#medcomms

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Two years ago, I attended an interesting debate on the use of digital and social media platforms in healthcare, and specifically their adoption by pharma. The overriding message from attendees – including pharma marketers, healthcare communications specialists (e.g. medcomms) and freelance writers – was that (as in other industries) pharma should already be embracing these technologies. However, it was universally acknowledged that with respect to the use of social media, there were challenges and obstacles particular to pharma that need careful elucidation and navigation before jumping on the Twitter bandwagon.

Fast forward to the beginning of 2013 and we’re back at the same venue for a panel-led discussion of the challenges in social media for the pharma industry – and somewhat frustratingly in this fast-moving arena, the sentiments were basically the same.

Attempting to define “medcomms” with a crowd of medcomms agency workers, freelancers and recruiters was ambitious. First we need to clarify “social media” in the context of pharma, as well as the relevance of some of the buzz words and phrases that were mentioned, including “big data”, “visualizing data and Google” “SEO”, “listening” “gentle social media”.

The increasing usage and interest in social media may reflect the increasing scope in patient participation in treatment pathways rather than represent client (pharma) interests. Social media embraces two-way communication, connecting pharma with prescribers and patients, providing information and education. Unfortunately, what pharma often hears back may not be to their liking in a public forum where reporting of adverse events is a real issue.

Typical social media channels (e.g. Twitter) do not necessarily provide adequate platforms for corporate responses to negative sentiment. In the case of some industries (fashion being one example), Twitter can provide for immediacy of information, therefore being primarily perceived as a customer service, and in some instances damage control. However, with the highly regulated, process-driven environment seen in pharma, the beauty of the immediacy of response is lost.

So, what do pharma clients want? They are hungry for digital projects delivered by multiagency, multiplatform communicators, all bound by industry guidelines. And what is the healthcare communications industry currently doing in order to evolve and meet these needs? One answer is – not enough.

The outstanding question remains: is there a role for specialist communicators, such as medcomms, in providing guidance and consultancy to pharma?  Perhaps this lies in helping (web-naïve or averse?) clients to understand the potential of social media whist circumnavigating the pitfalls. Some (Facebook-literate) pharma marketers are frustrated at traditionalist medcomms agencies that cannot already provide this guidance on the spot, as well as the services that offer the flip side of social media shout outs – namely listening strategies and sentiment analysis.

Via NetworkPharma and The Publication Plan: