I wrote a blog post on December 22 entitled “FDA Misses Own Deadline On Social Media.” Some Big Pharma companies like Pfizer are defining their own rules rather than waiting for the agency to deliver their guidance in the first quarter of this year. According to an article on BNET by Jim Edwards, Pfizer has just developed its own social media playbook along with a blog response flowchart based on a version used by Pfizer Canada that was originally developed by the U.S. Air Force in December, 2008.
Edwards said that Kate Bird, Pfizer’s digital communications strategy director, said “Twitter is really the most-used channel for any type of crisis communication.” She indicated that the playbook was introduced because “We don’t want them to be intimidated and afraid of it. It’s part of our everyday life. It’s only going to become an even greater part of our everyday life.” (1)
While Pfizer’s playbook and flowchart aren’t rocket science, it does show that Big Pharma is moving forward with social media without the FDA. And Pfizer’s not alone or the first to do so. Roche created its own social media playbook in August 2010.
Notes
(1) Pfizer Goes on Facebook Offensive With “Social Media Playbook” and Blog Response Flowchart
Resources
Pfizer Goes on Facebook Offensive With “Social Media Playbook” and Blog Response Flowchart