Nataliya Andreychuk, CEO and co-founder of Viseven, explores how to leverage content in pharma beyond traditional marketing goals, highlighting customer education, societal influence, product development and policy impact.
Key Highlights:
- Content can enhance customer education, influence societal views, drive product development, and impact policies, ultimately delivering greater value.
- Addressing important social topics can help businesses build a sense of community and loyalty among their audience, as seen with Pfizer’s "Get Old" campaign and Ben & Jerry's activism.
- Involving customers in the product development process, like LEGO Ideas, fosters engagement and investment in the brand, transforming content from a one-way communication tool to a collaborative platform.
Viseven
Nataliya Andreychuk, CEO and co-founder of Viseven
Nataliya Andreychuk, CEO and co-founder of Viseven. With over 15 years of experience in digital pharma marketing and content implementation, Nataliya has transformed Viseven from a startup into a global leader in MarTech services for the Life Sciences and Pharma industries. Under her leadership, Viseven now serves clients in over 70 markets with innovative solutions used by top 100 Pharma and Life Sciences companies worldwide.
Why do we create content as businesses? Let me take a guess of what your response might be – to spread brand awareness, to capture leads, to attract more customers. While these are, unarguably, valid reasons, they only scratch the surface of what content can truly accomplish.
As a CEO of MarTech company that works with pharma and life science organisations, I’ve seen content doing and achieving so much more than just our typical marketing goals. And that’s what I want to present today – the capabilities of content beyond the typical scope of marketing goals.
Enhance customer education (and outcomes)
Our customers are more informed than ever about different products and services, thanks to the internet and the accessibility of information. However, this accessibility of information has a big downside – anybody can make content and say pretty much anything. That’s how the Borax “health” trend was born and spread like wildfire across TikTok.
We as businesses can and should step in to provide our customers with high-quality information about our offerings as well as mitigate misinformation. In pharma, I found that it’s especially important. An educated patient is more likely to adhere to their medication, thus, enhancing their health outcomes.
Even though I provide examples from the health sector (because that’s my area of expertise), I see this tactic being applicable throughout many industries. If you own a clothes store, you can provide shoppers with information about where you source the materials, or offer examples of how to build a stylish outfit. The options are almost endless, really.
As a result, your content will be transformed from a mere marketing tool to a core part of product experience, delivering value that extends beyond the initial purchase or sign-up.
Impact societal views
Content can become a catalyst for a social change, as well as a tool to build an engaged community. When a business uses their platforms to address important social issues, they can cause a ripple effect that extends beyond their immediate customer base. This can foster a sense of belonging and shared purpose among the audience.
For me, the ultimate example of how a brand had achieved that through their content is Pfizer’s “Get Old” 2012 campaign. The goal of Pfizer’s campaign was to change the perception and stop the fear of getting old by initiating an open conversation about it. To spread the word, the company launched the campaign on Twitter and Facebook, and even created a specific #FOGO hashtag (that’s Fear of Getting Old).
Get Old was a success, their Facebook page raking up 147,000 fans – even more than Pfizer's main company page, showing that the message struck a chord with the audience. And on top of that, Pfizer’s research demonstrated that people who visited getold.com had a much better view of the company afterwards. We're talking a 55-percentage-point jump in positive perceptions.
And didn't just stop after one campaign. The “Get Ready. Get Set. Get Old.” phase in 2015 showed they were in it for the long haul. They kept things fresh by using experiences we usually think of as “young people stuff” to challenge how we view aging. Imagine seeing a couple in their 50s on a first date, or a guy in his 40s as a freshman.
Drive product development
Content can be used to fuel innovation and product development by serving as a channel for gathering feedback, ideas, and preferences of users. This approach transforms content from a one-way communication tool to a platform where your audience can become your co-creators.
To achieve such a result, you should encourage open dialog about product features and improvements, analyse customer feedback from content interactions, and use polls, surveys, and comments to gauge your users’ unmet needs. You can promote transparency by showing the development process in your content as well and then assess the customers’ responses.
I think that LEGO Ideas exemplifies this approach perfectly. This is a platform that LEGO has developed where fans can submit their own concepts for new sets. This initiative allows customers to engage directly in the product development process. Users can propose new set ideas that others can vote for, and the designs that gather the most votes are considered for actual production. This fosters a sense of community among LEGO enthusiasts, turning customers into co-creators, and makes fans feel invested in the brand.
Influence policies and public opinions
Many businesses are hesitant to take a firm stance on political or social causes, worrying that it might lead to customer loss. And that is true – you can lose some customers when you advocate for something. For instance, Ben & Jerry’s has experienced backlash and even boycotts from certain groups of people which led to potential sales declines. This all for openly campaigning against racial injustice, supporting LGBTQ+ rights, and encouraging legislative action on environmental issues.
However, Ben & Jerry’s has largely been rewarded for their activism by consumers who align with their progressive values, like Gen Z and millennials. The company’s commitment to social issues significantly strengthens brand loyalty by building a deeper connection with their audience. Thus, Ben & Jerry’s are not only driving meaningful change but are also thriving doing it.
Closing thoughts
You can achieve goals that extend far beyond increasing traffic or generating leads. And well-done content is a powerful tool to reach these broader goals. Remember though that the key to success lies in aligning your content with these non-traditional aims from the outset: define clear objectives and create content that genuinely serves these purposes. The content strategies I described are all a good way to connect with your customers and boost their brand loyalty. So, I hope I inspired you today to look at your content differently and see the potential it holds.