Utilising the media

Two industry experts tell NGP how life sciences companies can maximise the benefits of communications. With Cohn & Wolfe London and Van Spaendonck Management Consultants

In an era of increasing diversification of print, broadcast and online media outlets, how can life sciences companies maximise the efficiency and impact of their communications channels?
Jo Spadaccino. Gone are the days where one size fits all - it's now time for the industry to embrace a more targeted, insight-driven approach with its audiences. Regular customer research is key to ensuring a deep understanding of each target market's media preferences as the landscape evolves. Of equal importance is ensuring expertise to understand how each media outlet operates and how to effectively engage in dialogue with them. An active relationship with each outlet, directly or via a strong agency, is a must. Measurement is the other piece to this jigsaw, with most PR practitioners today advocating a much more sophisticated approach to demonstrating results which focuses on changes in belief or behaviour. Common sense will tell us that continuous evaluation of activity will result in greater future efficiency - the challenge is to ensure that budget is protected for this in the face of pressure to prioritise for short-term gain.

Rob Halkes. Communication technology has made anything possible. Information, communication and interaction can be continued over time and place, publicly as well as privately. It offers new opportunities to engage with every one a company needs too.

However, we rather see the continuation of just getting the message out there than a more fundamental approach, although there are prudent attempts to use the new media.

The thing to do is to reflect on the company's position as a centre to its own network of different actions with different stakeholders. Strategic questions might be asked as to what kind of communication to an activity might create better conditions to the business. A thorough analysis of needs and wishes of protagonists in it and a basic approach of designing is crucial to step beyond just trying a new communication gadget. We prudently might state that there are too many cases in which the drive to message must have overwhelmed the intention to listen and engage, let alone collaborate. And yet, these are the better options for continuous business in life sciences.

What specific strategies should life sciences companies employ to ensure they get the maximum benefit from digital communications channels such as social networking sites and blogs?
RH. The new digital channels present three formats with different consequences: the web 1.0, web 2.0 and web 3.0 formats. They present three approaches to communication: just sending out information; communicate, interact and collaborate, and finally, to do so in a specific personalised way. The 1.0 and 2.0 formats regard information and interaction in the public sphere, like blogs, twitter and communities: open to all. The 3.0 format specifies the technology to collaborate and interact at private issues not desired to be made public. It is in this context that experience co-creation is designed to suite the personal intentions of the customer. This is a basic need of patients: personalisation of possibilities and facilities to one's own health. Experience co-creation offers the opportunity to life sciences to partner with other healthcare constituents to optimise healthcare itself. It will result in communities in which the patient will find a private, reliable and trusted context to cope with his condition. Also, to choose between facilities construed to help him learn, be coached and comply with the therapy.

To build such a context to the patient, partners in healthcare will need both to structure multidisciplinary cooperation and the processes of care itself. With this, the empowered patient will be able to grow into trusted self management with his disease. It generates the opportunity to go beyond one's product positions so as to benefit from accumulated knowledge and information concerning the medication.

JS. There are some great examples of life sciences companies who have found their confidence and place in cyberworld - which, let's face it, is just like the regular world. Yes, there are regulatory and technical considerations, and yes, there is a need for internal policies and expert advice to navigate the pitfalls, but at its most basic we should be thinking about digital strategies as part of the overall communications strategy, not as something that stands alone.

As with off-line communications activity, successful digital strategies are those that have a reason for being. It's not about being on Twitter, 'because it sounds good', it's because the business goals and audience insight tells us this is the best way to engage. Engagement is the key word here. Generating meaningful conversations, through creation of legitimate and compelling content in a place where target audiences can find it, will get you a long way.

What effect has the increasing globalisation of health-related organisations had on communications strategies within the life sciences sector?
JS. As companies and the world around them become global, so the need to communicate a common unifying message about its core mission, products and services also grows. A globally led strategy has important benefits in terms of stronger positioning and branding, as well as more efficient use of resources. The best global communication programmes clearly lay out the goal and direction after taking a helicopter view of the marketplace. Turn-key materials help under-resourced markets to reach out to their audiences, whilst leading on issues and crises situations provides a strong and consistent voice. And yet, it can be easy to forget that it's the systems that are globalised - not the audiences. Platform strategies must be equally supported by strong tailored national strategies that work within different health systems, regulations and cultures. Any programme that attempts to overlook the importance of local dynamics is still not going to go far.

RH. Worldwide web communities have been set up on a small scale, to co-research new developments of promising compounds. More effort is given to new, digital ways to relate to target groups. This has been directed to the design of websites, email campaigns, e-detailing, and set up of patient communities. Some experiments with pharma twitter accounts are done to get experience with it, be it that those accounts are mostly followed by market specialists and scarcely by patients or doctors.

But, the focus of reaching out is product related and promotional by nature. One must learn that engagement and collaboration has a different basis of interaction than promotion: support, authenticity and information about the disease and on how to cope appear to be more relevant then product information. Besides, it is the question whether company accounts will gain enough trust as opposed to those from healthcare providers and peers. Partnerships are necessary. Moreover, the EC acknowledges that there's a need to rethink the role of medication information to health care. It holds a promise to the business, if life sciences companies can take it up wisely.

How do you see the field of healthcare communications developing in the next few years?
RH. New structures of multidisciplinary partnership around patients will emerge that exploit digital opportunities to the max. New designs of integrated care around consumers and patients, from prevention up to telemedicine and home automation, will be implemented. It will change healthcare structurally. Partnerships between healthcare providers and stakeholders will continue for a long time. The sooner life sciences and pharma will accommodate their communication strategies, the sooner they become a self-evident partner to other stakeholders and prevent themselves from drifting into a commodity market.

JS. We are currently in the midst of a total game change for healthcare communications. Life science companies are redefining their business models in the absence of blockbuster drugs, the era of personalised medicine is upon us, and the way audiences old and new interact with companies is also shifting. Couple that with an evolving media landscape and we have a completely new era for healthcare communications before us. As a result, we will begin to see more blurred boundaries between the various marketing disciplines, as siloed operations will lack the required responsiveness. Programming must be audience-led and this will require a higher level of market and audience insights; equally, ignoring the need to forge long-term partnerships in order to build trust and collaboration will come at a high price. From a consultancy perspective, there will be more demand for integrated strategic expertise in specialist areas in addition to flawless tactical execution.

The Panel:

Jo Spadaccino is Healthcare Director at Cohn & Wolfe London, a global strategic public relations consultancy. Spadaccino partners with her clients to navigate this complex marketplace using a whole range of integrated communication tools. She is passionate about creating, building and protecting the reputations of organisations and their brands.

Rob Halkes has been a consultant to the market of pharmaceutical and life sciences for 20 years. He works at strategic change, innovation and professional development with executive, marketing, sales and medical management. In the pharmaceutical industry he is currently developing value innovation as a new business model.