Does that pain mean I am going to die?

It is a deceptively simple question. When you get that first twitch in your shoulder, that pain in your stomach, that ache in your head, how do you know whether you should go to the doctor or go to the drugstore.

It is amazing how little pharmaceutical or consumer products marketers understand about decision-making when it comes to those death twinges (see previous post about all consumer products being about death or sex).

Pharmaceutical marketers are focused on developing clinical trials that deliver primary endpoints that mean something to the FDA and physicians. But those endpoints may mean very little to consumers who are meant to buy and use the products.

OTC consumer product marketers spend much more time mining for those consumer insights that will be a call to action. When you get that headache, think Execedrin. When you get that stomach ache, think Rolaids.

But what if you need Imitrex because you really have a migraine or Nexium because you have acid reflux disease.

Understanding the decision making that goes into healthcare decision-making can be a key driver to improved care and cost management. Am I consumer or a patient? Am I dying or not? That insight can save lives and money.