Advice You - Business

I say to business, non-profit and association managers, a key part of your job description is – or should be – do everything you can to help your organization’s public relations effort as it strives to persuade important outside stakeholders to your way of thinking. Especially when it’s YOUR PR program that is tasked

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

to move those stakeholders to behaviors that lead to the success of YOUR department or division.

Which is why I suggest that business, non-profit and association managers embrace what I call PR’s 8 fix factors, those steps necessary to prepare their public relations operation for the battles certain to lie ahead.

T

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

Examples of combination products may in

e fix factors are based on this fundamental premise: 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

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

affect the organization the most, the public relations mission is accomplished.

Fix Factor 1

For starters, I caution Mr/Ms Manager that you may find yourself data-challenged should you be unaware of just HOW most members of that key outside audience perceive your organization.

Has anyone sat down and listed those e

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

ternal audiences whose behaviors could hurt your unit badly? Then prioritized them according to the impacts they have on your operation? A necessary first step in creating the right public relations objective because, while behavior is the goal, and a host of communications tactics are the tools, our strategy is the

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

Combination pro

everage provided by key audience perception. Sometimes called public opinion.

Fix Factor 2

Lets take a look at the audience you place at the top of your prioritized target audience list. Because there could be negative perceptions out there, someone must interact with members of that audience and ask a number of que

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

tions. Do you know anything about our organization? Have you had any kind of contact with our people? Have you heard anything good or bad about us or our services and products? Watch respondents closely for hesitant or evasive answers. And stay alert for inaccuracies, rumors, untruths or misconceptions.

Fix Factor

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

Here, fortunately, you have a choice. You and your PR staff can interact with members of that target audience yourselves, which seems appropriate since your PR folks are already in the perception and behavior business. Or, if budget is available, you can hire professional survey counsel to do the work for you.

What

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

are you hearing during your perception monitoring sessions? Misconceptions that need straightening out? Rumors that should not be allowed to fester? Inaccurate beliefs about your products or services that could drive people away from you? Do you notice other perceptions about your organization that need to be altered

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

Fix Factor 4

The responses gathered by this kind of perception monitoring among members of the target audience provides just what you need to establish your public relations goal – the specific perception to be altered.

You might start with a straightforward goal like clearing up that misconception, correcting tha

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

inaccuracy or replacing a perceived untruth with the truth.

Fix Factor 5

Now, the right strategy sends the public relations program off to a good start because it shows you how to proceed towards your goal. Luckily, there are just three strategic choices for dealing with matters of opinion and perception. You can

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

Following aspects would a

reate perception/opinion where there may not be any, you can change existing opinion, or you can reinforce it. An effort should be made to match the strategy to the public relations goal you selected. Obviously, if you want to correct a misconception, you would use the strategy that changes existing opinion, not one

dd to the challenges in developing combination products:

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

hat reinforces it.

Fix Factor 6

Here, there is a little more work to do in the form of the message that, hopefully, will alter people’s inaccurate perceptions of you and the organization.

Some serious writing is needed here. The corrective message to be communicated to members of the target audience is an opportuni

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

y to write something designed to change individual opinion, and that’s a positive experience for any writer.

Clarity is first, followed closely by accuracy and believability. Stick closely to the issue at hand – like that inaccurate belief, misconception or dangerous rumor. A compelling tone is useful because the mes

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

age must alter what a lot of people believe, and that is a big job. Tryout the message on some colleagues for effectiveness.

Keep in mind that your message must be believable and that rather than delivering it in a high-profile news announcement, you may want to make the message part of another general interest rele

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

se, presentation or address.

Fix Factor 7

Now you must throw that message to receivers in the end-zone or, continuing this scintillating mixture of metaphors, every bullet needs a gun to fire it at the target. Which brings us to the stable housing our beasts of burden – the communications tactics whose job it is to

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

Professional from academic institutions, pharmaceutical industries, health care indust

arry your message to the attention of those key target audience members.

Fortunately, there are many, many such tactics ranging from luncheons, news releases and personal contacts to print and broadcast interviews, speeches, press releases and dozens of others. Only requirement is that they have a proven track record

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

for reaching your target audience.

Fix Factor 8

Soon, associates (and others) will inquire whether any progress is being made in altering the offending perception or opinion. If you’ve ruled out pricey survey counsel, your best hope of assessing that progress is a return to the field for a second perception monitori

.

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

g session.

Yes, you and your PR team will ask the same questions as you did in the initial monitoring session. But this time, you’ll be looking for evidence in the responses that the offending perception is finally being altered. You need to see and hear signs that perceptions are actually moving in your direction.

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

Companies that provide selfless information through particip

That tells you that positive behaviors by your key external stakeholders cannot be far behind.

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 © 2004

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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