After a decade of trial and error, marketing decision makers at pharmaceutical companies, biotechnology firms, insurance and managed care organizations attest that well-strategized and effectively executed PR campaigns can effectively promote therapies and health care plans. The results are in: PR produces profits.
At the same time, however, there are those decision-makers on the client side, including marketing executives and public affairs managers, who are frustrated by the perceptions of lackluster performance and marginal achievement.
As communications managers at companies are increasingly challenged to prove that their selected agencies are indeed "moving the needle," they are raising the performance bar even higher. As a result, when performance does not meet expectations, clients force incumbent agencies into account reviews or simply shop for new PR counsel.
Agency personnel experience frustration as well, and claim that client demands are out of touch with reality and that clients are "disloyal."
How can companies get the most from their PR consultants? How can agency personnel avoid the "knot in the stomach" every time the client calls?
Recently, we took stock of what we believe are the successful ingredients in sizzling client-agency relationships in health care public relations. Based on watching dozens of accounts succeed and a number fail, we found remarkable consistency in "what works."
Here are our top pointers for product managers and corporate communications executives who want to get the best PR results from their agencies.
Invest in your team.
It is more than likely that the client marketing team has been living and breathing its products for months, or even years, before signing on a PR agency. In order to get the best counsel from its agency, the client should invest the time (and money) to share its accumulated knowledge - and passion - with the agency. A briefing for the entire team should be the first order of business; its importance cannot be underestimated.
In the long run, this approach can save money by eliminating false starts and uninformed recommendations.
Keep objectives in mind.
We have found that nearly half of the programs that fail do so because either the client or the agency - and often both - simply lose track of what the program is supposed to achieve.
Here's a brief sketch of what happens: At the start of a program, the client and PR team develop excellent objectives, but after about three months, day-to-day urgencies start to distort the team's vision. Initial objectives that looked great on paper somehow become less important to the maxed-out client than "just getting the job done."
For example, a program was established for a pharmaceutical company to educate consumers about avoiding the side effects of chemotherapy. The strategy was to achieve a 'slow build' in awareness through a non-product specific program using academic leaders and medical experts.
However, a few months after starting the program, a new brand manager was assigned to the product. He expected a brand specific program and was not at all interested in gradually raising awareness of the ways to avoid the side effects of chemotherapy. The tactical program, designed for non-product messages, could not realistically achieve the new goals.
Programs should be revisited periodically to ensure that they are achieving the objectives originally agreed upon. If the original objectives are not being achieved, they should be modified, based on solid behavioral data.
Keeping expectations clear, achievable and on track.
This is just basic Public Relations 101. When there is fundamental disagreement between marketing managers and PR counselors about how programs should accomplish their goals, they inevitably crash. We have seen this in the introduction of "me too" medications for diseases such as arthritis. Although there is an important role for "me too" medications in the medical economy, savvy PR professionals know that they are extraordinarily difficult to promote. Product managers are charged with ensuring that the product's introduction is an unqualified financial success. They often expect front page news coverage from their PR agency. However, the wires and major newspapers do not consider all product launches news. Instead of agreeing to unrealistic media relations programs, marketing and communications should look for "back door" methods of gaining market share. Focus on direct-to-patient programs for people who have the disease.
Help your agency to understand the marketplace.
Successful healthcare PR can only be practiced if the account team thoroughly understands the arena in which they operate. If they are launching a new medication, they need to understand the diseases for which it will be used, the drug's mechanism of action, and the economies of its marketplace.
The team has to have as much of this knowledge as possible before they go to work. It is reassuring to the product manager if the agency has had experience in the product category. However, since information is hardly static, the team must redouble its effort to learn about the disease, medical alternatives, physician and consumer opinions about the disease category when they win an account assignment.
The product manager can help the team by arranging for preceptorships, allowing team members to make calls with sales representatives, and providing sales training information.
Take advantage of your agency's marketing savvy.
Clients who consistently report that they are happy with their PR counsel are those who have made their agencies full marketing partners. Avoid the temptation to hire "arms and legs" to write pitch letters and call the media, while keeping the strategic planning in-house. Take advantage of the experience that your agency has gained through its work for other clients.
Make certain budgets are realistic.
Agencies must adhere to agreed-upon budgets. Failure to do so can sink an otherwise great relationship between client and agency. On the other hand, PR budgets should allow the PR team to constantly search for new opportunities., to interview patients and doctors, and to develop new approaches to achieving the desired results.
Provide meaningful feedback.
Review your agency frequently. Provide feedback - good and bad - on an ongoing basis. Reviews should cover everything from quality of work and staffing to systems and technology. Is the account staff responsive? Do they understand the market?