“Don’t Ask Me, Frequently.”

Why don’t Pharma use Social Media technology?

Over a billion people hit their ‘connect’ button every day.

They connect with that great virtual brain in the ether-sphere that is the internet.

They connect with sites that tell them stuff about the Pharma brands.

But is it stuff that people actually want to know?

It seems to Thinking Pharma that most Pharma brand web pages are chock full of stuff that is quintessentially irrelevant.

But what would Thinking Pharma know?

The plain truth is that Thinking Pharma doesn’t know what people want to know.

But here’s the rub.

Neither does Big Pharma.

We can deduce Big Pharma doesn’t know because Big Pharma doesn’t ask.

It just tells.

And tells and tells and tells.

Push, push, push.

Nobody at Big Pharma appears to have noticed that the technology of the web enables people to contribute.

To ask questions, to add comments, to rate quality, assess relevance, to build relationships between customers, sellers, producers and distributors.

Questions, Questions, Questions

Check out the Pharma brand sites for yourself.

They are just Brochureware trying to pass themselves off as “helpful information”.

(See:     http://www.xarelto.com/scripts/pages/en/_global/thrombosis-overview.php
http://www.voltaren.com/index.jsp
http://www.abilify.com/
http://www.provigil.com/
http://www.yasmin.com/html/index.html# )

How does Pharma know these sites are helpful?

Well presumably because they are able to answer “FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS”

But how does Pharma know what the questions are?

At the bottom of most sites there is this sad little sentence, discouraging any form of inquiry.

If you have any questions about your health or medicines, talk to your healthcare professional.

Isn’t Pharma one of our health care professionals?

Clearly Pharma doesn’t think so.

So don’t talk to Pharma. Don’t even think about it.

This really is Anti-Social Media.

Social Media implies two-way communication.

The technology is all in place. It’s been there since about 1973 when TCP/IP was developed.

That’s thirty six years or so. It’s a fair while to get used to the idea.

What is stopping Pharma from using the technology?

Could it be supreme arrogance?

Or perhaps a deep seated insecurity about whether the industry is providing value to its customers?

There may be a really good explanation, but I doubt the answer will come from Pharma.
We few really want to know, perhaps we should just do as we are told and……………

“Ask our health care professional…..frequently.”

(Tomorrow’s Post: Herding Cats)