Weight-loss consumers widen their circles with GSK site.(MARKETING &amp;MEDIA)(www.allihcp.com)(GlaxoSmithKline PLC)(Brief article).

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PITTSBURGH -- In the spirit of TV's "The Biggest Loser," the special networking site GlaxoSmithKline created for its OTC weight-loss aid Alli has proven a big winner in social media terms.

GSK launched its weight-loss program, called Alli, in 2007. And along with that launch, the company created two online destination sites for its constituents: www.allihcp.com for healthcare professionals--aka pharmacists, the "hcp" that patients naturally would consult around an OTC medicine--and www.myalli.com for patients.

From myalli.com, users are encouraged to join GSK's own social network of Alli users with "Allicircles," a part of the site that "provides consumers [with] a place to share insights, post to message board forums and create an online profile with their image and story to share with other consumers," according to the site.

It's a site for dieters, a support community for people where they can post their own weight-loss stories and pictures and interact with others who have had similar experiences. And it's a source for information; along with the support of a shared experience, Allicircles members can directly ask questions to a registered dietician, pharmacist and fitness specialist, such as Maria Marzella Sulli, an instructor at St. John's University College of Pharmacy and wellness coordinator for King Kullen Pharmacy, and weight-loss specialist and Costco pharmacist Sophia De Monte.

Source Citation
"Weight-loss consumers widen their circles with GSK site." Drug Store News 31.15 (2009): 20. InfoTrac Small Business eCollection. Web. 5 Jan. 2010. .

Gale Document Number:A214711781

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