The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting 2023, one of the most anticipated events in the oncology community, brought together healthcare professionals, researchers, and industry experts to exchange knowledge and advancements in cancer care. The conference provided a rich platform for in-person networking and learning, while also playing a pivotal role in engaging oncologists. In today’s post, we delve into the insights gathered from Digital Tracker (PERxCEPT), an omnichannel tracking offering that monitors the online behavior of HCPs, to shed light on the online activities of oncologists during ASCO week 2023.
#1 Unsurprisingly, ASCO-affiliated websites* dominated online engagement during the first week of June
Digital Tracker (PERxCEPT) — with its panel of 150+ oncologists — captured valuable data on the online behavior of healthcare professionals during ASCO and found that for every tenth visit to a healthcare website, 2.2 trips were to websites within the ASCO network.
48% of oncologists preferred to read about results from ASCO directly from ASCO-affiliated websites. nccn.org followed this with a reach of 34%, uptodate.com with 32%, and nih.gov with 24%.
Furthermore, 30% of the time spent browsing healthcare websites during this week was dedicated to exploring websites from the ASCO network.
*ASCO-affiliated Websites: meetings.asco.org, asco.org, conferences.asco.org, ascopubs.org, dailynews.ascopubs.org, ascopost.com
#2 While meetings.asco.org was the most visited ASCO website, oncologists went to onclive.com for the latest ASCO updates
Within the ASCO network, meetings.asco.org emerged as the most visited website during this week, accounting for 44% of all ASCO-related visits. This platform was the one-stop shop for all conference-related information, hosting session details, abstract details, and conference scheduling comprehensively. Oncologists were highly engaged with the content on meetings.asco.org, spending an average of 15 minutes each.
Additionally, the data showed that oncologists most often navigated to the Program Guide section which contributed to 55% of the total visits and the most popular session attended was a series of presentations focusing on breast cancer that took place on the first day of the conference.
During the same week, oncologists sought information from a variety of third-party healthcare websites to stay updated on ASCO. Their top choice was onclive.com, which received 44% of the visits, followed by nejm.org (17%) and ajmc.com (10%). Notably, onclive.com featured a dedicated section on its website solely focused on ASCO news, delivering consistent updates throughout the conference.
#3 Oncologists were most interested in Breast Cancer during ASCO 2023
Data from Digital Tracker (PERxCEPT) also shed light on specific topics of interest among oncologists during ASCO week. The top five therapeutic areas (TAs) that garnered the highest share of total time spent within the ASCO network were Breast Cancer, Lung Cancer, Colorectal Cancer, Melanoma, and Multiple Myeloma.
Among these TAs, Breast Cancer was explored the most, capturing a significant share of 14% of the total time spent, and thereby reinforcing the importance of breast cancer research, advancements, and treatment options for oncologists. Lung Cancer and Colorectal Cancer closely followed with 13% and 9% shares of total time spent, respectively.
#4 20+ brands advertised on ASCO-affiliated websites during the conference
Oncologists came across display ads on more than 40% of the pages they visited, averaging 2.5 ads encountered on each webpage.
Oncologists encountered display ads from 20+ brands during ASCO. Of these brands, Abecma had the highest share with 18%, closely followed by Breyanzi and Keytruda, with 11% each. Pomalyst captured a notable share of 10%, while Ibrance accounted for 6%.
#5 An average oncologist received more than 5 ASCO-related emails each day during the conference
During the conference week in June, oncologists were inundated with an average of 5.7 ASCO-related emails per day. Among these communications, 30% came through directly from ASCO, while OncLive and Healio / HemOnc Today contributed 13% of emails each. Additional senders included the Haymarket Network and CancerNetwork. These emails encompassed a wide range of valuable content, including profiles of esteemed oncologists and researchers, daily highlights, and the latest advancements in therapy.
Among the topics discussed in these emails, 62% focused on developments and the latest trial data of different oncology drugs. Notably, nivolumab (Opdivo) held a prominent presence in 13% of these emails. Additionally, drugs such as osimeritinib (Tagrisso) and ribociclib (Kisqali) received mentions in 10% of the emails each.
