Last week I had the opportunity to address several hundred senior communications professionals in healthcare and related industries at a conference The FeedRoom co-hosted in New York.  What impressed me was the significant level of interest and eagerness to utilize digital media more productivity in healthcare marketing, corp comms, training and PR.  What impressed me further was that it wasn’t just the CDC, AstraZeneca and other giant Pharmas in the room, but also folks from middle market and emerging-growth companies looking to navigate the ins and outs of the regulatory and legal issues involved with planning and implementing cross-media communication strategies.

In an article I wrote last year for Pharmaceutical Executive magazine, I discussed how online video would represent the next evolution in healthcare communications. For the viewer, it adds limitless on-demand access from any computer; content can be searched, shared, tagged, and downloaded at will. Audiences can rate, comment, and blog about videos.  More importantly, the publisher of the content can track all of this behavior.  There’s no other communication platform in memory that combines this level of compelling, rich media with interactivity, virility, and metrics the same way that online video does. 

Thus far, the healthcare industry has only scratched the surface of what’s possible, however, mostly through consumer-focused initiatives.  One recent example is Bristol-Myers Squibb’s “Prevailers” campaign, which promotes the brand to a wide audience, from financial analysts to industry journalists. The videos feature stories from cancer and HIV survivors, as well as others who have faced serious illness. The end goal is two-fold:  first, to inspire any viewer, whether he or she is a consumer, an employee, or some other type of influencer; and second, to increase awareness of the impact Bristol Myers-Squibb has on patients’ lives. The effect on the viewer is powerful and memorable.  I encourage you to watch one here: http://prevail.bms.com.  Moving stuff.

In another example, Bausch & Lomb used Web video for crisis management, after recalling a contact lens solution with possible links to eye fungus. Instead of a generic press release, visitors to the company’s home page found a video featuring CEO Ronald Zarrella speaking directly to the issue, detailing the steps being taken by the company, and providing information on where consumers could turn with questions.  

While video can certainly put a human face on an issue, digital media, and online video in particular, has altered the way that news is being consumed.  This powerful medium presents a compelling opportunity for healthcare marketing and PR professionals to maximize global coverage and build, protect and promote their brands to the online public with unsurpassed speed, transparency and control.  We’ve come a long way in 12 months.  The issue is no longer if healthcare communications professionals should get involved, but rather how to get involved and what digital media practices will best serve their internal and external communications goals. - Matt D.