Pipeline Newsletter:
News & Views on Health Care Marketing Research

As our industry was lacking in published resources/media tailored specifically and exclusively for health care marketing researchers, GfK Healthcare moved to fill this significant void by developing and launching a newsletter for its clients in October 2006 (originally called Topline).

A dramatic departure from the usual promotional-heavy agency newsletters, Pipeline is valued by our clients, anticipated and read thoroughly each month because it is a platform of education and issues exploration for topics including emerging research methodologies, trends in health care marketing, issues related to the future of the health care market in general and more specifically, how these "forces at play” in the larger health care industry relate to and impact the world of health care marketing research.

Examples of articles and topics covered in recent issues of Pipeline:

• Lessons Warren Buffett can teach health care marketing researchers.
• Guidance for getting global research right in the Top 9 health care markets.
• The importance of marketing research that deals with "failure."
• The secrets behind determining sample size in primary marketing research.
• Benefits of the MaxDiff approach over standard ratings-based exercises.
• Research with pharmacists: Will it soon be "back to the future"?
• An exploration of ethnographic research to reveal what customers really do with your products.
• The four colors of marketing research: different approaches for different strategic situations.
• Details on a new brand positioning research methodology, Customer-Driven Positioning.
• Using survey research and GIS to make geodemographic patient segmentation work.
• How to improve the "presentation" of marketing research information.
• Patient persistence, adverse events and drug safety.
• Vanderveer's Views on a world without pharmaceutical patents.
• Vanderveer's Views on e-marketing and communications as a replacement for the pharma sales force.
• Vanderveer's Views on "What's It Like to Be a Physician?"

A few of the remarks received by clients who are avid readers of Pipeline:

• "...Really nice and practical newsletter. I've got to say, I get a lot of them and I pitch a lot of them. Yours I read and clicked into the links..." (Wyeth)
• "...I really enjoyed the recent edition of Topline. I found the articles both informative and useful. I look forward to your next edition. Thanks for sending!" (The Medicines Company)
• "...I usually enjoy your 'news and views' newsletter without comment, but I wanted to thank you especially for your recent one about the future of our industry. It really made me think..." (GSK)
• "...I really enjoy reading your newsletter each month! Your column this month really hit home..." (Amgen)
• "...Good newsletter! Very valuable insights on topics of critical importance for us to keep our radar targeted-on..." (Celgene)
• "...I enjoy your monthly 'Views' column and will continue to question in my work some of the pharmaceutical wives tales..." (Ortho McNeil)