How to optimize detail aids to achieve maximum impact among your target audience

While traditionally sales calls were made using printed detail aid materials, detailing has become the new standard. Our client at a global pharmaceutical company, Rachelle, reached out to us to measure the performance of their draft detail aid among GP’s on key parameters (e.g. key message recall, prescription-recommendation intent) and defining potential areas for improvement to fine-tune the detail aid.

Detail aids need to find the right balance of clinical differentiation while leveraging emotional perceptions and associations.

To answer our clients questions we used SKIM’s M2 | Medical Messaging methodology for quantitative validation:

• Video voice over to present the detail aid (paper or iPad versions) to the respondents
• Killer score, measuring message recall and recommendation / prescription intent
• Overall evaluation, measuring performance on multiple KPI’s and identifying most interesting screens
• Screen by screen evaluation, understanding which pages/screens resonate better than others and why; identifying areas for improvement
• Clickable graphics to identify optimal design and most & least appealing parts of the detail aid

By understanding which data sources are most and least appealing, together with which pages are most liked, we could provide Rachelle with insights as to which information should be emphasized and what information could perhaps be excluded to achieve maximum impact among target physicians.

We found that interactive elements and a customized, flexible flow are highly valued. Successful toggle pages should contain information that builds on information previously shown and answers questions that come to the physicians’ minds. While interactive questions are liked, some physicians considered them irritating and patronizing. It is thus key to test materials in a research setting before using them in actual sales calls.