Lessons from Google Search Updates

Dale CookePhillyCooke Consulting

DCooke@PhillyCooke.com@PhillyCooke

Importance of Search

• 87% of U.S. adults use the internet• 72% of internet users looked online for

health information• 77% of online health seekers began at a

search engine

http://www.pewinternet.org/fact-sheets/health-fact-sheet/

Google Dominates Search

Google

64%Yahoo!

13%

Bing

21%

Other

3%

http://www.comscore.com/Insights/Market-Rankings/comScore-Releases-August-

2015-U.S.-Desktop-Search-Engine-Rankings

FDA Enforcement

FDA Enforcement

Post-2009 Compliant Promotion

1. Disease Awareness Promotion

2. Reminder Ads

3. Redirecting Ads

Google 2009 Black Box Option

Reminder-like Ads

Apply to drugs with black box warningsFour requirements1.Brand name (if applicable)2.Generic name and/or active ingredients3.“Please see…” statement4.Provision of PI or Brief Summary immediately accompanying the advertisement

For more on reminder-like ads, see http://regulatoryrx.blogspot.com/2014/10/reminder-like-promotions.htmland http://regulatoryrx.blogspot.com/2015/06/google-search-engine-marketing-changing.html

Google 2015 Updates

• Black box ad format discontinuedEffective date: July 20, 2015

• Redirecting ads vanity URL changesEffective date: January 2016

Black Box Ad Options

Standard ad units

Existing mobile ads

Black Box Ad Options

Standard ad units

Existing mobile ads

Using sitelinks to create second destination link

NOT using sitelinks to create second destination link

Redirecting/Vanity URL Changes

• Option 1: Company

• Option 2: Company.com

• Option 3a: Prescription treatment

• Option 3b: Prescription device

Redirecting/Vanity URL Changes

• Option 1: Company

• Option 2: Company.com

• Option 3a: Prescription treatment

• Option 3b: Prescription device

Destination page will still be under control, but the display URL must be one of Google’s specific options.

Key Takeaways

• Platforms will changeCompany-specific policies matter

• 30-day notice is a luxury• Mobile is the new standard• One link must suffice for promotion &

regulatory requirements

Speaker BioDale Cooke is the owner of PhillyCooke Consulting, which provides advice and training to companies about using 21st century technologies to communicate about FDA-regulated products while remaining compliant with FDA regulations written in the 1960s. Dale has worked with more than 30 pharmaceutical and medical device clients around the world. His insights have been featured in the Wall Street Journal’s Health blog, The Pink Sheet, MedAdNews, PharmExec, and others. He also serves on the faculty of the University of California San Francisco’s American Course in Drug Development and Regulatory Sciences program. Dale is the author of Effective Review and Approval of Digital Promotional Tactics, which is part of FDLI’s primer series.

Contact Info:PhillyCooke.com@PhillyCooke on TwitterDCooke@PhillyCooke.com