DOI: 10.36347/sajp

Pages: 232-239

Pharmaceutical companies adopt different marketing communication strategies and tools in order to influence physician’s prescriptions in their favor. These communication strategies and tools play a very important role in increasing profitability and sales revenues of the pharmaceutical companies. The present study was a multicenter, descriptive, cross-sectional study that aimed to identify the influence of strategies and tools on physician’s prescribing preferences. The population of the study included graduate and post graduates physicians practicing in Pakistan. Using WHO sample size calculator, a sample size of 400 physicians was calculated that included 330 graduates (General Practitioners) and 70 post graduates (Consultant physicians). A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect the data comprising of 17 marketing communication tools on a likert scale tested for physicians’ preferences, responses were recorded and weightage was given. The results of the study revealed that there was significant influence of marketing communication strategies and tools on physician’s prescribing preferences. Among these tools, most effective tools of communication were senior doctor references (word of mouth marketing), reputation of the company, sampling, price of the product, detail aids, seminars and scientific activities. Gifting, packaging inserts, emailing and print ads in medical journal were found to be less important. There was a significant difference found among liking/preference of graduates and post graduates for marketing communication strategies and tools. Importance of peer group reference and reputation of the company was similar for both graduates and post graduates. It is important for the pharmaceutical companies to understand the preferences of their customers and allocate their marketing budget to the most effective marketing communication strategies and tools.