PR: messages from the frontline
pharmafile | March 5, 2007 | Feature | Medical Communications, Sales and Marketing |Â Â public relations, strategyÂ
Media rationalisation & technology
"Here is the news but not as we know it! The media landscape is constantly evolving as even the most traditional of broadcast and print news bastions lead the provision of up-to-the-minute quality news and debate online. We now see all major newspapers publishing several online editions per day and sites such as BBC News Online receiving an average of 4 million hits across the lunch hour as desk-based office workers seek their latest news fix.
"The shape of media consumption is fast changing as even the most staid of outlets embrace the newest breed of internet-based services including pod and videocasting. And as confidence declines in traditional sources of information, there is a growing preference towards seeking and relying upon the opinions of our peers.
"Social media networking, such as blogging satisfies this preference by providing the ability to share information quickly and broadly with a group of like -minded people, while also providing access to the worlds largest focus group.
"So, looking beyond traditional media formats is rapidly becoming essential, as online interactive communication offers a new channel of communication to consumers of all ages, presenting a real opportunity for forward-thinkers in the healthcare industry to leverage these technological advances to reach an ever-increasing number of stakeholders.
"The reality of media within the 21st century precludes the historic approach of managing stakeholders within silos. As the 24/7 internet-driven society takes hold and the power of web-based community grows, companies must look to manage their corporate reputations beyond the prime shareholder base and it is here that PR has an increasingly important, but evolving role to play.
"The traditional boundaries have simply ceased to exist: it's access all areas and everyone is potentially a stakeholder.
"The application of intelligent, proactive and importantly, transparent communications now, more than ever before, will determine commercial success and those pharmaceutical companies that recognise and maximise the link between brand activity and corporate reputation will reap the most reward."
Sarah Matthew is joint managing director, at Virgo Health PR
Evaluation
"Evaluation is an integral part of any communications programme and should not be added as an afterthought.
"SMART objectives have long been industry-standard but SMARTer agencies are now moving beyond these to actually collate pre- and post- programme research to benchmark their success. Incorporated from day one, this data-led approach gives clients a real insight into how communications programmes have been instrumental in changing key audiences perceptions and triggering behavioural changes.
"When the contribution of the various elements to the marketing mix are under scrutiny, the need for evaluating and justifying return on PR investment is vital. The onus is now on agencies to build evaluation mechanisms into their programmes from the outset. Communicating to clients exactly what will be delivered as a result of planned activity and setting tight metrics for measurement to demonstrate what they can expect in terms of ROI. At C&W, we have set up a special evaluation taskforce to ensure that evaluation is a core component of every programme and does not fall by the wayside until the time of the annual review meeting.
"As budgets steadily decrease and agencies increasingly face procurement departments, PR must be able to show the wider marketing team direct deliverables or face being the first to be cut."
Lucy Heaton is account director and head of the evaluation task force at Cohn & Wolfe
UK & European policy
"NHS Trusts are starting to get their heads around what marketing really means, a hospital communications manager commented to the CCA Policy Team, as her trust started to consider the reality of the combined impact of new policies in England: patient choice, practice-based commissioning and payment by results, to mention just a few.
"Significant changes across the NHS in England are redefining the healthcare landscape, driving the revision of patient pathways and challenging the way individuals working in the NHS operate.
"These changes are particularly dramatic because of the introduction of market forces and principles to service commissioning.
"However, change also creates opportunity healthcare professionals require support navigating the new environment and communications programmes can harness these opportunities to achieve maximum patient benefit.
"While national governments remain gatekeepers of healthcare spending, the EU is playing an increasingly influential role in examining what works within the healthcare arena and in encouraging member states to compare healthcare strategies across all disease areas.
"Working with the European institutions therefore provides an opportunity for communications professionals to improve disease awareness across a broad spectrum of stakeholders and to champion best practice.
"Ignoring UK and EU policy changes and the pressures they bring leaves our industry out of touch with the reality on the ground and is a lost opportunity to engage with vital audiences.
"It takes a particular class of healthcare PR professional to understand and navigate the changing policy environment, and bring unique insights to identify new opportunities that really deliver."
Angela Conoley is policy team member at Chandler Chicco Agency
A PR savvy population
While PR has always been around in some form or other, recent high-profile media campaigns such as Herceptin and the NICE Alzheimer's debate have meant that the general public is now more aware than ever of the power of PR and who is generating the spin.
"The power of PR reached new heights in 2005/06 with Herceptin and the high-profile case of Anne Marie Rogers. The story grew legs of its own and snowballed into one of the biggest pharma-related media stories of recent times. How much of it was generated by the pharmaceutical company in question is open to debate; whats important to this discussion is the effect the campaign had on the industry in general.
"The rights and wrongs of the campaign and its impact on NHS resources were debated vigorously in the media, leaving the general public worn out, de-sensitised, but most importantly, savvy to the mechanics and power of PR.
"So where do we go from here? There is no doubt that PR is an essential and increasingly valued part of the marketing mix and we must all be accountable for our actions.
"While standards of conduct, ethics and corporate responsibility have always dictated the pharmaceutical industry's relationship with the media and general public, transparency has become increasingly important of late.
"Lessons from recent high-profile campaigns and the revised ABPI code of practice will hopefully translate into a more open dialogue between the pharmaceutical industry, media and general public and win back an all-important vote of confidence for the industry as a whole."
Sin Hurst is senior account director at Huntsworth Health
Maximising Medical Meetings
A major medical meeting can be both a critical opportunity for a pharmaceutical company and a daunting task. Maximising appropriate and effective company and product displays, informative and interesting symposia, data dissemination, media relations opportunities, and the other elements available within the overall meeting structure must be planned for, managed and delivered with the very best strategic forethought and tactical execution and always from the perspective that the meeting is a single opportunity for focused message delivery, and not a loosely configured collection of activities.
Too often, each activity is viewed as a separate, opportunity simply housed within the conference centre for attendee convenience. Too often, branding is the only consistent link between a company's various activities. Company personnel and conference attendees are also often less then astonished at the end of the meeting, because a great opportunity has not been maximised.
"To make the most of a medical meeting, planning teams need to look at every opportunity available to them as spokes in a wheel. The company's strategic objective (or objectives) for the overall meeting is the wheel's hub, and anchors each spoke (activity), all forming a simple, interconnected, efficient and effective invention."
Phil Sheldon is managing director at Resolute Communications
Procurement and staff salary inflation
"Ask any pharma PR agency about the key challenges for the next few years and they're sure to cite the issue of growth in an unstable environment (client budget cutbacks and regular roster reviews). Add to this the battle of ensuring continuity and seamlessness in terms of service levels and you're looking at a squeeze at both ends.
"Pharma brand PR was once protected from procurement demands, but this is no more and rightly so. Procurement promotes good practice by clients and suppliers, ensuring transparency and fair dealing.
"Agencies need to find a way to respond to this changing business model, without compromising their own business objectives, creativity and integrity. For agencies able to step up to the challenge, these are exciting times and an opportunity to redefine some of the traditional parameters of the business.
"Agencies must ensure they add value through providing novel services and more effective creative approaches. Strategic planning, creative delivery and appropriate measurement are all essential components of service.
"We live in a world which has IP installed as its future communications platform agencies without this knowledge base and tools will lag behind those which have already stepped up to the mark.
"Becoming roster agencies or preferred suppliers can offset the impact of procurement by reducing the opportunity cost of converting the business.
"Continuity of team members, particularly senior staff, has an important role to play in the retention of business and in maintaining the hard-won place on client rosters.Creative thinking around staff development is as important as creative thinking for client business. At senior levels, talented staff are difficult to find and able to command a high price. These are pivotal figures who can make or break a client relationship.
"The demands of the recruitment process mean that often the needs of existing staff are compromised, and so, a supportive culture that fosters career development should be a central part of the emerging agency business model."
Claire Eldred is associate director at Edelman Health
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