iPharma Connect conference: interactive selling and patient advocacy groups

There were some very active conversations at the iPharma Connect conferences in Philadelphia this past week. Two in particular caught my attention:

Several examples of case studies of interactive selling with iPads, including a joint presentation by Novartis Vaccines and The CementBloc on iPad deployment and organizational change, and a nice presentation and moderated discussion from Jim Currie of PamLab.

Here are some eyebrow raisers:

* many of the District Managers who must train the sales reps on iPad usage have in fact never used a tablet or iPad for selling themselves

* physicians may be so impressed with iPad details they presume virtually unlimited information is magically available to show

* decisions on rolling out measurement vary across the industry

* some corporate boards are skeptical of iPad selling impact v. the investment

Another fascinating conversation was during a panel on "Patients Speak Out" where patient experts asked for pharmaceutical companies to provide more openness and transparency, even as they build relationships with patient advocacy groups.

For more of the tweets and reactions, see here:

There were

Social communities: authenticity brings response

Social network communities can serve multiple purposes within CRM: awareness, publicizing a cause, acquisition into a database, or spreading advocacy. However, if you are building a social community, you will get more effect if the social community is authentic.

Very authentic is the new community for metastatic breast cancer from Abraxis,
Share the Little Things. Developed by The CementBloc, this digital community with consumer generated content is groundbreaking. A Facebook presence serves as an alternate portal and awareness vehicle Heartfelt posts by patients, caregivers, family members, and friends show courage and fortitude in the face of this devastating condition. This is a movement, picked up by bloggers struggling with breast cancer.

At the opposite end of the spectrum is a similar looking advertisement,
Get Free Advil. Although appearing as a community at first glance, the advertisement is acknowledged to be models, all in the same stilted pose, pushing samples. Basic product advertising is fine, don't get me wrong, but in Web 3.0, people are seeking communities, and misleading may backfire.