v-Fluence Blog

Online Monitoring Reveals Shift in Blogs, Mainstream Media Relationship

Much has been said about the love-hate relationship between bloggers and mainstream media in years—but there’s evidence emerging of late that suggests the relationship may becoming more symbiotic than antagonistic.

v-Fluence Interactive, which conducts online monitoring for brands in pharmaceutical, energy and healthcare and other markets, has seen the emergence of blogs being quoted in mainstream news articles related to clients and their respective brands—another signal that organizations and brands should be paying attention to what’s being said about them in Web 2.0 spaces.

In recent weeks, for example, v-Fluence’s Online Market Analysis service has noted mainstream press mentions of blogs as sources and reference points for stories related to pharmaceutical treatments:

• A recent article in The News Journal (Delaware Online) quotes three bloggers about their opinions on the antipsychotic drug, Seroquel. One of those cited, Furious Seasons blogger Philip Dawdy, is a vocal critic of the drug and other members of its class.
• In July, The Wall Street Journal’s India affiliate, LiveMint, acknowledged the Patent Circle Blog as the source that broke the story about generic drugmaker Cipla’s plans to copy some 20 branded medications.
• Last month, the Food and Drug Administration announced an investigation into reports that Merck/Schering-Plough’s drug, Vytorin, appeared to contribute to increased cancer diagnoses and deaths in a clinical trial. The FDA’s announcement followed physician bloggers theorizing on the linkage and subsequent mainstream press coverage.

“The rise of blogs as ‘legit’ news sources is not surprising when you consider the growing visibility of blogs, forums and other Web 2.0 spaces and their often laser-like focus on a particular issue or industry,” says v-Fluence president Jay Byrne. “We’ve seen Web 2.0 outlets showing up more in product- and brand-related searches for brands in several market segments. It’s critical for brands to at least monitor, if not engage, these spaces to manage and mitigate risks.”

Indeed, v-Fluence’s research into the online environment for cholesterol brands earlier this year found that the number of blogs showing up in Web 1.0 searches more than doubled compared to similar research conducted in 2006. Meanwhile, the number of discussion forums increased five-fold in the same time frame. (Go here to learn more about this research.)

Journalists acknowledge that they are increasingly relying on Web 2.0 spaces for story ideas and sources. A journalist v-Fluence contacted for this release notes that he, unlike some colleagues, does not view bloggers as “parasites feeding on the mainstream media’s content” but as “tip sheets, sources and, often, competitors.”

John Mack, the editor behind the influential Pharma Marketing blog, says journalists call and e-mail him regularly as they are researching stories. “The problem with the bloggers is there are so many out there,” he says. “To rise to the top of the stack is an impossible goal.”

These comments affirm what other studies have shown—that, at the very least, journalists are paying attention to Web 2.0 spaces to see what’s being said about the organizations and brands they cover.

Among other things, a 2007study of journalists from The Bulldog Reporter/TEKgroup International found that more than 25 percent of those surveyed say they regularly read five or more blogs to keep up with the subject matter they cover—while nearly 70 percent track at least one blog regularly. In addition, the survey found nearly 30 percent of surveyed journalists say they visit a social media site at least once a week as part of their reporting.

“In some ways, journalists are catching up to online consumers, who’ve long been the ones paying attention to and participating in Web 2.0 spaces and giving them the increased visibility our research indicates they enjoy,” Byrne says. “Organizations and brands that understand the rising influence of Web 2.0 spaces on mainstream media will fare better than those that do not.”

About v-Fluence Interactive: With locations in San Diego, St. Louis, Chicago and Washington, DC, v-Fluence provides major brands and organizations the online analytics, strategy development and execution support they need to be measurably successful on the Web. For more on the company, visit http://www.v-fluence.com.