Subtopic 3: Mode of Distribution
Before you approve any asset you must establish exactly how it is to be distributed or by what means it will reach its target audience. Sometimes you will be given some vague information such as ‘digital’ – but this is not enough to allow you to decide whether an asset can be approved. The following example will help to illustrate why precise information on distribution of assets is important.
Consider this example
Banner advert
This advert was submitted for global review as a ‘banner advert’. The delivery channel was ‘digital’ and the target audience was ‘healthcare professionals –general’.
Assuming that all the product claims are factual and can be substantiated-‐ would you approve this banner advert based on this information?
Without knowing exactly where this banner ad is to be placed it cannot be approved. A delivery channel of ‘digital’ is too vague.
Now assume that the banner ad is to be placed in an international e-‐journal whose target audience is diabetologists and endocrinologists. Would you approve the banner ad based on this information?
This asset is approvable based on the information given.
On further enquiry the asset owner revealed that they wished to place the asset on the ‘LinkedIn’ website. They intended to use a filter so that only members who had declared themselves to be a ‘doctor’ or ‘physician’ would be able to view the banner. Would you approve the banner ad for this delivery channel?
Linkedin definition
A business oriented social networking internet based service used mainly for professional networking. It is open to the general public.
LinkedIn is not a suitable delivery channel for promotional material because the filters are inadequate i.e they do not necessarily prevent members of the public from accessing the information. For some UK case law on LinkedIn see PMCPA case number: AUTH/2738/10/14 available on the PMCPA website. In this case the filters used to target health professionals were shown to be inadequate as members of the public could access the promotional information.
Digital assets will be covered in more detail in a dedicated module.
