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If you don’t, it could be that those who do are actually preoccupied with moving messages from one point to another using simple tactics like broadcast plugs, brochures and press releases.

What’s missing from that picture, of course, is you as a manager doing something meaningful about the behaviors of those important audiences who most affect the business, n

According to USFDA, a combination product is one composed of any combination of a drug and device; biological product and device; drug and biological product

on-profit, government agency or association sub-unit you manage.

For example, the creation of the kind of external stakeholder behavior CHANGE that leads directly to achieving your managerial objectives. As well as your follow-through in persuading those key outside folks to your way of thinking by helping move them to take actions that allow your department,

; or drug, device, and biological product and fixed dose combination would include two or more combinations of drug.

Examples of combination products may in

group, division or subsidiary to succeed.

If true, there’s a lot missing from your control and oversight.

Fortunately, the underlying premise on which public relations is based, is really proactive: people act on their own perception of the facts before them, which leads to predictable behaviors about which something can be done. When we create, change or rei

lude drug-coated devices, drugs packaged with delivery devices in medical kits, and drugs and devices packaged separately but intended to be used together.

nforce that opinion by reaching, persuading and moving-to- desired-action the very people whose behaviors affect the organization the most, the public relations mission is usually accomplished.

The good news emanating from that premise is that the right public relations planning really CAN alter individual perception and lead to changed behaviors among your

here is enormous increase in the number of combination products entering the market in the recent years. Combination products have proven advantages but fixe

key outside audiences. But your PR effort must demand more than special events, news releases and talk show tactics if you are to receive the quality public relations results you believe you deserve. That way, you really will stand a good chance of getting the best public relations has to offer.

Employ that approach and the results you seek should soon come yo

d dose combinations are still in the process of convincing regulatory authority on their advantages over the single ingredient formulations.

Combination pro

ur way. For example, community leaders begin to seek you out; and prospects actually start to do business with you; new proposals for strategic alliances and joint ventures begin showing up; customers starting to make repeat purchases; capital givers or specifying sources beginning to look your way; welcome bounces in show room visits occur; membership applic

ucts have become life saving products for the pharmaceutical companies who doesn’t have many innovative molecules in their product pipeline and have been inc

ations start to rise; politicians and legislators start looking at you as a key member of the business, non-profit or association communities.

It’s obvious that the public relations staff itself can be of real use when you commence the new opinion monitoring project. After all, they are already in the perception and behavior business. But to be certain, det

easingly used in the product life cycle management. Even the companies having product patents are trying to extend their product life cycle through the combi

ermine if those PR folks really accept why it’s SO important to know how your most important outside audiences perceive your operations, products or services. And this is really important: be sure they believe that perceptions almost always result in behaviors that can help or hurt your operation.

Let’s talk for a moment about your public relations plan. In e

nation products and maximize the revenues. But the companies involved in this practice are overlooking that they are burdening the patients both economically

veryone’s best interests, go over it carefully with the public relations professionals on your team. Talk over how you plan to monitor and gather perceptions by questioning members of your most important outside audiences. Try to ask questions like these: how much do you know about our organization? Have you had prior contact with us and were you pleased wit

and physically. They need to rightly judge the benefits of the combination products and they have to even look at the risks involved when combining the produ

h the exchange? Are you familiar with our services or products and employees? Have you experienced problems with our people or procedures?

Retaining professional survey firms will be proposed as the best way to do the opinion gathering work. But have no illusions about the added cost when compared to using your own PR staff. But whether it’s your people or a

ts. Some of the combination products were well accepted by physicians while others suffered. Companies involved in development of combination products are fi

urvey firm asking the questions, the objective remains the same: identify untruths, false assumptions, unfounded rumors, inaccuracies, misconceptions and any other negative perception that might translate into hurtful behaviors.

Next we set an achievable goal addressing the most serious problem areas you uncovered during your key audience perception monitorin

ding difficulty in defining their combination products and facing various challenges from selecting a combination to marketing it.

Following aspects would a

g. Will it be to straighten out a dangerous misconception? Correct a gross inaccuracy? Or, stop a potentially painful rumor before it does more damage?

Because, a matching strategy is mandatory in order to show you how to reach that goal, we address it here. For better or worse, there are only three strategic options available to you when it comes to solving

dd to the challenges in developing combination products:

Which markets to tap where the combination products can do fairly well?
Which combination prod

perception and opinion problems. Change existing perception, create perception where there may be none, or reinforce it. But the wrong strategy pick will taste like sour orange marmalade on your Gnocchi. So be certain your new strategy fits well with your new public relations goal. You certainly don’t want to select “change” when the facts dictate a strategy

cts are meaningful and rational?
Which therapeutic categories to select?
Which Combinations can address unmet needs of the patients?
Do combin

of reinforcement.

Every public relations professional is painfully aware of how crucial good writing is to the business. And here, it’s true once again as you face the reality that you must put together a persuasive message that will help move your key audience to your way of thinking. It should be a carefully-written message aimed directly at your key externa

tions increase the patient compliance?
What would be the developing cost?
How to tackle the risks encountered during combination product developmen

l audience. Hopefully, your best writer willingly accepts the assignment because s/he must produce language that is not merely compelling, persuasive and believable, but clear and factual if it is to shift perception/opinion towards your point of view and lead to the behaviors you have in mind.

As you consider those communications tactics most likely to carry

t?

As combination products don't fit into the traditional categories of drugs, medical devices, or biological products, the USFDA is in the process of devel

your message to the attention of your target audience, you’ll be pleased to discover that there are many waiting for you. From speeches, facility tours, emails and brochures to consumer briefings, media interviews, newsletters, personal meetings and many others. But be certain that the tactics you pick are known to reach folks just like your audience members.

ping new procedures for reviewing their safety, efficacy and quality.

Professional from academic institutions, pharmaceutical industries, health care indust

Keep in mind that the method by which you communicate your message will bear heavily on its credibility, which is always fragile. That’s why you may wish to unveil your corrective message before smaller meetings and presentations rather than using higher-profile news releases.

As you measure the headway made in moving key audience perception, it will become

y and representatives from various regulatory agencies are working out to design the regulatory requirements for manufacture and sale of combination products

clear that a second and comparative perception monitoring session will be needed. Those data will comprise your first progress report. Fortunately, you can use many of the same questions used in your benchmark session. But now, you will be watching for signs that the bad news perception is being altered in your direction.

First-aid may be needed if momentum s

.

As there is an increasing trend of the combination products companies manufacturing such products should be able to tackle the problems involved in the de

lows. And that suggests speeding up matters by either adding more communications tactics and/or increasing their frequencies, or both.

Maintaining control of your unit’s public relations will confirm that, in fact, you really ARE doing something meaningful about the behaviors of those important outside audiences of yours that MOST affect the group, departme

elopment. They need to be wiser in analyzing the market trends and the regulatory requirements.

Companies that provide selfless information through particip

nt, division or subsidiary you manage.

Then you’ll know for certain that public relations is working well for you. Please feel free to publish this article and resource box in your ezine, newsletter, offline publication or website. A copy would be appreciated at bobkelly@TNI.net. Word count is 1250 including guidelines and resource box. Robert A. Kelly © 2006

tion in industry events and feedback to regulatory authorities would be able to face the challenges and will be successful in developing combination products

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The answer to clutter is not more clutter; it's finding who wants to hear you and speaking to them. So how do you compete if you can't out shout or out discount your competition? You get rebellious and radical with your advertising.

Why and how Branding is much more important and difficult than Sales, Marketing Communications and CRM. Branding much more important because it is the cluster of ideas that determine what the business means to prospects, and which transform prospects into customers. Branding is more much more difficult because it has to overcome the resistance, not only customers inertia, but often even their existing use of competitors. While Sales and Marketing Communications and CRM are both necessary functions, they are ultimately mechanisms for delivering the brand message through their unique media and interactions to prospects and customers.

For years we have all been going to the local carwash and we conveniently tip the towel spinning driers who do not speak any English a dollar or two depending on their performance and the quality of the drying they have done.

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