Published in 2010, the MARS study outlines how consumers use the Web according to condition type and interests.

1. MARS Consumer Health | 2010 Online Behavior Study
DTC Fall Conference – Marketing to the Digital Consumer
November 10, 2010
Jayne Krahn & Michele Deutschman

2. MARS Consumer Health
The MARS OTC/DTC Study (Core Study)
Since 2001, MARS has been the leading National market research used in
DTC media planning/buying. It has been developed in partnership with
all major pharmaceutical companies via media agencies.
Paper questionnaire Oversample of
Completed by over
mailed to 46,800 ailments for greater
21,000 adults 18+
households stability of data
English language only Projected to the total 70 different conditions
U.S. adult population
© 2010 Kantar Media 2

3. MARS Consumer Health
The MARS OTC/DTC Study Content
Media Consumption Habits: Overall health and wellness: Attitudes and Opinions on key
healthcare topics:
• 70 ailments/sufferers
• 102 Consumer pubs
• Role/use of generics
• Use of 500+ drugs/remedies
• 27 Health-related pubs • Communications/interactions with
• Vaccinations/Overall
healthcare advisors
• National Newspapers Health/Diet-Nutrition/Medical
Testing/Insurance/Buying • Insurance coverage
• 52 Television networks Habits
• Actions taken after exposure to
• Radio listening
healthcare advertising
• Internet – general usage
(18 sites)
And much more…
© 2010 Kantar Media 3

4. The Changing Face of Healthcare Advisors from The Core Study
Valued sources of information – very much/somewhat
2005 2010
83%
78%
Of 35 different sources , HCP's 64% 64%
remain #1 and traditional media is
still important. 40%
26%
Digital media has grown the most as
a valued source for healthcare
information.
Healthcare Traditional Online
Professionals Media
Source: MARS 2010 OTC/DTC Study
© 2010 Kantar Media 4

5. Findings From The Core Study About The Internet
Total US Population
Roughly 1 out of every 4 adult who use the Internet, access it for
researching health and medical information
Among the 50+ Population:
• 2 out of 3 accessed in last 30 days
• 1 in 4 spend at least three hours a day online
• Those using social networking increased 2.5x in last 2 years
Source: MARS 2010 OTC/DTC Study
© 2010 Kantar Media 5

6. MARS Online Behavior Study
The Internet has become an integral part of Healthcare decisions
The 2010 MARS Online Behavior study was developed as a valuable tool in
assisting healthcare marketers make better decisions on how to incorporate
online into traditional marketing and media strategies.
© 2010 Kantar Media 6

7. MARS Online Behavior Study Provides:
• An understanding of consumer opinions and behaviors regarding the Internet
as a health and wellness source.
• Insight into the use of different types of digital media - from diet/nutrition
sites and social media to ailment specific resources.
• Background into the website characteristics that drive consumers to sites
and keep them coming back.
• Ailments consumers are researching online, the stage of the condition and
types sources they go to.
• Direct linkage to the core MARS study of drug usage, attitudes, media
behavior, etc.
© 2010 Kantar Media 7

8. MARS Online Behavior Study – Quick Overview
• According to the 2010 MARS OTC/DTC Study, 78% has accessed the Internet in
the past 30 days. This Internet population is represented by 15,298
respondents.
•These 15,298 respondents were invited to go online to participate in the Online
Behavior Study.
• Among those who completed, 5,007 respondents matched back to the original
respondents of the MARS 2010 study.
• The MARS 2010 Online Behavior study projects back to the 178 million MARS
2010 Internet users, integrating data from the core 2010 study.
© 2010 Kantar Media 8

9. How important is the Internet as health information source?
83% find the Internet
important as a source of
health & wellness
information.
Very important Somewhat important
Somewhat unimportant Not important at all
Source: 2010 MARS Online Behavior Study
© 2010 Kantar Media 9

10. What prompts people to look for health & wellness information
online?
Reasons for going Online for Health Research in the Past Year
Gain knowledge about a condition 71%
Research symptoms 59%
Gather info about medication 48%
Research a condition you feel at-risk for 42%
Research a condition after Dr visit 37%
Find healthcare professionals 33%
Find an alt. medication to treat symptoms 30%
Prep for a Dr's appointment 14%
Read reviews about doctors 14%
Source: 2010 MARS Online Behavior Study
© 2010 Kantar Media 10

11. Attitudes about the Internet as a Health Research Tool
57% of the online population agree the Internet is the first source
they turn to when researching health and wellness
On the positive …
I use the Internet to supplement
80%
information from other sources
The Internet is a good way to get a
69%
second opinion
I refer friends to sites I find helpful 65%
On the negative …
I am cautious about which sites I access 81%
Websites are invading my privacy when I
67%
have to register to access information
It's hard to know which sites I can trust 57%
Source: 2010 MARS Online Behavior Study
© 2010 Kantar Media 11

12. Characteristics that make a Website Trustworthy
Top 3 when it comes to health and wellness information
A healthcare professional recommended it 56%
56%
Has academic articles & scientific research 46%
Easy to understand Information 39%
Association or non-profit site 38%
Friend or family member recommended it 33%
Has articles written by a high profile Dr 20%
Has a well known brand name or logo 16%
Has minimal advertising 14%
Seen or heard ads for it 8%
Has articles written by someone like me 5%
Sponsored by a pharma company 4%
4%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60%
Source: 2010 MARS Online Behavior Study
© 2010 Kantar Media 12

13. The 3 most useful resources for locating health & wellness websites
The #1 most cited resource is
healthcare professional (59%),
followed by search (48%) and
friends & family (41%).
Our data confirms the importance of the healthcare professional
Source: 2010 MARS Online Behavior Study
© 2010 Kantar Media 13

14. The use of the internet for health and wellness varies by:
• the stage of the condition
• the type of ailment
• if researching for oneself or someone else
© 2010 Kantar Media 14

15. Stage of a Condition
First medical
Prevention
appointment
28%
2%
Experiencing
Symptoms
36%
Recently
Diagnosed
12%
Undergoing
Treatment Recovering
36% 12%
Ongoing Condition
38%
Just Curious
28%
No longer have
symptoms
29%
The greatest number of people going online are those with ongoing conditions,
followed by those undergoing treatment and experiencing symptoms.
Source: 2010 MARS Online Behavior Study
© 2010 Kantar Media 15

16. Where do they go for information?
Varies by Stage
100%
89%
Experiencing Symptoms
90% 85%
79% Undergoing Treatment
78%
80%
70% 67%
60% 57% 55%
50%
50%
40%
30% 23% 24%
20% 15% 15%
10%
0%
Healthcare Conducted research Friends or Family Printed publications Television Other (includes
Professional online radio programs)
Source: 2010 MARS Online Behavior Study
© 2010 Kantar Media 16

17. The type of site varies by stage
Websites
Health Online Association or
Drug brand dedicated to this Diet and fitness
information communities or non-profit
websites particular websites
websites support groups websites
condition
Prevention 4 3 3 4 4 3
Experiencing Symptoms 1 4 4 3 3 4
Undergoing Treatment 3 2 1 1 2 1
Ongoing Condition 2 1 2 2 1 2
Ranked by the stage of the condition.
Source: 2010 MARS Online Behavior Study
© 2010 Kantar Media 17

18. Conditions vary whether you are researching for yourself or for
someone else…
Researched for Myself Researched for Someone else
20%
18% 17%
16% 16% 17%
12%
11% 10% 10%
Backache/ Cold/Flu Body Ache High Allergy Cancer Diabetes Depression Acid Cold/Flu
Pain Cholesterol Reflux
Average of 5.5 Ailments Average of 4.0 Ailments
Source: 2010 MARS Online Behavior Study
© 2010 Kantar Media 18

19. 50 million Americans accessed social networking sites
in the last 30 days – twice as many vs 2008.
• Regardless of the condition, close to 60% who go
online to research a condition also use social media.
• 1 out of 4 users have embraced the use of online
video/audio*, yet nearly 1 out of 2 diabetes researchers
use them for health & wellness information.
• 10% of the online population claim to have used mobile apps to track health
content
– 62% are using prescription medications
– 65% have a BMI >25
* podcasts, video clips, full-length programs/episodes, vlogs
Source: 2010 MARS Online Behavior Study
© 2010 Kantar Media 19

20. 33 million Americans have gone online to research Diabetes in the
last year.
65% researched diabetes for someone else: 42% researched for themselves:
• She’s more likely to read parenting magazines • He’s more likely to read newsweeklies
& watch reality TV & health magazines and watches
• The Internet is her 1st source for information science fiction & sports television
• She reads blogs • He uses the Internet to supplement
information from other sources
• She shops for medicine online & prints coupons
• He likes online videos
• She uses the Internet to gather info on medications
& does research after a Dr visit • He goes online to read reviews of meds
and buy them online
• She listens to healthcare professionals to find sites
• He uses the Internet to find alternatives
• She trusts sites that have articles written by high
to meds and prepare for doctor visits
profile doctors
• He finds that newspapers & magazines
• And she likes sites that have online tools
are useful to find websites
like BMI calculators/health quizzes, have
Q&A capabilities & sites that connect • He trusts articles written by someone
her to a larger community with similar like himself & sites with minimal
issues advertising
• He like sites where the information is easy to
understand and like her, he wants to be connected
to a larger community with similar issues
Source: 2010 MARS Online Behavior Study
© 2010 Kantar Media 20

21. Thank you
For more information about the MARS OTC/DTC Study
or the MARS Online Behavior Study, please contact
Michele Deutschman at (212) 991-6008.