Advice You - Business

Many business, non-profit, government agency and association managers, like the rest of us, want to kick our bad business habits and start the year 2006 anew.

And for many managers, public relations may be a good place to prepare such a 2006 New Year’s Resolution. For example, it’s hard to ignore the fact that many business, non-profit, government agency and a

According to USFDA, a combination product is one composed of any combination of a drug and device; biological product and device; drug and biological product

ssociation managers harbor a single-minded preoccupation with simple communications tactics like press releases, broadcast plugs, special events and brochures, which denies them the best that public relations has to offer.

Instead, in 2006, they might resolve to use a strategic PR plan that alters the individual perception of members of a manager’s MOST imp

; or drug, device, and biological product and fixed dose combination would include two or more combinations of drug.

Examples of combination products may in

ortant outside audiences. This starts the process of changing their behaviors by actually persuading many of those key, outside folks to a manager’s way of thinking. Then, he/she helps move audience members to take actions that allow that manager’s department, group, division or subsidiary to succeed.

If what I’m about to say sounds like theory, it isn’t. It’

lude drug-coated devices, drugs packaged with delivery devices in medical kits, and drugs and devices packaged separately but intended to be used together.

s both reality AND the underlying premise of public relations: People act on their own perception of the facts before them, which leads to predictable behaviors about which something can be done. When we create, change or reinforce that opinion by reaching, persuading and moving-to-desired-action the very people whose behaviors affect the organization the m

here is enormous increase in the number of combination products entering the market in the recent years. Combination products have proven advantages but fixe

ost, the public relations mission is usually accomplished.

Resolution-making managers will be pleased to note that the right public relations planning really CAN alter individual perception and lead to changed behaviors among key outside audiences. It’s equally encouraging when you remember that your PR effort must demand more than special events, news rele

d dose combinations are still in the process of convincing regulatory authority on their advantages over the single ingredient formulations.

Combination pro

ases and talk show tactics if you are to receive the quality public relations results you believe you deserve.

What results, you say? Try these: community leaders begin to seek you out; welcome bounces in show room visits; customers begin to make repeat purchases; new proposals for strategic alliances and joint ventures showing up; capital givers or specify

ucts have become life saving products for the pharmaceutical companies who doesn’t have many innovative molecules in their product pipeline and have been inc

ing sources begin to look your way; membership applications start to rise; politicians and legislators begin looking at you as a key member of the business, non-profit or association communities; and prospects actually start to do business with you.

Of course, as the manager in charge of all your direct reports, you have a ready-made support staff on the PR

easingly used in the product life cycle management. Even the companies having product patents are trying to extend their product life cycle through the combi

side. The public relations people assigned to you can be of real use for your new opinion monitoring project because they are already in the perception and behavior business. But double check that your PR folks really accept why it’s SO important to know how your most important outside audiences perceive your operations, products or services. In brief, be

nation products and maximize the revenues. But the companies involved in this practice are overlooking that they are burdening the patients both economically

sure they believe that perceptions almost always result in behaviors that can help or hurt your operation.

It’s also essential that your PR staff buy into the need to monitor and gather perceptions by questioning members of your most important outside audiences. Ask questions like these: how much do you know about our organization? Have you had prior contact

and physically. They need to rightly judge the benefits of the combination products and they have to even look at the risks involved when combining the produ

with us and were you pleased with the exchange? Are you familiar with our services or products and employees? Have you experienced problems with our people or procedures?

If your budget will allow, a survey firm can do the opinion gathering work, but the cost can be heavy. Alternatively, you can use those PR folks of yours in that monitoring capacity. But

ts. Some of the combination products were well accepted by physicians while others suffered. Companies involved in development of combination products are fi

whether it’s your people or a survey firm asking the questions, the objective remains the same: identify untruths, false assumptions, unfounded rumors, inaccuracies, misconceptions and any other negative perception that might translate into hurtful behaviors.

One of the most important steps in establishing your new strategic public relations plan is settin

ding difficulty in defining their combination products and facing various challenges from selecting a combination to marketing it.

Following aspects would a

g a PR goal drawn from the most serious problem areas you uncovered during your key audience perception monitoring. Will you correct that gross inaccuracy? stop that potentially painful rumor dead? Or straighten out that dangerous misconception?

The right strategy will show you the way to that PR goal. But just three strategic options are available to you

dd to the challenges in developing combination products:

Which markets to tap where the combination products can do fairly well?
Which combination prod

when it comes to solving perception and opinion problems. Change existing perception, create perception where there may be none, or reinforce it. The wrong strategy pick will taste like marshmallows on your pot roast. So be certain your new strategy fits well with your new public relations goal. You certainly don’t want to select “change” when the facts dict

cts are meaningful and rational?
Which therapeutic categories to select?
Which Combinations can address unmet needs of the patients?
Do combin

ate a strategy of reinforcement.

In public relations, you’re never far from the need to write something. And that’s true here. Your staff must prepare a persuasive message that will help move your key audience to your way of thinking. It must be a carefully- written message aimed directly at your key external audience. Select your very best writer because s/h

tions increase the patient compliance?
What would be the developing cost?
How to tackle the risks encountered during combination product developmen

e must come up with language that is not merely compelling, persuasive and believable, but clear and factual if they are to shift perception/opinion towards your point of view and lead to the behaviors you have in mind.

Moving your new message to your target audience requires selecting those communications tactics most likely to carry your message to the att

t?

As combination products don't fit into the traditional categories of drugs, medical devices, or biological products, the USFDA is in the process of devel

ention of those folks. And many of them await your pleasure. From speeches, facility tours, emails and brochures to consumer briefings, media interviews, newsletters, personal meetings and many others. But be certain that the tactics you pick are known to reach people just like your audience members.

Now, communicating your message can be a problem because t

ping new procedures for reviewing their safety, efficacy and quality.

Professional from academic institutions, pharmaceutical industries, health care indust

he credibility of any message is always fragile. And that’s why, at first, you may wish to unveil your corrective message before smaller meetings and presentations rather than using higher-profile news releases.

When progress reports are contemplated, your first thought should lead you to begin a second perception monitoring session among members of your e

y and representatives from various regulatory agencies are working out to design the regulatory requirements for manufacture and sale of combination products

xternal audience in order to measure headway. You can use many of the same questions used in your benchmark session. But this time, you will be on guard for signs that the bad news perception is being altered in your direction.

Any program can lose momentum, but you have two options for speeding up the action: add more communications tactics and increase

.

As there is an increasing trend of the combination products companies manufacturing such products should be able to tackle the problems involved in the de

their frequencies.

This manager’s 2006 New Year’s Resolution can put your public relations program back on track. Especially when it moves you away from a major emphasis on communications tactics and on to a plan for doing something positive about the behaviors of those important external audiences of yours that most affect your operation. And particularly

elopment. They need to be wiser in analyzing the market trends and the regulatory requirements.

Companies that provide selfless information through particip

so when you persuade those key outside folks to your way of thinking by helping to move them to take actions that allow your department, division or subsidiary to succeed.

Please feel free to publish this article and resource box in your ezine, newsletter, offline publication or website. A copy would be appreciated at bobkelly@TNI.net.

Robert A. Kelly © 2005

tion in industry events and feedback to regulatory authorities would be able to face the challenges and will be successful in developing combination products

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The success of your business is directly related to the commitment and productivity of the people who work in your business. So what are the factors that contribute to low performance standards and expectations?

Every business can benefit from the right publicity. Unfortunately, public relations firms can be costly. You can take matters into your own hands, however, by generating your own free publicity.

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Advice You - A Manager's 2006 New Year's Resolution

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