Mountain View, CA– Google is making significant changes to their paid advertising that stands to greatly impact pharmaceutical paid search campaigns. These changes come in order to bring about more transparency for users and become more aligned with existing policies. But this transparency also comes with a loss of revenue for Google.
Starting on July 20th of this year, Google will no longer support Boxed Warning Ads in their current form factor. The entire AdWords platform is being updated with new “Upgraded URLs”, which won’t support ads that require multiple destination URLs driving to different landing pages. And the additional line of text that directs users to safety and prescribing information will no longer exist.
Beginning January of 2016, Vanity URLs (customized web address that includes the name of your business for marketing, branding, and SEO benefits), that are often used to direct unbranded ads to brand websites will no longer be permitted. These Vanity URLs are currently an exception to Google’s existing policy around display and final URL domains for pharma only.
Google has a thorough understanding of what the major implications for the pharmaceutical industry are around this change. To help ease this transition, Google will be introducing 3 new options:
1. Company Name.com
2. Company Name
3. Static Text: “Prescription Treatment Website” or “Prescription Device Website”
It’s still very murky on whether these changes to the AdWords campaigns will be detrimental to campaign performances. Regardless, these changes will provide our patients with more transparency than they once were offered. No hidden trickery, and more high-quality information served directly to our patients.
About the Author:
As Managing Director of Innovation and Insights for Syneos Health Communications, Leigh is responsible for building and scaling a global team of healthcare experts who together help life science leaders better understand the complex lives, influences and expectations of their customers. Specifically, they uncover actionable insights that fuel empathy and creativity; lead co-creation events that let marketers learn from peers, trends, and new possibilities; and help clients identify the most valuable and useful new customer experiences to create.
Leigh has worked with Fortune 1000 companies to craft their digital, mobile, social and CRM strategies for nearly 20 years.She’s worked for category-leading agencies in retail, public affairs, B2B technology, and higher education. Prior to moving to Syneos Health Communications, she held several leadership roles at our largest agency, GSW. There, she founded an innovation practice fueled by the zeitgeist and spearheaded digital and innovation thinking across the business.
Leigh has taken a special interest in complex healthcare products that can change lives in meaningful ways. She was recently a strategic lead on the 3rd largest launch in pharmaceutical history: Tecfidera. Before that she had keys roles with Eli Lilly Oncology, Abbott Nutrition, Amgen Cardiovascular, and Eli Lilly Diabetes.
A critical part of Leigh’s work is trends and new ideas. Every year, she convenes a group of trend watchers from across our global network to identify the shifts most critical to healthcare marketers. This year, she led over 250 experts to experts to focus on the most important changes in the commercial, consumer, marketing, digital and healthcare landscapes. (See reports at trends.health)
Leigh is a sought-after writer and speaker. Recognized as one of the most inspiring people in the pharmaceutical industry by PharmaVoice and Top 10 Innovation Catalysts of 2017 by MM&M, Leigh also was recognized as a Rising Star by the Healthcare Businesswomen's Association (HBA) for her overt passion, industry thought leadership and significant contributions in new business, strategy and mentoring.
