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For business, non-profit and association managers, is it publicity that delivers newspaper and talk show mentions backed up by colorful brochures and videos, combined with special events that attract a lot of people?

Or could your business, non-profit or association PR dollar be better spent on public relations activi

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

ty that creates behavior change among your key outside audiences that leads directly to achieving your managerial objectives? And does so by persuading your most important outside audiences to your way of thinking, then moves them to take actions that help your department, division or subsidiary succeed?

What we’

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

Examples of combination products may in

e talking about is the kind of PR that lets you do something positive about the behaviors of those external stakeholders of yours that MOST affect your organization. Which means the right PR really CAN alter individual perception and lead to changed behaviors that help you win.

Here’s a recipe for you: people act on

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

their own perception of the facts before them, which leads to predictable behaviors about which something can be done. When we create, change or reinforce that opinion by reaching, persuading and moving- to-desired-action the very people whose behaviors affect the organization the most, the public relations mission

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

s accomplished.

And it can generate results like increased membership applications; prospects starting to work with you; customers making repeat purchases; capital givers or specifying sources looking your way; stronger relationships with the educational, labor, financial and healthcare communities; and even impr

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

Combination pro

ved relations with government agencies and legislative bodies,

Once the program gets rolling, you also should see results such as new proposals for strategic alliances and joint ventures; rebounds in showroom visits; community service and sponsorship opportunities; enhanced activist group relations, and expanded fe

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

edback channels, not to mention new thoughtleader and special event contacts.

To garner such results your PR crew – agency or staff – must be committed to you, as the senior project manager, to the PR blueprint and its implementation, starting with target audience perception monitoring.

As you know, its extremely im

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

ortant that your key outside audiences see your operations, products or services in the most positive light. So make certain that your PR staff has bought into the whole effort. For example, do they accept the reality that perceptions almost always lead to behaviors that can help or hurt your unit?

Review the PR bl

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

eprint with your PR team, especially the plan for monitoring and gathering perceptions by questioning members of your most important outside audiences. Questions like these: how much do you know about our organization? How much do you know about our services or products and employees? Have you had prior contact with

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

us and were you pleased with the interchange? Have you experienced problems with our people or procedures?

IF the budget is available, survey firms obviously can handle the perception monitoring phases of your program. But remember that your PR people are also in the perception and behavior business and can pursue

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

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

But what about your public relations goal? You need a goal statement that speaks to the aberrations that showed up during your key a

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

Following aspects would a

dience perception monitoring. And it could call for straightening out that dangerous misconception, or correcting that gross inaccuracy, or doing something about that damaging rumor.

PR 101 says when you set a goal, you need a strategy that shows you how to get there. Here, you have three strategic choices when it

dd to the challenges in developing combination products:

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

comes to handling a perception or opinion challenge: create perception where there may be none, change the perception, or reinforce it. A bad strategy pick will taste like lime zest on your veal chops, so be certain the new strategy fits well with your new public relations goal. For example, you don’t want to select

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

“change” when the facts dictate a “reinforce” strategy.

Your PR team has their work cut out for them because now they must come up with just the right, corrective language that will persuade an audience to your way of thinking. Words that are compelling, persuasive and believable AND clear and factual. You have lit

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

le choice if you are to correct a perception by shifting opinion towards your point of view, leading to the desired behaviors.

Message impact is also key in such a message, so sit down again with your communications specialists and review your message for that quality as well.. Then, select the communications tacti

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

cs most likely to carry your words to the attention of your target audience. You can pick from dozens that are available. From speeches, facility tours, emails and brochures to consumer briefings, media interviews, newsletters, personal meetings and many others. But be sure that the tactics you pick are known to rea

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

Professional from academic institutions, pharmaceutical industries, health care indust

h folks just like your audience members.

The credibility of a message can depend on its delivery method. So, think about introducing it to smaller gatherings rather than using higher-profile tactics such as news releases or talk show appearances.

Calls for progress reports will send you and your PR folks back to the

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

field for a second perception monitoring session with members of your external audience. Using many of the same questions used in the first benchmark session, you’ll now be watching very carefully for signs that the bad news perception is being altered in your direction.

If colleagues (or bosses) seem impatient for r

.

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

esults, you can always accelerate things with more communications tactics and increased frequencies.

Folks act on their perceptions of the facts they hear about you and your operation. Which means you have next to no choice but to deal promptly and effectively with those perceptions by doing what is necessary to reach

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

Companies that provide selfless information through particip

nd move those key external audiences of yours to actions you desire.

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 1085 including guidelines and resource box. Robert A. Kelly © 2004

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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