Pierre-Fabre and Medimix to Present on Social Media at EphMRA 50th AGM

Online, December 13, 2010 (Newswire.com) - Medimix International and Pierre Fabre have been chosen to jointly present at the 50th annual EphMRA AGM and Conference, which will be held next year in Basel Switzerland, June 20-23, 2011. The theme of the conference, "Stepping it Up," addresses the issue of how the pharmaceutical industry can shift its strategic focus in face of slowing pharma sales in the US and Europe and "stay ahead of the curve" by adapting business practices with regard to the way in which information is provided and by seeking to better understand its markets and customers.

The Medimix/Pierre Fabre presentation will explain how social media has revolutionized the way people around the globe communicate--online, instantly--and how that affects the approach companies must now take towards their customers in marketing their products. No longer can pharma count on established marketing strategies which present "crafted messages" to healthcare professionals and customers through traditional media.
The presentation will explore some of the issues from two perspectives: as perceived by pharma management (presented by Francois Noailles, head of Pierre-Fabre's Global Market Research Department - Strategic Marketing) and as analyzed by experts in social media strategy and monitoring (presented by Henry Gazay, CEO of Medimix International).

"We as pharma managers need to ask ourselves if we are listening to our end customers, whether patients, prescribers, pharmacists, or KOL's," noted Mr. Noailles. "Are we providing them with real added value? And do we have the capability of becoming a real member of the online community?"

Pharma customers and patients now go online, whether through the computer or mobile phone, to search for information on medical conditions and treatments, seeking advice and sharing experiences. Which means that what is discussed certainly is uncensored and often may express dissatisfaction or commentary that pharma may not want to hear-- but needs to counteract.

The new dynamics of social media more fully integrate the customer into the communication process by establishing a dialogue between pharma companies and their public. The consumer is actually a creative part of the partnership, and for that reason it is risky for companies to step into the online conversations without understanding the culture or the rules of the game.

Examples will be presented from Medimix International's tracker about "The Pharmaceutical Social Media Landscape," which analyses the current level of social media adoption by 20 major drug companies worldwide and compares their efforts with a random basket of blue-chip companies.

"We are very excited about the opportunity to present such an interesting subject with Pierre Fabre," commented Henry Gazay, CEO of Medimix International. "Because this pharmaceutical company has experience in both Rx, OTC and Dermo cosmetics product, it deals with a variety of customers from physicians to pharmacists to patients. This presents Pierre-Fabre with a number of opportunities to make use of Social Media and to develop winning strategies".