Pinterest + Pharma = ?
SOURCE: H+K Strategies UK Blog
Pharma and healthcare has an image problem. Or at
least, it has sometimes had a problem conveying itself in a compelling way
through visual media. It’s curious then, that a number of prominent pharma
companies in the US have set up corporate accounts on Pinterest, the latest much-hyped plaything
of the social media world. Bayer US,
Boehringer Ingelheim, Menarini Spain, GE and Novo Nordisk have all begun populating
their boards with healthy-looking people and clinical researchers on a site
more often associated with pictures of wedding dresses and cakes.
Let’s take a step back and explain Pinterest for
those who may not yet have come across the site. Pinterest allows you to
‘organize and share things you love’ so your collection of paperclip sculptures
can be ranked according to the number of prizes they have won and your photo
albums of Iggy the pet stick insect can be shared with all of your friends. The
medium is incessantly visual, as posts consist almost solely of either images
or video, which can then be shared (‘repinned’), liked or commented upon by
other users. While the site has grown at an exponential rate in the US, it
remains to be seen whether it will have the same impact among the same groups of
people in the UK and elsewhere when the site spends some of its recently raised
funds for international expansion. What does seem clear is that the
site is growing fast and companies have begun to take note.
Now, back to that image problem. It may be
exciting for pharma companies to have accounts across all the latest social
media platforms, but it is important for companies to ask whether this will
provide tangible benefits from a strategic communications perspective. Between
them, Bayer, Boehringer, and Novo have a total of 355 followers. Meanwhile, the
accounts don’t seem to have elicited much in the way ‘interaction’ or
‘engagement’ with these followers.
On the other hand, GE Healthcare has managed to
capitalize on both the clout of its parent group and the innovative work done
in other areas of the business to transform apparently visually unappealing
engineering and energy operations into captivating images and video. By posting via the
General Electric umbrella account, the healthcare arm already has an audience
of over 9,562 followers, and the specialist healthcare Pinboards are original
and well-populated. More importantly, they are also well planned with a clear
remit and strategy.
Of particular note are the Cancer
Pintherapy and Pinspire boards, which
manage to be both warm and engaging. The Pintherapy board features a collection
of pictures alongside famous motivational quotes and experiences of ordinary
people affected by cancer and particularly breast cancer. Inspire asks users to
submit their own inspiring content on the subject of cancer experiences, one of
which is then chosen to be featured each week. Just as with the GE Healthymagination
Facebook page, the account is particularly good at interacting with users
promptly and with a personal touch.
It remains to be seen whether pharma and
healthcare companies can make Pinterest into a truly effective communication
tool, or, for that matter, whether Pinterest itself will survive in an often-faddy
social media environment.
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