Pfizer's Viagra and AstraZeneca's Nexium took the top-two slots on the new L2 Digital IQ Index for pharmaceutical brands, a first-of-its kind measurement of the digital competence of 51 pharma brands across eight therapeutic categories, designed to provide an actionable metric to optimize pharmaceutical digital ROI.
The ranking, created by think tank L2 in partnership with leading media agency PHD Network, evaluated pharmaceutical brands' digital presence across four criteria: Platform (40 percent, including site effectiveness and brand translation); Off-Platform Messaging (25 percent, covering digital marketing efforts such as online and mobile advertising); Search Engine Optimization (20 percent, based on visibility on top search engines); and Social Media (15 percent, defined by presence on popular 2.0 platforms). Each brand was scored against more than one hundred qualitative and quantitative data points, and assigned a Digital IQ ranking of Genius, Gifted, Average, Challenged or Feeble.
A Digital Powerhouse Emerges
While the third spot on the Index was also claimed by a Pfizer brand, Chantix, AstraZeneca emerged as the industry's digital powerhouse. With three brands in the top ten - Nexium, Crestor, and Symbicort and four in the top twenty, AstraZeneca had the best showing of any company on the Index.
The list of brands scoring in the Digital IQ Index top ten:
1. Viagra (Pfizer)
2. Nexium (AstraZeneca)
3. Chantix (Pfizer)
4. Ortho Tri-Cyclen Lo (Ortho-McNeil Janssen)
5. Crestor (AstraZeneca)
6. Tie between Gardasil (Merck) and Yaz (Bayer)
8. Tie between Symbicort (AstraZeneca) and NuvaRing (Merck)
10. Lunesta (Sepracor)
"Our analysis shows that, despite the challenges inherent in an ambiguous regulatory environment, some brands are innovating online and building a foundation for digital growth once a clearer path is illuminated," says L2 founder and NYU marketing professor Scott Galloway. "However," Galloway continues, "the industry as a whole disappoints as most brands offer obsolete technology, anemic content and scant social media programs."
Social Media Remains the Third Rail
Indeed, as the Index reveals, the lack of a defined regulatory policy has paralyzed social media efforts. While 80 percent of pharmaceutical companies maintain a presence on YouTube, Facebook or Twitter, only 19 percent of brands participate on social media platforms. ...
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