At first I thought the question was kind of silly. There are PLENTY of examples out there where pharma has successfully used social media.
But then it got me thinking....outside of corporate blogs or Twitter pages, how many examples of are there of pharma using real social media are there - and by real social media, I mean online media that allows a back and forth conversation between various parties.
This back and forth conversation, and the ability to change, respond, influence, and engage with the people who create the content we read online is what makes social media so exciting to me.
But when I think about the examples of pharma dabbling in social media that are out there today, like the ADHD Moms Facebook page, I think it is a noble attempt and I have a lot of respect for J&J for the effort (after all, somebody had to try!). But it doesn't get me excited because it is missing the most essential part of social media - the conversation.
Pulitzer prize-winning journalist and mother of a child with ADHD, Katherine Ellison wrote an op-ed piece in The L.A. Times about the ADHD Moms Facebook page, which launched last July and was created in response to research that showed mothers who have children with ADHD feel isolated and also tend to use Facebook. The article dissects the pros and cons of the Facebook page (which of course doesn't allow for ANY interaction between its 8,000+ fans), and ultimately concludes the following.....
"Alas, there's still no such thing as one-click parenting. Our choices about how to treat our children's emotional and mental travails surely shouldn't be as lonely, painful, costly or shaming as they are today. But virtual "friends" aren't the answer."
As I said before, I think the ADHD Moms page is a noble attempt at social media given the hurdles it is up against, but I agree it doesn't solve the problem it set out to solve - which was to help Moms feel less isolated and to be a trusted resource about ADHD.
This article raises the question - what could be done by pharma to tackle this problem? And could it be done using social media?
Suggestions are welcome. I will also be thinking of some potential solutions (and if I come up with any, I will post them here!).
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4 comments:
Do you consider any of the programs listed on my pharma/healthcare social media wiki to be "real" social social media?
Good post and got me thinking. I think the answer is "yes" in time, but not without someone willing to take a bit of a leap.
Thanks for the comment! I assume that for now, most of pharma's social media endeavors have the same restrictions that keep the ADHD Moms page from being truly social.
In the case of ADHD Moms, the purpose of the page was to connect moms, but it isn't actually allowing mothers to connect. That said, it could still be working really well for McNeil Pediatrics and may be getting a good ROI.
I want to do some investigating to see what pharma has done that has been more social. There may be other channels outside facebook where that two-way conversation is actually happening.
Yes I absolutely agree with Jonathan. It is a good post and the social media health care is actually important as it spreads awareness through videos. This is actually a great step forward to spread pharma through social media. Great work Thanks
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