GSK Gets on Board with The YouTube Revolution -

In place of the Weekly Roundup this week, I am writing a regular post because of a new development I just saw on Twitter from my friend Brian Reid. 

So ok folks, first J&J got on board by creating their healthchannel on YouTube which was brilliant and frankly overdue.  They now have 77 subscribers and a vid they posted last week on healthy eating has already had nearly 2000 viewings which is not bad for a start up!  They also have a second corporate channel called JNJ410 which actually I find more interesting than the more consumer-driven health channel though it only had 6 subscribers, now 7 (me!).  Check out this vid called From Molecule to Medicine.

Now, another pharma has entered the 21st Century with its own YouTube channel - GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) has begun GSKCIC.  A little while ago, they had 7 subscribers, now they have 8 (me!). 

The first vid listed is one that overviews their philanthropy.  You would be surprised how little people know about the extent of philanthropy from the pharmaceutical industry.  Frankly, most people don't know anything about it and pharmaceutical companies tend to believe everyone knows the extent to which drugs flow to developing countries.  Here is a link to that video - unfortunately for some reason that is unfathomable, they have disabled the ability to embed the vid.  Not a good idea. - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wrEXAqLjy-I

Another vid is from the CEO on recruiting employees to GSK - again stupidly not allowing embedding. - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p2ixeANNRRw

GSK - free the vids, man!  Not allowing us to embed is only undermining your goal.  These things are spread virally.  Let it go man!

And for those of you pharmaceutical companies that are still issuing press releases by email  instead of RSS feed and if that's you (and I know who you are) you ought to be scared.  You are not going where the communications are happening and you are not keeping up. 

You need a digital boot camp and you need it yesterday. (By the way, here's a plug for my employer Fleishman-Hillard - they do a digital boot camp!)

Comments

[Jeffrey Clark, CEO of Beaker.com - The Online Community for Life Sciences Professionals]

Kudos to Mr. Witty for embracing the Web 2.0 world is such a way. More & more, major life sciences companies are understanding that their patients (and potential employees) want to hear from them directly, without the polish & influence of their PR & Investor Relations group.

It's a brave step by a new pharma CEO. Here's to seeing Mr. Hassan, Mr. Sharer & Mr. Kindler on YouTube here soon.

[Jeroen B]

Seems that JnJ410 channel on YouTube(mentioned in your article) is already closed. It returns a page with the following info "This account is closed".

[Mark Senak]

Yes, the JNJ410 channel was apparently a prototype for the JNJ health channel. They actually realized that it was still up by seeing it on Eye on FDA and left a comment to the effect that it was a mistake that it was still up and that they were taking it down. The JNJ Health Channel is still up though.