Friday, May 12, 2006

Pharma: Cultivating communities despite the red tape

When it comes to cultivating communities online, most verticals have it easy, not being bound by reams and reams of red tape and regulations regarding how they may communicate with their customers. Industries such as pharmaceuticals, though, are not so lucky. For they also have to contend with strict laws which basically forbid them from conversing with customers about the potential benefits of their products - all in the name of ‘protecting’ people (read: you and me. Say it with me: Gee, thanks! Not.).

But where there is a will - and where there are people seeking information online - there is a way. Antoine Clarke, the international editor of Pharma Marketletter and a former senior communications specialist for Transport for London and several London boroughs, will be showing What MySpace Means participants how highly regulated areas such as pharma and online gambling can cultivate communities online without falling foul of the law. And with buzz-building in the pre-approval stage being touted as hugely beneficial to post-launch success of pharma products, community cultivation is as crucial as ever for that industry.