CAMPAIGN SPOTLIGHT: Social media imperative for pharma marketers

‘From Drugs to Brands’, Campaign Asia Pacific’s inaugural Spotlight, brought together senior pharma marketers from across the region to tackle topics ranging from Asia’s changing landscape, building brands in emerging markets, patent expiry and collaborative pharma marketing.

Managing director of Kantar Health for APMEA Stephen Potts says the traditional model of brands communicating to physicians, who then talk to patients, has been severely disrupted by social media and online. “How many brands represented here today are monitoring what is said about them on-line?” he asked, to which only one company representative raised his hand.

Len Starnes, head of digital marketing and sales for general medicine at Bayer Schering Pharma, said that collaboration is key to the future of pharma marketing. He pointed to the number of social networks springing up, for physicians and specialists to co-consult on diagnoses; and for e-patients to share knowledge and experience.

“PR is also a huge problem for the pharmaceutical industry, there is a lot of mistrust between the medical profession and the public,” he said.

As an example of good practice, Starnes pointed to J&J’s social media specialist Marc Monseau, who blogs and tweets on behalf of the pharma giant, staring with “Everyone else is talking about our company so why can’t we?”

“J&J are the only pharma conversing in real-time with the consumer,” said Starnes, “and it’s where we should all be.”