09.01.2018 | Pharma 101

Interview with Adam Doggett: “Why is social media so important to the pharmaceutical industry?”

By Luke Wilson

Interview with Adam Doggett: "Why is social media so important to the pharmaceutical industry?"

Adam Doggett, one of our Senior Research Analysts at CREATION, is speaking at the SMi event ‘Social Media in the Pharmaceutical Industry‘. He plays a leading role in developing healthcare intelligence and actionable insights by studying trends in the online conversations of Healthcare Professionals (HCPs) and is actively involved in driving CREATION’s innovative systems forward in order to maximise the value of listening to HCPs online.

While studying for his Neuroscience degree, Adam’s interest in healthcare grew through placements at King’s College Hospital where he gained experience in programming brain mapping software; and at St. Mary’s Hospital interacting with neurological disease patients. Adam joined CREATION after spending a further year in leadership training school in Maidstone. He plays a leading role in developing healthcare intelligence by studying the online conversations of doctors, using CREATION Pinpoint.

In preparation for the event Adam was asked a number of questions around the topic of talk ‘Social media listening: How to make it work for you’. Below are the questions and answers from his interview:

Q. What is your role within the industry and why are you supporting the Social Media in the pharmaceutical industry for 2018?
I am a Senior Research Analyst at CREATION, I look to discover trends in online healthcare professional (HCP) conversations in order to understand how healthcare and pharmaceutical interventions can be more effective at meeting the needs of HCPs and their patients. I believe that social media is a great tool for understanding HCP customers and I want to collaborate with others, ultimately to improve patient outcomes.

Q. What do you see as the greatest digital challenge for the pharmaceutical industry to overcome at the moment?
The greatest challenge for the pharmaceutical industry is to get up to speed and start leading the way. Digital innovation moves so quickly and the pharmaceutical industry, with all its resources, should be at the forefront of this change, developing new technologies and ways of thinking.

Q. What are the most current trends for using social media in the pharmaceutical industry?
We see varying degrees of social media use in the pharmaceutical industry, but recently there has been an upturn in using these insights for strategic planning, for example in launching a product. Instead of just quantitative outputs, social media insights can help explain the past and predict the future.

Q. Why is social listening so important in the pharmaceutical industry?
Social listening allows us to hear the unprompted views of HCP customers and understand their needs quickly and in an unbiased way.

Q. Other than social listening, what are the main benefits for using social media in the pharmaceutical industry?
As well as for strategic and market research purposes, using social media enables you to understand your customer needs, real time, and use that to inform your online engagement. Letting your customers know you understand their needs could manifest itself in many ways such as creating shareable resources, improving your engagement around congress or hosting online discussions.

Q. Are there still regulatory hindrances toward the use of social listening?
Every industry has data protection rules and for good reason, but there is such a wealth of valuable insights to be gained from any number of sources whilst remaining completely compliant with regulations.

Q. How do you think the use of social media in the pharmaceutical industry is likely to change over the next 20 years and what will be the main driving forces of the changes?
Over time social media will continue to become more collaborative and interactive. We already see a large number of healthcare professionals discussing ideas and developments online, in the same way, the pharmaceutical industry has such a wealth of understanding and knowledge that so many people could learn from through online platforms.

 


Social listening has become an essential tool for strategic planning for pharma in the digital age.
Let us know if you have any questions or want to know how social listening could assist you.

Use our code: CREATION100 to receive £100 off of you ticket at this years Social Media in the Pharmaceutical Industry

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Meet the Author

Luke Wilson

Luke brings a design thinking perspective to our Marketing & Communications, working to keep CREATION’s brand presence and message front of mind to all key stakeholders.

When he isn’t learning about fatherhood, Luke enjoys watching and playing football, being an over enthusiastic fan of Liverpool FC.