Before I start, fair disclosure that Pfizer is one of Hale Advisors clients (though we did not work on this program), but the views expressed below are ours.
Can you build awareness and sell your product at the same time? Viagra may have found the answer with its new YouTube channel. www.youtube.com/viagra
Oh Viagra YouTube campaign, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways…
1) Knowing your audience and creating content they will appreciate
‘Content is King’, we know that, and obviously Viagra does too. The videos on their Channel are all under 5 minutes and have a very “CSI” style about them. How could you not be engaged by ‘hidden camera’ video and investigative reporting, DEA men storming a building, and high production values with good editing and music? Guys love it. Heck, I love it! First stop: YouTube, next stop: CBS Prime Time!
2) Using a communications channel because it works
Did Viagra choose Facebook for their Social Media venture? No. Twitter? No. It seems they recognized that video was the best way to tell their story, that YouTube would be an impactful channel, that they wanted to keep it branded but control comments, and that it was important to leverage the sharable functionality for the content so that the program would grow virally. None of the other platforms could have fulfilled these needs as well as YouTube.
3) Going head to head with the “Bad Guys”
Wow, Viagra, you don’t take it lying down that the counterfeits have dominated the search space with misleading directives. This is powerful real estate you’ve acquired, since we know that social media ranks high in organic search, higher than all those sleazy, spammy websites. And while it may not be ranking yet, there is real opportunity to make an impact.
4) This will help drive sales! Its actually social media with an ROI!!!
One of the issues that Viagra has been doing battle with economically over the last several years is counterfeit manufacturing driving patients away from their doctors offices and towards these dangerous fakes. Erectile dysfunction is still a touchy subject for a guy to discuss with his doctor (considering you can’t get a man to visit his doctor even if his leg is falling off). The lure of these counterfeits is ease of access, relative privacy and cost. Viagra should be able to measure the impact of their campaign on clickthrough’s to Verified Internet Pharmacy Practice Sites® (or VIPPS®). Not to mention the fabulous partnership opportunities between Retail and Pharma.
So what’s next? I’m excited to follow this campaign and see where Viagra takes it.