Wading through the aftermath of the Brexit vote…
europe-according-to-britain
On the day of the EU Referendum vote, I awoke to find torrential rains had not only flooded many parts of central London during the night, but also had made a path straight into our home, creating a wading pool in most of the living area.
Some may think that was an ominous sign and it foreshadowed the gloom to come.
But I actually chose to draw a different conclusion: Firstly, I don’t believe in moaning over things I can’t control and secondly I like to think that with every set back there is an opportunity. Pragmatic and solution driven; and that is also how as a firm, Halsin is approaching the Referendum results.
What does this mean in terms of the services we offer our clients?
With so many of our clients placed abroad, in fact Brexit impacts them very little. So when it comes to communications – the media are still reporting on the industry, whether in the UK, US or rest of Europe, and investors are still looking for great innovation, solid science and excellent management, and fundamentally a good investment story. Collateral materials still need to be created, with clean crisp informative websites and evocative infographics. Insightful KOL events are still beneficial to lend credibility and validity to therapeutic, diagnostic and medical device companies. Clinical trials will continue to enroll across Europe and our teams are ready to work with patients and clinicians to gather testimonials and carry these stories to local press, radio or television whether in Italy, Spain, Germany, France, Switzerland and yes, in the UK too.
And what about companies operating in the UK?
The BioIndustry Association (BIA) in the UK campaigned hard leading up to the referendum and highlighted the need to protect UK life sciences in the event of Brexit. Particularly as a net recipient of EU funding for health research, this gap will need to be filled. London is also the home of the EU-wide regulator, the European Medicines Agency (EMA), which would need to find a new home.
The UK healthcare industry is in fact so entwined and entangled with the EU that it will take a long time to negotiate and find an optimal solution. Issue by issue will be deconstructed and new frameworks reconstructed. It could be that many of the EU regulations will either be replicated or continue to be applied by the UK in order for our sector to remain competitive.
There are both benefits and costs to the UK science sector from EU membership and we will we be on a roller coaster as it pertains to negotiations with the EU – probably, but fundamentally ours is a resourceful industry which has grown up with long product development time horizons, risks during every phase of clinical trials and financing woes that make drip feeding sound a like a champagne bath.
And when it comes to London – this is still a fantastic city, situated in the most advantageous time zone to able to collaborate and execute during all client working hours from San Francisco, and Boston to Düsseldorf and Barcelona to Dubai and Tel Aviv. London in particular remains a great hub and spring board. Our teams across Europe and the US are still there to execute locally and share their insight.
Finally, there is in fact a positive impact of Brexit with the £ to $ reaching historic lows – it has never been this cost efficient to “buy British” ;-).
Using video to expand KOL Engagement
Enhancing KOL Engagement
Incorporating Key Opinion Leaders (KOLs) engagement into biotech public relations and marketing plans Leaders has always been an important part of external validation. They carry the authority to share experiences and insight, or what scientific data are most or least important. Working with these carefully selected individuals is not only a great way to reach your current target audience, but a great opportunity to connect with peer audiences that perhaps are not as easily accessible.
With the growing importance of video in communications, there is an expanded role that KOLs can play in sharing their expertise. In-studio/on set video testimonials have traditionally been the chosen platform. However,
with the advent of more portable video equipment there has been a surge in live event filming and reporting, particularly onsite at scientific and industry conferences. These video segments allow KOLs to engage with the much larger audience not pr
esent at the conference, often discussing data being presented while at the same time capturing the atmosphere and excitement of the event. From a communications perspective, being onsite allows us to work with multiple KOLs on the same day and not take up too much time from their busy schedules.
Working with video company Streaming Well, we have produced a series of KOL interviews filmed during the recent European Society of Sports Traumatology Knee Surgery and Arthroscopy (ESSKA) conference.
Healthcare PR – Leverage Trade Shows for Media Meetings
You’ve organized the booth, sent out invites to your network inviting them to the stand but have you considered media who could be attending? Supplementing your medical marketing, many of the pharma/biotech trade shows, like BIO and Medica, as well as the scientific conferences, such as ASCO have a full contingent of media attending, providing communications opportunities. These reporters are looking for stories and your new innovation may just pique their interest.
Several conference organizers provide a list of reporters attending with contact details. This allows your team to contact them directly to arrange meetings. In addition, using some of the partnering software, meetings can be arranged online following registration.
Depending on the nature of your booth, this could be a great place to meet, especially if there is seating. Alternatively, as sometimes the exhibit halls are noisy, arrange to meet in the onsite pressroom.
Meeting at a booth should be coordinated between your public relations (PR) and marketing teams so that media meetings do not compete with any planned activities or interfere with the flow of visitors seeking information. Look for times in the schedule that may provide a more quiet time to speak. For example, the most crowded times in the exhibit halls are during planned breaks. These might be good times to avoid.
Here are a few issues that need to addressed as part of the PR/marketing coordination process:
- Press activities require a spokesperson’s time. Has this been coordinated with other booth activities?
- Is the booth suitable for meetings or does seating need to be arranged?
- Will the meeting be formal or informal? Do you need to give a presentation? Whose iPad or laptop will be used?
- What physical elements, not otherwise part of the booth, need to be included? (For example, article reprints, special signage, press materials.)
- Has all the team been made aware that media meetings have been arranged?
- What is the protocol for when the reporter arrives, particularly if they are late?
- Is a press release being issued during the conference? If so, make copies of the release available in the booth.
- Will photos be taken? Can they be shared with media?
- Is the booth kept tidy? Make sure coats and bags are stored in the cloakroom. Boxes of spare materials and giveaways should be kept out of sight.
The media at tradeshows offer a great opportunity for you to discuss your company, products and technology. They provide a channel to key audiences, such as investors, potential partners and the medical community, which ultimately benefits your company in the long run.
Wading through the aftermath of the Brexit vote…
europe-according-to-britain
On the day of the EU Referendum vote, I awoke to find torrential rains had not only flooded many parts of central London during the night, but also had made a path straight into our home, creating a wading pool in most of the living area.
Some may think that was an ominous sign and it foreshadowed the gloom to come.
But I actually chose to draw a different conclusion: Firstly, I don’t believe in moaning over things I can’t control and secondly I like to think that with every set back there is an opportunity. Pragmatic and solution driven; and that is also how as a firm, Halsin is approaching the Referendum results.
What does this mean in terms of the services we offer our clients?
With so many of our clients placed abroad, in fact Brexit impacts them very little. So when it comes to communications – the media are still reporting on the industry, whether in the UK, US or rest of Europe, and investors are still looking for great innovation, solid science and excellent management, and fundamentally a good investment story. Collateral materials still need to be created, with clean crisp informative websites and evocative infographics. Insightful KOL events are still beneficial to lend credibility and validity to therapeutic, diagnostic and medical device companies. Clinical trials will continue to enroll across Europe and our teams are ready to work with patients and clinicians to gather testimonials and carry these stories to local press, radio or television whether in Italy, Spain, Germany, France, Switzerland and yes, in the UK too.
And what about companies operating in the UK?
The BioIndustry Association (BIA) in the UK campaigned hard leading up to the referendum and highlighted the need to protect UK life sciences in the event of Brexit. Particularly as a net recipient of EU funding for health research, this gap will need to be filled. London is also the home of the EU-wide regulator, the European Medicines Agency (EMA), which would need to find a new home.
The UK healthcare industry is in fact so entwined and entangled with the EU that it will take a long time to negotiate and find an optimal solution. Issue by issue will be deconstructed and new frameworks reconstructed. It could be that many of the EU regulations will either be replicated or continue to be applied by the UK in order for our sector to remain competitive.
There are both benefits and costs to the UK science sector from EU membership and we will we be on a roller coaster as it pertains to negotiations with the EU – probably, but fundamentally ours is a resourceful industry which has grown up with long product development time horizons, risks during every phase of clinical trials and financing woes that make drip feeding sound a like a champagne bath.
And when it comes to London – this is still a fantastic city, situated in the most advantageous time zone to able to collaborate and execute during all client working hours from San Francisco, and Boston to Düsseldorf and Barcelona to Dubai and Tel Aviv. London in particular remains a great hub and spring board. Our teams across Europe and the US are still there to execute locally and share their insight.
Finally, there is in fact a positive impact of Brexit with the £ to $ reaching historic lows – it has never been this cost efficient to “buy British” ;-).
Using video to expand KOL Engagement
Enhancing KOL Engagement Incorporating Key Opinion Leaders (KOLs) engagement into biotech public relations and marketing plans Leaders has always been an important part of external validation. They carry the authority to share experiences and insight, or what scientific data are most or least important. Working with these carefully selected individuals is not only a great way to […]
Healthcare PR – Leverage Trade Shows for Media Meetings
You’ve organized the booth, sent out invites to your network inviting them to the stand but have you considered media who could be attending? Supplementing your medical marketing, many of the pharma/biotech trade shows, like BIO and Medica, as well as the scientific conferences, such as ASCO have a full contingent of media attending, providing communications opportunities. These reporters are looking for stories and your new innovation may just pique their interest.
Several conference organizers provide a list of reporters attending with contact details. This allows your team to contact them directly to arrange meetings. In addition, using some of the partnering software, meetings can be arranged online following registration.
Depending on the nature of your booth, this could be a great place to meet, especially if there is seating. Alternatively, as sometimes the exhibit halls are noisy, arrange to meet in the onsite pressroom.
Meeting at a booth should be coordinated between your public relations (PR) and marketing teams so that media meetings do not compete with any planned activities or interfere with the flow of visitors seeking information. Look for times in the schedule that may provide a more quiet time to speak. For example, the most crowded times in the exhibit halls are during planned breaks. These might be good times to avoid.
Here are a few issues that need to addressed as part of the PR/marketing coordination process:
- Press activities require a spokesperson’s time. Has this been coordinated with other booth activities?
- Is the booth suitable for meetings or does seating need to be arranged?
- Will the meeting be formal or informal? Do you need to give a presentation? Whose iPad or laptop will be used?
- What physical elements, not otherwise part of the booth, need to be included? (For example, article reprints, special signage, press materials.)
- Has all the team been made aware that media meetings have been arranged?
- What is the protocol for when the reporter arrives, particularly if they are late?
- Is a press release being issued during the conference? If so, make copies of the release available in the booth.
- Will photos be taken? Can they be shared with media?
- Is the booth kept tidy? Make sure coats and bags are stored in the cloakroom. Boxes of spare materials and giveaways should be kept out of sight.
The media at tradeshows offer a great opportunity for you to discuss your company, products and technology. They provide a channel to key audiences, such as investors, potential partners and the medical community, which ultimately benefits your company in the long run.