It seems that every Healthcare solutions provider wants to teach us how to look after ourselves, and they all have different products and services that can do just that - how convenient!

Further into our look at a number of these healthcare providers, we looked at GSK, and their stated ambitions (like their competitors) to 'digitally' transform themselves. It seems that like all their competitors they are also keen to buy all the requisite 'digital tools' that will magically transform the organisation. 

Well you gotta start somewhere I guess.

I took a look at a 2018 interview for 'Warc.com by GSK's recent newbie Marc Speichert – who joined GSK Consumer Healthcare as chief digital officer early in 2017. 'Marc'like many of his counterparts in his competition has set his stall out around 'digital transformation', as follows;

"One component of this process involved pulling together marketing-related teams – including data, analytics and insight, media, content and PR, ecommerce and digital innovation – under Speichert’s leadership.“We brought that all together and created an end-to-end marketing services function, starting with data, insights and analytics at the very core of it,” Speichert said.  

Now I don't know about you but there is no mention of a communications strategy that involves you and me, it could be I've taken it out of context, but then he goes on to say this;

Another core element of its strategy has involved forming powerful partnerships. This is shown by a tie-up with Google, the tech company, that extends through programmatic advertising and content marketing to innovation.“Historically, we looked at Google very much as a media-centric partner. And what we’ve done over the last couple of months is to really redefine and blow up that relationship to be much more holistic,” Speichert said.

I get why he wants to get cosy with Google, and why Google are happy for him to get cosy with them, after all people do create an awful lot of related search terms for 'healthcare' related questions, there are literally billions of them on a daily basis, and of course Google can also assist with some of those 'paid ads' that we're all now blocking, including on Chrome, which ironically is owned by, yes, Google.

So, where is Social Media in all this?

The most powerful partnership you could ever have is with your customers, and they are ALL on social media.

Well, its the same as it is for GSK's competitors, they have a presence on all relevant platforms, they do indeed have lots of content, unfortunately they are still pumping out the corporate message, using advertising dressed up as content, with very little engagement from GSK, and from what I can see, no evidence of anyone actually listening.

Every Healthcare solutions provider we have looked at, including GSK seem to be stuck in the traditional analog world of 'broadcasting and advertising', the problem is they think that because they have a presence on social media platforms, they're being 'social'.

This isn't being social, this is just your corporate adverts, dressed up as content.

Being 'social' is about, well, being 'social', and that requires that you don't dominate the conversation with stories about YOU!

Its about getting involved in subject matters you have some expertise and interest in, its about engaging in those conversations, and above all its about LISTENING!!!!

Marc, if you're reading this, lets have a chat?