Yes, I submitted a panel for SXSW.  There’s a track of the interactive portion about Social Health — I figured I was qualified  to talk about that — and give pretty good presentation.

Here’s the pitch: (go vote)

Social Health: Who Wants to “Like” Hemorrhoid Cream?

Social media is a powerful medium, and can really improve patient outcomes. It can also add some much needed life to marketing plans, and help brands build relationships with patients. With any luck this will be a win/win for patients and brands. Right now the entire Pharma world is busy figuring out how to jump into social media. The problem is very few people are thinking about whether or not someone really wants a relationship with their Rx. Imagine announcing to the world on Facebook that you “like” your prescription Rx cream. Really? You want to do that? Well, different strokes and all. In this session we’ll talk about how to chose the right social technologies to achieve the brand’s marketing goals. Part of that decision matrix is understanding people and how and why they use social technology. We’ll definitely talk about why Pharma should never say they want “viral” marketing. In a best case scenario, this will be a highly interactive presentation taking live suggestions and questions from the audience and discussing their unique situations. Tell me your product, we’ll talk about your audience, and we’ll discuss the appropriate use of social media technology for you.

Questions Answered:

1. Why segmentation data isn’t enough.
2. Why you need to understand why people use Facebook, not just that they do.
3. Do all pharma brands need to be on Facebook?
4. Would you follow a brand on Twitter? Why?
5. What the FDA really says about social media.

That’s my pitch!  I think it will be fun and informative.  So, hows about sending me to SXSW?