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The Testimonial Trap In Healthcare Pr
It’s true in social media too. If you have a Facebook or Twitter campaign and no-one involved in it is saying anything positive about the products, issues or campaigns then the whole thing is pretty much a waste of time. Because remember good PR campaigns (and good social media campaigns) are not driven by what you say about your products and issues – they are driven by what OTHER people say about them. So what to make of the recent Federal Court decision where Allergy Pathway Pty Ltd was fined for contempt of undertakings made to the court The decision came after the ACCC took action against the company in August 2009. The ACCC argued that the practice by Allergy Pathway of posting written postive testimonials by clients on its website, Facebook page and Twitter feed constituted "false misleading and deceptive practice”. See http://www.pria.com.au/news/id/1174 So it raises some important questions about the legitimacy of testimonials in social media. In traditional PR there have always been some "rules of engagement” that have guided the role of testimonials in news stories. It was always obvious that the testimonial had to · Be legitimate, honest examples of the issue being covered · Have signed documentation saying that they did indeed suffer from the condition and have the benefits being shared publicly · Be engaged in the process because of an interest in helping raise awareness or "help others” – not because they were being paid a fee · Be prepared to disclose any fees or remuneration involved in their participation In social media it’s not quite as manageable (because people typically post their own things about themselves in real time) – and it’s different. Because here is the thing - the role of the PR agent and client in managing a Facebook page or a website goes from one of being "facilitator” in traditional PR (ie, drafting media releases, liaising with journalists, suggesting story ideas) to being a publisher. So if you are a publisher of a health related web domain or a social media account such as Facebook or Twitter, then (as the Allergy Pathway experience shows) you are responsible for what gets posted there. If you have become pretty adept over the years at finding legitimate case studies to help support positive editorial stories about your products and issues, you might now need to get equally adept at deleting misleading and unsupportable posts (however genuine, heartfelt or positive) from your product website and Facebook page. That old defence of it’s "just PR sweetie, all up to editor” – is no longer going to cut it. Because this is social media – and unless you’ve been left way behind - you’re a publisher now. For examples of effective "game-changing” social media campaigns (that have carefully moderated testimonial contributions) go to www.palin.com.au. Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com |
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