Abstract/Summary

With the increasing popularity of social media, consumers now turn to different online discussion forums, consumer review sites, weblogs, social network sites and so on to seek product information and share their own experiences (Cheung and Thadani, 2010; Davies, 2008). Consequently, companies today face an increasingly difficult challenge: how to communicate with consumers online in a way that encourages trust and engagement? What may make things even more complicated is that many companies are now operating in a highly regulated environment, with the healthcare industry a typical example of this (Choi and Lee, 2007; Huh and Langteau, 2007; Nielson, 2008; von Knoop et al., 2003). Thus, pharmaceutical marketers and brand managers must understand how to communicate effectively in a highly regulated online environment. This short report aims to help such companies to build a sustainable and trustworthy relationship with their customers online. To do so, the report considers the subject from the perspective of a pharmaceutical company. It will first discuss the current regulations around the healthcare industry, highlighting the constraints pharmaceutical marketers need to face. Then, it will review current literature discussing healthcare consumers’ online behaviour. In particular, it will focus on consumers’ negative comments and their possible impact on the business. Finally, the report concludes with some suggestions about how to cope with negative comments online and build a reliable relationship with customers.