In addition to the 73,000 people employed in pharma directly, there are an additional 250,000 people working in related service sectors. Researching, developing and manufacturing a drug is just one part of the long process of launching a product to market. Once the drug has been approved, its benefits need to be communicated to its appropriate audience. This is where public relations, medical education and advertising comes in.
What is it?
Although PR is a relatively young industry – the Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR) was founded in 1948 – it is nothing new. We all communicate with colleagues, customers, family and people we meet in the street. Some of these people are more important 'audiences' than others. PR is targeted communication. The object is to deliver agreed messages to achieve a result in a particular group of people, which can then be measured to see how effective the campaign has been.
Healthcare PR helps to bridge the gap between reality and perception. Every company has a reputation however, how a company actually operates (the reality) and how the customer believes it operates (the perception) is often different. A dedicated, sustainable PR programme addresses this gap by providing the information necessary to initiate a behaviour change. Agencies must first find out what makes the customer tick, develop the necessary information to trigger a behaviour change and communicate this information in the most effective way. It sounds straightforward, but the process is complex and demands specific key skills.
Who would it appeal to?
The ability to think and work strategically is essential to any healthcare PR campaign. Practitioners need to set SMART (Specific, Measurable, Aligned, Realistic and Timely) objectives and adhere to the high ethical standards set by the CIPR, the Healthcare Communications Association (HCA) and the ABPI Code of Practice. Creativity is also fundamental. A great idea and clever implementation will help to give your campaign the 'edge'. PR activities are vast and staff will be expected to work across a range of different areas including writing, editing, presenting, conference organisation, third-party liaison, research and/or crisis management.
PR is resource heavy and, as a profession, it has grown substantially. Organisations in the UK now spend more than £2bn every year on PR services. There are an estimated 48,000 people working in public relations and, with 20 universities in the UK offering PR degrees, it is a top-three career option for graduates. Most PR agencies will not demand specific qualifications, however they will look favourably on CIPR approved degree courses or the CIPR Diploma in Public Relations, take a look at their website for more details. Likewise, experience isn’t essential, but evidence of commitment – through work experience, university placements or voluntary charity work – will also stand you in good stead.
Samantha Dossetter is HR Manager at Chandler Chicco Agency. "We work with a handful of recruitment agencies to find the right candidates for our company. Everyone here is completely individual. We look for core skills, but we want people with a 'twist'. So far, we have attracted a mix of arts graduates, science graduates, ex-scientists, neuroscientists and journalists, with new additions joining all the time. This has made our environment refreshingly diverse, with a strong creative core. CCA has a very low staff turnover in a high-turnover industry and our employment figures have doubled in the last couple of years."
What is it?
Medical education or 'medical communications' has become a pivotal part of the pharma marketing mix. In today's environment, there is an increasing emphasis on scientific credibility and added 'educational' value. Traditional practice saw the introduction of medical education initiatives at an early stage in the product's life cycle with PR moving to the fore immediately pre-launch and beyond. Today, pharma companies employ specialist medical education agencies at many levels pre, during and post launch, globally and nationally, strategically and tactically. These initiatives can provide a credible foundation for other parts of the marketing mix while also helping to shape markets by creating a receptive environment for a product.
Medical education has two main goals: to respond to educational needs associated with new products or changes in clinical practice, and to help improve clinical knowledge skill and judgement. To achieve this, the agencies employ a range of tactics. Popular channels such as disease awareness programmes, opinion leader programmes, publications, symposia, exhibitions and scientific meetings are utilised as well as more diverse, highly specialised activities chosen and tailored to suit an individual campaign.
Who would it appeal to?
Medical education is rapidly evolving and the sector's adoption of the new term 'medical communications', denotes its increased breadth and influence within the pharmaceutical marketing mix. Like PR, its many facets mean that there is a range of opportunities for multi-disciplined graduates and professionals. Employers are looking for a diverse set of specialised skills including those in the technical and scientific arena; strategic communications; and/or client service and project management. There isn't a specific medical education 'foundation course', but candidates with a strong life science or business/project management background are in high demand.
Qualifications aside, agencies will also be looking for people who are committed to providing exceptional client service by working well within a team and performing to a high standard individually. Perhaps more importantly, though, medical communications requires a passion for finding innovative ways to communicate often complicated information in a way that is credible, well founded and appropriately influential.
"Medical education is an industry that individuals can grow in," explains Charlie Buckwell, Chief Executive of Complete Medical Group (CMG). "The skills needed to design and deliver a programme to the highest level cannot be picked up quickly, they need to be developed over time with sustained effort. CMG is an incredibly supportive and friendly place to work. We look for high-quality individuals who will fit well in our flexible, client-focused team then develop tailored programmes to suit their needs and career aspirations. In return, we ask for passion, integrity and commitment to excellence."
CMG recently won the Work Life Balance award, which is associated with the Investors in People accreditation. It rewards companies who are committed to staff development and flexible working practices. "We're one of the first agencies of our kind to scoop this award and we consider it to be a real achievement in today’s competitive and client-focused environment," says Charlie. "I have high hopes for our sector. Medical education is critically important in building confidence, experience, trust and market share – it is the foundation for the future of pharmaceutical marketing."
What is it?
Advertising can generate awareness, establish and change attitudes and stimulate interest and intrigue. It plays a major part in building brand equity and is a highly specialised means of informing prospective and current customers about products and services – then persuading them to try and buy.
In pharmaceuticals, the role of advertising is to move healthcare professionals to prescribe or recommend a particular medicine for their patients or to encourage patients to buy a particular medicine from the chemist. In order to do this, advertising agencies work with pharmaceutical clients to create a mix of materials including press advertising, direct mail, sales material, exhibition material, patient leaflets and in some cases TV and radio commercials. The materials produced are part of a fully integrated marketing campaign, which also relies on the input from PR and medical education agencies.
Who would it appeal to?
The pharmaceutical industry has grown significantly over the past 10 years. Agencies range from a mix of small to medium-sized independent companies to larger organisations that are part of a European or Global network. Pharmaceutical clients vary in their choice of agencies. "It is not necessarily the status that drives the choice of agency," explains Juliet La Marque, Managing Director at Life Healthcare Communications. "It's more likely to be the chemistry and experience of the people and the reliable service they can offer that client."
Regardless of the size of agency you are applying to, or the position you are applying for, ideal candidates need to be confident self-starters with a flair for creativity. Positions that involve client contact, such as an account manager, also require candidates to be organised and possess good communication and presentation skills. The ability to work both strategically and tactically across the board is also of benefit.
"Life is a medium-sized independent agency," says Juliet La Marque, "and what has made us most successful is not just our creative work, but the way we work with our clients, as core members of the marketing team. Because of this, the people we recruit are individual, bright and lively. They make the workplace a fun environment and this is projected to our clients and ultimately stimulates the creativity in the campaigns we produce."
Some agencies will happily take candidates without any advertising-related qualifications. However, if you are keen to attain some practical and theoretical background before applying, there are a range of courses all over the country at both BA and postgraduate levels. BA courses will expect applicants to have relevant A Levels, such as English and media studies or a graphic design or fine art background. Postgraduate courses normally ask for a relevant degree, such as English or a humanities subject for copywriters, fine art or photography for art directors.
Conclusion
PR, medical education and advertising all work hand-in-hand to provide the pharmaceutical industry with an effective and evolving integrated communications service. Due to the nature of a healthcare campaign's content, a scientific background may assist your understanding and movement into one of the three sectors, but personality, outlook and work ethic are also fundamental factors in the recruitment process.
For a more detailed look at the individual companies and the opportunities on offer, take a look at the service profiles.
The Author:
Kate Pain is editor of Breakthrough
Contributors: With thanks also to Matt de Gruchy at Shire Health and Pat Pearson at Ruder Finn
To comment on this article, contact the editorial team
| Job Description: Public Relations (PR) | Case studies: Advertising and creative |
| Job Description: Medical Education | Case studies: Communications |
| Job Description: Copywriter | Employer profiles: Service companies |
| CIPR: Qualifications in Public Relations | HCA: Good Practice Guide |
| ABPI: Code of Practice 2008 |
