpose of the research was to expand a pharma company's understanding of these players in the health care system so that it could develop better ways to communicate with them.
• Advanced analysis of secondary data to discover the drivers of smoking behaviour in both youth and adults. Used to create a segmentation of cessation and prevention targets, especially in youth, and to counsel client on how to communicate to them in terms of both substance and tonality.
• Telephone survey of the general population to test price elasticity and other pricing issues for a new formulation of some specific vitamins. Purpose of the research was to advise global head office on an appropriate price for the Canadian market.
• Focus groups in Canada and the U.S. to examine packaging options for an over-the-counter medication. Purpose of the research was to demonstrate to the company's offshore head office that a different packaging format for the brand might be necessary for the North American market.
• Tracking surveys using a combination of mail/internet/ telephone methodologies to survey obstetricians and pregnant women carrying fetuses with birth defects. Purpose was to assess the effectiveness and sensitivity of web-based pre-natal support services for these women. Results will be used to re-design the service and to track its usefulness over time.
• Telephone survey and segmentation of the general population, followed by message-specific research with target segments to determine how to best communicate with these targets so as to increase loyalty and donations. Segment-specific focus groups to follow.
• Combination of in-person and telephone interviews among residents of 23 countries designed to assess residents' self-reported personal health status and their attitudes to their own countries' health care system. Purpose of the research was to gather data that could be used to attract media attention and raise the public profile of the organization commissioning the multi-country research.
• Telephone survey among MS patients to determine compliance levels around a new treatment therapy. The research was designed to be used for PR purposes to combat the anticipated release of a problematic study undertaken by the competition.
• Omnibus survey of the general population to investigate the public's openness to issues such as direct to consumer advertising, the contribution of brand name Pharma companies to the economy, and patent protection. Purpose was to produce a briefing document on public opinion for use by the client's senior executive when advocating pharma's position with government officials.
• Pre and post-intervention telephone survey among the general public to evaluate the effectiveness of an instructional video in increasing people's willingness to use CPR in an emergency situation. Used by client to fine-tune the instructional video for future use.

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