Interlink Insight

Vol. 10 Issue-1, Vol. 10 Issue-1 Jan - Mar 2012

Place of Social Media in Pharmaceutical Marketing

Mala Raj

Social media is a phrase that is being tossed around a lot these days. But have Indian Pharma marketers been able to tap Social Media opportunities? This article interestingly captures Indian & Global scenario, and proposes steps for Effective Social Media Marketing in Pharmaceutical space

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Interlink Insight

Vol. 10 Issue-1 Jan - Mar 2012

he search for newer ways of connecting to and communicating with prospective customers has always been a major focus area for Pharma Marketers. The past decade has seen the emergence of a new medium, viz., Social Media (SM), which has revolutionized the way in which the world communicates. SM comprise not only of Blogger, Facebook, Youtube, and Twitter, but also include blogs, discussion boards, video sharing, and health portals Marketers of FMCG goods were among the first to tap into the vast potential of SM Marketing, followed by many B2C marketers. Would SM be suitable for Pharma products too? Have Pharma marketing teams in the world and in India exploited this media? This article aims at exploring these and other similar issues. Reach of Internet and Social Media Statistics reveal that India has more than 50 million active Internet users, with over 20 million accessing the net daily and more than 10 million using SM frequently. The annual growth rate of SM in India is around 35%. Admittedly, the statistics are very impressive in terms of volumes and growth. Consider the following statistics on Internet usage for health information. Various international studies estimate that 7580% of Internet users have looked online for health information. 59% of Internet users say that the information they found online led them to ask their doctor new questions or to get a second opinion. Regarding the use of SM for health information, 34% of Internet users, or 25% of adults, have read someone else's commentary or experience about health or medical issues on an online news forum, website, or blog. In addition, 25% of Internet users, or 19% of adults, have watched an online video related to health or medical issues. Extrapolating the same to the Indian scenario, this translates to around 40 million Indians looking out for health information on the net, 17 million reading healthcare experiences of others, and 12 million watching health videos and the like! Have Indian Pharma marketers suitably tapped this audience? Before we address this question, let's take a look at the use of Social Media Marketing by Pharma companies in the Western countries.

Pharma Social Media Marketing Scenario in the West Beginning in 2005, Pharma companies in the West have had many 'firsts' to their credit. Given below are some SM Marketing inroads made by Pharma Companies in the West (U.S. and/ or U.K. mainly). 2005 Pharmaceutical companies begin exploring blogging, a notable example being Pfizer's 'Think Science Now' Blog. 2006 Pharmaceutical websites that include a discussion board launched, e.g., GSK's 'QuestionEverything.com' that allowed consumers to interact amongst themselves and with experts. 1st Pharma-sponsored YouTube video directed at consumers launched (GSK's 'My Dad has Restless Leg Syndrome') 2007 1st Pharmaceutical Corporate Blog launched (Johnson & Johnson's 'JNJBTW') 1st Pharmaceutical Product Blog launched (GSK's AlliConnect to promote Alli, its OTC weight loss brand) Innovative YouTube Video Contest by a Pharma Company (Novartis's 'FluFlix' Video contest encouraging people to send in videos expressing how they felt about flu and how it affects them.) 1st Collaboration of a Pharma company with an online physician community (Pfizer with Sermo) 2008 1st Pharma company blog that openly discusses an Rx product and associated medical conditions (CNT0411 by Centocor) Purchase of an online Patient Community by a Pharma company (J&J's purchase of 'Children with Diabetes, Inc.') 1st Pharma YouTube Channel launched by Johnson & Johnson 1st Pharma Facebook page by McNeil Pediatrics (ADHD Moms which allowed visitors to download material and participate in polls, but did not permit any comments to be posted) 2009 1st Pharma Rx Product Branded YouTube Channel launched (AstraZeneca's 'MyAsthma Story' for its brand, Symbicort) 1st Pharma Twitter post to mention a brand name and indication (Tweets by @AstraZeneca, which included the name 'Crestor' and

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indications - 'reduce CV risk') 1st Pharma sponsored online patient community that embraces adverse events (UCB and 'PatientsLikeME' create an online, open epilepsy community for capturing real-world experiences of epileptics in the U.S.) 1st Pharma Rx Branded Tweet (Novonordisk's branded diabetes spokesperson, Charlie Kimball sends the first Rx branded tweet via his 'Race with Insulin' Twitter account) 1st Pharma Live Tweet Stream from a Major Medical Conference (Boehringer Ingelheim promoted results of a clinical study using Twitter) 1st Pharma Twitter Account Focused on Medical Condition (Shire's Pharmaceuticals @adhdsupport) 2010 Facebook overtakes Google as the most visited Website in the U.S. 1st Official Pharma Facebook page to allow comments without pre-screening (Janssen's FB page on 'Psoriasis 360') 2011 1 s t L i v e Tw i t t e r C h a t h o s t e d b y a Pharmaceutical Company (By @AstraZenecaUS to raise awareness on Rx savings programs) British Pharmaceutical Industry issues 'Informal' Social Media Guidance Facebook makes it mandatory that comments be turned on for all pages including those by Pharma companies/brands More YouTube Branded Channel Launched (Sanofi-Aventis's 'Why Insulin') Thus, many Pharma companies in the west have set the pace for interacting more closely and openly with the end-users (consumers), with a view to studying their behaviour, understanding their perceptions, gathering feedback, and, if warranted, adapting to their needs and suggestions. Social Media Marketing and Pharma the Indian Scenario Unlike that in the west, the use of SM as a marketing tool by Pharma companies has remained rather limited in India, with hardly any visible or significant usage by any Indian pharmaceutical company. One main reason for this could be the difference in regulatory legislation governing advertising of Pharmaceutical brands between the India and Western countries like the U.S. In the U.S., direct promotion to end-users is permissible by law. Pharma brands are advertised on Television, websites, health

portals, in print media, etc. SM thus seems to be a step forward in integration of the same. Although the U.S. FDA is yet to announce formal guidelines on the use of SM for brand promotion or other activities aimed at building customer relationship, they scrutinise the same and have even taken action in case of false claims or claims not supported by medical data. In fact, the U.S. FDA has even sent warning letters to companies to alter/withdraw their promotional videos (e.g., warning to Shire Pharmaceuticals for YouTube video on their brand Adderall XR). In contrast, India has no guidelines on 'Online Promotion.' A few sections from the Information Technology (Amendment) Act, 2008, regarded as India's cyber law, may provide some guidelines on the use of SM as a promotional tool. Besides this, Pharma companies in India cannot legally promote their ethical brands (Prescription-only brands) directly to consumers. Only OTC brands can be promoted to consumers, which has been done using conventional media such as television, print, and hoardings. There appears to be some inhibition on the part of Indian Pharma companies to experiment with the use of SM, even to promote OTC brands, despite the fact that it costs very little to invest in SM marketing. The time has come for Indian Pharma companies to change as per the times and to take initiatives to explore and exploit SM for Pharma Marketing. Steps for Effective Social Media Marketing by Indian Pharmaceutical Marketers 1.Decide the Social Marketing Goal The Marketing Team must brainstorm and come up with a proper set of goals for which they wish to utilise SM Marketing. Only if the goals are clearly framed can a suitable marketing strategy be formulated. Without a perfect goal, the organisation will be directionless and head nowhere in particular. Some common SM goals are to improve communication and initiate inter-personal interaction, create brand awareness, create disease awareness, create corporate awareness, collect feedback, monitor adverse events and enhance sales and revenue and the net worth of the brand/organisation. While OTC brands can adopt many of these goals, other brands can use SM to build awareness about the organisation, disease conditions, or a cause. 2.Frame the Marketing Strategy and Campaign Once the goals are set, the concerned

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Marketer/Team must conduct a detailed study of all available options and prepare a strategy for meeting the goals. It is very important to identify the target audience, the available resources, and the time frame for reaching the goal. Since the PMT in most organizations are not adequately exposed to framing SM strategies, it is advisable to seek assistance from experts in this field. 3.Choose carefully from among various Social Media tools available There are many platforms available for reaching out to an online audience; these include Health portals, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. These can be used as separate marketing tools or one can opt for an integrated plan. Health portals provide basic information about disease, treatment options, scientific guidelines for management of the condition, etc. They also include patient blogs where patients exchange information about their condition, their experiences with various drugs, etc. India has many Health portals which reach out to millions of Indians. For example, www.medindia.com, in existence since 1997, boasts of a reach of over 25 million people with its health-related information that runs to over 200,000 pages. Companies that choose to blog should ensure fairness in communication by providing unbiased information and by promoting a cause rather than a brand. Listening to other members is also important to understand their point of view and learn from their experience and expectations. Networking sites like Facebook have been used to create and raise awareness. However, prior to choosing FB, the organisation must have a suitable structure in place to monitor activities on their wall, note comments, respond quickly and accurately, and keep followers engaged. Also, FB users typically engage in informal two-way communication, and not all brands or disease conditions can lend themselves to informal discussions. So, think and plan keeping these points in mind.

Twitter is useful for disseminating small volumes of information. However, Twitter would be more appropriate for corporate communication than brand communication as many Pharma brands demand a fairly moderate volume of communication, including explanations, disclaimers, and adverse event reporting, so as to be understood appropriately. Companies can use online video-sharing sites like YouTube to create their own mini channels on which they can keep adding more videos on their OTC brands, patient stories, diseases, etc. An important point to be considered is that Social Media are becoming a point-to-point ondemand Mobile communication tool. Thus, the speed of interaction is very important to keep online mobile-based SM users engaged. Pharma companies entering into this arena must establish systems that facilitate such speedy interactions, which is a far cry from the typical centralised, slow, cautious, and controlled system that the industry is used to. In conclusion, Indian Social Media Pharma Marketing has a long way to go. To begin with, leading OTC brands can venture into this media and enjoy the benefits of a close, two-way interaction with customers. Prescription brands can use Social Media to disseminate accurate and easy-to-understand information on disease conditions, disease management, etc., and thus build indirect loyalty to the organisation. Sooner or later, a beginning has to made, considering the sheer volumes that Social Media can reach out to. So get set and start thinking about a Social Media plan for your organisation and your brands. References www.pharmamarketingnews.com www.astonjournals.com/bej www.medindia.net www.tapanray.in www.impactiviti.wordpress.com/2011/07/08 www.marketlan.co.cc www.expresspharmaonline.com

Mrs. Mala Raj, is a senior consultant at Interlink. She is a brand management expert and is well versed with the intricacies of Pharma Marketing in the country. She is an excellent trainer for marketing strategies and selling skills for MR's

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