RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C., July 11 /PRNewswire/ -- The most
 effective promotional channel for medical devices is physician/specialist
 conferences, as noted in a report by Cutting Edge Information. On a
 relative effectiveness scale ranging from 1 to 5, with 5 being the most
 effective, medical device companies rated physician/specialist conferences
 an average 4.2, citing it just above medical education, opinion leader
 influence, and sales rep calls.
     "Medical Device Product Management: Benchmarking Development, Marketing
 and Promotion" (http://www.cuttingedgeinfo.com/medicaldevices/index.htm),
 illustrates that out of ten possible promotional channels, medical device
 companies found that the time and resources allocated towards
 physician/specialist conferences proved to be marginally more effective
 than medical education (4.0), opinion leader influence (3.9), and sales rep
 calls (3.9). Other channels ranked even lower included internet
 communications, journal ads, and direct-to-consumer campaigns.
     Product education is a central theme of the top four promotional
 channels. Through physician/specialist conferences as well as medical
 education, companies promote their medical devices by directly educating
 physicians on products' advantages over competitors. Opinion leader
 influence can also prove a valuable tool, when companies are able to
 effectively leverage established opinion leaders to help promote their
 products. Often pharmaceutical sales reps view themselves as educators for
 the physicians they call upon.
     "The success of a medical device strongly relies on word-of-mouth
 generated by physicians in the medical community," states Research Team
 Leader Eric Bolesh. "Educating doctors on the product and its competitive
 advantages is an effective method companies can leverage to help promote
 their medical devices."
     "Medical Device Product Management: Benchmarking Development, Marketing
 and Promotion" (http://www.cuttingedgeinfo.com/medicaldevices/index.htm),
 provides benchmarks for development, marketing and post market issues such
 as sales force management and technical support. Data include the following
 key points:
     -- Timelines for different development stages
     -- Breakdown of marketing spending over time
     -- Investments in post market monitoring
     -- Sales force budgets and headcounts
     -- Device training investments, staffing levels and durations
     The 177-page report has three chapters, with more than 400 metrics and
 75 charts and diagrams. To view a summary, visit
 http://www.cuttingedgeinfo.com/medicaldevices/index.htm. For more
 information about Cutting Edge Information's new report, contact Eric
 Bolesh at Eric_Bolesh@cuttingedgeinfo.com or 919-433-0209.
 
 

SOURCE Cutting Edge Information

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