Letter from the Editor Volume 12 • Number 6 Publisher Lisa Banket Editor Taren Grom Creative Director Marah Walsh Managing EDitor Denise Myshko Senior EDitor Robin Robinson features EDitor Kim Ribbink Contributing Editor Carolyn Gretton design associate Ariel Medel national account managerS Trish Kane Cathy Tracy WEBCAST?NETWORK?PRODUCER Daniel Limbach CIRCULATION Assistant Kathy Deiuliis Copyright 2012 by PharmaLinx LLC, Titusville, NJ Printed in the U.S.A. Volume Twelve, Number Six PharmaVoice (ISSN: 1932961X) is published monthly except joint issues in July/Aug. and Nov./Dec., by PharmaLinx LLC, P.O.?Box 327, Titusville, NJ 08560. Periodicals postage paid at Titusville, NJ 08560 and additional mailing offices. Postmaster: Send address changes to PharmaVoice, P.O. Box 292345, Kettering, OH 45429-0345. PharmaVoice Coverage and Distribution: Domestic subscriptions are available at $190 for one year (10 issues). Foreign subscriptions: 10 issues US$360. Contact PharmaVoice at P.O.?Box 327, Titusville, NJ 08560. Call us at 609.730.0196 or FAX your order to 609.730.0197. Contributions: PharmaVoice is not responsible for unsolicited contributions of any type. Unless otherwise agreed in writing, PharmaVoice retains all rights on material published in PharmaVoice for a period of six months after publication and reprint rights after that period expires. E-mail: [email protected]. Change of address: Please allow six weeks for a change of address. Send your new address along with your subscription label to PharmaVoice, P.O. Box 292345, Kettering, OH 45429-0345. Call us at 800.607.4410 or FAX your change to 937.890.0221. E-mail: [email protected]. Important notice: The post office will not forward copies of this magazine. PharmaVoice is not responsible for replacing undelivered copies due to lack of or late notification of address change. Advertising in PharmaVoice: To advertise in PharmaVoice please contact our Advertising Department at P.O.?Box 327, Titusville, NJ 08560, or telephone us at 609.730.0196. E-mail: [email protected].
The Social Payoff $104 billion — Yes, that’s the value of Facebook after the social media goliath raised $16 billion in an initial public offering priced at $38 per share last month, just before the company started trading under the ticker symbol FB. According to industry analysts, that’s more than Amazon.com, Kraft, Walt Disney, or McDonald’s. With more than 900 million users around the world, which would make Facebook the fourth-largest country if users were citizens, the reach of social media is not to be underestimated. And let’s not forget what Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, blogs, and Pinterst — an online pinboard and the latest and greatest shiny new offering — bring to the party. Thanks to inroads being made in developing countries such as India and Brazil, where millions and million of users are spending more time socializing online and building digital interest graphs around their favorite activities and experiences, analysts at iCrossing report that Facebook shows no signs of user base decline over the next several quarters and will continue to ramp up its efforts to sustain its top status as the No. 1 social website in history and top 1 billion users by August 2012. Donato Tramuto, CEO and vice chairman of Physician’s Interactive, put the power of social media in context for me at the 2012 Veeva Global Customer Summit. To reach 50 million people, it took print 100 years, radio 38 years, TV 13 years, the Internet four years, and Facebook three years. Throughout this issue, we touch on how everyone from researchers to marketers, and from patient recruitment to patient retention is grappling with the challenges and opportunities that social media and its related-technology enablers bring to the industry. According to a recent Booz & Company study, more than half of 150 pharmaceutical executives surveyed say they plan to increase spending on social media, mobile technologies, and e-detailing in 2012, evidence that the industry has moved beyond experimentation and is more fully embracing mobile technologies. Heck, even the Pope is using an iPad to tweet. PharmaVOICE has joined with the Cadient Group to further engage in the social media revolution through the newly launched American Health 2012 dashboard. We thought it was the right time for an industry platform, powered by Cadient’s unique technology, to sit at the intersection of healthcare and politics to provide an opportunity for those in the life-sciences/healthcare industry to interactively engage on the hot topics during this election season and beyond. We encourage you to join the conversation and log into americanhealth2012.com or follow us on Twitter at @AMHEALTH2012. At the risk of dating myself, I am from an era where the pop culture ta-da was when McDonald’s topped 1 billion served, and this huge milestone was announced using good-old marquee restaurant signs under the Golden Arches to boast the number of sales — or users engaged, in today’s parlance. Ray Kroc was obviously ahead of his time. Their Word… Denise Myshko Managing Editor Healthcare will play a key role in the Presidental and congressional elections. Robin Robinson Senior Editor With the advent of comparative effectiveness, postapproval studies take on a new, more critical role. Kim Ribbink Features Editor With its stable socio- political environment, strong intellectual property laws, and established links to the Asia- Pacific region, Australia enjoys global and regional advantages. Carolyn Gretton Contributing Editor Sponsors seeking efficiency in trial execution are demanding partners that provide lean, efficient processes, and high-quality clinical and data management. Coming in July/August 2012 Send your letters to feedback@pharmavoice.com. Please include your name, title, company, and business phone number. Letters chosen for publication may be edited for length and clarity. All submissions become the property of PharmaLinx LLC.
