Expert Review published - Surviving in the Social World: the changing mindset of pharmaceutical sales and marketing
15 June 2011, NetworkPharma Ltd, Oxford, UK have published another in their KeywordPharma series of Expert Reviews intended for individuals working in and around the global pharmaceutical industry.
This new Expert Review, Surviving in the Social World: the changing mindset of pharmaceutical sales and marketing is now available to purchase. Written by Karen Winterhalter, it explores what can be done within current regulations and, importantly, why the industry must develop a new 'social strategy' - before it's too late.
The rapidly evolving world of social media is bringing about another stage in the metamorphosis of the pharmaceutical industry. In the social world, driven by supportive thinking and open and random behaviour, the traditional focus of pharmaceutical sales and marketing has no place. The industry must ditch old habits and move towards a new marketing model. But it must do so within the constraints of apparently restrictive regulation.
The old key opinion leader influencer model of marketing is no longer fit for purpose. A new generation of healthcare decision makers has emerged and is already collaborating online, seeking, sharing and being influenced by the opinions of networks. Pharmaceutical companies are waking up to the fact that they need to develop their own voice in these discussions, and to build a transparent and trusted online reputation with their followers. Many are developing social media policies that allow them to lead their own conversations, and build their social capital.
In recent years there has been an increased interest in how pharma can use social media to engage with its customers while remaining compliant with existing regulations; but there has been too much of a focus on what cannot be done, rather than what is possible. In the UK, the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry Code of Practice provides huge scope for companies to market themselves effectively online, but to exploit this, the industry must adopt a different mindset.
This Expert Review, Surviving in the Social World: the changing mindset of pharmaceutical sales and marketing, looks at the pharmaceutical industry’s progress in the world of social media. It provides examples of pharma’s first tentative footsteps into a new world, explores what can be done within the current regulations and, more importantly, why the industry must develop a new ‘social strategy’ - before it’s too late.
CONTENTS
About the author
Introduction
The changing influencer model
Understanding Generation Y - the doctors of today and tomorrow
Karen Winterhalter is driven by an innate passion and desire to deliver communications programmes that really make a difference to healthcare, Karen founded Onyx Health in 2003, a company that has been at the forefront of developing digital marketing programmes within health communications. In 2010, Karen completed her training to become the first ecademy digital coach specialising in the healthcare and pharmaceutical communications sectors, as she realised that the industry needed to develop a greater understanding of how best to use the new channel of communication.
Karen has over 25 years’ experience within the global pharmaceutical industry and healthcare communications field and has developed programmes which have brought about real change and improvements in healthcare. Her experience covers a diverse range of areas, including opinion leader contact at the highest level, market access, advocacy development, social marketing, health policy, issues and crisis management, media relations and strategic management of communications programmes.
She has held several senior positions within global communications companies. These include Chair of EMEA Healthcare at Burson Marsteller and European Director of Healthcare at Weber Shandwick. Within both roles she was responsible for the strategic growth and development of the business and worked directly with clients, helping them address the ever-changing, and ever more complex, communications environment within the healthcare sector.
Written by pharmaceutical industry specialists, KeywordPharma publications are designed to be authoritative, relevant, succinct and helpful to pharmaceutical industry executives in their day-to-day work and in their longer term career development. Available to purchase individually as e-documents, they build into a specialist knowledge library for everyone working in and around the global pharmaceutical industry.
NetworkPharma Ltd is an independent, specialist company founded by Peter Llewellyn, to focus on novel approaches to disseminating information within the global medical and pharmaceutical industries. Peter Llewellyn previously founded and built the leading industry portal site, InPharm, which was subsequently purchased by John Wiley & Sons to manage alongside their other industry services, PharmaFile and Pharmafocus.
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For more information please contact us via our web site or directly contact Peter Llewellyn, Managing Director, NetworkPharma Ltd, email: peter@networkpharma.com
