The Scoop: 6.14.22

It always amazes us how many new learnings we absorb each week. These past two weeks were especially busy. For many of us, it included a jam-packed medical meeting schedule. We were most pleased that onsite medical meeting support for social/digital teams is back. Before we ramble on too much, let’s dive into the main events: Pride, free speech (again) and the continued value of online patient communities.

Happy Pride, Y’all 🏳️‍🌈

Each June, while we’re taking time to celebrate, support and listen to members of the LGBTQIA+ community, many brands take to social and digital to re-skin themselves with rainbow-themed logos. And while many brands’ participation in the month-long celebration ends there, others share meaningful Pride messages or launch full-fledged campaigns. Shoutout to Pfizer, bluebird bio and Sanofi to name a few. 😊 So far this month, we have seen noteworthy demonstrations of support from brands across industries. Here’s our quick round-up of who’s doing it right, so far.

• Chipotle partnered with Miley Cyrus’s Happy Hippie Foundation to provide a quarter million dollars worth of burritos to communities in need, supporting The Trevor Project through point-of-sale roundups and a percentage of sales of inclusive Pride merch.

• Tinder joined forces with the Human Rights Campaign to end the 40-year ban on blood donations from men who have sex with men.

• LinkedIn shared new user data with insights about how brands should talk about Pride.

• TikTok is launching a range of live streams this month and is the presenting sponsor of the LA Pride Parade and Festival.

We don’t usually highlight what not to do (except for in our last issue 😏), but the following example is further proof of the value and importance of hiring a diverse team or agency to help develop your creative.

• Walmart fell short last month when it advertised “Juneteenth Vaseline” as “equitable skincare for all.”

Sources: PR Newswire, The Drum, Social Media Today, Social Media Today

Big Tech's Role in Free Speech 🖥️📱💻

On the heels of #MentalHealthAwarenessMonth comes an ongoing debate about social media, freedom of speech, and how far is too far. The latest debate: how platforms handle the amount of propaganda, disinformation and lies shared across them. We see this not just in a political sense, but in the health setting as well through misinformation and self-diagnosis for health conditions. The inclination is to block or censor the misinformation, but how our society deals with the downside of social media is a work in progress. Historically speaking, censorship has been used to silence marginalized communities. Just recently the U.S. Supreme Court blocked the Texas law that prohibits social media companies from moderating content based on a user's "viewpoint." The order came about three weeks after the "censorship" law was reinstated by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. Interestingly the decision was split 5-4, indicating that the room is very much divided on how to handle the matter of free speech. The trouble with censorship is that it has to define what is to be eradicated. Take hate speech for instance. The British Parliament is struggling with a bill to limit it. The social networks seek to exclude it, and there are U.S. laws against crimes inspired by it. We have seen the impact of censorship in Russian media as well. Might an alternative to censorship be presented that ensures social platforms serve up balanced content next to a polarizing article?

Sources: PBS, PsyPost, Ars Technica, The Economist, The Guardian, Politico, CBS

Case Closed: Social Media and the Circle of Influence 📣

Recent events have highlighted the role social media and its sphere of influence can play in depicting or changing a narrative around highly publicized conversations. Today, when global milestones (we’re still not over Prince Louis at the Queen’s Jubilee) capture national attention, no longer are people just glued to their TVs, they’re also searching the internet for related hashtags, memes from embarrassing moments and POVs from experts in the field. The constant footage shared across a variety of digital formats makes it hard for anyone online to avoid the news. For content creators, there’s even an added bonus to join certain social conversations: monetary gain. Pivoting content to cover current events and lean into what’s popular can increase views and engagement, and in turn earn money from ads or platforms with creator funds. And it’s not just your trusted online friends who are influencing your opinions – experts say only a handful of people can create fake accounts and move the national conversation. It’s easy for the online conversation to start to look one-sided, convincing users they’re either on the right or wrong side.

Sources: Today, CNET, The Washington Post

Are Health Care Workers Doing a Disservice by Not Using Social to Combat Misinformation? 🩺

Health care workers are among the most trusted to share information on vaccines – specifically COVID-19 vaccines – but why aren’t they? The University of Pittsburgh’s School of Public Health published a first-of-its-kind study that examined the reasons for not posting or sharing information, including where the vaccine hesitancy is coming from and acceptance and promotion among health care workers of the vaccine and how it works. The data came from both survey responses and Twitter posts related to vaccination and health care and demonstrated that the power of online influence is even spreading into the health care industry and how influencers can leverage their positions with knowledge. The survey showed that, while many shared their compelling reasons for getting vaccinated, they weren’t sharing the reasons online either because they didn’t have the support to post, know how to or were nervous about how it would be portrayed. As health care marketers, our call is to continue to educate, provide resources and show with support how impactful those messages can be.

Sources: Health Leader, Community of Health Journal

Cancer Patients Lean on Social Media for Connection & Community 🧑‍🤝‍🧑

Did you know that adolescents and young adults (AYA) receive cancer diagnoses at a lower rate than young children or older adults? This underrepresentation can often lead to feelings of isolation, anxiety and depression – all of which were exacerbated during the COVID-19 shutdown. According to Oncology Nursing News, “Social media apps proved to be a place of community for many – particularly for AYA patients navigating a cancer diagnosis.” A study by Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center found that, through social media platforms, AYA with cancer could find a community of peers. While connecting online, patients can share their stories and experiences, discuss treatment and survivorship and confront mortality. Using hashtags such as #CancerTok on TikTok (which has received ~126.8M views), AYA can easily reach other creators sharing related experiences and content. While we’re constantly walking a fine line on how to compliantly reach audiences under 18, leaning on social media continues to be a vital channel for sharing resources and fostering connections among this demographic.

Sources: Oncology Nursing News, TikTok

And in Other News…

Just saying we were here first, 😉“Why celebrities are setting their side-hustle sights on advertising.”

A beautiful story: Alaska cartoonist draws his experiences with Parkinson’s.

Contributing Writers and Editors: Nick Cardillo, Carissa Dagleish, Ricki Kahn, Lauren Fernández Meihls, Jennie Szink and Bre Thomlison

Real Chemistry’s The Scoop is brought to you by an editorial collective, featuring industry updates and insights from subject matter experts across social media, digital and influencer activation teams.

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