What I have been reading

eMarketer: Pharma Industry Failing at Web 2.0. A new study from eMarketer finds that the pharmaceuticals industry has been slow to adopt Web 2.0. For those of us on the front lines of pharma marketing, this information is hardly breaking news, but it is true that an embarrassing majority of senior management would likely struggle to come up with a vision for web marketing in their business, let alone any meaningful definition of Web 2.0. (For those wondering, the study author rudimentally describes Web 2.0 as social networking, blogging, and video). More worrisome, internet apathy tends to extend throughout marketing organizations, although line managers may be avid consumers of web applications themselves. I’ve yet to come across a product manager with a blog, but pharma marketers do seem to make great web lurkers i.e. visiting YouTube, forwarding viral videos, and managing their Linkedin/XING profiles whenever possible.

However, it is an oversimplication to blame the marketing staff for failing to adopt Web 2.0 strategies. In most big pharma companies, marketers are kept on a short leash, making investment in unproven and unconventional areas virtually impossible. After all, pharmaceutical sales and marketing is highly regulated, both within the corporation (self-regulation) and from the outside world (law and government).

Web 2.0 has emerged as a conundrum for pharmaceutical companies. Patients, physicians, providers, and other stakeholders of the health care system have taking their discussions, criticisms, and commentaries to the web, yet conspicuously absent from the conversation is an entire industry. Pharmaceutical companies will need to find innovative ways into the conversation, while remaining within the confines of industry regulations and true to corporate ethical standards. Until this happens, we can look forward to more product sites with circa 1999 brochureware.

Saturday, September 22nd, 2007 @ 4:44 am Uncategorized
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