The blog of UK-based publication John Mack's Pharma Marketing Blog News this week led with the headline “65% of psychiatrists say “no” to pharma on Facebook!”. The blog highlights an online survey conducted by Psychiatric Times revealing that the majority of psychiatrists believe that pharmaceutical companies should not be allowed to join social networking sites, such as Facebook, to promote their products.
On the face of it this may seem like a forthright rejection of the industry’s involvement in social media, but as Pharma Marketing News rightly points out, the key wording in the question comes right at the end – ‘to promote their products’. It is unlikely that the majority of people who engage in social media would want it to be used for the overt promotion of anything. The only surprise in the statistic is that the 65% is so low.
Social media is about meaningful engagement between individuals connecting because of a common purpose or shared interest (whether that is a TV show, a local restaurant, a health condition, or simply friendship). If social media allows individuals such as patients with a certain health condition or physicians with a special interest in treating that condition to interact with some of the partners involved in the management approaches of it (including the pharmaceutical industry) then why not?
Pharma Marketing News has taken the initiative to follow up the question with a more in-depth survey of people’s attitudes to how the industry should engage with social media. The results of this should prove to be quite insightful.
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Comments (5)
Thanks for the mention.
Please correct the statement: "The blog of UK-based publication Pharma Marketing News" to simply: "Pharma Marketing Blog" or "John Mack's Pharma Marketing Bloh"
Neither the blog nor Pharma Marketing News is UK-based, unfortunately. If anything, it's US -based.
John Mack
Posted by John Mack | May 18, 2009 2:42 PM
Posted on May 18, 2009 14:42
Hi, Great post! I felt great reading your blog post. I’m working with my friend in a small internet marketing business as a web developer. When I’m free I go around for some IT info
Posted by Jeff Paul Internet Business | May 18, 2009 10:34 PM
Posted on May 18, 2009 22:34
Just wanted to point out that the pharma marketing blog is actually American, and not UK-based. They're based on Pennsylvania.
Posted by Eric | May 19, 2009 11:17 PM
Posted on May 19, 2009 23:17
There are many flavors to promotion, and pharma is phiguring out, through small and sometimes brave experiments, how to use these channels for win-win outcomes. I would point to Johnson & Johnson's YouTube videos on HIV, cancer, and other topics. They're engaging and informative and a good use of the medium. Trust can be built a step, and a project, at a time.
Posted by Jane Sarasohn-Kahn | June 11, 2009 9:01 AM
Posted on June 11, 2009 09:01
Pharma Marketing Blog is a nice blog, and John Mack is an active blogger.
http://medical-brochures.blogspot.com/
Posted by PharmaMarketer | August 21, 2009 6:43 PM
Posted on August 21, 2009 18:43