A best practice adage about corporate blogging is that there’s gotta be an inside evangelist in order for the blog to work. Well GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare has one in the form of VP of Weight Control Steve Burton. Steve is the lead author on GSK’s official corporate blog for alli at alliConnect.com. alli, if you haven’t seen the TV commercials, is the first OTC (over the counter), FDA-approved weight loss product.
The alli blog launched quietly about a week ago. (Full disclosure: I’m working with GSK as a paid consultant to help guide the blog authors as they venture into the blogosphere.) I think this is a first for Big Pharma — a blog that accompanies the launch of a controversial product. Correct me if I’m wrong.
The distinctive clear-plastic alli starter kit hits the shelves today at pharmacies and retailers across the country. The Wall Street Journal’s Health Blog is reporting a feeding frenzy (despite the potential side effects – treatment effects, as GSK calls them – if you eat too much fat while you’re taking the pill).
