CONNECTING THE DOTS:

CONNECTING THE DOTS: Which pharma companies are
succeeding in the social media space?
APRIL 2015 | #OgilvyPharmaSocial The Social Media Audit: why we did it
The pharmaceuEcal industry is becoming increasingly reliant on social media as a key plaLorm for communicaEng with mulEple stakeholders. As big believers in the power of social to transform brands, campaigns and corporate reputaEon, we wanted to iden0fy the current big players, and what we can learn from their efforts. 2 What we did 3 How we analysed the data
We evaluated how each company was performing across six key categories: 1 Social presence
4 Activity
Was the content kept fresh with regular updates? How many social networks was the company on? 3 Community Size
How big was the community? 2 Social network
5 Engagement
Were the companies engaging their users and generaEng interest? How simple and intuiEve was the connecEon between social networks? 6 Virality
Was the content spread around the social sphere? 4 Some key findings 5 Three distinct groups emerged
The group of companies ahead of the pack and ‘connec0ng the dots’ have successfully integrated social media into their wider markeEng strategy. Their content is relevant and meaningful and effecEvely engages their audiences. Those ‘dabbling with the dots’ have a substanEal social media presence but may not be maintaining a constant level of acEvity or aYracEng loyal followers. 6 A small subgroup are ‘searching for strategy’: they know they want to be involved in social, but have not had the strategy to stand against the compeEEon. Pharma is becoming more social
7 So why should pharma use social media?
“We want to show that we’re listening and responding
to the expectations of society. And that’s probably why
social media is so very helpful…We have the
opportunity to reach our audiences directly…
to have a dialogue”
“Social media has changed the way
pharma communicates – it allows
companies to build corporate reputation
and engage in genuine, meaning ful
conversations with audiences. For pharma
companies who want to stand out from the
crowd it’s time to be brave, get personal,
educate and integrate social media into
their wider marketing strategy.”
Janet Morgan, Director of Corporate ReporEng and Content, GSK “The conversation is there. People are talking about
you, whether you’re active or not. Social media gives
you the opportunity to engage in that conversation, to
give your position and your statement, and maybe then
hopefully change the opinion of one person or two”
Rebecca Canvin, Social Media Manager, Ogilvy Healthworld Patricia Alves, Social Media and Community Manager, Boehringer Ingelheim 8 How can pharma better connect the dots?
Six key takeaways which we believe can help companies stand out from the social media crowd. Be
Brave
It’s not going to be an easy ride but the ROI can make it worth the effort Get
personal Don’t just fire out messages, interact with your followers Move
fast
Back
yourself
up (but wear a life jacket) Get your medical, regulatory and legal teams as excited about social as you are Make sure you deal with issues in a Emely manner before things escalate 9 Give
guidance Plan for different and ready to deal with tough quesEons Inform
and
educate
Make an effort to produce interesEng content that sets you apart from your compeEtors For the full report or for more information contact:
Toula.Stoffel@ogilvy.com