ROCHE AND FLEISHMAN-HILLARD
CEO BYLINED EDITORIAL REACHES CORPORATE AUDIENCE WITH PANDEMIC PREPAREDNESS MESSAGE
HOFMANN-LA ROCHE INC. (ROCHE) CEO GEORGE ABERCROMBIE SAYS THAT ONE THING KEEPS HIM UP AT NIGHT: THE FEAR THAT A DEADLY PANDEMIC FLU WILL HIT AND MILLIONS WILL NEED THE ROCHE-
PRODUCED ANTIVIRAL FLU MEDICATION TAMIFLU, BUT THE NEED WOULD BE IMPOSSIBLE TO MEET. COLLABORATING WITH THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT TO BUILD A STRATEGIC NATIONAL STOCKPILE (SNS) WAS
ONE STEP IN ALLAYING THAT FEAR, BUT THE ABERCROMBIE-LED COMPANY NEEDED TO DO MORE TO FILL THE GAP. THE SOLUTION: CALLING UPON THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY TO PLAY AN INTEGRAL ROLE IN
NATIONAL PANDEMIC PREPAREDNESS AND RESPONSE BY DEVELOPING PANDEMIC PLANS.
TO REACH THE NICHE AUDIENCE OF C-SUITE EXECUTIVES, THE COMMUNICATIONS TEAM AT ROCHE DECIDED THAT LEVERAGING ABERCROMBIE'S UNIQUE EXPERTISE IN PANDEMIC PLANNING VIA A BYLINED
ARTICLE WOULD BE THE MOST STRATEGIC WAY TO ACHIEVE THAT GOAL. PARTNERING WITH FLEISHMAN-HILLARD, THE TEAM CLOSELY MONITORED MEDIA COVERAGE OF CORPORATE PREPAREDNESS TO IDENTIFY
POSSIBLE NEWS HOOKS.
CONTAGIOUS MESSAGING
ONCE THE HOOK HAD BEEN IDENTIFIED, THE TEAM WORKED WITH ABERCROMBIE TO CRAFT A NEWSWORTHY AND FACTUAL PIECE THAT COMMUNICATED KEY MESSAGES, INCLUDING:
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BUSINESSES NEED TO PLAY A ROLE IN PANDEMIC PLANNING.
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THE HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES PLAN IDENTIFIES PREPAREDNESS ROLES FOR THE PUBLIC, PRIVATE AND NONPROFIT SECTORS.
THE TEAM TARGETED PUBLICATIONS THAT INFLUENCE A SENIOR CORPORATE AUDIENCE, ULTIMATELY LANDING PLACEMENT IN INVESTOR'S BUSINESS DAILY. THE PIECE SUBSEQUENTLY LED TO ADDITIONAL
MEDIA OUTREACH EFFORTS.