Eli Lilly and Company’s purpose is to unite caring with discovery to create medicines that make life better for people around the world. That's why the U.S. multicultural marketing team, in partnership with the consumer social media team and brand team, along with cross-functional partners, sought to make Lilly the very first pharmaceutical company to create a branded Spanish-language Facebook page for the diabetes population via Trulicity -- to reach the growing, yet underserved U.S. Hispanic population. The team discovered an opportunity to accelerate awareness-to-conversion via social, as Hispanic patients are eager to find diabetes support through this channel.
The U.S. Hispanic population continues to grow. In 2018 the percentage of the U.S. population that is Hispanic was 18% and by 2060 it is estimated that 28% of the U.S. population will be Hispanic (Pew Hispanic September 2017; US Census October 2016). They approach social media in a unique manner—they trust pharma more than the general market and they are more apt to share experiences and health challenges online.
The objectives were to reach Hispanic patients, engage them with relevant content, and inspire action. All of this was accomplished by strategically establishing a more direct personal communication through social media. The core goal was to transform pure advertising into a holistic, trustworthy connection by providing a unique and authentic experience that inspires consumers to action via two-way communication between Lilly and the consumer.
Consumers today go online in search of interaction with other like-minded individuals, across tailored communities and with companies they support. With social media bringing people information faster than ever before, consumer expectations of brands are especially high, and no industry, even pharma, is immune. Eli Lilly and Company is one of the few pharmaceutical companies to not only invest in the social media capability but also engage in two-way conversation with consumers across multiple platforms and disease state areas. Despite the growing digital trend, there was not yet a resource specifically created for the multicultural market located in the United States.
Forty percent of newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes patients are of Hispanic descent. Among the U.S. Hispanic population, 50 percent are more likely to die from diabetes than Caucasians. This staggering statistic, paired with the insight that 70 percent of this population receives health-related information directly from social media, meant there was an opportunity to reach an underserved market hungry for information about their health. We identified Trulicity--a medication for the treatment of type 2 diabetes--as the perfect brand for which to create an innovative solution to reach this population.
To accomplish this goal, we gleaned learnings from our English Trulicity Page and leveraged its data points to create a reference library of frequently asked questions. This bank of questions was translated into Spanish, analyzed, and further refined to meet the needs of this community. We conducted deep research to understand and get to know this population and leveraged numerous data points, including the U.S. Hispanic population’s preferences regarding smartphone usage, social and digital platforms, where to find information about diabetes, the nature of their relationships with their doctors, and more. The resulting approved responses help community managers in the Digital Intelligence Lab provide accurate, relevant information as soon as consumers need it and in a way that’s helpful and authentic. We deepened our engagement with the Hispanic community around Trulicity, and focused on addressing the specific needs expressed by the U.S. Hispanic population. We continually measured the quality of our responses to refine these resources and ensure they were tailored to the needs of our consumers.
The team worked collaboratively and relentlessly to provide an authentic Hispanic social experience.
Leveraging cultural and behavioral Hispanic insights, we launched the Spanish Trulicity Facebook designed to establish real relationships with Hispanic T2D patients and their caregivers.
Once launched, creative assets with key product and culturally relevant messages were deployed in market with strategic paid media support.
We are always evolving to keep pace with the changing needs of our consumers and the healthcare system. Our new Spanish-language Facebook resource for Trulicity will make it easier for consumers to get the right information when they need it, and on their preferred channels of communication—and it’s just the beginning. Looking ahead, the multicultural marketing team is leading the way to add foreign-language consumer resources for other Lilly products.
With the creation of the Spanish-language Facebook Page, Lilly continues to grow its lead in digital patient support. With in-depth data, smart analytics and a team approach, we are now able to engage with consumers in Spanish to answer questions and provide additional information about cost, adherence, and other important issues that address consumer concerns and create greater brand awareness. This new channel is a significant step forward as we create meaningful connections that lead to remarkable experiences for our consumers.
Being the first Spanish Pharma Facebook Page is on its own a remarkable achievement as it demonstrated our innovative approach and commitment to provide a remarkable experience for all patients.
By end of 2019, our team’s efforts:
