bring messages about their products to diverse groups in a way that is culturally sensitive, that will garner longterm goodwill of the communities, and that address the most press ing health concerns facing various racial and ethnic groups. Developing diverse marketing promotions and programs where each group is recognized as an integral part of the overall effort is crucial, according to industry experts. Diversity marketing can never be just an afterthought or general market publicity with different color faces. America’s population landscape has undergone dramatic changes in recent years,and with AAmerica’s population landscape has under gone dramatic changes in recent years, and with those changes come some huge opportu nities, as well as challenges, for the healthcare industry. Pharmaceutical companies and their advertising agencies are determining how to DIVERSITY FROM CreatingOpportunity

BY KIM RIBBINK DIVERSITY

marketing By addressing all of a market’s ethnic, cul tural, and racial components, companies will be able to successfully integrate diversity mar keting elements and present healthcare options more clearly. Through a thorough comprehension of the diverse and cultural market behavior of these consumer groups and how they respond, multicultural professionals with expertise in the area of diverse marketing and public relations can increase compliance, raise awareness, and generate brand loyalty. The findings of the 2000 census, together with population projections, are an important guide for determining the best course of action for marketers. Census data show that Hispan ics or Latinos constitute more than 35 million people, or 12.5% of the U.S. population, while Black or AfricanAmericans alone or in combination with one or more other races rep resent 12.9% of the population. Each year between now and 2050, the His panic population is projected to add more peo ple to the U.S. than any other single race/ethnic group. By 2005, it is projected that Hispanics will surpass nonHispanic AfricanAmericans as the nation’s secondlargest race/ethnic group, behind only nonHispanic Whites, according to a report from the U.S. Census Bureau. And by the middle of the century, Hispanics are expected to represent about 25% of the popula tion, says a Census Bureau report. “From a demographic perspective, the His panic market is extremely attractive because it is growing rapidly,” says Laura Cruz, president of Adelante Marketing. “The mean age among Hispanics is more than 10 years younger than the main market. The mean family size is larg er than the main market’s family size. It’s an attractive market segment if it meets a com pany’s businessplan needs and if a company has the appropriate product to offer.” Furthermore, the buying power of minori ty groups is growing faster than that of the general market. Based on a 2000 report from the Selig Center for Economic Growth, a pub that come some huge opportunities,as well as challenges, for the healthcare industry. With a thorough comprehension of cultural market behavior of diverse consumer groups,pharmaceutical companies can increase compliance, raise awareness, and cultivate loyalty for their brands. lic service unit of the Terry Col lege of Business, minority buying power (African American, Native American, and Asian) is now estimated to be about $860.6 billion, 95.6% above the 1990 level. The study sug gests that the Hispanic population has dispos able income of $452.4 billion, estimating total buying power among racial and ethnic groups to be $1.3 trillion. These markets are attracting more and more attention from businesses, and there has been an explosion in the number of Black and Hispanic media, reflecting an increase in advertising dollars. Nevertheless, the market ing dollars dedicated to those groups remains small, between 1% and 2% depending on reports. And, according to multicultural mar keting experts, pharmaceutical companies have been particularly slow to jump on board. “Even though Hispanics represent about 13% of this nation’s population, Hispanics rep resent only 2% of all marketing dollars spent in the U.S.,” says Ingrid OteroSmart, presi dent and chief operating officer at Mendoza Dillon & Asociados. “The pharmaceutical industry is one of the slowest categories to address this market, next to financial and insurance companies.” Doing the Research To get the return on their marketing dol lars, pharmaceutical companies need to invest in studying and understanding the various ethnic and racial markets, experts say. “Pharmaceutical companies can’t run a onesizefitsall campaign,” says Stephen Chavez, VP of business development at FWI. “They have to begin with good marketing research. They need to understand the ethnic market’s behavior patterns and that within the minority marketplace, each ethnicity will be affected by healthcare differently and will view healthcare differently.” In addition, when addressing Hispanic and Asian markets in particu lar, companies or their marketing agencies need to know what percentage of their audience are immigrants versus those who were born in the U.S. “The critical aspect of success with targeting Hispanics is understand ing the acculturation pro cess,” Ms. Cruz says. “The cognitive, attitudinal, and behavioral norms of immigrant populations are formed as they interface with the host society. The Hispanic acculturation process has been interesting due to several factors such as geographic proximity to the country of origin, which makes it easier to exist in both worlds, and the fundamental importance of the family unit, which can both hinder and enhance the acculturation process. The family unit is seen as one of the basic rea sons why Hispanics tend to keep their native language. So companies need to consider these issues when they are marketing their products. How a Hispanic consumer/patient will respond to ads, what type of ads will be appealing, whether those ads are in English or Spanish and have Anglo or Hispanic people in them is dependent on where that consumer/patient is in the acculturation process.” Understanding these intricacies is impor tant if a campaign is to have credibility, and reach the appropriate target market. “It makes good business and marketing sense for the pharmaceutical companies to keep pace with the rapidly changing face of Ameri ca, to see where the growth has come from, what the new urban constituent is in terms of percentage of Hispanics and their coun try of origin, percentage of new immi grants, or percentage of second and thirdgeneration immigrants,” says Rupa Ranganathan, ethnic strategist and senior VP at Strategic Research Institute. And with the census data offering localized information on the ethnic pop ulation of a neighborhood, companies can save themselves resources by honing their message to the most appropriate geographic areas. Given the expertise available, compa nies are turning to multicultural mar keters for advice. “We have an agency that focuses on AfricanAmerican as well as Hispanic populations, and another agency for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders,” says Sylvina Frutos, product manager in charge of directtoconsumer and directto patient for GlaxoSmithKline’s Avandia for Type II diabetes. “We have resources here to double check everything, but we’re letting the experts tell us what needs to happen, what material is relevant, what communication is impactful, and how these groups need and want to receive the information.” Using a mix of internal and external resources to understand the specific needs of multicultural groups also is the approach Abbott Laboratories’ Ross Products Division has taken. “We have an internal group that works with outside agencies to develop broader strategies for multicultural marketing,” says Mary Beth Arensberg, Ph.D., R.D., director of public affairs at Ross Products Division. “We sponsor employee sessions with outside groups on marketing to various ethnic populations as well as looking at other people of diverse needs, such as those with disabilities.” Building Goodwill Evidence suggests companies that invest in understanding and building goodwill with ethnic markets benefit by having their invest ments rewarded with brand loyalty. “We’ve found that sustained interest with in minority communities helps build better opportunities, not only loyalty and under standing of a brand, but better extension of the brand’s reach and distribution,” says Jo Muse, chairman and executive creative direc tor, at Muse Cordero Chen & Partners. “Pharmaceutical companies should learn a lesson from consumer companies and telecom companies, which are much more attuned to ethnic marketing,” says Rajesh Singh, VP and general manager at Formedic Communica tions. “These are companies that participate at It’s safe to say the marketing methods of pharmaceutical companies must change.Those changes relate directly to the directtopatient business and to products that help solve some of the issues that people of color tend to be plagued by. JO MUSE DIVERSITY marketing 36 M a y / J un e 200 2 PharmaVOICE the local fairs, they advertise in the ethnic media, and use outlets that reach the local populace.” Those with experience in the multicultural market say forming a relationship with opin ion or community leaders is an important step to building trust, since this shows respect for that community. Of equal importance is ensuring that whoever delivers the message has credibility. “The key to producing effective messages to segmented populations is identifying a culturally appropriate messenger,” says Sheila Thorne, pres ident of Torre Lazur McCann’s Multi cultural Healthcare Marketing busi ness unit. “Culturally relevant information is not getting to these communities. One reason for the dis connect is that the wrong person or vehicle has been delivering the mes sage. Messages have to be delivered by someone who understands the dis ease area and who has credibility in the community.” Additionally, companies need to reach out to the caregivers in those communities. “Phar maceutical companies should develop pro grams to help educate the physicians in ethnic areas,” Ms. OteroSmart says. CenterWatch reported in its February 2002 issue that investigators often become prescribers of the products they have previous ly studied. “Marketers of pharmaceutical products can certainly drive their market share by expanding the use of physician/investigators who are a part of these communities,” says James H. Powell, M.D., director of biomedical education and research at the National Medical Association. “As they gain early experience, such physicians are likely to become prescribers and advocates for technology that benefits the community.” Recognizing the importance of the messen ger, Novo Nordisk Pharmaceuticals Inc., with a prominent presence in diabetes care, has been reaching out to caregivers and educators in diverse populations. “Novo Nordisk launched a targeted multi cultural initiative last year, initially focusing on the Hispanic community,” says Andrew Purcell, VP of diabetes marketing at Novo Nordisk Pharmaceuticals. “This program pri marily focuses on providing educational and resource support to primarycare physicians, who are responsible for 80% of patients with diabetes in the U.S. We also work with dia betes educators, another key healthcare profes sional group important to patients. In addi tion, we sponsor select local diabetes awareness programs throughout the country.” The Language of Trust Building credibility with the African American market requires sustained education and outreach programs, together with credible marketing campaigns, experts say. Within the Hispanic and AsianAmerican markets, com panies must add the component of language. “Language needs are really important when a company speaks to Hispanic and Asian com munities, since more than 80% prefer inlan guage information,” Ms. Frutos says. Dr. Arensberg adds, “Spanishlanguage ads have 57% more effective product awareness, 5 times more persuasiveness, and much greater recall among Hispanics who have Spanishlan guage preferences than Englishlanguage mes sages.” But a straight translation from English to Spanish doesn’t help companies reach out to these communities or address their culturally unique needs. “The process of translation involves inter preting the message and then adapting the message to the culture,” says Jaime Carlo Casellas, Ph.D., president and CEO of CC Sci entific. “We take into account the socioeco nomic needs of the market that’s being addressed so that we incorporate that into the message. The translation division comprises a multinational team of experts — attorneys, physicians, and healthcare providers. After there has been a rudimentary translation, con By displaying sensitivity in understanding cultural nuances that go deeper than mere language translations, companies and brands can signal that they are respectful of their consumers and their cultures,which is in itself a great first step in establishing relationships with an emerging and evolving segment. RUPA RANGANATHAN Whether it makes sense for a company to have a Hispanic campaign depends on their business plan,strategic objectives, the product or therapeutic class offering,and of course, the forecasted return on investment for the incremental promotional spend. LAURACRUZ The process of translation also involves interpreting the message and then adapting the message to the culture.We take into account the socioeconomic needs of the market that’s being addressed so that we incorporate that into the message. DR.JAIME CARLOCASELLAS DIVERSITY marketing 37 PharmaVOICE M a y / J un e 2002 DIVERSITY marketing 38 M a y / J un e 200 2 PharmaVOICE tent is analyzed. We then will generate a Spanish translation that is modified and adapted to the audi ence. We translate that ad back into English so the client can read what the ad says. We take that piece to a focus group to test, and get feedback.” While the language complexities with regard to the Asian market are obvious, given the huge vari ety of linguistic variations spe cific to distinct regions of ori gin, there also are huge variations within the Hispan ic/Latino market. “This year, we’ll start with a pilot program to the Hispanic population in general,” Ms. Frutos says. “But at some point, ideally, we’d like to be very specific to particular countries or origin — Mexico, versus Puerto Rico, ver sus Cuba.” In addition to translation complexities, imprecise or overly complex instructions that fail to meet the linguistic needs of various pop ulation groups often will result in poor com pliance. “There are many factors that impact the understanding of instructions and the decision to be compliant with a diabetes treat ment regimen, for exam ple,” Mr. Purcell says. “Within a Hispanic A s important as it is for the pharma ceutical industry to create diverse marketing campaigns that under stand the particular healthcare needs and cultural dynamics of various racial and eth nic groups, it is vital that healthcare providers pay close heed to drug responses among the various groups. Several studies indicate that race and ethnicity play a role in the way a patient responds to a pharmaceu tical, which may require having a broader group of participants in certain clinical trials. “A very few companies have efforts in place to assure adequate involvementofcul turally competent investigators and appro priately diverse patient populations in clini cal trials,” says James H.Powell,M.D.,director of biomedical education and research at the National Medical Association.“We must seek diversity at every level, diversity of the designers and participants in the marketing campaign as well as diversity in the design ers of the trials and the participants whopro vide the data supporting the safe and effec tive use of the product.” A monograph into racial and ethnic dif ferences in response to medicine currently is in draft form and is being collated by the National Pharmaceutical Council under the guidance of Richard Levy, Ph.D., VP of scien tific affairs at the National Phar maceutical Council. The report reviews the genetic, environ mental,and cultural factors that underlie variations in drug response among different racial and ethnic groups, particularly AfricanAmericans, Asians, and Caucasians. Available information suggests that racial and ethnic minority patients may be sub ject to greater risks if they are prescribed or switched to an “equivalent” drug either because the agent may not be as effective, or because substantial dosage adjustments may be neces sary to avoid overdosing or under dosing. The stu y of genetically determined varia tions in drug response resulting from inherited differences in drugmetabolismordrug targets is called pharmacogenetics or pharmacoge nomics. Pharmacogenetic research in the past few decades has uncovered significant differ ences among racial and ethnic groups in the metabolism,clinical effectiveness,and sideeffect profiles of therapeutically important drugs. “In the future, as genomics advance,we’ll be able to look for individual differences across patients,”Dr. Levy says. The report notes that the pharmacokinetics of specific agents in most drug classes have not yet been studied in different racial and ethnic minority groups. It is therefore important that therapeutic substitution programs for minority groups be undertaken with extreme caution. “It becomes prohibitively expensive and difficult to recruit an adequate number of patients into the study, so some judgments have to be made,”Dr.Levy says.“Pharmaceu tical companies are sensitive to these differ ences, they want to do the right thing, and they see the potential competitive advan tage of developing medications that might workwell for agivenethnicand racial group.” Pharmaceutical companies are sensitive to these differences, they want to do the right thing,and they see the potential competitive advantage of developing medications that might work well for a given ethnic and racial group. DR.RICHARD LEVY Developing Clinical Diversity The key to producing effective messages to segmented populations is identifying a culturally appropriate messenger. SHEILATHORNE DIVERSITY marketing 40 M a y / J un e 200 2 PharmaVOICE community, the many variations of the Spanish language may increase the potential for mis communication. As a result, it is essential that written materials are simple and contain cul turally relevant information and styles, and that an open dialog is encouraged among all mem bers of the healthcare team.” Also of importance are the words and images used in the communication. “Sociolinguistics and the use of semiotics or nonverbal signs and symbology, including color is vital,” Ms. Ranganathan says. “Even simple visual stimuli such as background color can be powerful communicators and mean dif ferent things in different cultures. Particularly, in terms of health messages anything inauspi cious in terms of a number, a color, or a symbol can be a costly mistake, and one that is difficult to revoke. By displaying sensitivity in under standing cultural nuances that go deeper than mere language translations, companies and brands can signal that they are respectful of their consumers and their cultures, which is in itself a great first step in establishing relation ships with an emerging and evolving segment.” The Bottom Line In addition to language and cultural barri ers, pharmaceutical companies and their mar keting partners face other challenges in com municating to diverse racial and ethnic groups. Financial concerns with regard to investing in a market which is not wellunder stood and where the outcome is perceived to be uncertain often make pharmaceutical com panies uneasy about multicultural marketing. “Many of the pharma companies I talk to are not necessarily resistant in terms of embracing multiculturalism, but reluctant,” Ms. Thorne says. “Given finite dollars and finite time to achieve a business objective, the average product manager or director is not going to delve into the unknown.” But, say experts in the field, assumptions that these communities don’t have the resources to pay for pharmaceuticals are inaccurate. “It’s still a very much misunderstood mar ketplace because of a lack of knowledge and lack of true perception of its value,” says John Racik, general manager at Sentrix Global Health Com munications. “Many clients who we’ve talked to in the past couple of years say multicultural mar keting comes down to budget, it comes down to these markets not being able to afford the prod ucts, and there isn’t enough return on invest ment. However, we did an evaluation of the use of ARBs for hypertension in these markets. By capturing as little as 1% of the target patients, revenue can be driven by as much as $400 mil lion. Census data show this is a growing market. Reports on insurance coverage or ability to pay show there’s not much disparity between non Hispanic Whites (87%), Hispanics (63%), AfricanAmericans (73%), and Asians (78%).” Poor access to healthcare and to health infor mation remains one of the most complicated issues, particularly given that several diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, HIV/AIDS, and even cancer disproportionately affect these groups. “Medical and pharmaceutical industry infor mation as it relates to the under serving of peo ple of color doesn’t seem to be getting into the marketing departments as an oppor tunity to extend their reach in terms of their marketing programs,” Mr. Muse says. “There often is a lack of involvement or lack of treatment of ethnic minorities who have a higher propensity for certain diseases and therefore certain treatments, and one of the biggest issues is how market ing firms really deal with this. It’s safe to say the marketing methods of pharmaceutical companies must change. Those changes relate directly to the directtopatient business and to products that help solve some of the issues that people of color tend to be plagued by.” Lessons in Health Education, conducted in culture and in language, is one of the keys to improved health standards and greater compliance. “An educational component has to be part of any successful marketing program targeting Hispanics,” Ms. OteroSmart states. “This It is essential that written materials are simple and contain culturally relevant information and styles, and that an open dialogue is encouraged among all members of the healthcare team. ANDREW PURCELL Wedid an evaluation of the use of ARBs for hypertension in these markets.By capturing as little as 1% of the target patients, revenue can be driven by as much as $400 million. And, the census data show this is a growing marketplace. JOHN J. RACIK DIVERSITY marketing 42 M a y / J un e 200 2 PharmaVOICE group has an informational void when it comes to healthcare and is actively seeking information in this area.” Several programs have been initi ated aimed at addressing issues of compliance and health disparities. Formedic Communications has a patientregistration program avail able for the Hispanic market that provides information aimed at educating the patient about their own health. “The primary focus of the patientregistra tion forms is to make the patient aware of what steps they need to take to keep themselves in good health,” Mr. Singh says. “The forms also enable patients to provide information to physicians, giving the doctor a more complete picture of that patient and their health habits. There is a whole page for pharmaceutical com panies to communicate to the patient by mak ing that person more aware of different aspects of their own health and enhance their aware ness about cholesterol management, arthri tis, diabetes manage ment, and other healthrelated topics. “The goal with the Hispanicfocused pro gram is to help patients become more empow ered to their health needs in those communi ties in a language they understand, feel comfortable with, and converse with their physician in,” Mr. Singh continues. “We know that an empowered patient is a good patient because he or she will follow therapy better.” FWI is working with the National Medical T he National Medical Association in April 2002 released the first survey of AfricanAmerican doctors’ views on directtoconsumer advertising, or DTC, of prescription drugs. Physicians reported that the ads positively impact consumers and help them become more actively involved in their healthcare. To ensure that AfricanAmericans receive the full benefits of drug advertising, the NMA is calling on the pharmaceutical industry to place more ads in traditionally AfricanAmerican media outlets and to create moredrug advertising initiatives that are culturally diverse. “The NMA study acknowledges the important role drug ads play in raising awareness of medical conditions and treat ments and improving patientdoctor com munication,”says Sharon AllisonOttey,NMA study author.“We’re concerned that African Americans aren’t getting the full benefit of these adsbecause the majority donot repre sent that population.Hopefully, pharmaceu tical companies will address these disparities and work with AfricanAmerican physicians and patients to improve drug ads and help AfricanAmericans get early diagnoses for lifethreatening diseases.” The survey’s findings are especially important in light of a two recent reports on the healthcare of minority Americans. The Commonwealth Fund report found that minority Americans lag in relation to healthcare quality measures and are more likely to have communication problems with their doctors than Whites. In addition,a study released by the Insti tute of Medicine shows that racial and eth nic minorities receive lower quality health care even when their insurance and income are the same. The NMA’s survey of about 900 African American physicians represents the largest and most comprehensive survey of African American physicians on the issue of DTC advertisements to date. In addition to increased cultural diversity of ads and more ads placed in publications that target minorities, the NMAwould like to see more input from AfricanAmerican physicians and patients in the development and pro motion of DTC ads. Addressing Diversity in DTC Association to pro vide biweekly infor mation to 500 physi cians about research relating to treating Black patients, as well as content for the NMA Website. “The uniqueness of the program FWI offers is that there isn’t another publica tion with that fre quency that includes that specific story selection,” Mr. Chavez says. “There isn’t another healthcare publication cov ering the latest developments for AfricanAmer ican physicians and the communities in which they practice.” Dr. Powell says, “The National Medical Asso ciation piloted this program as a means to get the latest information about the needs of Black patients to the physicians caring for them in a timely manner. We sought to bypass some of the routine barriers that thwart the incorporation of the latest observations on Black health needs into the actual delivery of care to patients.” Those companies that have initiated target ed outreach programs understand the impor tance education plays in compliance. Even though Hispanics represent about 13% of this nation’s population,Hispanics represent only 2% of all marketing dollars spent in the U.S. INGRID OTEROSMART Pharmaceutical companies need to understand the ethnic market’s behavior patterns and that within the minority marketplace,each ethnicity will be affected by healthcare differently and will view healthcare differently. STEPHEN CHAVEZ DIVERSITY marketing 43 PharmaVOICE M a y / J un e 2002 “It is essential to reach out to these communities with effective commu nications that make patients more aware of their treatment options,” Dr. Arensberg says. Novo Nordisk describes educa tion as the hallmark of its approach to business. “Physicians and patients alike require educational `solutions’ and support materials along with prod ucts to facilitate diabetes manage ment on a daytoday basis,” Mr. Pur cell says. AMultiplicity of Venues As important as the message is, the mediums used to talk about dis ease states and treatment options are equally as vital in reaching ethnic communities. “If companies are not working with minori ty publications as well as radio stations and other minority media outlets, they are missing the opportunity to connect with those commu nities — to add an educational component to the medical information,” Mr. Muse adds. The opportunities to be creative with out reach programs are immense — from media outlets, to church groups, to community cen ters, or popular social venues. With regard to media outlets, multicultur al marketing specialists point to ethnic publi cations, cable television and, specifically, radio as prime venues for their messages. “Cable is a much better way to reach peo ple of color than network television,” Ms. Thorne says. “Radio is a particularly impor tant element because music is such an integral part of all of these communities — Black, Hispanic, and Asian.” Dr. Casellas notes that the major Spanish networks, Univision and Telemundo, capture between 95% and 98% of the Hispanic audi ence. Almost all ethnic marketers highlight the importance of reaching out to community centers and churches. “Communitybased centers, retirement communities, and churches are vitally impor tant,” Mr. Muse says. “As churches have an older age group they can be a real component for helping and teaching patients about issues of highblood pressure, fitness, and exercise.” In fact, investigators from Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions have reported that nutri tion and exercise programs based in the church may help Black women follow healthier lifestyles. “We’re doing programs with churches in AfricanAmerican neighborhoods, and we’re doing other programs connected with minori tybased events, for instance, the Sweet Auburn Festival in Atlanta,” Ms. Frutos says. Imaginative outreach programs that are part of communitybased social venues are encouraged by marketing specialists. “It is important for companies to commu nicate their message where the consumer/patient feels most comfortable receiving information,” Mr. Racik says. “For example, market research shows that African American women are more likely to be recep tive to healthcare messages in their communi ty beauty parlors. What we have found in market research in the Northeast, at least, is that for women who go to beauty parlors this often is their social outing. Research also shows that in both the AfricanAmerican and Hispanic household, the female is the matri arch, sometimes a single parent, definitely the gatekeeper to healthcare for her immediate and extended family. ” ABoomingMarket As the census data show, the ethnic market is booming, as too are the needs for sustainable healthcare programs. For a small or midtier drug company battling to make headway in the general market in terms of product place ment, capturing a large portion of the multi cultural market may be the path to improved profitability. “For companies whose products are third, fourth, fifth, or 10th on the marketplace, why compete against all of those competitors in the general marketplace?” Mr. Racik asks. “A company can, dollar for dollar, get a better return on its investment by going to audiences that are very concentrated and then owning those audiences.” “Adding the numbers, the ethnic market is almost as big as the babyboomer market,” Ms. Ranganathan says. “If pharmaceutical companies paid even half as much attention to the ethnic market as they have to the boomer market, they would reap great returns.” There are inequities in health standards, and many organizations such as the NMA, the Pharmaceutical companies should learn a lesson from consumer companies and telecom companies,which are muchmore attuned to ethnic marketing.These are companies that participate at the local fairs, they advertise in the ethnic media,and use outlets that reach the local populace. RAJESH SINGH It is essential to reach out to these communities with effective communications that makepatients more aware of their treatment options. DR.MARYBETHARENSBERG 44 M a y / J un e 200 2 PharmaVOICE National Hispanic Medical Association and others, as well as some pharmaceutical companies are look ing at ways to address these unmet needs. However, for the ph a r m a c e u t i c a l industry as with every other industry, the bottom line is financial growth. “Given the rapidly shifting demographics and increasingly competitive marketplace, pharmaceutical companies no longer have the option of ignoring multicultural segments of the population,” Ms. Thorne says. “It has become a business imperative.” Therefore companies need to assess how valuable these ethnic markets are to them in terms of growth, and analyze the longterm returns they stand to enjoy. “To me, Hispanic marketing is nothing more than market segmentation,” Ms Cruz says. “Whether it makes sense for a company to have a Hispanic campaign depends on their business plan, strategic objectives, the thera peutic class offering, and of course, the fore casted return on investment for the incremen tal promotional spend.” # PharmaVoice welcomes comments about this article. Email us at [email protected]. Experts on this topic MARYBETHARENSBERG,PH.D.,R.D. Director of public affairs, Ross Products Division, Columbus,Ohio;Ross Products,a division of Abbott Laboratories, is a U.S. market leader in pediatric nutritionals and a world leader in adult nutritionals STEPHEN CHAVEZ.VP of business development,FWI (formerly FaxWatch Inc.), Scottsdale, Ariz.; FWI provides timely, unbiased medical information to physi cians, healthcare executives, and patients JAIME CARLOCASELLAS,PH.D.President and CEO,CC Scientific, Rancho Mirage,Calif.; CC Scientific provides financial services and healthcare industries with guidance, support,and ancillary services to respond to the Hispanic consumer LAURACRUZ.President,Adelante Market ing, Phoenix,Ariz.; Adelante Marketing provides qualitative market research and strategic planning for clients who wish to target the Hispanic community SYLVINA FRUTOS.Product manager, Avandia,directtoconsumer,directto patient, GlaxoSmithKline,Philadelphia; GlaxoSmithKline is one of the world’s leading researchbased pharmaceutical and healthcare companies RICHARD LEVY,PH.D.VP scientific affairs, National Pharmaceutical Council, Reston, Va.; NPC sponsors and conducts scientific, N.J.; Novo Nordisk is a focused healthcare company and a world leader in diabetes care JOHN J. RACIK. General manager,Sentrix Global Health Communications,Short Hills, N.J.; Sentrix is a Young & Rubicam global healthcare agency network RUPA RANGANATHAN. Ethnic strategist and senior VP, Strategic Research Institute, NewYork;Strategic Research Institute researches, creates, produces,and manages executive conferences covering industry specific businesstobusiness topics RAJESH SINGH.VP and general manager, Formedic Communications,Somerset,N.J.; Formedic supplies patient record and registration forms and other promotional selling tools, free of charge upon request, to more than 158,000 physicians; programs are designed to streamline practice management, increase efficiency, and decrease office overhead; the company’s Hispanic program reaches more than 15,000 physicians in markets throughout the U.S. SHEILATHORNE.President,Torre Lazur McCann’s Multicultural Healthcare Marketing business unit, Parsippany,N.J.; the division focuses on the specific needs and values of multicultural and multi ethnic communities evidencebased analyses of the appropriate use of pharmaceuticals and the clinical and economic value of pharmaceutical innovation JO MUSE.Chairman and executive creative director, Muse Cordero Chen & Partners, Los Angeles; Muse Cordero Chen & Partners is a fullservice multicultural advertising agency INGRID OTEROSMART. President and chief operating officer, Mendoza Dillon & Asociados, Newport Beach,Calif., and managing partner of MD&A/Salud;Mendoza Dillon & Asociados, part of WPP Group Plc., provides integrated marketing services to reach the growing and highpotential Hispanic market in the U.S.; MD&A Salud is a joint venture with CommonHealth that develops programs for DTC advertisers in the Hispanic market, CommonHealth is a member company of the WPP Group JAMES H.POWELL,M.D. Director of biomedical education and research, the National Medical Association,Washington,D.C.; the NMA is the nation’s oldest and largest AfricanAmerican medical association, representing the interests of more than 25,000 AfricanAmerican physicians, dedicated to promoting quality healthcare for African Americans and underserved populations ANDREW PURCELL.VP of diabetes marketing, Novo Nordisk Pharmaceuticals Inc., Princeton, We’re letting the experts tell us what needs to happen,what material is relevant,what communication is impactful, and how these groups need to receive the information. SYLVINA FRUTOS DIVERSITY marketing America’s population landscape has undergone dramatic changes in recent years, and with those changes come some huge opportunities, as well as challenges, for the healthcare industry. Pharmaceutical companies and their advertising agencies are determining how to bring messages about their products to diverse groups in a way that is culturally sensitive, that will garner long-term goodwill of the communities, and that address the most pressing health concerns facing various racial and ethnic groups. Developing diverse marketing promotions and programs where each group is recognized as an integral part of the overall effort is crucial, according to industry experts. Diversity marketing can never be just an afterthought or general market publicity… Sidebar: Developing Clinical Diversity Addressing Diversity in DTC Experts on this topic Mary Beth Arensberg, Ph.D., R.D. Director of Public Affairs, Ross Products Division, Columbus, Ohio; Ross Products, a division of Abbott Laboratories, is a U.S. market leader in pediatric nutritionals and a world leader in adult nutritionals Stephen Chavez. VP of Business ­Development, FWI (formerly FaxWatch Inc.), Scottsdale, Ariz.; FWI provides timely, ­unbiased medical information to physicians, healthcare executives, and patients Jaime Carlo-Casellas, Ph.D. President and CEO, CC Scientific, Rancho Mirage, Calif.; CC Scientific provides financial services and healthcare industries with guidance, ­support, and ancillary services to respond to the Hispanic consumer Laura Cruz. President, Adelante Marketing, Phoenix, Ariz.; Adelante Marketing ­provides qualitative market research and strategic planning for clients who wish to target the Hispanic community Sylvina Frutos. Product Manager, ­Avandia, direct-to-consumer, direct-to-patient, GlaxoSmithKline, Philadelphia; GlaxoSmithKline is one of the world’s ­leading research-based pharmaceutical and healthcare companies Richard Levy, Ph.D. VP Scientific Affairs, ­National Pharmaceutical Council, Reston, Va.; NPC sponsors and conducts scientific, evidence-based analyses of the appropriate use of pharmaceuticals and the clinical and economic value of pharmaceutical innovation Jo Muse. Chairman and Executive Creative Director, Muse Cordero Chen & ­Partners, Los Angeles; Muse Cordero Chen & Partners is a full-service multicultural ­advertising agency Ingrid Otero-Smart. President and Chief Operating Officer, Mendoza Dillon & Asociados, Newport Beach, Calif., and managing partner of MD&A/Salud; Mendoza Dillon & Asociados, part of WPP Group Plc., provides integrated marketing services to reach the growing and high-potential Hispanic market in the U.S.; MD&A Salud is a joint venture with ­CommonHealth that develops programs for DTC advertisers in the Hispanic market, ­CommonHealth is a member company of the WPP Group James H. Powell, M.D. Director of ­Biomedical Education and Research, the National Medical Association, Washington, D.C.; the NMA is the nation’s oldest and largest African-American medical association, ­representing the interests of more than 25,000 African-American physicians, dedicated to ­promoting quality healthcare for African-Americans and under-served populations Andrew Purcell. VP of Diabetes Marketing, Novo Nordisk Pharmaceuticals Inc., Princeton, N.J.; Novo Nordisk is a focused healthcare ­company and a world leader in diabetes care John J. Racik. General Manager, Sentrix Global Health Communications, Short Hills, N.J.; Sentrix is a Young & Rubicam global healthcare agency network Rupa Ranganathan. Ethnic Strategist and Senior VP, Strategic Research Institute, New York; Strategic Research Institute researches, creates, produces, and manages executive conferences covering industry specific business-to-business topics Rajesh Singh. VP and General Manager, Formedic Communications, Somerset, N.J.; Formedic supplies patient record and registration forms and other promotional selling tools, free of charge upon request, to more than 158,000 physicians; programs are designed to streamline practice management, increase efficiency, and decrease office overhead; the ­company’s Hispanic program reaches more than 15,000 physicians in markets ­throughout the U.S. Sheila Thorne. President, Torre Lazur McCann’s Multicultural Healthcare ­Marketing business unit, Parsippany, N.J.; the division focuses on the specific needs and values of multicultural and multi-­ethnic communities

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