by Eugene Sefanov on September 29th, 2015 | ~ minute read
Since the infamous Kim Kardashian Instagram post went up and the FDA issued a Warning Letter to Duchesnay, the company she was representing, a couple of things have happened. For one, Kim has issued a corrective post (i.e., ad), which outlined the safety information for Diclegis, the medication for morning sickness she is promoting. And, two, according to Treato, a developer of software that helps life sciences companies listen in to what people are saying about their products on the web, Kim’s Instagram posts boosted the conversation around Diclegis by 500%.
If reports are true that Kim charges $10,000 per post, there’s no question that it’s worth having her as a spokesperson for such a product, given her notoriety and social media following. But was the mistake of excluding the product’s risks worth a letter from the FDA? After all, once an act like this happens, you can be sure the FDA will be monitoring your activities much more closely.
One of the positive outcomes of this whole debacle is that pharma, biotech, and medical device companies have gained insight into the value of “customer listening” technology and services. Whether you’re “listening” to online conversations related to adverse events, product questions, or simply a brand, knowing what’s being said can help you address existing issues, head off potential issues, and gain insights that can steer your brand toward success in the market.
