How Important is Pinterest for Pharma Marketers?

Fard Johnmar of Enspektos posted some data from his company's September 2012 digihealth pulse survey, which revealed that 30% of "active digital health consumers who use Pinterest encountered health and medical content" on that network (see infographic).

"What are the implications of this data?", asked Johnmar. "Well, a number of hospitals, pharmaceutical companies and other organizations are on the site. However, others are on the fence, wondering if experimenting is worth the effort. Our recommendation: The time for fence-sitting is over. It’s time to begin learning the ins and outs of Pinterest -- and how to develop and deliver credible and accurate health information via the platform."

I've been following pharma's use of Pinterest and have commented on this in previous posts and articles. See, for example, "What's Your Infographics Strategy?" (use discount code pgpin4 to get it free).

I have found Pinterest useful for "repurposing" graphics I create for blog posts and newsletter articles as well as for advertising. I hope that by doing this more people will learn about me, read my blog, and subscribe to my newsletter. All those key performance indicators (KPIs) help me determine what my Pinterest ROI is. I imagine that pharma marketers use similar KPIs to measure the effectiveness of Pinterest.

I've been surveying my new Twitter followers and asking them what other social networking applications they use. Pinterest is one of the choices. The bar chart below shows results from followers who responded to my survey between January 1, 2012, and today.

Pinterest is number 6 on the list -- 20% of my Twitter followers also use Pinterest. I'm not sure if they have Pinterest accounts or just look at the nice pictures.

Am I getting new readers and/or newsletter subscribers from Pinterest? To determine that, I looked at Google analytics for my blog and web site to see where referrals are coming from.

For the past 30 days, the top ten referring sites for Pharma Marketing Network include (in decreasing order of visits) Pharma Marketing Blog (ie, people clicking through on links such as the above link to a PMN article), LinkedIn, Google, Pharma Marketing Forums, and Twitter (ie, t.co). Pinterest is number 21 on the referral list and is NOT among the top 10 referral sites for Pharma Marketing Blog, whereas Twitter is number 6 on that list.

So, although I'm getting new followers on Pinterest and people are repinning my charts, etc., I'm not yet achieving my KPI goals for Pinterest -- i.e., driving traffic to my sites.

Could this be why the only pharma companies that I can find on Pinterest are Novo Nordisk (137 followers), Bayer (207 followers), and Boehringer Ingelheim (58 followers)?

I will interview Fard Johnmar on my BlogTalkRadio Show this Friday at 3:00 PM. For more information and to listen to this live podcast or the archive afterward, see "Discovering the Active Digital Health Consumer".

PharmaHotSpot: Should Pharma implement branded marketing efforts on Pinterest?

Phew! It's HOT at "PharmaHotSpot!"

PharmaHotSpot is an online public network designed to "stimulate discussions and allow the community to weigh in on important topics and trends in the digital healthcare space." It was recently launched by Ignite Health (read the press release here and visit the PharmaHotSpot here).

Ignite Health actually commissioned me to write and video my side of the "debate" regarding three topics.

The first topic asks the question, "Should Pharma implement branded marketing efforts on Pinterest?" I have written about this before (read, for example, "Should Pharma Ponder Pinterest? Novo Nordisk Is!" and "What's Your Infographics Strategy?" - use discount code 'pgpin4" to get it free).

My focus was a bit narrow on branded pins. My main point was that pharma companies should not use Pinterest for branded ads because it will not drive traffic to their websites, and there is a lack of ability and resources for moderating comments, especially from disgruntled patients.

My "adversary" Ross Fetterolf, SVP Digital Strategy, Ignite Health, has some good ideas, most of which are not branded. So I don't disagree with him and there really is no debate.

Fetterolf suggested that pharma companies should also be using Pinterest as a visual library to discourage counterfeit drugs. That too sounds like a good idea, but Pfizer once showed a counterfeit VIAGRA pill that looked even better than the real thing (it turns out that the real pill has soft edges on the embossed logo because the die was worn out stamping millions -- or even billions -- of pills, whereas the fake pills' embossed logos had sharp edges because the die stamped relatively few pills and was still sharp). Can you tell the fake from the real in the following photo:

Pfizer's point is that it is often impossible to tell a fake from an authentic pill by looks alone -- more important is the source of the pill.

You can weigh in on the debate and submit comments as well as vote on the question: Should Pharma companies be using Pinterest as a library for resources such as videos, brochures, and Web properties for people to reference and share through social bookmarking? My vote on that is YES, as long as it's all non-branded.

P.S. Let me know what you think of my video clip, which was shot outside on my deck during a heat wave this summer! Talk about Hotspots!

Novo Nordisk is Back on Pinterest with Patient Stories

Novo Nordisk is back on Pinterest! Recall that Novo "de-pinned" all its images a few days after I first discovered them on Pinterest (see "Pharma Pinterest Update: Bayer US Pins, Novo Nordisk Depins!"). Novo now has 3 "boards" and 15 images on the site.

The most interesting "board" is the one devoted to "Patient Stories." The images pinned to this board link to videos that feature narratives spoken by real patients who suffer from various forms of diabetes. Here are the images:

NOTE: Novo is smart to use videos that are viewable on iPhones and iPads. In a previous post I noted that Janssen Uses Digital Storytelling, Animation to "Bring Prescription Medicine Labeling to Life." But Not iPhone or iPad Life!

This, I believe, is a very good use of Pinterest by a pharmaceutical company and I expect others to follow Novo's lead. I am sure, however, that everyone is waiting to see what mischief will befall Novo. So to hurry this process along, I did two things:

• I reported one pin to Pinterest and "complained" that it lead to a "drug site."
• I added a comment to another pin asking Novo if the patient was paid to participate in the video.

I'm a trouble-maker, I know. But someone has to test pharma's use of Pinterest. Let's see if they pass the Pharmaguy Stress Test.

Currently, there is a lot of worry about spammers using Pinterest. Spam pins, for example, link to pages that only contain Google Adwords. Pinterest is trying to deal with this, but many people, like myself are becoming victims of their over zealousness.

Every one of my pins that has a link in the comment section is "blocked" by Pinterest when users click on the link. Pinterest says that the pin has been "reported" as being spam or leading to "objectionable content." All the links are to this blog.

I doubt that Pinterest has bothered to investigate "reports" to determine if they are legitimate or not. They are simply "blocking first and asking questions later." Actually, Pinterest doesn't even tell you that you are being blocked and they certainly haven't asked me any questions about whether or not I am a spammer.

So, I am testing Pinterest by reporting one of Novo's pins.

As I mentioned in the previous post cited above, comments are Pinterest's Achilles heel as far as pharma companies are concerned. It's as easy to make comments on Pinterest as it is on Facebook. We have seen how pharma has run away from Facebook because comments cannot be turned off. Will the same happen with Pinterest?

Meanwhile, you might be interested in taking the following survey. Afterward. you'll be able to view a de-identified summary of results:

Create your free online surveys with SurveyMonkey, the world's leading questionnaire tool.

Pharma People Pioneers on Pinterest

I have been keeping track of pharmaceutical employees who have personal accounts on Twitter for over a year (see "More Pharma Social Media Pioneers Recognized"). There are currently 105 people on the list (find it here).

I do this for several reasons:

1. to see if the people who "talk the talk" of pharma social media actually "walk the walk" (only 40% of pharma people who have taken my Social Marketing Readiness Self-Assessment personally use social media "frequently; fill out the assessment here and see more results),


2. to keep track of how these pioneers are using social media, and


3. to help me communicate with them (it's often impossible to reach them via email or by phone).

A majority of these pioneers have LinkedIn accounts for professional use and probably many also have Facebook pages. While I also keep track of pharma pioneer LinkedIn pages, I generally do not bother to peer into their personal lives that they may chronicle on personal Facebook pages.

Recently, I've been interested in Pinterest for my own use and started searching for pharma companies who have Pinterest accounts (see "Should Pharma Ponder Pinterest? Novo Nordisk Is!" and "Pharma Pinterest Update: Bayer US Pins, Novo Nordisk Depins!"). Yesterday, however, I received an email notice from Pinterest that Craig DeLarge, Director, Healthcare Professional Relationship Marketing at Novo Nordisk, who liked my pin "Charlie Kimball, Novo Nordisk, and Me Make Up. http://bit.ly/kjIAH." (This link is to the blog post in which that pin/image appears.)

Craig has a very interesting Pinterest page (here) that includes the following "boards" (ie, categories of images):

• Places I've Been
• Brands I Love (Live)!
• Health
• Wisdom
• eMarketing
• Social Media
• Politics

Craig likes some of the brands I like, including BMW, Movado (watches), and Apple ("Apple MacBook Air My latest tech crush"). Novo Nordisk, of course, is also on his list of brands that he likes and obviously lives by.

I was also interested in what Craig pinned on his "Politics" board, especially this one about Mitt Romney:

Source: a3.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net via Craig on Pinterest

I've learned a lot about Craig DeLarge in a very short time via the images he has posted to his [emphasis]personal[end emphasis] Pinterest page. While Facebook also now is very visually focused, it takes me longer on Facebook to discover a person's true beliefs and interests than it does on Pinterest. As they say, an image is worth a thousand words.

I searched Pinterest for other pharma people social media pioneers on my list, but found only 2 others: Kevin Nalty, Consumer Product Director, Psychiatry, Janssen, and Brad Pendergraph, Manager, Consumer Digital & Social Engagement at Novartis (recently or soon to be laid off). These people -- and Craig -- are among the most followed pharma people on Twitter, so it makes sense that they would lead the way on Pinterest.

I look forward to finding more pharma people/social media pioneers on Pinterest. In fact, I think I will start a new board on my Pinterest page dedicated to "repins" from pharma people (I already have one for repins from pharma companies).

Pharma Pinterest Update: Bayer US Pins, Novo Nordisk Depins!

Two things occurred after I posted about Pinterest use by the pharmaceutical industry (here):

1. Bayer US started pinning (here)  and 
2. Novo Nordisk "depinned" (deleted) everything on its Pinterest boards (here).

"Bayer has joined up-and-coming social network Pinterest and is using it to share images and information about its activities in the US" (Hat Tip to PMLive: "Bayer starts using Pinterest").

Bayer snapped up the Pinterest username "bayerus" ("bayer" is being used by an individual named "Courtney Bayer"). It currently has three Pinterest boards: (1) Bayer's Business, (2) Sustainability, and (3) Innovation. Twenty-eight items (including at least one video!) are posted to these boards.

Bayer has pinned a couple of product images, including this one for Bayer Aspirin (shown on the left; click on it for an enlarged view).

As you can see, visitors are able to add comments to these pins. Always the "spoiler," I added a comment that was a truthful concern of mine, but one that points out a possible "adverse event."

Aspirin, of course, is an over-the-counter drug not regulated by the FDA like Rx drugs are regulated. Therefore, Bayer does not have to worry about reporting this adverse event to the FDA. But will it allow the comment to stand and/or make a reply? I'll let you know.

I have also "repinned" this image to my Pinterest "Pins from Pharmaceutical Companies" board (here). I notice that my comment does not carry over to the "repinned" image, so I added a comment about the comment I made over on the Bayer US Pinterest site.

I have found no way to edit or otherwise manage comments on Pinterest. It appears that the only option is to delete the pin and then repin it without the comments. This inability to moderate comments may be Pinterest's Archilles heel as far as pharma is concerned. But as of this date, pharma's presence on Pinterest is virtually unnoticed except for me and a few other pharma social media followers!

P.S. As I mentioned, Bayer included at least one video as a pin. I didn't know you could do this. Kudos to Bayer for taking advantage of that capability!

UPDATE: Bayer responded to my comment today (4/9/2012) - about 4 days after I submitted my comment. Their response was:

"It is important that you speak with your doctor before you begin a daily aspirin regimen, only your doctor can determine if you are an appropriate candidate for aspirin therapy. Please contact us at 800-331-4536 (M-F 9:00AM -5:00PM Eastern Standard Time) we would like to learn more about your use of Bayer Aspirin."

At least Bayer responded rather than deleting the pin as I suggested was an option (see above).

It's still early in the game for Pinterest as a viable social media site. However, Pinterest is now the 3rd most popular social networking site behind Facebook and Twitter (see here).

I think pharma needs to provide support to patients through every channel at its disposal, including social media. When Bayer, for example, suggested I call their phone number (M-F 9:00AM -5:00PM Eastern Standard Time) in response to the comment I made on their Pinterest site, I was surprised they didn't just continue the conversation on Pinterest since that was the channel I used to open the conversation and thus clearly my preferred channel.

Should Pharma Ponder Pinterest? Novo Nordisk Is!

This is an image from the Pinterest Social Media Board of my friend Jay Byrant:

Source: tech.fortune.cnn.com via Jay on Pinterest

Looks like he "pinned" that image from a CNNMoney Technology Blog post (here), which asks "Is Pinterest the next Facebook?"

I don't know if Pinterest is the next Facebook or not, but if it is, Pharma marketers are likely to stay away from it at least until they figure out how it works.

While pharma ponders Pinterest, others are using pharmaceutical company names as their Pinterest usernames and URLs. Džesika Fizor, for example, staked a claim to http://pinterest.com/Pfizer/. Fizor's boards include "juicing," "homie," "belly goodness," and "things i like that are clothes."

Boards are categories into which users of Pinterest arrange pictures that they upload from their computers or steal, er, I mean PIN from other sites or from other Pinterest users ("repinning").

Here are some other "pharma" Pinterest usernames that have been claimed:

• http://pinterest.com/Roche/ - Rochelle Pickering (has "Foodie food stuff" board)
• http://pinterest.com/GSK/ - Gautam Sivakumar (claims to be "Doctor | Technologist")
• http://pinterest.com/Novartis/ - Avi Hollis (blank page)
• http://pinterest.com/EliLilly/- Kathleen Hargett (board with most pins: "yummy yummy food")
• http://pinterest.com/JNJ/ - just "Jen"
• http://pinterest.com/Merck/ - Carolyn Merck (blank page) 
• http://pinterest.com/Abbott/ - Bruce Abbott (looks like a happy newly-wed)
• http://pinterest.com/Boehringer/ - Alyssa Boehringer (not sure she is related to the Boehringers who own Boehringer Ingelheim)
• http://pinterest.com/Bayer/ - Courtney Bayer (could be a newborn baby)

These Pinterest pages are still available. I suggest the brand companies hurry up and claim them:

• http://pinterest.com/Sanofi/
• http://pinterest.com/AstraZeneca/
• http://pinterest.com/Allergan/
• http://pinterest.com/BI/
• http://pinterest.com/BoehringerIngelheim/
• http://pinterest.com/Amgen/

Novo Nordisk is on Pinterest!
Meanwhile, Novo Nordisk has a legitimate Pinterest page (http://pinterest.com/NovoNordisk/)! Novo actually has 11 "pins" posted to several "boards": 4 pins in "Patients," 1 pin in "About Novo Nordisk," and 6 pins in "World Diabetes Day." Two other boards -- "Health Care Professionals" and "Careers" -- are empty.

I "repinned" the image from  the "About Novo Nordisk" board to a new board I created on my Pinterest site titled "Pins from Pharma Companies" (here). I was also able to "like" that image (pin) and post it to my Facebook wall as well:

Of course, I also attached a comment to the original pin on Novo's Pinterest site. My comment: "Nice image! I posted it to my Facebook wall."

I wonder if the Novo Nordisk Pinterest site is legitimate (seems so) and if their legal/regulatory people know about it (maybe not). I know that comments submitted to pharma Facebook pages have been the industry's Archille's heel (see "Janssen to Shut Down Psoriasis 360 FaceBook Page Due to Lack of Commitment"). I wonder if the same will be true of Pinterest?

My Pinterest page is here: http://pinterest.com/pharmaguy/

P.S. Novo Nordisk confirmed via Twitter that the Pinterest page is legitimate. But I wonder why the Facebook button on the page links to the page of someone called "Kasper Kofod" (here)?

Who is Kasper Kofod (seen on the left)? He may be a Novo Nordisk employee -- he is friended by Craig DeLarge who definitely works for Novo here in the U.S.

P.P.S. I just learned from LinkedIn that Kasper Kofod is Social Media Manager at Novo Nordisk in Denmark (see his profile here). He is @kofod on Twitter.

It's strange that Kasper would use his personal Facebook page as a link on Novo's Pinterest site.

P.P.P.S. I posted this to Twitter and heard back from Kasper who informed me that the link to his personal FB page was inadvertent. By the time you read this it will probably be fixed. Any way, it allowed me to make a new friend and get a glimpse of who is behind the social media curtain at Novo Nordisk :-)