Abstract
Conventional wisdom suggests that scientists are more “sophisticated” consumers now than ever before. Marketing to Life Scientists 2006: Capitalizing on Media Engagement explores how the receptivity of scientists to marketing media varies in relation to their degree of engagement with suppliers. By answering a series of carefully designed questions, 1,000 life science buyers from academia and pharma/biotech rate the importance of product information to the success of their research and how often they seek it out via different media. The resulting data is then used to classify these buyers in terms of their level of engagement with the manufacturers of life science instrumentation, kits and reagents.
Marketing to Life Scientists 2006 illustrates the differences in how different types of scientific consumers respond to various marketing media, including print catalogs, Web sites, direct mail, print advertisements, exhibits and sales representatives. The report is designed to support the crafting of an effective marketing strategy by enabling suppliers to employ the appropriate media when promoting products to different audiences. Marketing to Life Scientists 2006 also describes the relationship between a scientist' s use of a company' s products and their receptivity to marketing messages from that supplier, and how this affinity may impact a customer' s preferred media. With numerous comparisons by consumer type, current suppliers, region, market segment, gender and purchasing authority, Marketing to Life Scientists 2006 provides the most complete picture of life science marketing ever published and is an essential reference for anyone engaged in the business of science.
This report is designed to give suppliers a better understanding of the marketing media preferences of their current and prospective customers through effective segmentation:
- 1. Identify how life scientists typically learn about new products and services
- 2. Understand scientists' preferences for marketing communications disseminated via print catalogs, Web sites, print advertisements, direct mail and exhibits at scientific meetings
- 3. Measure scientists' level of media engagement in terms of the frequency with which they use marketing media to obtain product information
- 4. Measure scientists' level of engagement with the marketing communications of their frequent suppliers
- 5. Determine patterns, trends and discrepancies in how different segments of the life science market perceive and react to various promotional techniques
Table of Contents
Key Findings and Executive Overview
- Media Engagement
- Media Engagement Score
- Validating the score
- Questionnaire Overview
- Questionnaire Design
- Analytical Techniques
- Demographics
Presentation and Analysis of the Data
(Blue text denotes questions used to calculate Media Engagement Score)
- Screening Question
- Suppliers of core products used in the lab
- General Marketing Preferences
- Overall importance of staying abreast of new products to support research
- Most common ways to learn about vendors and their products and services
- Most influential factors in deciding to purchase a new product or service
- Number of times new products were evaluated or purchased in the last 12 months
- Segmentation analysis of General Marketing preferences by level of media engagement
- Printed Catalogs
- Most likely action on receiving an unsolicited catalog
- Importance of specific features in a print catalog
- Importance of receiving a print catalog if the information is available on the Web
- Number of times referred to a print catalog when evaluating a product in the last 12 months
- Vendor with the most useful print catalog
- Segmentation analysis of Print Catalog preferences by level of media engagement
- Vendor Web Sites
- Average hours per week spent visiting vendor Web sites
- Usefulness of specific features of vendor Web sites
- Reasons of most interest for receiving an unsolicited email from a vendor
- Types of vendors from whom respondents are likely to open unsolicited email
- Number of times registered at a Web site to receive product information in the last 12 months
- Vendor with the most useful Web site
- Segmentation analysis of Web site preferences by level of media engagement
- Direct Mail-Print
- Average number of direct mail pieces received per week
- Percent of direct mail opened
- Influential factors in deciding to open and read unsolicited mail
- Preferred course of action when more information is needed
- Importance of printed technical newsletters when the information is available on the vendor' s Web site
- Number of times sought more information after receiving a mail piece in the last 12 months
- Segmentation analysis of Direct Mail preferences by level of media engagement
- Sales Representatives
- Activities that contribute to the effectiveness of sales reps
- Reasons of most interest for receiving an unsolicited phone call from a sales rep
- Number of on-site vendor “mini-shows” attended in the last 12 months
- Usefulness of the information provided at the on-site “mini-shows”
- Number of times scheduled a meeting with a sales rep in the last 12 months
- Vendor with the best-trained, most effective sales reps
- Segmentation analysis of Sales Rep preferences by level of media engagement
- Print Advertising
- Most valuable professional journals or publications
- Factors that most often draw attention to a print ad
- Frequency of requesting more information from a vendor immediately after seeing a print ad
- Most likely reaction to an interesting print ad
- Number of times sought more information after seeing an ad in the last 12 months
- Vendor with the best print ads
- Segmentation analysis of Print Advertising preferences by level of media engagement
- Scientific Meetings and Exhibit Halls
- Number of major scientific meetings respondents plan to attend in 2006
- Percent of time at a scientific meeting spent visiting exhibitor booths
- Factor that is most likely to cause a visit to a vendor' s booth
- Preferred scientific meeting
