Defining the Function of a Corporate-Level Site in a Highly-Regulated Consumer Industry
Pharmacia - prior to its acquisition by Pfizer - was planning a re-design of its corporate portal. Then, as now, the pharmaceutical industry was a thorny mix of science, basic health information, complex regulations, aggressive marketing and financial disclosure requirements. Pharmacia was interested in how five key competitors (AstaZeneca, Aventis, Merck, GlaxoSmithKline, and ironically Pfizer) navigated these currents via their corporate portals. More broadly, Pharmacia was concerned with finding a way to do so itself that was consistent with its brand and its audience needs.

Services Provided

Expert Evaluation, Competitive Analysis

Methodology/Solution
Catalyst, delving into a thorough expert evaluation and competitive analysis, quickly identified several factors particularly key to UI design in this industry. First, audience prioritization and segmentation was crucial. Drug companies depend on both direct sales to consumers, and indirect sales via physicians. Balancing the information needs of the average person with those of physicians alone is a difficult task. Second, FDA regulations are detailed and stringent regarding what can and cannot be said on a public site with regard to drug-product information. The result was a tendency in the industry to over-compromise and under-serve key audiences while sticking to the letter of the law. Catalyst's analysis isolated key areas across the competitive set that were pertinent to Pharmacia - including reviews of how sites positioned themselves vs. what information and features they actually offered.

Benefits

• A roadmap for design based on a thorough qualitative and quantitative analysis of key competitor sites, features and functions.

• Key recommendations regarding audience targeting and persona development.

• Best practices and tactics for building customer relationships via corporate portals, vs. just product-related sites.

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