Instagram: An opportunity for J&J DePuy Synthes to connect to patients and caregivers
Recently I have discovered the addictiveness of Instagram. You can see photo after photo and get a short glimpse into people’s lives. Compared to Facebook and Twitter, the aesthetics of the website are clean and simple. Each photo has a small caption and only a few comments are visible, making it very easy to skim the post.
Can Instagram be used by pharmaceutical and medical device companies?
As someone interested in the healthcare industry, I was curious if any pharmaceutical companies or medical device companies were on Instagram. These are highly sensitive and regulated industries that may want to limit their social media presence. So I did some digging. I looked into Pfizer, Merck, Sanofi, Vertex, Medtronic, and DePuy Synthes. Most of these companies had no account or no clear management of the account. However, Medtronic surprised me. Their diabetes group had 3500 followers and posted recipes, patient photos, products, and advice pieces. They also posted this cute cat photo below, showing a patient’s shipment of diabetes supplies:
While Instagram may not seem to be an obvious choice for pharmaceutical and medical device companies, there is an opportunity to use the platform to connect with patients and to share more personal stories. Medtronic is using Instagram to connect to their patients and to share stories about their products. I believe this type of marketing comes off more genuine than a direct to consumer television or magazine advertisement.
Looking at these companies I researched, I discovered that Instagram would be a great opportunity for J&J Depuy Synthes. Depuy Synthes is a subsidiary of J&J, and they focus on orthopedics, such as knee and hip replacements. The orthopedic medical device market has become a commoditized market where companies struggle to differentiate their products from their competitors. In addition, more and more patients are becoming knowledgeable of their medical options and expressing preferences to their doctors. Therefore, medical device companies are actively looking for ways to establish brand value and to differentiate themselves. Instagram could help DePuy Synthes achieve this goal.
Instagram Platform Fit Test for DePuy Synthes
In order to judge the effectiveness of a platform, we can do the Platform Fit Test to evaluate the audience connection, brand association, and goal alignment.
· Audience Connection: About 60% of knee replacements are done on women which aligns with the gender demographics of Instagram. In terms of age, 17% of users on Instagram are over the age of 50 according to the Pew Research Center Demographics of Key Social Networking Platforms study. The average age for a knee replacement is around 70 years old. While some of these individuals may be on Instagram, there is a stronger chance that their children are on Instagram. As we know for any major medical procedure, our family is often involved in the decision making process. Family could be a secondary audience target.
· Brand Association: On the DePuy Synthes website, they share patient stories. However, the stories appear artificial and heavy marketing. See an example below. The company is clearly trying to show images of patients moving and feeling good after their surgery. Instagram aligns with their brand because it focuses on images and personal stories.
· Goal Alignment: DePuy Synthes’s goal is to establish brand awareness and to try to differentiate themselves from other joint implant companies. If there is brand awareness, patients can proactively seek out surgeons that perform the procedure using DePuy products. By showing images and success stories, this allows DePuy Synthes to establish brand awareness.
Instagram marketing plan: Raise awareness of knee replacement procedures, share patient success stories, and introduce DePuy Synthes
For patients receiving a knee or hip replacement, the change in their mobility and quality of life can be rather dramatic. Prior to the surgery, a patient may struggle to climb the stairs, and after the surgery, he may totally regain this ability. DePuy Synthes currently does very little to share these stories. If you go to their youtube page, they have marketing videos. However, many of these seem outdated and quite overproduced.
More videos and pictures need to be shared in order to illustrate the frequency of the procedure and the success stories. In addition, the content should be more patient driven with the support of DePuy. Here are suggestions of photo posts DePuy Synthes should make on Instagram:
1) Show photo collage of all of the DePuy patients (obviously must consent to be posted). Connect the photo to a story about the number of knee replacements done per year and the safety records around the procedure.
2) Famous soccer or football player who is still running after the knee replacement. Connect the image to his/her personal story of choosing to get the surgery, choosing DePuy Synthes, and the recovery process.
3) Woman about to go into surgery, smiling with the DePuy sales rep and the device that will go into her knee. Show a follow-up post of her recovery.
4) Running event sponsored by DePuy Synthes to support a non-profit cause. Show that DePuy Synthes gives back to charity and that patients run in the race.
5) Video of a patient trying to climb the stairs before and after the surgery. Show amazing difference!
Conclusion
I understand that the medical device industry is highly regulated and there are risks with sharing patient stories online. However, many of these healthcare companies are missing out on opportunities to share the positive patient stories. Medtronic effectively involves their patients on Instagram and makes the account more light hearted. DePuy Synthes has a great opportunity to use Instagram in order to increase awareness around knee replacement procedures and to start to generate brand awareness around potential patients.
