Is social media really the bright new frontier for pharma communications? Or are consumers less interested in pharma on Facebook and Twitter than pharma marketing types would like them to be? A new study from Manhattan Research found--in Europe at least--consumers are interested in online information about drugs and diseases. However, a small fraction of them want to get that info via Facebook, and even fewer--just 5%--prefer Twitter.
By contrast, 43% of this online-friendly audience wants to get its pharma information from websites. And the specifics of their content preferences are equally staid: They want disease and treatment info, straight up. Contests and games, not so much.
As expected, people's preferences depend on their circumstances and background. Patient groups with certain chronic conditions--such as pain and osteoporosis--are more interested than the average person, PharmaTimes notes. Italians are more likely to want info about drugs from pharma companies, while Germans are least likely to be interested in drug-company communication.
With that in mind, we're wondering about the ages of the 3,000-plus people who participated in Manhattan Research's Cybercitizen Health Europe study. An older cohort might have skewed the results away from social media, which is still more commonly used by the younger generations.
- read the Manhattan Research press release
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