Alexandra McMenomy
Director, Digital & Innovation
Pfizer
Building an Eczema Facebook Community
The launch of Eucrisa offered millions of mild-to-moderate eczema patients, ages 2 and up, a new topical prescription treatment for the first time in over a decade. During market research, it was discovered that caregivers (moms and dads) are highly motivated to speak with their pediatrician about treatment options. Throughout the day, these caregivers use email, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, podcasts, and more. The importance of social media was evident; however, no brand at Pfizer had developed a branded community with users’ comments and brand replies enabled. That didn’t stop Alexandra (Ali) McMenomy.
In partnership with her cross-functional Pfizer colleagues and agency partners, including FCB Health, they took a ground-up approach recognizing the need to talk to caregivers the way they are used to interacting, and created an internal approval path in an effort to build an active and educated social community for steroid-free Eucrisa. Ali and her cross-functional team launched the Facebook community with a multi-pronged approach.
Ali workshopped ideas directly with Facebook and concepted unique video content prior to the TV shoot, ensuring the photographer captured customized assets. She created social assets in video format based on consumption habits and where Facebook sees highest performance. Based on input from Facebook, she and FCB Health developed content in “bite-sized” format, keeping the ads focused on a singular message. The team pulses new, contextually relevant content frequently, such as Halloween-themed content and “tips” for Eczema Awareness Month in October and Winter Tips messaging in January.
As this was a first for the organization, Ali developed new processes and systems to support the social activation to provide efficient community management, creative tracking, and metrics reporting.
Impressively, the fruits of Ali’s labor have paid off, and Eucrisa is now the largest Facebook eczema community in the U.S. with nearly 90K followers. And, under Ali’s leadership, Pfizer has filled the category void by creating and owning a transparent community while laying the groundwork for more brands to follow and expand into new social platforms.
