Wastewater data indicated regions of the country experiencing a surge in SARS-CoV-2 virus 2-4 weeks before spikes in diagnoses and hospitalizations were observed. As outlined above, the DTC Marketing team allocated the budget to regions where the virus was predicted to increase.
The DTC marketing team at a pharmaceutical company is seeking to optimize regional resource allocation in support of a national Direct-To-Consumer (DTC) advertising campaign for a product indicated to treat SARS-CoV-2
Respiratory viruses have a seasonal growth pattern when viewed at a national level but often exhibit asymmetry at the regional level
The challenge:
The DTC Marketing team seeks to leverage wastewater data to deploy resources in areas where the respiratory virus will surge and engage more consumers seeking treatment information.
Business benefit:
By effectively allocating marketing funds to regions where the respiratory virus was indicated to surge in the near term, the team would optimize their advertising budget and increase effectiveness
Increase campaign effectiveness KPIs:
- Cost/click,
- Click rate,
- Number of consumers navigating to the product website
- Time spent on the product website
How was wastewater data utilized to achieve these goals?
First, the DTC Marketing team compared the wastewater data with known respiratory virus claims data and product prescription data at the national and regional levels. There was a high correlation between these data sources, with the wastewater data indicating increased claims and prescriptions.
Next, the team began using the wastewater data to effectively deploy drivers to the DTC campaign website in regions where virus levels were known to be surging. Various display advertisements, banner ads, and targeted e-mails were included in their marketing mix. The frequency of using these existing assets was increased or decreased throughout the US based on the indicated surge in certain regions (vs. non-surge areas).
Impact and Outcomes:
Wastewater data indicated regions of the country experiencing a surge in respiratory virus 2-4 weeks before spikes in diagnoses and hospitalizations. As outlined above, the DTC Marketing team allocated the budget to regions where the virus was predicted to increase.
As a result, the DTC Marketing team was able to reduce the cost/click by ~50% by increasing click rates by nearly ~100% vs prior months, meaning that they could either:
Reduce spend and still reach the desired numbers of their target audience (approx $100K/month if the original ad spend was $200K/month)
OR
Redeploy the budget to regions with emerging respiratory viruses and increase the effectiveness of their DTC campaign
The increase in the number of clicks to the DTC Marketing product website meant that more targeted consumers were navigating to it. These new consumers spent more time on the website, which represented a doubling in the amount of time spent on that product website compared to prior months.