Pharmaceutical Executive Europe - October 2007 - (Page 16) INTERNATIONAL HEALTHCARE MARKETING PUBLICATION PLANNING for local markets should also reference the original publication. Conference presentations Presentations at scientific conferences form another important aspect of an international publication strategy. Gathering information about abstract deadlines for major meetings is vital. Abstracts can be prepared rapidly if authors are provided with all the the results from being accepted. PR personnel, either working directly for the company or in PR agencies, need to understand the rules about peerreviewed publications to make sure their activities, while maximising coverage in the media, do not jeopardise full publication of findings. Local markets A good international publication plan will also consider local market requirements. A gap analysis can be helpful, especially for more mature products, to identify key messages that are not well supported in local language publications and identify opportunities to publish from local or investigator-initiated studies. This requires effective communication between central marketing and publication teams and local operating companies. Local publications can maximise the impact of your communications and tailor messages for different markets, but careful coordination is needed necessary information and warned in advance about deadlines for review and approval. While there is no general rule against submitting the same abstract to several meetings, many major conferences will consider only findings that have not been presented elsewhere, so it is often wise to present important results at international (or big US) meetings first and only then allow presentations at smaller meetings. Press activities around conferences also need careful planning. Conference organisers may organise press briefings and investigators may relish the prospect of media coverage. However, while the editors of peerreviewed journals realise that journalists often report on these meetings and do not object to abstracts being distributed, they may consider more extensive conference proceeding reports to constitute ‘prior publication’, which would disqualify Marketing Publications can represent a useful opportunity for developing relationships with opinion leaders. Although many journal editors and academics are suspicious if marketing personnel are closely involved in developing and reviewing individual publications (fearing that marketing involvement invariably equates to trying to align findings with the company’s promotional messages), marketing departments can make important contributions to overall publication strategy and planning. Brand managers should understand the market and, therefore, the target audience for publications, and also what interests them. They should be well-informed about key dates and promotional plans. For example, if you want to distribute reprints at a major conference, you must ensure they are available in time. Publication planners and strategists need to understand how journals and conferences work, as well as the company’s marketing plans and the academic investigators’ expectations and desires. Databases full of information about journals and conferences, together with software to facilitate publication planning and development, are excellent investments and useful tools but cannot substitute for understanding the needs of the many stakeholders involved in publications. Information about investigators’ interests and hopes need to be shared within the company, just as publication plans need to be widely communicated to ensure that no false expectations are raised. Journal editors are increasingly scrutinising pharmaceutical companies’ publishing activities, so everybody involved with publications (including employees, agency personnel and freelancers) needs to keep abreast of the relevant guidelines. Summary Devising and delivering an effective international publication strategy is a complex task that requires excellent communication between different departments and external stakeholders. Poorly co-ordinated publication activities will waste valuable opportunities and resources, limit the return on investment from costly clinical trials and may damage the company’s public image and relationships with opinion leaders. A good global strategy will deliver key messages to the target audience at the right time and will enhance both the product and the company’s reputation. It’s worth getting right! Further reading Elizabeth Wager, Getting Research Published: an A to Z of Publication Strategy, Radcliffe Publications (Abingdon, UK), 2005. About the Author Elizabeth Wager is a freelance publications consultant with over 15 years’ experience of working in the pharmaceutical sector. Her company, Sideview, provides writing, editing, training and consultancy services. She is the author of Getting Research Published: an A to Z of Publication Strategy and is secretary of the Committee on Publication Ethics and a member of the BMJ’s Ethics Committee. She can be contacted at liz@sideview.demon.co.uk 16 OCTOBER 2007 PHARMACEUTICAL EXECUTIVE EUROPE
Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Pharmaceutical Executive Europe - October 2007 Contents The Brand Exchange Focused and Flexible Making A Global Vision Work Leading the Way The OnlineConsumer Wired to the Future Co-ordinate Your Communications In the Public Interest Seek First to Understand Pharmaceutical Executive Europe - October 2007 Pharmaceutical Executive Europe - October 2007 - (Page 1) Pharmaceutical Executive Europe - October 2007 - Contents (Page 2) Pharmaceutical Executive Europe - October 2007 - Contents (Page 3) Pharmaceutical Executive Europe - October 2007 - The Brand Exchange (Page 4) Pharmaceutical Executive Europe - October 2007 - The Brand Exchange (Page 5) Pharmaceutical Executive Europe - October 2007 - Focused and Flexible (Page 6) Pharmaceutical Executive Europe - October 2007 - Focused and Flexible (Page 7) Pharmaceutical Executive Europe - October 2007 - Making A Global Vision Work (Page 8) Pharmaceutical Executive Europe - October 2007 - Making A Global Vision Work (Page 9) Pharmaceutical Executive Europe - October 2007 - Leading the Way (Page 10) Pharmaceutical Executive Europe - October 2007 - Leading the Way (Page 11) Pharmaceutical Executive Europe - October 2007 - The OnlineConsumer (Page 12) Pharmaceutical Executive Europe - October 2007 - The OnlineConsumer (Page 13) Pharmaceutical Executive Europe - October 2007 - Wired to the Future (Page 14) Pharmaceutical Executive Europe - October 2007 - Co-ordinate Your Communications (Page 15) Pharmaceutical Executive Europe - October 2007 - Co-ordinate Your Communications (Page 16) Pharmaceutical Executive Europe - October 2007 - In the Public Interest (Page 17) Pharmaceutical Executive Europe - October 2007 - In the Public Interest (Page 18) Pharmaceutical Executive Europe - October 2007 - Seek First to Understand (Page 19) Pharmaceutical Executive Europe - October 2007 - Seek First to Understand (Page 20)
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