Are they really?
Now, Centocor started its 'corporate blog' (http://cnto411.com/)not so long ago - and after a few posts, the enthusiasm of the corporate communications team seems to have fizzled out. The last post was in October, 2008 - and there have been a grand total of two posters till date - Michael Parks, VP, Corp Commm, and Scott McNealy, presumably a pointman in the same department.
GSK's Alliconnect blog, (http://www.alliconnect.com) launched to promote the user community for Alli, the only FDA approved anti-obesity drug seems to have befallen a similar fate. The last post was in September, 2008. VP Karen Scollick 'took over' the blog a few months ago, supposedly as part of a handover of strategic marketing assets connected with Alli, but there hasn't been much activity since then (2 posts in total).
Alli hasn't really been the blockbuster drug that GSK hoped it would be - but then sometimes, marketers are guilty of over-hype and over-expectation. Perhaps country music singer Wynona Judd will give Alli the boost it needs. See www.myalli.com but its doubtful whether a drug that has total sales of 88 Million US in the first nine months of 2008 will skyrocket simply because of a celebrity brand association. And of course, there are the whispers about side-effects...
Watch this space for further news updates, but in my opinion its rather un-cool to embark on an initiative like a corporate blog and then not update it regularly - it smacks of taking your readers for granted, at the very least.
Thats my two cents on the subject.
- oRiOn
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2 comments:
Great post, oRIOn. I do think that blogs will play a very important role in the pharmaceutical industry moving forward. Not strictly for marketing purposes, but to keep the public informed and educated on topics that matter. I left Centocor late last year and started my own public relations consultancy – Pitch360 (www.pitch360inc.com) - to address issues such as this. It’s not an easy task for pharma companies to get a blog approved internally in such a tightly regulated environment, but I was fortunate to work with a very cautious, but open minded regulatory colleague that brought forward safe solutions, not just obstacles. In fact, the regulatory guru that helped me make the blog possible has joined forces with Pitch360, so hopefully we will see more blogs like this in the future. As you told your readers… keep an eye on this area. It will change! – Michael Parks
Hi Michael,
Thanks for your comment. I took a look at your website and your service areas - all the best with Pitch360. I work in an allied industry too, servicing healthcare customers and the blog is really a reflection of all the information I come across during the course of my research (although with a personal touch...) I'll send you an email from my official mail address - keep in touch. oRiOn
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