A continuation of my initial post…

4. Pick a Fight with Your Regulatory Team

I know this might not be advisable in many companies where it may seem as though the good graces of the regulatory (and legal) teams are the only thing that allow your promotional messages into the market. So, you probably don’t want to make enemies with them after all, but consider a slightly different approach. Teach them.

However, here’s the problem as I see it. A recent survey done by MarketBridge asked pharma marketers to rate their understanding of digital marketing and nearly 45% said they “need to know more.” (Get the full report here). So, maybe healthcare marketers aren’t the best people to be teaching their regulatory groups. Where can you find this knowledge? Ask around to find the best company to help you. Maybe its a current “digital” agency who works on your business, but if they haven’t helped you yet, why would they now? Alternatively, you can, of course, give me a call and I’ll bring our crew from Bridge Worldwide. We can set you up with WPP’s Digital Acceration class where you’ll learn the basics in just one day through some hands-on training. Get ready to write your first blog.

I think that once your regulatory team understands social networking tools a bit better, they can also help figure out how to use them in an effective and compliant way. It can be done. Take a lesson from J&J. Or from Reckitt Benckiser, one of the few pharma companies willing to reject the idea that MySpace and sites like it aren’t a place for pharma. You can visit their MySpace page and become friends with “addiction411.” This page links to their TurnToHelp.com site. The effective use of MySpace to help educate adolescents (a key demographic of MySpace) about the risks of and treatments for prescription painkiller addiction shows that just about any digital channel can be brought into regulatory compliance. Hats off as well to my friends at Commonhealth for being the agency behind this nice work.

(To be continued tomorrow…)

Possibly related posts (auto-generated):

1. Healthcare Marketing New Year’s Resolutions- Part 5
2. Healthcare Marketing New Year’s Resolutions- Part 3
3. Healthcare Marketing New Year’s Resolutions – Part 1