Working in a company that puts “speaking people” a priority makes you pay special attention to ways that people and brands are relating to each other. The industry has come along way in just a few years. It seems that every brand in the world, Pharmaceutical included, has a Facebook page, but other social networks have been a little slower to gain momentum.
While Instagram is nothing new it has recently been gaining momentum due to some brands taking advantage of the unique platform and the up-to-the-minute trends it embraces and cultivates.
Taco Bell and Wendy’s have hired photographers known for their Instagram accounts and social media teams to take advantage of the popularity of the new trend of putting real life back into photographs. Hyundai and their agency have turned 118 instagram accounts into a find the right car quiz. Old Spice recently launched a campaign that turned tagging on its head by moving users through a story of pictures. Followers of the account would tap on tags to jump from one image to the next and be taken through a sort of choose your own adventure experience complete with the meta humor that people expect from Old Spice.
These creative and powerful uses of Instagram are quickly making it one of the top ad platforms for brands. While the impact of these examples is yet to be seen some early statistics from the Taco Bell campaign are in and they are impressive. The brand saw a 29 point increase in ad recall which is nearly 5 times the average for social media. They also reached 12.5 million adults from 18-44. With these numbers being what they are it will be hard to imagine more industries not looking deeper into the platform.
Brands like Eli Lilly and Novartis are already taking Instagram for a spin. With the popularity of this social channel only rising, it will be interesting to see how Pharma brands choose to further engage with their audience.
About the Author:
As Managing Director of Innovation and Insights for Syneos Health Communications, Leigh is responsible for building and scaling a global team of healthcare experts who together help life science leaders better understand the complex lives, influences and expectations of their customers. Specifically, they uncover actionable insights that fuel empathy and creativity; lead co-creation events that let marketers learn from peers, trends, and new possibilities; and help clients identify the most valuable and useful new customer experiences to create.
Leigh has worked with Fortune 1000 companies to craft their digital, mobile, social and CRM strategies for nearly 20 years.She’s worked for category-leading agencies in retail, public affairs, B2B technology, and higher education. Prior to moving to Syneos Health Communications, she held several leadership roles at our largest agency, GSW. There, she founded an innovation practice fueled by the zeitgeist and spearheaded digital and innovation thinking across the business.
Leigh has taken a special interest in complex healthcare products that can change lives in meaningful ways. She was recently a strategic lead on the 3rd largest launch in pharmaceutical history: Tecfidera. Before that she had keys roles with Eli Lilly Oncology, Abbott Nutrition, Amgen Cardiovascular, and Eli Lilly Diabetes.
A critical part of Leigh’s work is trends and new ideas. Every year, she convenes a group of trend watchers from across our global network to identify the shifts most critical to healthcare marketers. This year, she led over 250 experts to experts to focus on the most important changes in the commercial, consumer, marketing, digital and healthcare landscapes. (See reports at trends.health)
Leigh is a sought-after writer and speaker. Recognized as one of the most inspiring people in the pharmaceutical industry by PharmaVoice and Top 10 Innovation Catalysts of 2017 by MM&M, Leigh also was recognized as a Rising Star by the Healthcare Businesswomen's Association (HBA) for her overt passion, industry thought leadership and significant contributions in new business, strategy and mentoring.
