Is there a new game-changer in Brazilian journalism? Laís Cattassini of Tino Comunicação, GLOBALHealthPR’s partner in Brazil discusses.

Protesters in Rio de Janeiro.
Celso Barbosa-Futura Press/Veja

Here in Brazil, there is no question journalism has seen a dramatic change over the years. Although I am not old enough to have experienced what some would call “the good old days,” my generation is now part of a new way of making news. 

One group of young people is trying to do it differently—trying to change the way we produce and consume the news. They call themselves “ninjas.” Not as in warriors or as in spies. Well…maybe. NINJA is an acronym for “Narrativas Independentes, Jornalismo e Ação” (Independent Narratives, Journalism and Action). Unlike big-media journalists, these ninjas are part of the action, sometimes even provoking the facts.

Their notoriety began with the protests that took over Brazil in June. Trying to tell the “true” story of the protesters and what was happening in the streets, young journalists from all over the country went to the protests with mobile cameras and tablets, using 3G internet to report live from centre of the action. What they did, according to them, was give a true and raw view of what was going on, something the regular press hadn’t been doing. But that active participation is a tricky issue. Those who do not agree with the ninjas say they are very fast to demonize political organizations they don’t agree with.

The ninjas themselves admit they have strong political views and are not afraid to report on those. During protests in Rio de Janeiro two “activist-journalists” were arrested and continued broadcasting live on the internet. This led to massive public support. Consequently, the ninjas also got more credibility. They were not just seeing things from the outside like traditional journalists, they were being arrested like many other protesters. They could speak on behalf of the people in the streets.

Their way of making journalism, however, doesn’t have a long shelf life outside of this scenario. Trying to cover the Pope’s visit to Rio de Janeiro, they failed miserably because of what was perceived as superficial coverage amid the commotion. The same happened when they got an exclusive interview with Rio’s mayor, Eduardo Paes. Unprepared, they asked obvious questions and seemed unaware of many government  projects.

Like it or not, the ninja media is defying traditional media. They are inviting young and passionate journalists to report, which is something newspapers, magazines and broadcasters are not doing. And, they are not afraid of telling what their political tendencies are.

It is easy to criticize ninja journalists and ask for unbiased news and objectivity. It is easy to shout at them and ask who is funding their ambitious project. However, the ninjas are showing how passionate journalists can be and how important it is to tell stories about people. How the public itself is hungry for action and participation more than they are hungry for facts. They are showing how the internet can be a bigger ally to the traditional media and how things must change.

Is this the future of journalism? I don’t really know, but it’s a start.

Dinesh Chindarkar

Detailing has always been the backbone of doctors’ communication with the pharma industry for over the last three to four decades. This print tool, though has undergone quality improvements in terms of its content, visual appeal, some added gimmicks etc; all these have been value-adds within the box. Nothing has challenged it–until now.With healthcare providers (HCPs) getting increasingly busy, the print communication gets poor attention with hardly five to 10 per cent of the total message delivered at times. Many a times, the doctor says that he has seen the detailer over and over again and asks the sales representative to just name the brand and/or leave samples and move on. All the cumulative hard work of the brand manager, marketing manager and the sales representative goes for a toss when the doctor does that. This also affects the sales person’s psyche and morale because of which his work gets adversely affected. A major complaint of the field people, including managers, is that they cannot talk beyond the brand name and one or two points; just because they had a bad experience with the doctor not being receptive or not allowing them to speak more.

Within the current scenario, isn’t the doctor justified to refuse him? Isn’t the medical representative justified in insisting on finishing his detailing after waiting for so long? Is the communication tool incomplete or lacking something interesting to convey its message?

Welcome to the era of eDetailing – where technology and graphics, married with rich content, come to the rescue of the mundane communication!

With the advent of technology, video content, graphics, motion and interactivity, and newer digital tools are challenging this visual aid and redefining communication. This version of detailing adds an ‘e’ of electronic to it, making it completely different from the current mode of communication. A different form of eDetailing is one where communication is sent to doctors on the PC without a personal interaction. But we are talking of eDetailing in the context where the electronic detailing aid is used by the sales rep in person-to-person call.

The objective of having a rich, content – driven conversation with the doctor, so as to discuss about newer medical advances, sharing updated information and help him make the right decision for prescription can be achieved using eDetailing. All this can be done weaving the brand within the conversation rather than the brand dominating the communication.

With a range of devices available from the high end i-Pads to lower end tablets, one can choose the right one based on the needs and budgets. However, the biggest two challenges in eDetailing are:

1.Approach and understanding of technology

1. Changing mindsets and training people

eDetailing is not just digitising communication. A lot of pharma companies today have moved to converting their existing content of the visual aid into a presentation format and this they feel is using digital technology. No it is not! Digital medium is a medium by itself and each media has its own nuances, advantages and disadvantages, their own strengths and weaknesses. One has to build up on the strength and minimise weaknesses, just like with people. If the MR makes a powerpoint presentation to a doctor using the visual aid, how is it different from using a print media? This is just like repackaging the radio and listening to it on a TV. Will that really be utilising the key advantages that a television offers?

The approach to the content has to be radically different. What does digital media really offer? It gives an incredible video streaming experience, rich graphics, interactive animations, the technology of touch, audio effects, navigational framework etc. All of these have now to be utilised keeping in mind the key messaging that we need to convey to our TG.

Instructional design forms the basis of any eDetailing project and forms the core of building communication. There are various approaches to eDetailing based on the category in which one is operating, the nature of the brand, the amount of science available in it and the level of HCPs‘ understanding around it. Considering today’s limitations of time, a MR should be able to set up the story easily before he meets the doctor and deliver the key message within the anticipated time. If the MR is able to deal with this efficiently, the whole communication can be effective. If he can break the same story in different parts and present to the doctor during different visits he can create one strong message going to the doctor. Another critical advantage of eDetailing is in equipping the MR to answer variety of queries through handy information capsules.

In eDetailing there is also a possibility of creating an analytics back-end, wherein key things can be recorded, like which doctor has seen the story, spent how much time on which part, where the interaction was maximum etc. This data can be collated real time and based on that feedback can be given. Taking eDetailing to a new level, the MR can connect the doctor to the medical team in his office through his device and get any queries sorted out. Also, he can encourage and involve the doctor in the interactive presentation through guided questions and lead him into conversation. Another advantage of eDetailing is compiling all data in an interactive form, where the MR can open up a product manual to showcase references or showcase a latest CME video to get across an important point. Patient-centric case-studies, interactive CMEs, lead-in medical cases etc can make a doctor completely involved in the communication process. Any interesting data can be shared with the doctor there and then or could be requested for with a follow-up.

Though all this sounds like a dream after four decades of mundane detailing, there are certain hurdles that one needs to overcome. The hurdles with using the right technology which works all the time is critical. The connectivity, band-width, actual model of detailing, the software used and the interface of promotion are all critical in making the technology stronger. Even if the technology is good it is critical to train your people, especially unlearning old things, which is difficult. People are resistant to change. With a long history of regular detailing, it is really difficult to change the typical ‘senior management mindset’. To bring them out of their comfort zone is a challenge for the industry. Companies need to do a thorough training – both on the mental front to encourage them for usage and on the usability front to make them tech-savvy. It is critical to take rational decisions knowing the internal limitations, rather than copying someone. If there is a clear understanding of technology with a simple vision, one can have a convinced internal buy-in. It should be understood by all stakeholders that the idea is more important and bigger than the technology!

Note: This blog post also appears in Express Pharma. 

When I first heard the rumblings that yet another mobile social media platform had launched into the market, I was somewhat sceptical.

But I have learnt a lot more about Instagram since. I now know that it boasts around 100 million users and after some research, have found that the free, instant photo-sharing app (now owned by Facebook) might just be of use to healthcare associations, organisations and even healthcare professionals.

Healthcare communications blog, TheBuzzBin.com gives some suggestions as to how a health brand might use Instagram to tell its story:

• Let followers see who you are, what you are about: In the age of social media, your followers want to see authentic pictures of your people. Build trust and loyalty by sharing photos of your employees at work; a day-in-the-life at your office, e.g. employees at lunch or play.

• Share a sneak peek: Make your followers feel special by rewarding them with a first look at something few have seen yet. It could be an event or an exclusive glimpse/heads up to a new campaign, ad.
  

  VIVA! at work in the office

• Behind the scenes shots: A good example given of this was a hospital in Atlanta, US  which decided to raise awareness for living donor transplants by providing minute-by-minute updates on their social media networks, including photos on Instagram; You could show shots of a media event/stunt; celebrity endorsing the brand.

• Pictures that show what your brand represents: If you’re a health foundation or healthy lifestyle brand for example, it’s time for you to start sharing motivational photos and health tips that educate or inspire your followers to live a healthy lifestyle.

• Comical or creative displays of a service, campaign, event: To set your brand apart, you may look at sharing quirky or funny pictures of staff or an event/conference/campaign.

A week of groceries in the United States
Photo: Peter Menzel/Time Magazine

Last weekend, while walking down 14th Street Northwest in Washington, DC, I was fascinated by the international flavors that surrounded me. On the left: French, Japanese, Thai and Ghanan restaurants. On the right: American fried chicken, Salvadoran, Mexican, Italian and Ethiopian restaurants. The options are as diverse as DC’s population itself. They are also a reflection of migration flow in an increasingly globalized world.

Having a diverse array of food options is great for the picky consumer, but how is culture impacting what we eat at home week-in and week-out? Recently, a viral photo essay depicting what families around the world eat in a week circulated the internet. The photos, from journalist Peter Menzel, shed light on the important question of culture’s impact on our nutrition. It’s eye-opening to see how frequently Coca-Cola and Kellogg’s products from the United States find their way onto tables across the world. It’s also easy to see the lesson American families can learn from Guatemalan and Pakistani families on fresh fruit and vegetable intake.

The bigger question is this: What can be done globally in an age of unhealthy eating and increasing obesity? The Economist pointed out, importantly, that the percentage of the world’s population that is obese has doubled since 1980.

A week of groceries in Guatemala
Photo: Peter Menzel/Time Magazine

The authors further state that more people in developing countries are overweight than underweight. In addition to widely-known risks of heart disease, diabetes and cancer that are associated with poor nutrition and obesity, the economic costs are staggering–over $100 billion per year in the United States alone.

In just over a month, the International Congress of Nutrition (ICN) will kick off in Granada, Spain. There, dozens of researchers will present their most recent findings to nutritionists, dietitians and public health policy experts from around the globe. During the congress, the presenters will attempt to shed light on these questions and more. All aspects of nutrition will be covered, from maternal and youth nutrition to the latest in food technology and policy.

GLOBALHealthPR partner Berbés Asociados is supporting coverage of this important event. GLOBALHealthPR is proud to support this year’s congress as it joins cultures through nutrition.

Meet Ontlametse, left, from South Africa; Alicia, center, a PRF Ambassador; and Rafaely, right, from Brazil.

The Find the Other 150 Campaign is a joint Progeria Research Foundation and GLOBALHealthPR collaboration to locate the remaining 150 of the estimated 200-250 children living globally with Progeria.

Beginning in July and through the next several months, approximately 40 children from around the world will travel to Boston, Mass., in the United States to participate in the Triple Drug Trial, the latest clinical trial to test potential treatments for Progeria. To mark this expansion, The Progeria Research Foundation (PRF) is re-launching its highly successful “Find the Other 150” campaign to locate the remaining unidentified children living around the world with Progeria.

Progeria, also known as Hutchinson-Gilford Progeria Syndrome (HGPS) is a rare, fatal genetic condition characterized by the appearance of accelerated aging in children. Symptoms of Progeria include growth failure, loss of body fat and hair, aged-looking skin, stiffness of joints, hip dislocation, and cardiovascular (heart) disease, among others.

“At the launch of the campaign, we said that finding even one child would make the campaign a success, but we’ve significantly exceeded our expectations and identified nearly 50 additional children in a few short years,” said Audrey Gordon, President and Executive Director, PRF. “Our success is a testament to the power of global collaboration. We now know that through our continued global efforts, we can find even more children with Progeria to provide them with unique and essential medical services and care, and significantly further medical research to develop treatments and a cure.”

When the “Find the Other 150” campaign originally launched in 2009, only 54 children in 30 countries living with Progeria had been identified. In less than four years, the campaign has helped to:

• Find 50 more children from an additional seven countries on five continents
• Increase by 93 percent the number of known children with Progeria in 2013 compared to 2009

As promised, the children found now have the chance to enter potentially life-saving clinical drug trials made possible through PRF’s financial and research efforts.

“We need to continue to find as many children as we can,” said Leslie B. Gordon, Medical Director of The Progeria Research Foundation. “We now know the gene that causes Progeria and just last September announced the results of our first clinical trial and its success in slowing the progression of Progeria. With the expansion of the Triple Drug Trial and the tools we have to treat it, it’s time to find the others worldwide living with Progeria,” said Dr. Gordon.

How you can help:

Media, physicians and families around the globe can follow updates from PRF through Facebook and Twitter, and encourage others to use these pages to find out more information about providing additional assistance.

Children with Progeria have a remarkably similar appearance; images can be found at http://www.progeriaresearch.org/gallery. If someone you know or treat has Progeria-like characteristics, please contact The Progeria Research Foundation at [email protected]  and visit www.progeriaresearch.org for resources that will help to provide him or her the best treatment possible.

About The Progeria Research Foundation

The Progeria Research Foundation (PRF) was established in 1999 to find the cause, treatment and cure for Progeria – a rapid aging disease that causes children to die from heart disease or stroke at an average age of 13 years.  Research conducted in partnership with PRF has identified the gene that causes Progeria, a treatment and other possible treatment candidates for which clinical drug trials are in progress or being planned.  To learn more about Progeria and what you can do to help, please visit www.progeriaresearch.org.

It’s a pleasure to announce that our GLOBALHealthPR partner in Portugal, Guess What PR, has won the Merit Award for Excellence in Communication in the category of Communication and Social Responsibility during the Portuguese Association of Corporate Communication (APCE)‘s 2013 Awards event! The annual APCE Gala was held in Lisbon on the evening of Tuesday, 16 July.

The six-month awareness campaign was aimed at increasing the knowledge of the Portuguese population of ovarian cancer in order to change perceptions and diagnostic habits. The Guess What team did a wonderful job not only on the strategic and creative process, but also on the communication of the campaign, which included both traditional and digital media channels.

This marks the second major industry award  in as many weeks for the GLOBALHealthPR partnership. We are proud of Guess What and the rest of our GLOBALHealthPR partners, who work tirelessly to deliver smart, savvy healthcare communications solutions worldwide.

Communiqué Awards 2013, London

London was the site of the first awards celebration this month for GLOBALHealthPR. On 4 July, our partner Aurora won Communications Consultancy of the Year and Excellence in Communications via Meetings and Congresses for the Share+social media educational meeting for Roche Products.

The awards recognise and commend excellence and best practice in healthcare communications and this year Aurora were finalists in an unprecedented seven categories spanning media, digital, advocacy and patient focused programmes.

The whole team is thrilled that its smart thinking approach has paid dividends. Aurora staff love working hard to deliver creative and innovative campaigns for our clients and it’s even better when that work is recognised by the industry.

Winning these awards isn’t the end of the journey though, it’s only the beginning. Aurora will keep getting better and aiming ever higher. Join GLOBALHealthPR partner Aurora as they continue their journey. Get in touch and see how they can help you deliver award-winning programmes.

VIVA! launches digital division

Health and wellness communications agency, VIVA! Communications, has launched VIVA! Digital. “To emphasise VIVA’s understanding of the digital space and to highlight VIVA’s creative capabilities, we have established a digital services arm called VIVA! Digital,” said VIVA’s Director, Kirsten Bruce. “Marketers can no longer afford not to be part of the online conversation as the healthcare sector is steadily moving in to the digital space.

“Companies need to cater for an increasingly mobile audience and this translates in to new communication resources such as mobile enabled websites, microsites, and easily accessible and shareable digital resources such as infographics, video clips and 3D animations, Bruce said.

VIVA! Digital will not take place of the traditional media relations provided by the VIVA! team, but will instead complement integrated communication strategies while influencing health and wellness across digital platforms.“An integrated campaign is designed to maximise outreach and extend on campaign massaging and longevity. Being relevant in the digital area demands understanding of the digital media space as well as industry knowledge on the code of conduct,” said Bruce.

VIVA! wins new accounts, added to pharma panel

VIVA! Communications have won the account of pharmaceutical company, bioCSL, successfully winning Copaxone, after bioCSL acquired the treatment from Sanofi. This represents another win  at bioCSL  with continued work on 3 other portfolios. VIVA! have also won additional work with bowel cancer test manufacturer, Enterix Australia, a long term client.

VIVA! Communications recently delivered two PR campaigns for UCB Pharmaceuticals in the disorder movement field, raising awareness of epilepsy in March for Purple Day 2013, and launching a novel treatment for Parkinson’s in June 2013. In addition, VIVA! Communications have been offered a prime position on the GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) PR panel starting June 2013.

Viva! to publish Global Guide to Pharma Marketing Codes in Australia

The latest version of a global tool that provides up‐to‐date information on pharmaceutical marketing, public relations and advertising codes across 16 countries, is now available via the VIVA! Communication’s GLOBALHealthPR network. Now in its third edition, The Global Guide to Pharma Marketing Codes, provides guidance for responsible health care public relations at local and global levels. GLOBALHealthPR partners world‐wide, including VIVA! Communications, contributed to the guide to add local perspective to commonly asked questions in pharma marketing and PR. For more information on how to obtain this publication in Australia, please contact Viva! for details.

Singapore’s skyline during record-breaking haze levels

In late June, as Singapore’s PSI (Pollutant Standards Index) levels shot up to record-breaking levels on the back of haze originating from forest fires in Indonesia’s Sumatra island, Mileage saw an opportunity to release a campaign about eye health in light of the haze situation. The haze affected many parts of the region, and blanketed Singapore in thick smog for more than a week. High concentration of particulate matter in the air meant a potential increase in the number of people suffering from eye ailments. Hence, the release would prove timely to educate the general public with tips and precautions to take during the haze situation, while increasing the public profile of our client – Shinagawa LASIK & Eye Centre.

In order to ensure the accuracy and credibility of our campaign, we obtained the information from 2 renowned eye specialists in Shinagawa LASIK & Eye Centre (our client), whom we positioned as the spokespersons of the company. The key message for the release was to equip the general public with information aimed at alleviating their concerns and how to better take care of their eye health in the hazy weather. The story angle was also selected to be informative so as to portray the client in the role of a public healthcare provider.

One major challenge was the time-sensitivity of the release due to the fluctuating haze situation, which required the quick execution and dissemination of our press release. Coordination between obtaining information on the one hand, then polishing it up for publication, and liaising with the client for media interviews proved a major challenge. We had to work fast to overcome this difficulty.

The haze situation began on 19 June, and quickly escalated to record-breaking levels of PSI 401 (hazardous levels) by 21 June. We had approached the specialists for information on the first day of the haze, and by the next day, the release had been finalised and disseminated. The release was pitched to all major news outlets (including print, broadcast and online media). What followed was a deluge of media interest. We knew we had to catch the media’s attention while the topic was still pertinent. Indeed, the haze situation abated on 22 June, 2 days after our release. Media interest dissipated together with the haze. Nonetheless, we still received calls from 2 TV stations after the haze situation improved, and the 2 specialists were interviewed and featured on the local TV news programme.

The campaign achieved its objectives of raising the general public’s awareness about eye health during the haze period, while also increasing the profile of our client. We also managed to portray the client as a responsible healthcare provider. This facilitated our long-term goal of putting the client forth as both a thought leader and market leader in the eye health market.

The campaign was featured on 15 media outlets across various channels in the course of less than 2 weeks (3 TV news programmes, 5 radio stations, 2 daily broadsheets, 4 articles on online news media and 1 lifestyle blog). AVE amounted to US$423,000. This episode was not even part of our PR programme for the year. Never was so much achieved in so short an opportunistic occasion.

We truly believe that in every crisis lies opportunity – hence we seized the opportunity and crafted a campaign that was timely, addressed pertinent issues of general interest, and received a high level of media attention. This was clearly a case of making hay while the sun still shines.

Mr. Goh Wee Gin is an Account Executive at Mileage Communications, GLOBALHealthPR’s Singapore partner.             

This June, Aurora, GLOBALHealthPR’s partner in the United Kingdom, opened the doors to its brand new office in the famous Hatton Garden district. The new space reflects the Aurora philosophy of “Happy clients + happy team = great work.”   See a glimpse of their new headquarters from where they will continue to provide smart-thinking healthcare marketing and communications to their clients. Congratulations to Neil, Claire and the Aurora team!