The Rise of Social Media
Social media might have been the laughing point of a joke just a few years ago, but today it’s literally becoming the cornerstone of every major global corporation’s marketing effort.
GlaxoSmithKline and Benlysta
GlaxoSmithKline is about to launch their new Lupus drug called Benlysta. And instead of spending a gazillion dollars on Google Adwords, magazines, newspapers, etc… they are turning to the web, and specifically to social media.
“Our launch approach will be very patient-centric,” said Barry Labinger, EVP and chief commercial officer, Human Genome. “We’ve got very strong clinical data in a disease where there are no good alternatives, so I think there will be a very high desire for patients who know about [Benlysta] to get it.”
Being “very patient-centric” means getting out on the web and communicating with the very people that your drug will help.
Are we talking about just spamming people?
Absolutely not!
If GlaxoSmithKline plays it right – which I’m sure they will – they will entire this space with massive amounts of valuable data, tips, “how to’s” and other extremely valuable resources that will help Lupus patient.
And all along the way, GlaxoSmithKline benefits from the branding, name recognition, and exposure received in front of a highly targeted audience.