Social Technology in Pharmaceutical Marketing

Social Media Working Knowledge

Using Social Technology in Pharma MarketingAdam Rubin with Scott Friedmann

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Social Media Working KnowledgeUsing Social Technology in Pharma Marketing 1

IntroductionBrand marketers of different product categories have started to embrace social media. Still, a few industries are conspicuously not taking advantage and have yet to take the first step: pharmaceuticals is one of them.

While pharma is desperately trying to find new ways to engage consumers, they have yet to figure out how to use social media. The reason: Pharma marketers fear that user-gen-erated content will include complaints about injuries caused by their drugs’ side effects and lead to advocacy of generics. The law requires these ‘adverse events’ to be reported to the FDA. The FDA’s adverse-event databases are regularly scouted by lawyers looking for potential class-action suits. Thus, social media is quickly ruled out as an option and all customer interaction is kept to an absolute bare minimum.

Lately there has been a lot of discussion surrounding the pharmaceutical industry and social media. There is chatter to be found in forums for web strategists, industry blogs, health and wellness communities, among many other places. Why is that? There is something more going on than natural conversation at the intersections of popular topics (i.e. digital tools and trends, and healthcare in the U.S.).

There is something fascinating about the simultaneous allure and apprehension of the mix of pharma and social media.

Let’s see what’s going on.

Enter Social Media ManiaHopefully, social media is well understood. Its methods have been deployed by virtually all industries and they make powerful ongoing contributions in shaping our world. One need not look any further than the social media-fuelled victory of the Democratic Party in 2008.

The nature of social media is an open one. Its core is comprised of virtues that are not always easy to articulate but ring true when heard: social media assumes real benefits from network effects; the more participants, the merrier. It longs for information to be truly free, available for all to access, mash up and remix, without having the Net Neutrality-aroma of Law attached to it.

Social media reminds us that a good idea can come from anyone. It returns meaningful results when the quality of communication is strong, and is impressively equipped with sophisticated etiquette systems and languages dialects.

A subtle touchstone of social media is progress.


Is Social Media Pharma’s Friend or Foe?Along with war and the economic crisis, healthcare is at the forefront of people’s thoughts. In the U.S., this is especially true as the members of the baby boom generation of 76 million people born between 1946 and 1964 quickly approach their golden age.

Naturally, this hot topic brews potently on the Web. The internet swarms with information, resources, constant discussion and debate concerning wellness and healthcare. There’s a massive amount of information out there from all the many participating parties, and it’s rapidly colliding with emerging digital trends, tools and services.

Social media on the web provides patients with the comfort of anonymity, the promise of sympathy and the opportunity to discover answers. Online social media environments have quickly become the go-to-place to engage with online support groups and to discuss medications or treatments with other patients. A vast amount of consumers regularly search online for health information, often trusting user generated social media content more than official corporate websites.


Mini Success StoriesThere are many examples of social media that play a positive role within the pharma ecosystem.

For example, on the practitioner front, Sermo is a social network of over 50,000 physicians. It enables collaboration on multiple levels, and according to its website, it has generated over 30,000 conversations related to challenging cases, clinical insights and patient care.

On the consumer end, iGuard.org is a healthcare service that helps monitor the safety of most categories of medications. It helps identify red flags in the medicinal diets of registered users and calculates statistics related to product performance and other consequential information.

At Cafepharma.com, there’s something for the corporate insiders as well. This community provides an outlet for industry sales reps to give their uncensored opinions and correct common misunderstandings. Inaccuracies are handled politely and effectively with identified company representatives.

Pharma Social Media Fatigue At best, most (if not, all) of pharma’s online marketing campaigns can be labeled faux social media. A common example is a video channel on YouTube (or a comparable service). A pharma company will always configure the channel to feature only approved and editorial opinions and stories that are, in one way or another, well-aligned with a branded product. Comments and discussion are always prohibited. To be clear, these are reasonable practices


and good starting points for firms in an industry that is too large and wealthy to be urged to do it properly. They are going to where the people are. Good, but it’s not enough.

The virtues of social media ought to be acknowledged and respected, because mere flirtation with them is only minimally effective in nurturing real progressive change. The real problem, in short, is that the pharma-social media connection could be so much more powerful and useful. In the end, everyone would be better off.

Pharma Social Media Hold Up? The big pharmaceutical companies are permanent subjects of intense scrutiny and criticism. This can be attributed to their immense profits, controversial marketing practices and traditional corporate paranoia. As members of such a large and complex ecosystem, there are as many toes to avoid stepping on as there are policies to appease. And let’s not forget about the customers’ lives on the line – that’s a lot of risk to bear.

The firms are accustomed to proactively protecting themselves from certain types of exposure that could damage their corporate/brand reputations, legal standings or financial opportunities. On the surface, partitioning off a section of the marketing mix to social media would cause a disruption in the conventional comfort they have grown to rely on since direct-to-consumer advertising was legalized in the U.S. in 1985. This leads them to be very cautious when approaching social media. Changing the direction of this heavy tide requires brave and deliberate action.

Interestingly, regulation isn’t as much of a concern as many believe it to be. The FDA does not prohibit the usage of the Internet in pharma’s marketing activities. In fact, they would likely be proud supporters. The FDA is quite fond of detailed communication. It requires drug manufacturers to provide all pertinent information concerning an advertised drug. In an effort to curb ethical concerns regarding direct-to-consumer advertising, the FDA takes special care to ensure that products are presented to consumers while minimizing over-pre-scriptions and incorrect self-diagnosis.

Is there hope? Indeed there is! Successful social media strategy requires good planning; good planning takes into account multiple internal departments, motives and strategies; good planning requires strength and foresight to break out of a mold and define new territory. This will undoubtedly involve intense adjustment and a temporary loss of footing as comfort zones re-adjust. Real change is likely to happen only when a solid appreciation for its presence is cultivated.

Clearly, pharma is fraught with certain complications that are absent from other industries, slowing its access to the on-ramp to social media stardom. With a strong initiative to shift attitudes and a plan to adjust internal compliance and regulatory frameworks, pharma can finally get involved in true conversational marketing. Leveraging the power of the mass mind through technological innovations is practical, logical and in some ways critical.

When opening conversations through social media, there is a natural concern over the discussion of adverse events, competing brands and erroneous information. These apprehensions can be quickly dismissed, since the dialog will happen with or without cooperation from pharma. They might as well participate, if not outright manage, the interaction space.


Taking Baby StepsWhile many organizations find social media and social networks to be powerful marketing tools, pharma is particularly poised to take advantage of the benefits, if it can find its way. There are a lot of reasons to explain why it might get lost, but it is important for everyone that steps are taken soon to bridge the gap. One company is attempting to take a bigger step. Johnson & Johnson has acquired childrenwithdiabetes.com, a community site for parents of kids with diabetes. The site features public discussion forums and even accepts ads from competitors. A bold move, indeed. Johnson & Johnson is leading, and joining, a global, open conversation.

Pharma companies can leverage social media in three ways. First, it is an excellent source of online social ethnography (observational research). It is now possible to collect such data without violating regulatory boundaries from both internal (corporate policy) and external (FDA) perspectives. Measurement and intelligence companies such as Nielsen BuzzMetrics, Cymfony, Facebook Lexicon and Socialmention have developed tools that provide detailed information about what consumers and medical professionals think about medications and related issues. Additionally, there are many ways to design effective listening models through strategic and well-executed social media campaigns.

BackType is a great example of a social media tool/service that serves as a ‘conversa-tional search engine’. It not only monitors blog posts, but also tracks the detractors who devalue reputations through negative comments. It acts as a reputation monitoring system


because it allows one to search comments that mention any specific brands; it also allows one to search comments left by particular people. If “JohnDoe123” is constantly criticizing your company, BackType will provide relevant and customizable alerts. Marketers can use BackType to discover if public contributors are genuine customers with valid opinions or malicious perpetrators. This can help prevent abuse in social media campaigns and ought to give internal policy enforcers some relief. There are continuously evolving tools in the social sphere that can be deployed as tactical measures in pharma’s social media endeavors.

The second opportunity for pharma is to truly ‘go where the people are’. It is important to reach out to the consumer where they already are, where they already feel safe in their search for health information. The key values that are emphasized here are transparency and contextual relevancy. Simply put, be honest and clear, and speak to issues with understanding and objectivity. It is only through nurturing these values that pharma can become a credible participant in online conversations and networks. Certainly, it will require a decent level of courage and stamina to tolerate negative commentary; internal policies will have to adapt to include greater flexibility that will enable employees to respond quickly and appropriately.

Cephalon is a good example of a company that is communicating in a relatively transparent fashion with its stakeholders. It has launched the website ADHDbalance.net, which features blogs written by parents, psychologists and others who have tips for people caring for children with ADHD. Other examples include GSK setting up of a blog alliConnect to support its over-the-counter weight-loss aid alli, which is a lower-dose version of their prescription drug, Xenical.


The third opportunity for pharma is to develop physician social networks around brands. By hosting a smart, useful and robust community, it becomes possible to build a potential marketing platform. Pfizer is teaming up with Sermo to create a social networking site. Pfizer can now have access to Sermo’s 31,000 licensed physicians and can interact with them directly. All users in the network remain anonymous and any Pfizer doctors who ask and answer questions are identified as being from Pfizer.

The average face time of a pharma rep is around 2 minutes and most reps carry a laptop or tablet around with a Sales Force Automation / Customer Relationship Management app with Sample Management and Call Detailing which they desperately try to get in front of the MD or practice member. Imagine if it is linked to a physicians’ social networking site, while conforming to the strict requirements of PDMA and 21 CFR Part 11. According to a study done by healthcare research firm Manhattan Research, physicians who participate in online social networks are writing 24 more prescriptions per week than physicians who do not. This is an untapped opportunity for pharma, as long as it can explore creative ways to incorporate this channel into its brand strategies.

There are interesting results waiting to be discovered if we can bring heightened digital socialization to the knowledge base of medical research and health information. An organized collective database of online bookmarks related to particular disorders or diseases could be particularly useful. Medical journals and publications could be accessed through Delicious bookmarking services or Google Reader and related products. Distributing meaningful information to consumers would be made much easier, with far greater opportunities for personalization, in turn supporting more positive experiences.

We are enjoying a phase of intense experimentation on the Web, with unprecedented openness and access. Portals can be generated around aggregated public content, with fascinating possibilities to visualize content that include – and reach far beyond – tag clouds and other familiar features. Technologists are collaborating in interesting unions every day, producing innovative tools and services that manipulate and harness data for positive results. Once we apply Facebook, Twitter, FriendFeed, YouTube, StumbleUpon, and other popular utilities and services, the permutations are virtually endless.

Perhaps we will derive meaningful streams of information that would inevitably self-organize and align itself with the global mind. Perhaps we’ll recognize significant patterns and trends that will have a valuable impact on a certain topic. To take it a step further, by opening up research data and providing custom interactive and social applications, we can enhance pharma’s horsepower with a public sandbox driven by organic solutions. The opportunities are out there.


We are navigating a maze with no clear rules or guidelines. At this time, there is no FDA guideline or regulation that specifically covers the content of online discussion in a way that is different from the reporting of adverse events or information derived from any other source. Current FDA guidelines stipulate four parameters for submitting information about adverse experiences: The pharmaceutical company should have knowledge of

1. An identifiable patient;

2. An identifiable reporter;

3. A specific drug or biologic involved in the event; and

4. An adverse event or fatal outcome.

Any pharmaceutical company considering an entry into the social media space must address the discussion of adverse events. Since there has not been significant activity in the space, we do not know if consumers have a propensity to share adverse experiences online. Does social media monitoring trigger the reporting requirements for adverse effects? There is still no definitive answer.

The pharmaceutical industry is and will continue to be one of the most highly-regulated industries, and justifiably so. We are dealing with people’s health, and sometimes, even life and death. In time, the FDA, OIG and DDMAC will evolve their policies to adapt to the times and provide better, clearer and more comprehensive guidelines for pharma companies, enabling them to use social media responsibly and for the benefit of consumers. In the meantime, expect many more pharma companies to start experimenting with social media by taking baby steps up the on-ramp.


Adam RubinAdam is an Experience Architect at Idea Couture. As a passionate integrator of strategy, technology and design, he bridges gaps between disciplines and synthesizes complex factors into meaningful

experiences; in recent months, his energies have been dedicated to the intricate world of healthcare, as well as emerging opportunities in mobile. Adam holds an MBA from the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto.

Scott FriedmannScott is VP Partner at Idea Couture, where he oversees the firm’s multi-disciplinary teams in the development of innovative solutions for Fortune 500 clients. He is a dynamic executive-level

thinker who operates at the intersection of business model innovation, social media and service design. Scott holds an HBA from the Ivey Business School at the University of Western Ontario and a Masters in Management of Hospitality from Cornell University.

Idea CoutureIdea Couture Inc. is a strategic innovation, experience design and social technologies firm. The company brings together multi-disciplinary thinkers to fill a void in the marketplace between strategic consultants, interactive agencies and design firms. Because of our extensive experience at the cutting edge of the increasingly connected world, we understand the subtleties of how social technologies are changing the business landscape.

IC engages in innovation programs and leverages deep customer insights and social technologies to radically challenge the status quo and create new business ideas that lead to economic value creation. Driven by a singular passion for understanding customer unmet needs and social technologies, our multi-disciplinary innovation process, a.k.a. Noodleplay, uncovers valuable consumer and market insights and inspires lasting, humanizing solutions.

Learn more about Idea Couture’s innovation process at www.noodleplay.com.

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Social Technology in Pharmaceutical Marketing