OP 106A Raising Disease State Awareness Report Summary

Raising Disease State Awareness: Best Practices in Internal Brand Messaging for New Products

Raising Disease

State Awareness:

Best Practices in

Internal Brand

Messaging for New

Products

PROJECT BACKGROUND

Disease state education is a widely recognized critical success factor in the launch of a new pharmaceutical product—particularly if the product treats a disease or condition that is previously unknown, socially sensitive or stigmatized or if the product is first in its class. When executed effectively, disease state communication establishes the need for a novel medical treatment and prepares the way for a new brand to enter a receptive market.

Benchmarking Report at-a-Glance

Featured Study Participants • Abbott • Acetelion • Boehringer Ingelheim • Eli Lilly & Co. • Genentech • GlaxoSmithKline • Janssen • Merck • Merck Sharp & Dohme • Nektar • Novartis • NovoNordisk • Pfizer • ProPharma • Roche • Sanofi-Aventis • Schering-Plough • Takeda • Vertex • Watson • Xanodyne

Today’s brand leaders communicate new disease state information to their own employees as well as to their physician, patient and payer customers. Most companies rely on tried and true external communication practices to reach internal audiences, but leading brand teams develop specialized internal communication processes, channels, guidelines, timing, segmentation standards and success metrics to customize their messages for employees.

Industry Analysis 22 benchmark companies representing the biopharmaceutical industry participated in this study.

Information Types • 38 Information Graphics • 15+ Data Graphics • 30+ Metrics • 30+ Executive Narratives

Report Length • 63 pages

Best Practices, LLC undertook this research to capture quantitative benchmarks and qualitative insights that will help communicators and brand leaders understand how to

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deliver the right information to the right employees at the right time for maximum positive impact on the brand. The research also highlights pitfalls to avoid and best practices to emulate in developing or improving internal brand communications. This report is intended for pharmaceutical, biotech and medical device managers and executives who supervise or interact with brand communications or new product development teams.

This research to identifies the best practices of veteran pharmaceutical executives for all aspects of communicating disease state information within their companies. The study gives particular attention to communication challenges around products that were first in class or that treat conditions that are largely unknown or stigmatized including HIV, erectile dysfunction, high cholesterol, overactive bladder, restless legs and others. Specific topics covered in this report include:

• Effective internal communication channels • Emerging communication media and tools • Communication topics appropriate for each product development phase • Advantages & disadvantages of internal message segmentation • Measuring internal message effectiveness • Preventing sensitive information leaks • Managing science-based communications • Engaging Key Opinion Leaders (KOLs) and executives to influence employees • Needs creation marketing tactics • Success factors & guidelines for internal disease state communication • Use of message customization for management groups • Special challenges for products treating socially sensitive conditions or diseases, first-in-

class products, or new disease states or conditions • Best practices & participants’ lessons learned

STUDY METHODOLOGY

This report is conducted from research that involved a two-pronged approach. Best Practices, LLC researchers surveyed a total of 33 executives, directors and managers representing 22 leading corporations in the pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical device industries. The survey collected benchmark data on preferred internal communication channels/media, the use of emerging communications technologies, message effectiveness measurement, and key communication topics before and after NDA filing, customization approaches for management and business functions, segmentation practices and key challenges.



In addition, the research team conducted in-depth interviews with executives and directors at 11 of the surveyed companies. Interviews focused on best practices for delivering disease state information to internal audiences as well as process descriptions and tactics for avoiding common hazards.

SAMPLE FINDINGS

Among the findings that emerged from this research are the following:

Internal Communications Channel Effectiveness & Use

• Study participants use a multi-channel approach to disease state communication and education to maximize their employee reach.

• A core group of new technologies is expected to grow rapidly for communication

and education purposes. More than half of all research participants stated that they expect social networking, podcasts and online video to grow in use as critical tools for communicating disease state and product information.

• Generational issues may reduce the anticipated speed of new technology diffusion for

internal education. Nearly half the participants are not yet using blogs, wikis, hotlines or online videos internally, even though many are experimenting with these channels for external communications.

• Leader-led classes are the channel most often receiving “highly effective” ratings from

survey participants.

• E-mail bulletins and conference calls or webinars are the internal communication channels most often rated either “effective” or “highly effective” in the survey.

• Interviewed study participants stressed the importance of using a variety of different

communication channels to reach multiple internal audiences, but generally agreed that the most powerful channels are well-designed internal websites and talks by Key Opinion Leaders or executive “experts.”



Top Success Factors

• Effective internal disease state communication requires a structured approach including clear education objectives, tight processes for message control and prepared responses to product questions/challenges that employees encounter in social situations.

• Interviewed executives have found that the single most effective way to build disease

understanding and win employee support for a product treating a new or socially sensitive condition is through exposure to patients who can talk about their personal experiences and “put a human face” on the condition.

SAMPLE PRACTICE

“People will remember the original messages; so you have to get them right at the beginning. It’s hard to go back and find all the things you screwed up and fix them after you have already started running tactics and pitching strategies.”

-Interviewed Executive Director, Managed Markets

3. Use a structured approach to effectively communicate and educate regarding disease state information. `Effective internal disease state communication requires a structured approach that includes clear education objectives, tight processes for message control and prepared responses to product questions or challenges that employees encounter in social situations. Interviewed benchmark partners stressed the importance of planning before launching an internal communication program. Said one interviewed Director, “People will remember the original messages; so you have to get them right at the beginning. It’s hard to go back and find all the things you screwed up and fix them after you have already started running tactics and pitching strategies.”

Set clear objectives before beginning a communication program. The first step to developing a structured approach for communicating disease state awareness involves establishing clear objectives and positioning for internal as well as external communication and education. Internal communication objectives are often overlooked but are necessary for preventing message inconsistencies that create problems over time.




Use a Structured Approach to Communication & Education

Set Clear Communication

Objectives at Beginning

Give Employees Communication

Tools

Evolve Communication

Priorities as Market

Changes

Exercise Tight Message Control

Carefully Qualify/Select Designated

Speakers

Align communication closely with all brand messaging to support product.

communication begins prevent inconsistencies that create problems over time.

Ensure consistent message with all audiences to ensurecomm. integrity.

Communications will leak. Don’t say anything internally you wouldn’t want to see in print.

Qualify and designate limited number of approved speakers.Consider assessing/developing speakers through role-playing exercises.

Clear objectives before

Arm employees with script foranswering questions/ challenges insocial situations.

Offer employees sensitivity training.

keep pace with changes in market and/or brand strategy.

Structured Approach

Revise approach as necessary to

Figure 2.6: Use a Structured Approach to Communication and Education Benchmark participants shared their best practices for setting internal communication objectives including the following:

Understand and align all communications with the positioning, goals and market definition that have been established for the brand.

Coordinate with the brand team to set communication objectives that support brand goals.

Do not undermine brand messaging by using a different set of terminology. For example,

if the brand is to be positioned as a treatment for a condition, make sure messages use the word “condition” rather than “disease.”

Exercise tight message control. Once communication objectives have been established, it is vital for companies to exercise tight message control. Message control is a critical success factor for internal, as well as external, disease state and brand communication and education. Benchmark participants shared a series of


lessons learned regarding internal message control, ranging from designating a limited number of approved speakers to developing a process to refer sensitive questions to designated spokespersons. Guidelines based on participants’ lessons follow:

Message Control Guidelines

• Ensure that all messages are crafted carefully by Public Relations and approved by Legal.

• Carefully select and thoroughly train designated

communicators and educators.

• Strictly limit – to as few as one – the number of people authorized to speak about the product.

• Speak to approved messages only. “It’s better for a speaker to sound staged or scripted than to go into uncharted territory.”

• Train the designated spokesperson with a Frequently Asked Questions list prepared by Public Relations and approved by Legal.

• Develop protocols and a referral process for handling questions on sensitive or regulatory issues.

• Recognize that information leaks outside company.

• Don't bring up an issue that is not already under discussion. Just address the issue at hand.

• Be aware that some executives are uncomfortable with stigmatized health issues. Use role playing to assess potential spokespersons for weakness and train speakers.

• Pilot test internal messages with small groups before company-wide rollout to test effectiveness and identify potential trouble spots.

• Teach people to be comfortable responding to questions about socially sensitive topics.




“. . . You have to be sensitive to all the different constituencies that might be there in your workforce. We would develop concepts and run those past a few people, as opposed to the whole internal audience, to make sure that the intended communication messages were what were being received.”

-Interviewed Director, New Product Planning

Employee Preparation Aides

Point of contact information

Cascade of referrals beyond point of contact

List of FAQs approved by Legal

Relevant literature and references

List of topics that are not approved

Prepared written responses for touchy questions

Employee Preparation Aides

Point of contact information

Cascade of referrals beyond point of contact

List of FAQs approved by Legal

Relevant literature and references

List of topics that are not approved

Prepared written responses for touchy questions

In addition, interviewed participants stressed the importance of

briefing all employees on how to deal with questions about a

socially-sensitive product when approached by a neighbor or

friend outside the workplace. Preparation can include providing

employees with a short, basic script to use or a set of FAQs.

Research participants also augment basic employee education

with a clear referral process with designated medical experts

who can handle difficult inquiries employees encounter away

from work.

Test message effectiveness on groups of employees before general internal (or external) release. Veteran pharmaceutical industry leaders recommend piloting internal messages about a socially sensitive product with small groups to test effectiveness and to look for trouble spots before the company-wide communication is released. One interviewed Director of New Product Planning said, “Just like the general population, there's quite a wide range of different people who work for pharmaceutical companies, and so you have to be sensitive to all the different constituencies that might be there in your workforce. We would

people, as opposed to the whole internal audience, to make sure that the intended communication messages were what were being received. And we might have different versions of trying to get across the message to see which one came across better.”

develop concepts and run those past a few

he interviewed Director added, “You might want to

dded an interviewed CMO, “if the disease or

Tdo some little test groups, some pilot stuff, internally, to make sure there wasn’t something that was upsetting a certain subgroup of your internal population which you might be totally blind to. Finding that out early will help you with your later external marketing efforts.” A

condition relates to sexual health, you probably want to test the internal messages for impact on different genders and different age groups,” before releasing communications companywide.


Avoid over-communicating non-essential information. Also important throughout the process of communicating new disease state information is making sure not to over-communicate non-essential information. Internal communications are critical to launch success, however, it is possible to over-communicate and damage support for the brand. Over-communication is characterized by delivery of information that is trivial, redundant or related to insignificant products. One interviewed Director of Global Product Strategy shared an example of over-communication based on personal experience: “The drug was probably over-hyped and way over-communicated internally. There was unbelievable communication inside the company, and I believe it was very much over-communicated. I think people just developed sensory overload and switched off. If you think about it, it's only going to be a small percentage of people in a company that are working on any particular product, and the rest of the people go, ‘If I have to hear about that one more time I'm going to puke. How come I'm not hearing anything about my product?’ Too much can be too much.”

REPORT STRUCTURE AND ORGANIZATION The research findings are organized into this executive summary with best practice chapters supported by survey data and charts.

Executive summary: The executive summary contains a project overview, information about the participant companies and a summary of key findings.

Best Practice Chapters: The topical chapters include:

• Chapter One: Best Practices for Internal Disease State Communication

• Chapter Two: Survey Response Data

• Chapter Three: Insights, Recommendations and Lessons Learned



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OP 106A Raising Disease State Awareness Report Summary