Often criticised for not properly adopting new web technologies, pharma
proves it knows a thing or two about the corporate website. Six pharma companies have made it into the list of top 20 businesses in
this year’s Financial Times Bowen Craggs Index of web effectiveness.
The report, which rates websites "that are well built, well integrated
with other channels (eg YouTube or social media), present the companies
messages most impressively, and serve a range of stakeholders well", is a
positive result for pharma – with Roche topping the table at number five.
Joining the pharma giant in the top 5 are electronics firm Siemens, and oil
giants Eni, BP and Shell. The report, which claims to be "the only
comprehensive source of comparable data on companies’ corporate digital
presence", collates data across the full spectrum of industries and
measures each company based on a number of predetermined criteria.
For those of us who have previously criticised the Pharmaceutical Industry
for its slow uptake of online platforms (myself included), this morning’s news
that Pharma is a web leader in the corporate website space comes as something
of a shock if not an unexpected victory for the industry, which faces
continuing uncertainly and criticism in an ever-changing business landscape.
An introduction on Bowen Craggs’ website demonstrates how transparency and communication are key deciding factors
in the process:
“Last month Goldman Sachs used the home page of its corporate website to
answer an attack by one of its managers in the New York Times. This month Total
has been posting updates about its gas leak in the North Sea. Surveys show
journalists say company websites are critically important sources of
information. And those customers are increasingly using them to check out the
ethics of companies they are buying from. The corporate website is the core of
an online presence, and in many ways the most important communication channel a
company owns.”
It is worth noting that the report, which is the culmination of four months
of research, 1000 man hours and more than 800,000 words of analysis, focuses on
company websites only and not the off-site use of social media platforms. We
asked Erik Hawkinson, Head of Global Digital Marketing at Roche about
the report, who provided the following statement:
“Roche has worked very hard to integrate social media and digital
activities into our global online programs. This is a wonderful sentiment to
all who have put in efforts across the world, our products and those involved
in overall web presence to see their efforts have been recognised.”
The report demonstrates that despite a general fear of being left behind,
the industry stands up well to other business sectors, however while this is
good news for Roche et al, it also raises the bar for those who didn’t make the
grade.
Πηγή: Eyeforpharma