by Francine Carb, President

When Boiron, a world leader in homeopathic medicines, decided to introduce their popular Arnicare® analgesic line to the growing urgent care market, they contacted Markitects. As a long-term client, Boiron knew they could trust our marketing firm to work seamlessly, as an extension of their internal team, to determine how to introduce their products and gain market share.

As a foundation of the campaign, Markitects developed a Clinic Education Program to create brand awareness and educate the market. Our campaign included list development, outbound calls, and in-person visits, supported by sample kits that included informational pamphlets, coupons, product samples, and an easy way for the clinicians to reorder.

The in-person visits were key to getting to know the nurse practitioners, physician assistants, and other medical staff. Our visits were very well received—even the impromptu ones—because so many patients are looking for medicines with no drug interactions or complications, which is particularly important after trauma or surgery to reduce pain, swelling and bruising.

Taking a page from traditional pharmaceutical companies, putting a face with the name of the company and its products, increases trust and provides an opportunity to answer questions. Through those visits, we also verified that chiropractors and physical therapists are underserved by big pharma drug reps and therefore more open to accepting and distributing product samples to their patients.

As a result of our outreach efforts, 15% of the clinics in our target markets (PA, NJ, NY, and DE) accepted our sample kits, compared with an industry average of less than 5%. Our clinic education program gave the clinicians the tools they needed to learn about Boiron, share samples, and recommend Boiron’s homeopathic products to their patients. Our recommendations to expand the program include placing a ‘Boiron rep’ in the field to follow up on the kit placements and expanding our program outside of the Mid-Atlantic Region.

For more information about how our marketing firm can help you to conquer a new or growing market, contact Francine Carb, President.