Pharmaceutical Executive Europe - October 2007 - (Page 6) RUNNING HEAD Focused and Flexible Phil Sheldon discusses how international brand marketing communications can be maximised through public relations and medical education resources. istorically one of the most local and decentralised business activities, marketing has in recent years re-focused and re-designed itself to respond to customers and competition on an ever-expanding global basis, and pharmaceutical marketing is no exception to this significant change. Geographies continue to shrink. Mass communication is almost globally instantaneous. Healthcare professionals and patients, no matter the language or culture, want the best in medical information, treatment options and outcomes. Consistent information is in demand everywhere in the global medical community, and healthcare marketing communications is meeting that demand with a more centralised strategic approach to overall brand communications. The new approach emphasises a strong, consistent international brand strategy while simultaneously providing individual markets tactical freedom to best account for the local H competitive environment, language, culture and legal and regulatory differences. Today’s global healthcare marketing leader must take to heart the oftenspoken but not-often-enough implemented adage, “Think globally, act locally” in order to have a chance at international brand success. To effectively unleash a powerful global marketing strategy, the international marketing team must build a programme that starts with a wellthought-out core campaign, including select brand messages capable of translations that retain the brand message character and meaning in any language. Next, visuals and select activities that will have international impact but that can also be adapted for local use must be developed, implemented broadly with central budget and integrated with local market leadership and resources. Ideally, the strategy will reach beyond only a handful of major markets via the local marketing teams’ adapting and extending the reach of the core messages and materials. For example, a global medical conference can use international key opinion leaders (KOLs) as presenters at a symposium, as spokespersons with the attending media and for expert quotes in a related press release. The content of the symposium and the global press release then can be packaged and adapted for use in local markets, with the local marketing team at a minimum replacing the global KOL with a local opinion leader, adjusting content to adhere to local regulations and translating into the local language. Seem simple? It can be, but not without careful, long-range planning with not only the core, global marketing team in the headquarters office, but also planning that includes regular give-and-take sessions with the local market teams as well as key external communications experts. The international healthcare market place is extremely large, regionalised to a 6 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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