GLOBALHealthPR » Digital & Social Media Strategy http://www.globalhealthpr.com Thu, 17 Sep 2015 16:10:40 +0000 en-US hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=4.2.5 Digital for Pharma in India: A Pro’s View http://www.globalhealthpr.com/digital-social-media-strategy/digital-for-pharma-in-india-a-pros-view/ http://www.globalhealthpr.com/digital-social-media-strategy/digital-for-pharma-in-india-a-pros-view/#comments Tue, 11 Nov 2014 01:10:47 +0000 http://globalhealthpr.com/ghprblog/?p=2010 With an explosion in technology and social media coupled with the high usage of mobile phones in India, the digital space can overwhelm any pharma marketer who is used to traditional and regulated ways of communication with their target audiences.

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Priti MohileToday’s post comes to us from Priti Mohile, Managing Director of GLOBALHealthPR India partner MediaMedic.

Recently, I had the opportunity to speak at Indian Drug Manufacturing Association marketing seminars in Mumbai and Chennai on the topic ‘Digital Marketing in pharma’. There was a significant presence of industry employees in attendance, ranging from brand managers to marketing managers.

One thing is certain: There is immense curiosity about how the digital medium can be used by pharma, both in India and globally. Each person has his or her own unique understanding of digital and its platforms, and we can apply learnings in our own way.

Priti_Mohile _IDMA_digital_pharma_MarketingThe whole spectrum of ‘Digital Marketing in Pharma’ is indeed intriguing, and to wrap it all into an hour or so is not an easy task at all. I chose to give an overview and then take the audience  through a process of using this medium while simultaneously keeping ‘key marketing objectives’ in mind. With an explosion in technology and social media coupled with the high usage of mobile phones in India, the whole medium overwhelms any pharma marketer who is used to traditional and regulated ways of communication with their target audiences. It is like the story of an elephant and the blind men, where each one feels a different part of the elephant, but only one part; then compare notes and learn that they are in complete disagreement, leading to confusion. Such confusion can make matters worse when any company wishes to implement the use of a digital medium. To make matters worse, there is an additional lack of understanding of this medium by the senior management.

The fact is, our target audiences—be  it the doctor, the patient, the care-giver or the consumer in general—are  increasingly using the new technology and medium. If we do not utilize this medium to its fullest potential are we not then losing an opportunity staring at us in the face? Should the industry shy away from the newest technology just because they do not understand how to use it?

The opportunity is endless, but the problem usually is where to begin.

Rather than being overwhelmed by the different aspects of the medium and the new lingo that goes with it, one can follow a simple approach:

  • Keep your target customer at the centre and think of what you wish to achieve.
  • Check if this the new medium or platform provides any answers to achieve that objective.
  • Each target customer set will need a different approach (eg, do you wish to address a doctor or a caregiver or a consumer?)
  • Do not try to do everything all by yourself as you may not be an expert at it.
  • Use the right service providers who understand both digital & pharma and their regulations as well.
  • Frame your own key performance indicators for any particular project with detailed discussions with your service providers.
  • Do look into the regional and cultural factors affecting healthcare.
  • Customer behaviour differs from region to region, that needs to be understood.
  • The manner in which a typical consumer thinks and behaves when he/she is going to make a decision about consuming medicines should govern the strategies employed.
  • One-off creation of a mobile app or Facebook page may not serve any purpose unless weaved into the overall strategy.
  • Use online and offline integration for best results– pharma has that wonderful advantage of having large field-forces.
  • Use integrated communications – digital along with PR to amplify reach.
  • Multiple language usage offers immense opportunity too, especially for a country like India.
  • A brand can make use of social media listening to inform engagement depending on its regulatory status and what it wishes to achieve.
  • Consider this as another medium to achieve your objective.
  • Keep an open mind and a long-term view.

Currently, sales force e-reporting is being used by many companies and tablet detailing has only begun. Using the medium to its full potential still has a long way to go. In order to ensure this medium’s success, ‘strategy’ has to be centre-stage. Healthcare and medicine usage is a delicate subject bound by regulations, but that does not hinder the usage of this new digital medium…provided it is done with responsibility.

There is no doubt that a new era has begun offering a new set of opportunities with the potential to achieve many things. A new era that one could not operate within with the previous limitations set that we have  worked with for the past many decades.

 

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The World Has Changed – How Does This Impact the World of Healthcare? http://www.globalhealthpr.com/digital-social-media-strategy/the-world-has-changed-how-does-this-impact-the-world-of-healthcare/ http://www.globalhealthpr.com/digital-social-media-strategy/the-world-has-changed-how-does-this-impact-the-world-of-healthcare/#comments Fri, 03 Oct 2014 09:59:34 +0000 http://globalhealthpr.com/ghprblog/?p=1965 We are post-industrial, in the information age, living the digital life, immersed in data, the zeitgeist being grounded in human empowerment. How does this affect healthcare marketing and engagement?

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Today’s post comes to us from Rudy Tambala of GLOBALHealthPR UK partner, Aurora Communications.

We are post-industrial, in the information age, living the digital life, immersed in data, the zeitgeist being grounded in human empowerment. How does this affect healthcare marketing and engagement?

Watch our video – we’ll show you how…

All of the trends, hypes and buzzwords that you are hearing have common features – they are moving us towards a people-centric approach, based upon individual needs, not the old, industrial mass approximations of needs. For business, this means placing people (not products) at the centre of everything, and this requires a holistic viewpoint.

To be truly holistic we need to get the big picture, and integrate the component parts which will include:

  • Business integration – the de-siloing of brands and operational units, creating consistency and efficiencies, sharing culture, understanding and direction
  • Data and reporting integration – the harmonisation and sharing of business and customer intelligence, to generate more and better actionable insights, for better services and performance
  • Integration of products, services and marketing – the blurring of the lines, the art of co-created and holistic service design

Our GLOBALHealthPR office in the UK (Aurora) has an expert team that specialise in helping clients integrate their marketing communications activities. Aurora has created a free-to-use online assessment tool (IMC Index Lite) that takes about five minutes to complete and provides an individualised commentary on how integrated activities are provides with tips for improvement.

Click here to give it a try.

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We Hate Data and Dialogue? http://www.globalhealthpr.com/digital-social-media-strategy/we-hate-data-and-dialogue/ http://www.globalhealthpr.com/digital-social-media-strategy/we-hate-data-and-dialogue/#comments Wed, 09 Apr 2014 12:40:12 +0000 http://globalhealthpr.com/ghprblog/?p=1585 Today’s blog comes to us from Aaron Pond, Director at G […]

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Today’s blog comes to us from Aaron Pond, Director at GLOBALHealthPR UK partner, Aurora.

Activating the public’s voice in healthcare priority setting intuitively makes sense, but can be laden with challenges and risks marginalising those voices that most need to be heard. Surely these aren’t reasons for not trying?

Theorists see a number of benefits in involving the public in healthcare priority setting and perhaps the one that resonates the most with me is instrumental benefit – engaging the public can help identify key social value considerations that should shape policy. After all, a policy should complement the opinions of the public it serves.

Will the public engage when we ask them questions like, “what principles should your health provider work to when serving your community?” and “what outcomes do you expect from your health service and deem most important?” Will they even know how to respond? Will the responses be robust, reliable, valid, generalisable or any other measure we care to apply to conclude whether the data set presents value to decision making or not? And if we can’t agree an answer to these questions at the outset, why should we even start?

Hierarchies of data and levels of analysis have featured in human endeavours since the beginning – the warning cry of an alpha-male caused more commotion among apes than the alerts of a junior, a multi-centre study with replicable results presents a more attractive offering than a qualitative interview for many researchers. Yet should the junior monkey be ignored or the insights from the interview be considered any less pertinent? As the socialisation of media continues unabated and society starts to explore the notion of the quantified self and big data, will our hierarchies of information change?

Pondering these questions, America Speaks provides a 19 year long case study of how technology and a bit of “out of the box” thinking can be used to get the public to air their views and generate engagement with “big debates”. Using technology to facilitate “uber town hall meetings” across the US, the programme has harnessed the public’s voices to assist policy decision-making. Imagine what could be possible as we go into the era of 4G and the coming-of-age of Generation Wifi – the willingness and ability of the public to share its opinions could be limitless!

As for hierarchies of data, the world of clinical trials is seeing a move towards real world data, highlighting a change in classical notions of data value. Social-research methodologies such as the citizen jury exist that can be used to guide the process of insight collection and deliberation on complex topics. I for one can imagine using the citizen jury format to facilitate a set of tweet-ups on a pertinent topic such as the impending obesity time bomb or the continuation of full health services for smokers.

The potential for the public to add value to the process of healthcare priority setting was highlighted by Litva et al. in 2002 and the world has changed significantly since then – more things are possible than ever before. However, when considering this at a global level, we really need to take into account cultural differences and how the general public in different countries voice their views. What are the challenges faced by your country? How can we address these in attempting to stimulate debate and gathering data about healthcare needs across the globe?

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The Future of Social Networking http://www.globalhealthpr.com/digital-social-media-strategy/the-future-of-social-networking/ http://www.globalhealthpr.com/digital-social-media-strategy/the-future-of-social-networking/#comments Wed, 05 Mar 2014 01:00:00 +0000 http://globalhealthpr.com/ghprblog/?p=1523 While in Hamburg with our partners at fischerAppelt, I […]

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eturnerWhile in Hamburg with our partners at fischerAppelt, I was able to catch a few sessions at Hamburg’s social media week. The most interesting session was focused on the neurobiology of social media, presented by Stefanie Kuhnhen of Grabarz & Partner and Markus von der Lühe of Adknowledge. The presenters conducted focus groups with digital natives (those 13-16 years old) and leveraged neurobiology research to explore why we engage with digital engagement the way we do.

The very short version of their session is this. The human brain has six intelligence centers, each with different needs. Today, to meet the needs of these intelligence centers, we use multiple platforms and express different “personas.” These intelligence centers include:

 

  1. Tribal spirit/sense of belonging (Facebook)
  2. Creativity/self-expression (Pinterest)
  3. Entrepreneurial spirit/achievement (LinkedIn)
  4. Emotional Intelligence/connection
  5. Pattern Recognition/learning (Twitter)
  6. Vision/Future Hope

Currently, there are no social platforms that appeal to emotional intelligence and vision/future hope. To build more sustainable digital platforms of the future, the presenters argued, we need to find a way to appeal to these basic needs. Further, the presenters believe that in the future, instead of actively looking to multiple social platforms to express our different personas and social needs, the user experience will be much more integrated, helping to alleviate some of the burnout experienced by today’s social media user.

For me, integration seems like it will be much more sustainable, but at the same time, it’s a little scary. I think there is a small part of all of us who like the freedom to be step out of ourselves and be “different people” when with different people. I’m interested to see how much people are willing to give that up.

What do you envision social media will look like in 2025?

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The Myth of Multichannel http://www.globalhealthpr.com/digital-social-media-strategy/the-myth-of-multichannel/ http://www.globalhealthpr.com/digital-social-media-strategy/the-myth-of-multichannel/#comments Fri, 27 Dec 2013 15:32:00 +0000 http://globalhealthpr.com/ghprblog/?p=1308 Today’s blog post comes to us from Rudy Tambala o […]

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Today’s blog post comes to us from Rudy Tambala of GLOBALHealthPR partner in the UK, Aurora.

A word from Aurora, goddess of the dawn

underworld - multichannel blog

I like to think of multichannel marketing in terms of Greek mythology; it is the mythical beast that must be tamed or slayed, if the hero is to survive.

But which damn beast?

Proteus, the shape-shifter that can adopt many forms, or Hydra, the many-headed serpent – cut one off, two grow back – and don’t forget the Sirens, who lure you into the sea with their hypnotic song, to a watery death.

Approaching multichannel I’ve seen many a hero petrified, as if under the gaze of Medusa, the gorgon.

My favourite comparison however is not a beast, but the Underworld itself – a mysterious place we enter after death – we must pay the ferryman, cross the river Styx and face Cerberus, the three headed giant hound. And what are the three heads on that gnarly beast?

  1. The first is called Strategyos – it is robust, and has the power of foresight and far-sight
  2. The second is Adoptionikos – it is a great sage and teacher, skilled in the ways of The Underworld, and knowledgeable of human desires and motives
  3. The third is Implementationillion – it was the architect of The Underworld, building it with its own paws, keeping a watchful red eye on its creation and the inhabitants, for all eternity

However, let’s get back to present day – without excellent strategy, stakeholder adoption and precision implementation, pharma will struggle to engage the customer and deliver on business objectives, revenues and better health outcomes.

An excellent multichannel strategy will:

  • Engage customers with the right content, in the right place, at the right time
  • Optimise the conversation across different touchpoints, and in a flexible sequence
  • Measure all interactions for effectiveness, driving actionable insights for continuous improvement

So, in English, what are the many heads – sorry, components – of multichannel excellence?

Each organisation has unique requirements based upon its own internal process and the behaviours of its external stakeholder networks (HCPs, patients, partners, and so on).

Multichannel image

Multichannel

At Aurora we organise our service offering around delivering excellence in multichannel. This includes thought leadership, co-creation workshops, organisational and behaviour change and, ultimately, implementation of integrated multichannel frameworks, touchpoints and campaigns. Like the mythical Greek beasts, multichannel can take on many forms – it must be modular and flexible, based upon your needs and preferences – and NEVER set in stone!

Business solutions

Contact us if you would like your teams to say:

”I understand multichannel and why it is important to my business. I have the knowledge, tools and support I need to implement multichannel. I feel confident that I can do this. I will make a start now and aim for continual improvement.”

So, cross the River Styx with us, and fear no beast.

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Digital Doctors Lessening the Divide in Health Communications http://www.globalhealthpr.com/digital-social-media-strategy/digital-doctors-lessening-the-divide-in-health-communications/ http://www.globalhealthpr.com/digital-social-media-strategy/digital-doctors-lessening-the-divide-in-health-communications/#comments Fri, 08 Nov 2013 11:14:04 +0000 http://globalhealthpr.com/ghprblog/?p=1091 Today’s blog post comes to us from Lindsay Ford o […]

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Today’s blog post comes to us from Lindsay Ford of Spectrum, GLOBALHealthPR U.S. partner and Chair.

The United States is not alone in its enduring healthcare dilemma.

Around the world, the provision of accessible and affordable healthcare is undeniably challenged by a shortage of skilled healthcare professionals, the physical distance between patients and their providers, and the high cost of essential healthcare equipment. With epidemics of infectious and chronic illnesses affecting both developed and developing countries, there is an urgent need to use innovative, technology-supported innovations to transform the manner in which medical care is delivered to populations. Increasing the use of electronic and mobile health (mHealth) systems for medical service delivery not only improves access to care, but also saves money while providing higher levels of quality care.

 What is mHealth?

You may keep hearing about “mHealth” and how it’s modernizing medicine and healthcare, but how exactly does mHealth work? Many of us use our phones and various mobile applications to manage our email, calendars and even our friends, but it is now time to think about how we can use these apps to manage our health. Better yet, it is time to understand the role that these devices can play in improving access to healthcare around the world.

MHealth is simply the use of mobile and wireless devices to improve health outcomes, healthcare services and health research. It is single-handedly revolutionizing medicine and healthcare delivery by virtually connecting patients with their providers, such as remote heart monitoring. Through the use of mobile applications, wearable sensors and remote monitoring devices, patients can manage their own conditions under the remote supervision of a healthcare provider. Such technology also enables providers and patients to access the most up-to-date information on diagnostics, treatments and medications through SMS and smart-device applications.

Glooko

How can mHealth improve access to care?

In a time where the medical field is combatting a shortage of physicians and individuals are challenged by the affordability of healthcare, technology that enables remote care should be embraced. Just last week, a Brookings Institute study indicated that 75% of healthcare costs are associated with cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes and asthma. These are the very diseases where the use of mobile technology can be used to better improve health outcomes and quality of life, and to reduce medical costs.

One popular category of mHealth applications is diabetes management, which supports the transfer of blood glucose data to mobile phone tracking records , thereby allowing patients and providers to more easily identify problem spots and fix them. Other applications may include tools for asthma patients that support the use of remote sensors to help asthmatics better identify environmental triggers through mapping when and where attacks happen.

So what now?

Easy access to mHealth tools is vital to the future of healthcare and to effective communication between providers and patients. To expedite mHealth’s positive impact on healthcare, the Brookings Institute suggests that governments remove any existing barriers to the adoption of mobile disease management applications and help make these tools more widely available.

What kinds of mobile applications or remote monitoring devices do you use to personally manage your health or to communicate with your health provider?

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Using Social Media to Fight Vision Loss in Brazil http://www.globalhealthpr.com/digital-social-media-strategy/using-social-media-to-fight-vision-loss-in-brazil/ http://www.globalhealthpr.com/digital-social-media-strategy/using-social-media-to-fight-vision-loss-in-brazil/#comments Fri, 18 Oct 2013 14:46:39 +0000 http://globalhealthpr.com/ghprblog/?p=905 Today’s post comes to us from Lais Cattassini of […]

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Today’s post comes to us from Lais Cattassini of GLOBALHealthPR Brazil partner, Tino Comunicação.

Macular Degeneration: the leading cause of blindness in senior citizens

Have you ever imagined how your life would be if you couldn’t see? Or how differently you would see things around you if you needed (or didn’t need) glasses?

Our vision naturally changes as we grow older, but sometimes it can be more serious than simply adjusting a prescription. Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of blindness among people over 50 years old.

AMD is a damaging of the macula, the central part of the retina responsible for sharpness, color and quality of an image.  As macular degeneration begins to set in,  patients may see distorted images, which can later evolve to dark spots in the center of their field of vision. An early diagnosis can guarantee a more successful treatment and avoid the complications caused by AMD.

Connecting civil society and industry

With this in mind, Tino Comunicação, together with the Brazilian Retina and Vitreous Society  and supported by Novartis, developed a campaign to raise awareness on the importance of an early diagnosis and the correct treatment for AMD.

The campaign’s crucial message is simple: When your vision is compromised, you are missing out on special moments and memories. Clear vision ties directly into quality of life, and it is important that shyness, fear, or pride does not prevent seniors from reaching out for help. At the very first sign of vision problems, the elderly must look to their doctors for treatment and diagnosis as soon as the vision loss begins.

The campaign “Veja Para Sempre” (See Forever) just launched on Facebook October 15. Public engagement is the best result of a successful campaign, and “Veja Para Sempre” hopes to garner engagement through visual publicity, social networks, and media attention. And it has already gotten off to a successful start; just three days into the campaign, the page has already received over 1,500 likes.

Fighting this preventable blindness is a matter of social responsibility and public health. If we can prevent it by acting now, why wait?

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Solidarity: Digital Volunteering through Social Networks in Argentina http://www.globalhealthpr.com/digital-social-media-strategy/solidarity-digital-volunteering-through-social-networks-in-argentina/ http://www.globalhealthpr.com/digital-social-media-strategy/solidarity-digital-volunteering-through-social-networks-in-argentina/#comments Fri, 13 Sep 2013 17:23:47 +0000 http://globalhealthpr.com/ghprblog/?p=586 By Lucía Ferro, of GLOBALHealthPR Argentina partner Par […]

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Digital volunteers are signing up to become organ donors in Argentina

By Lucía Ferro, of GLOBALHealthPR Argentina partner Paradigma PEL Comunicación

Red Solidaria (Solidarity Network), founded in 1995 and active in 80 communities throughout Argentina, is one of the most important NGOs in Argentina. Recently this organization launched a new proposal to the whole community: solidarity through social media networks.

Juan Carr, founder of Red Solidaria, called for different local movie celebrities, journalists, athletes and key thought leaders to encourage digital volunteering. The initiative “Hoy me comprometo” (“Today I commit”) consists of donating one hour of our time to spread solidarity for various causes  via social networks. For each day of the week, various topics are shared:

  • Monday: share a photo of a missing woman.
  • Tuesday: register as an organ donor and raise awareness about the issue.
  • Wednesday: register as a bone marrow donor and raise awareness about it.
  • Thursday: unplug your cell phone charger to save electricity.
  • Friday:  to prevent indoor air pollution, open the window while cooking if you use a gas stovetop.
  • Saturday: download the mobile application “Frío Cero” (“Zero Cold”), to raise awareness about people sleeping on the streets.
  • Sunday:  raise awareness on road safety by recording a voicemail greeting on your cell phone that says “I cannot take your call because I’m driving,” and sending a text message to remind your friends not to text and drive.

This campaign has received 2,423,000 views on Facebook, gotten over 5,300 participants via Twitter and generated more than 6,500 digital volunteers. “In addition to the reach we’ve had on Facebook and Twitter, we received nearly 3,800 emails from people asking to join the campaign and make videos, which they then shared as part of a viral campaign across different social networks in just two weeks,” Red Solidaria campaign volunteer Martín Cagnola commented.

Promoting organ donation

martes

Tuesday: register as an organ donor

Natalia, who is in need of a double lung transplant, is at the top of The National Organ Donation Emergency List in Argentina. Behind her, there are over seven thousand others, each hoping to find his or her own donor. In addition, each year about 70 people receive bone marrow transplants in the country, but there are many patients that still have not found their donors. This inspired Red Solidaria to invite the Argentine community to register as organ and bone marrow  donors. Argentines registered on INCUCAI’s website (national institution in charge of the whole coordination of organ transplants in the country) then spread awareness on the national emergencies as well as on organ donation.

“We have carried out different campaigns together with INCUCAI and we have a very good relationship with them. We admire their work.  In this specific case, they were aware of what we were planning, but we decided to make the campaign with famous, familiar faces in order to invite the community to engage. None of the celebrities taking part of this solidarity action was a specialist in the issue, and that is for us the key: anyone can be a donor and save a life,” said Martín Cagnola, who assured that donor numbers have been increasing: “It has to do with the increasing involvement and participation from the whole community and the constant media campaign on the subject.”

Today social networking generates a new form of immediacy in communication, something that the rest of traditional media fails to get. We can take advantage of social media tools in order to encourage organ donation and raise awareness of an issue that involves us all and unites us as a society.

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Facebook Blues Around the World: Lonely With (or Without) You? http://www.globalhealthpr.com/digital-social-media-strategy/facebook-blues-around-the-world-lonely-with-or-without-you/ http://www.globalhealthpr.com/digital-social-media-strategy/facebook-blues-around-the-world-lonely-with-or-without-you/#comments Tue, 27 Aug 2013 13:21:23 +0000 http://globalhealthpr.com/ghprblog/?p=519 In the last couple of weeks, mainstream media and blogg […]

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In the last couple of weeks, mainstream media and bloggers alike have picked up on the results of a recent study that links Facebook use to feelings of sadness, worry and loneliness. Are Americans alone with these feelings? Can the findings be generalized for the nearly 1 billion Facebook users outside the United States? Fortunately, we have a few answers.

Facebook-makes-you-sad

Conducted by researchers at the University of Michigan, the study evaluated Facebook use of 82 people in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Study participants received five text messages per day linking to a survey on how they felt and how much they had used Facebook since the last text message. The results: the more participants used Facebook, the more their life satisfaction levels declined over time.

Germany: Is Facebook envy a mental health problem or motivating factor?

Last year, a German study of nearly 600 Facebook users at Humboldt University and the Technical University of Darmstadt found similar results. In the study, twenty percent of respondents felt sadness due to a lack of attention, referring specifically to a lack of likes, comments or shares their posts generated. Another ten percent reported loneliness– sadness due to the lack of face-to-face contact with people they are friends with on Facebook. This is likely similar to feelings experienced when one moves to a new city or experiences a break-up (to unfriend or not to unfriend?).

The most common negative feeling generated when German users logged into Facebook was envy – discontent at the life experiences Facebook “friends” share. Authors divided envy into benign and malicious. Participants categorized as malicious had negative self-esteem effects, and positive envy led to better “learning and motivation, performance and achievement.”

The UK: Agreement on Facebook blues, but don’t disconnect the kids

Internet psychologist Graham Jones provided a British perspective on the Michigan study. ”It confirms what some other studies have found – there is a growing depth of research that suggests Facebook has negative consequences,” he said. However, don’t disconnect the youth from the internet too fast. Sixty percent of UK teenagers who recently took part in a Digital Trends study responded that they would feel lonely without the internet.

Brazil: A sign of “The Tostines Paradox?”

In Brazil, Facebook has overtaken longtime market leader Orkut. When the Michigan study was released, Brazil’s active blog community was quick to allude to the famous “Tostines Paradox.” The Tostines Paradox is based on a famous 1980’s cracker brand slogan that asks: “Do the crackers sell so much because they’re so fresh, or are they so fresh because they sell so much?”

Are we sad because we Facebook, or do we Facebook because we are sad? Either way, the takeaway is this: if you’re feeling envious of the beach vacation your friend just shared or feeling blue because your latest post received no likes, disconnect from digital media and try sharing your stories face-to-face.

Facebook use predicts declines in affect and life satisfaction over time (Source: Kloss and Associates, 2013)

 

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eDetailing: The Future for Pharma Communication? http://www.globalhealthpr.com/digital-social-media-strategy/edetailing-the-future-for-pharma-communicatio/ http://www.globalhealthpr.com/digital-social-media-strategy/edetailing-the-future-for-pharma-communicatio/#comments Sat, 10 Aug 2013 02:01:23 +0000 http://globalhealthpr.com/ghprblog/?p=421 Dinesh Chindarkar, Co-founder of our GLOBALHealthPR par […]

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Dinesh Chindarkar, Co-founder of our GLOBALHealthPR partner in India, MediaMedic Communications, elucidates about eDetailing – where technology and graphics, married with rich content, come to the rescue of mundane communication

Dinesh Chindarkar

Dinesh Chindarkar

Detailing has always been the backbone of doctors’ communication with the pharma industry for over the last three to four decades. This print tool, though has undergone quality improvements in terms of its content, visual appeal, some added gimmicks etc; all these have been value-adds within the box. Nothing has challenged it–until now.With healthcare providers (HCPs) getting increasingly busy, the print communication gets poor attention with hardly five to 10 per cent of the total message delivered at times. Many a times, the doctor says that he has seen the detailer over and over again and asks the sales representative to just name the brand and/or leave samples and move on. All the cumulative hard work of the brand manager, marketing manager and the sales representative goes for a toss when the doctor does that. This also affects the sales person’s psyche and morale because of which his work gets adversely affected. A major complaint of the field people, including managers, is that they cannot talk beyond the brand name and one or two points; just because they had a bad experience with the doctor not being receptive or not allowing them to speak more.

Within the current scenario, isn’t the doctor justified to refuse him? Isn’t the medical representative justified in insisting on finishing his detailing after waiting for so long? Is the communication tool incomplete or lacking something interesting to convey its message?

Welcome to the era of eDetailing – where technology and graphics, married with rich content, come to the rescue of the mundane communication!

With the advent of technology, video content, graphics, motion and interactivity, and newer digital tools are challenging this visual aid and redefining communication. This version of detailing adds an ‘e’ of electronic to it, making it completely different from the current mode of communication. A different form of eDetailing is one where communication is sent to doctors on the PC without a personal interaction. But we are talking of eDetailing in the context where the electronic detailing aid is used by the sales rep in person-to-person call.

The objective of having a rich, content – driven conversation with the doctor, so as to discuss about newer medical advances, sharing updated information and help him make the right decision for prescription can be achieved using eDetailing. All this can be done weaving the brand within the conversation rather than the brand dominating the communication.

With a range of devices available from the high end i-Pads to lower end tablets, one can choose the right one based on the needs and budgets. However, the biggest two challenges in eDetailing are:

1.Approach and understanding of technology

  1. Changing mindsets and training people

eDetailing is not just digitising communication. A lot of pharma companies today have moved to converting their existing content of the visual aid into a presentation format and this they feel is using digital technology. No it is not! Digital medium is a medium by itself and each media has its own nuances, advantages and disadvantages, their own strengths and weaknesses. One has to build up on the strength and minimise weaknesses, just like with people. If the MR makes a powerpoint presentation to a doctor using the visual aid, how is it different from using a print media? This is just like repackaging the radio and listening to it on a TV. Will that really be utilising the key advantages that a television offers?

The approach to the content has to be radically different. What does digital media really offer? It gives an incredible video streaming experience, rich graphics, interactive animations, the technology of touch, audio effects, navigational framework etc. All of these have now to be utilised keeping in mind the key messaging that we need to convey to our TG.

Instructional design forms the basis of any eDetailing project and forms the core of building communication. There are various approaches to eDetailing based on the category in which one is operating, the nature of the brand, the amount of science available in it and the level of HCPs‘ understanding around it. Considering today’s limitations of time, a MR should be able to set up the story easily before he meets the doctor and deliver the key message within the anticipated time. If the MR is able to deal with this efficiently, the whole communication can be effective. If he can break the same story in different parts and present to the doctor during different visits he can create one strong message going to the doctor. Another critical advantage of eDetailing is in equipping the MR to answer variety of queries through handy information capsules.

In eDetailing there is also a possibility of creating an analytics back-end, wherein key things can be recorded, like which doctor has seen the story, spent how much time on which part, where the interaction was maximum etc. This data can be collated real time and based on that feedback can be given. Taking eDetailing to a new level, the MR can connect the doctor to the medical team in his office through his device and get any queries sorted out. Also, he can encourage and involve the doctor in the interactive presentation through guided questions and lead him into conversation. Another advantage of eDetailing is compiling all data in an interactive form, where the MR can open up a product manual to showcase references or showcase a latest CME video to get across an important point. Patient-centric case-studies, interactive CMEs, lead-in medical cases etc can make a doctor completely involved in the communication process. Any interesting data can be shared with the doctor there and then or could be requested for with a follow-up.

Though all this sounds like a dream after four decades of mundane detailing, there are certain hurdles that one needs to overcome. The hurdles with using the right technology which works all the time is critical. The connectivity, band-width, actual model of detailing, the software used and the interface of promotion are all critical in making the technology stronger. Even if the technology is good it is critical to train your people, especially unlearning old things, which is difficult. People are resistant to change. With a long history of regular detailing, it is really difficult to change the typical ‘senior management mindset’. To bring them out of their comfort zone is a challenge for the industry. Companies need to do a thorough training – both on the mental front to encourage them for usage and on the usability front to make them tech-savvy. It is critical to take rational decisions knowing the internal limitations, rather than copying someone. If there is a clear understanding of technology with a simple vision, one can have a convinced internal buy-in. It should be understood by all stakeholders that the idea is more important and bigger than the technology!

Note: This blog post also appears in Express Pharma

 

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