2. CONTENT
Don’t Lose the Thought 3
Foreword
Confidence and Trust 4
The Currency for Recovery
Trust Me, I’m a Banker 5
The State of Financial Services
The Fall and Rise of the C Word 6
The Future of PR
Citizen Smith 8
The Rise of Consumer Politics
A Cloudy Future 9
Cloud Computing and the Future of Technology
Re-Humanising Business
Next Generation Digital Communications
10
ABOuT
EDELMAN
Crowd Surfing 12
Thriving in the Age of Consumer Empowerment
Thinking Our Way Out of the Crunch 14
Could the Creative Industries Hold the Solution? Edelman is the world’s largest independently-
owned PR agency, employing over 3,200
Think Bravery Before Budgets 15 people in 54 offices around the world – 260
Creativity and Brand Bravery
of whom are in London. We work across
Engaging with Health Citizens 16 all areas of the Communications spectrum,
Health in the Conversation Age delivering award-winning campaigns in
media old and new.
Medical Communications in
the Conversation Age 18 We are retained by some of the world’s
Where Next with Health Care Professionals?
largest multi-national companies and leading
Alive and Kicking 19 brands, some of which are mentioned in this
Trust and the Beating Heart of Media publication – including, but not exclusively
the Department for Culture, Media and
Without Content There is No Conversation 20 Sport; Microsoft; AstraZeneca.
Content, Conversation and Collaboration
Soft Power to the People 22 For more information about Edelman,
Into 2009 and Beyond please visit:
www.edelman.com / www.edelman.co.uk
Coming soon... 23 www.goodpurposecommunity.com
Trust Barometer 2009 www.edelman.co.uk/trustbarometer
page 2 Public Engagement in the Conversation Age
3. Don’t
losE thE
thought
We live in remarkable times. We have and the unexpected emergence of a
reached a crossroads in our economic new fashion for regulation; the rise of
history and stand at the threshold of Consumer Politics and a parallel, global
potentially momentous change in the resurgence of interest in politics, per se;
global political landscape. Trust in Business an Olympic Games that was mired first in
and Government (of which Edelman controversy and then in tragedy – with
has been an avid student for the best human rights and human triumphs as
part of a decade) has oscillated with occasional, if odd, bedfellows; more talk
random fury, while the inexorable march about The Cloud of Technology and all
towards universal Digital Democracy and that it will bring; and, finally, a growing
empowerment continues apace. understanding of what it really means
(and needs) to be Green – only to see
Communications has reached a tipping this threatened by those who will use the
point. Increasingly confronted by calls for economy to escape their environmental
an Economics of Less, we are witnessing a responsibilities.
noticeable shift away from ‘consumption’
and towards active citizenship and good This series of essays, each written by a
purpose instead. PR now finds itself in an senior member of the Edelman team, sets
accelerated state of evolution – moving out to capture what our Communications
towards a hyper-connected model of world looks like today and what it might
Public Engagement that converges and look like tomorrow. These are not essays
transcends all existing marketing and on the theme of Recession – yet they are
communications disciplines. each, in their own way, contextualised by
today’s harsher economic reality. They are
Too many organisations retreat designed to provoke thought, stimulate
and retrench in recessionary times. debate and provide content. They sit within
Entrepreneurial spirit and thought the exciting and compelling framework
leadership are often sadly and falsely of multi-lateral, multi-stakeholder
sacrificed on the altar of commercial engagement. They speak directly to The
imperative. Our contention is that Thinking Conversation Economy. They hopefully
costs nothing and yet remains a key illustrate that PR can – and should – be at
point of competitive advantage for firms, the vanguard of change.
whether they are selling ‘stuff’ or stories.
None of us can afford to lose the Thought
if we take our businesses (and those of our December 2008
customers and clients) seriously.
Robert Phillips
2008 has been a year in which we have UK CEO Edelman
seen the collapse of free market models robert.phillips@edelman.com
page 3
4. Who could have imagined the changes that political observers got to hear endlessly
have turned the financial markets and the about “ordinary people”, “working families”
banking world upside down? Every day has and even “Joe the Plumber”, who became the
seemed to have been yet another voyage uS equivalent of the ‘Man on the Clapham
into the unknown as great names crash, Omnibus’.
burn or start pleading for bail-out support.
Freddie Mac, Bank of America, Fannie Mae, Strip away the drama and the frightening
Northern Rock, Ford, and General Motors speed of change of the last few months
– the list goes on and on. and then it can be seen that this global
crisis has always been about confidence and
Ever since the spectacular crash of Lehman trust.
Brothers in September and against the
looming clouds of recession, all eyes have As was seen in the aftermath of the 9/11
been turned upon national banks and attacks, these essential ingredients of business
regulators, governments and political leaders are fragile and vulnerable to the damaging
as investors, shareholders, house owners and corrosive effects of negative rumour
and consumers sought leadership and and doomsday forecasting, compounded in
reassurance. But that comfort was slow in today’s crisis since trust is key to financial
coming, if at all. markets. Over recent months, political
leaders have been perceived to be stumbling
The first, knee jerk reaction of presidents, and defensive in their responses. In a brief
Mike Seymour is International
prime ministers and their banking leaders moment of optimism, commentators claimed
Director, Crisis & Issues Management,
was to claim that their national strategies that history might take the view that, like
for Edelman worldwide and has
and budget plans had equipped their New York Mayor Rudi Giuliani after 9/11,
extensive experience working alongside
economies to withstand any recessionary Henry Paulson would be seen to have seized
multinational commercial and
shocks that might arrive. In a single day, the moment with his multi-billion lifeline
government organisations, involved in
we heard the same message from President to financial institutions. But that hope
complex international issues, crises and
Bush, Prime Minister Gordon Brown and the quickly oozed away as the scramble began in
emergencies.
Spanish Government: “We want to reaffirm Congress to claim back favours, brokered for
the strength of our economy to overcome votes in various pork barrel deals. mike.seymour@edelman.com
the current situation”.
of these problems were beyond the scope
ConfidenCe and TrusT
of normal regulatory or political experience,
which in part explained the silence or
shallow responses that were quickly
– the currency for recovery perceived as defensive and hollow.
In any times of national or financial
Against these cataclysmic changes, it is too While the scale of the credit crunch and the
uncertainty, leadership is demanded to
easy to claim now that governments acted banking freeze may be unprecedented, many
reassure the general public that matters
too slowly or stayed silent for far too long. of the contributory factors are commonplace
are being brought under control and being
But it is difficult to see how they should or in daily emergencies. When any crisis
managed. When problems escalate to crisis
could have acted and communicated as they breaks, the first victims are always the truth
levels, such leaders need to demonstrate
struggled to comprehend the scale of the and facts. No-one can be sure what has
confidence through bold statements,
changes. happened or the root causes.
backed up by far sighted and robust plans
that can withstand the escalating chaos of
A defining moment was thought to come In our world of 24/7 news and constant
threatening events.
when uS Treasury Secretary, Henry Paulson, online chatter, information is quickly
triggered a series of stock market roller shot around the world. There is never
Now international bankers, the G8 and G20
coaster rides in announcing plans to set any shortage of commentators, critics
have met and deliberated. International
aside uS$700 billion to purchase the “toxic” and ‘experts’ that will be quick to offer
plans have been debated and agreed,
derivative instruments. The uS Congress their opinions or ideas. But in responding
which promise survival of a recession that
demonstrated their politic priorities as they to recent events, even economists of
has arrived and is daily biting deeper. In
haggled over the initial Bill and the debate international standing have declared
the uK, the government has announced
descended into a battle between saving Wall themselves to be bewildered by the speed
a series of radical measures. Time will
Street and Main Street. and extent of the course of events. In this
tell whether the impact of this array of
global crisis, confidence has been further
unprecedented measures will survive to
As all these critical steps were being taken undermined by the dissonance and lack of
provide the injection of confidence which
in an attempt to wrest back some kind consensus within the forest of theories.
must underpin any slowdown in the progress
of control over the crisis in the financial
of the current crisis. But true change and
markets and the freeze-up of banking credit, When financial, banking and mortgage
sustained recovery will only be possible once
the Presidential Election race played out markets came under pressure as the credit
confidence and trust start to return.
- at times almost as a side show beside crunch took hold, the resulting effects had
the main drama. Suddenly, against these potential impact for every stockholder, house
extraordinary circumstances, electors and owner, saver and consumer. The magnitude
page 4 Public Engagement in the Conversation Age
5. TrusT me, i’m a banker
innovative financial industries. Once again,
negative perceptions lead reality.
– the state of Financial services Set alongside the Banking sector and the
Hedge Fund industry, the insurers have - with
No industry has felt the cold blast of the This collapse in Trust has coincided with the very notable exception of AIG in the uS
credit crunch more than the Financial – indeed perhaps even been caused and/or - largely managed to avoid the most visible
Services sector. Whilst the turmoil and exacerbated by – the new Digital Democracy impact, and consequently the high profile
upheaval in the global Banking system has we reference elsewhere. With the internet fallout, of the Credit Crunch. The impact of
dominated recent newspaper headlines, placing power in the hands of the Citizen as the collapse in equities will undoubtedly feed
the industry in general is experiencing a never before, this is the first recession of the through into the pensions sector but, again,
collective collapse in Trust and confidence true Digital Age. The challenge the industry to date this industry has managed to remain
which has also affected Insurance now faces is to overcome the current largely - though not exclusively - on the
companies, Asset Managers and Hedge Funds negative perceptions and re-build Trust. periphery of the debate.
in equal measure. Having gradually reduced
to no more than a ‘hygiene factor’, suddenly The first lesson that needs to be heeded is The Financial Services industry finds itself at
Trust is once again a commodity to be that life, as we have always known it for the a key point in its continuing development.
cherished, protected and preserved. banks, has changed forever. So far as the There is little doubt that the next twelve
media is concerned, every pound the banks months are going to present major
To some extent the ‘sudden’ collapse of spend comes out of ‘our’ pockets – in the challenges to Communicators in the sector
Trust in the Banking system - and indeed current climate the normal rules of Business but this is not the time to adopt a bunker
in our established Financial Institutions no longer apply and the banks’ usual licence mentality. It is clear that stakeholders will
generally – has been long coming. For the to operate has, effectively, been suspended. be asking searching questions of our banks,
last decade, Edelman’s Trust Barometer has Events which were fully justifiable in the past Insurers and those that manage the wealth
tracked the growth in credibility of peer-to- (and can arguably still be justified now) have of the nation.
peer Communications at the expense of the to be considered in the light of a new reality
top-down, CEO-led programme and, what we – that ‘our’ money is paying for them. The organisations that emerge strongest from
see today, is merely a practical application the economic downturn will be those that
of that trend. What is beyond dispute is HBoS saw this principle in action in early are most able to reach out to, and empathise
that Trust in the Banking industry has all but November when it was fiercely criticised with, the man or woman in the street. They
melted away – not just amongst Consumers in the media for hosting two staff events. will recognise the role of the internet and
but most damagingly (and most tellingly) The reality is that the banks do still need social media and adapt their Communications
within the market itself. to motivate and reward their staff. But strategies to address these channels effectively.
the perception of massed ranks of bankers And they will embrace the changing nature of
indulging in lavish celebrations as we head Communications and take advantage of the
Paul Lockstone, Managing Director, into a recession, and as the taxpayer digs collapse in traditional hierarchies.
has extensive experience in deep to bail them out, is one that the banks
financial communications, both in have to take great care not to foster.
agency and in-house. He is also a The restoration of Trust between Financial
frustrated rock star. His blog – Institutions and their customers is not
What of the rest of the Financial Services something that can be achieved overnight.
www.worldshutyourmouth.com – is an industry? Sitting next to the banks on
attempt to combine his professional Management must be prepared to invest not
the naughty step, and finding itself cast only financially but in particular in devoting
and personal life and interests. in the unwelcome role of chief scapegoat time to repairing relationships. It is well known
paul.lockstone@edelman.com for the collapse of the Financial world as that ‘nature abhors a vacuum’ and, in the
we previously knew it, is the Hedge Fund absence of any engagement from the industry
industry. Now most informed observers or individual firms, our new breed of Citizen
recognise that Hedge Funds play an Consumers will draw their own conclusions.
important role in the Financial Markets.
Furthermore, the leading participants in the
industry are some of the uK’s most active Further reading
philanthropists, contributing substantial • Peston’s Picks: the blog of Robert
sums to charities in both the uK and globally. Peston, the BBC’s business editor
(http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/
But with a few notable exceptions, the thereporters/robertpeston/)
industry has on the whole been poor at • The Bank of England Financial Stability
engaging with a wider group of external Review, October 2008 (http://www.
stakeholders. This has allowed prejudice to bankofengland.co.uk/publications/
become accepted fact, with the result that fsr/2008/index.htm)
the industry now finds itself short of friends • FT.com and WSJ.com: the websites
when they are most needed. There is a clear of the world’s two leading business
risk of an excessive regulatory response to newspapers
recent issues, borne of the ’something must
be done’ school of policymaking, that could
curtail the activities of one of our most
page 5
6. The future of PR belongs to the Citizen.
The Consumer Age, as we know it, is
coming to an end. Corporate Reputation
and Brand Marketing are converging. In
tomorrow’s world, constructive dialogue,
engagement and a new tripartite
contract between Citizens, Businesses
and Government will shape and drive the
Communications agenda.
Radical Re-alignment:
Endings and Beginnings
There is a free radical somewhere deep
within me that believes that we are facing
the end of Consumerism as we know it. The
global financial meltdown has served as a
timely reminder that the death of Capitalism
may be upon us also. If this was hitherto a
personal, utopian fantasy, then it was equally
surprising to find Newsnight and others
leading on the very same subject. There are
real lessons to be learned from recent events:
consider the inconsistencies and the lack of
responsible regulation in the Financial sector
over the past decade – and think through the
implications this may have if Governments
and Citizens fail to actively intervene on an
environmental level, to properly safeguard
our planetary future.
The Free Radical believes that tomorrow’s
world is being shaped around Digital
Democracy and the Citizen power that this
brings; around the Wellbeing Imperative,
and our thirst for a happier way of being;
and around the Perfect Storm surrounding
Climate Change – the acceptance that we
cannot continue to over-consume the finite
resources of the planet. Tomorrow’s world
may yet prove that the Consumer – the one
we all grew up to know and understand
– was nothing more than a Twentieth
Century blip, a bit like Marxism. Citizenship is
more enduring.
THE FALL AND
You do not need to be an apocalyptic Green
to recognise a changing world. We are all
now learning to live within the necessary
confines of a lower consumption, lower
carbon economy – whether this is currently
driven by heightened responsibility or
by economic need. We have witnessed,
first-hand, the rise of Consumer Politics
– impacting which brands we buy and how
we buy them; in parallel, we have seen the
page 6 Public Engagement in the Conversation Age
7. emergence of single-issue consumerist Third, Corporate Reputation must now be
movements and campaigns whose aims are properly understood within the context of
to encourage (Government) action to address active citizenship and Consumer Politics.
perceived business bad practice. Nowhere is Old hierarchies have been denuded and
this more evident than in the ‘hot’ issue areas demolished; pyramids of authority have
of food, packaging, waste, fuel, energy and collapsed and have been replaced by a
transport. Consumer Politics is now a very real new sphere of cross-information, in which
consideration in any piece of communication. everyone has a say – regardless of age or
Businesses and brands are no longer in status, gender or experience. Just ask the
control. Fuelled by the immediacy and Road Petitioners.
transparency of the web, power has passed
to the people. Citizens hold businesses’ Fourth, everyone means everyone. NGOs,
license to operate at their fingertips. Governments, Businesses, Brands, Employees
and, yes, the Citizenship can now have
The Client Community is embracing this shift. an equal say. A new system of checks and
While we are not yet seeing comprehensive balances is now in place – together with
‘Citizen Briefs’, the number of pure consumer a new accountability that will clearly limit
plays seems to be on the wane. There is an some of the more unpleasant excesses and
increasing acknowledgment that consumer poor practices of the past.
brands need the added protection of Public
Affairs or Corporate counsel (and often in Fifth, we are learning to live with this
Robert Phillips is the UK CEO of
a global context). Brand marketers can no new equality; this new equilibrium. This is
Edelman and the co-author of a new
longer just sell – let alone spin – without the Tripartite Contract referenced above.
Wiki Book, which can be found at
a true appreciation of the impact this may Within this, constructive dialogue – real
www.citizenrenaissance.com
have on their company’s license to operate. engagement – will prevail. And PR agencies
Likewise, major corporations are finding the – appreciating the Government agenda as robert.phillips@edelman.com
brand link and working the same thinking in well as the business agenda, the needs of
reverse. Never before have Brand Marketing the NGOs as well as the demands of Citizen has always aspired towards and promised.
and Corporate Reputation been closer Consumers, are uniquely placed to deliver. We will have only ourselves to blame if we
bedfellows. The implications for agency cannot now make this final step. We need
structures and client org. charts are self-evident. Seeking Primacy. a culture shift of our own to match the
Opportunities and Challenges societal shift that has, accidentally perhaps,
Towards Public Engagement Our time has finally come. PR can now thrust us forwards. If we can be held to
A new Communications model is emerging claim a legitimate primacy among all the account for some of the excesses and the
– one that we, as Edelman, are broadly marketing disciplines – properly understood darkness of the past, then we can now be
calling Public Engagement. To understand within the context of the Tripartite architects of a better future.
the model, we need to accept five Truths: Contract and the concept of genuine Public
Engagement. Conventional advertising,
First, we should recognise that the already constrained by its inability to escape Further reading
Consumer as we knew him or her is dead. To from a world of monologue and the 30 • Britain Since 1928: The Strange Career
paraphrase Python, he is no longer; he has second spot, may well have its long-term of British Democracy, David Marquand
ceased to be. The hard sell of consumerism decline accelerated, as it recognises that it is • Bring Home the Revolution, Jonathan
just won’t cut it, in a more responsible, fundamentally ill-equipped to cope with the Freedland
more thoughtful, more constrained world of wider communications demands of Public • www.citizenreanaissance.com
limited resource and lower spend. Engagement. • www.crowdsurfing.net
• www.goodpurposecommunity.com
D RISE OF THE C WORD – The Future of PR
Second, the Citizen is emergent, if not And yet, the challenge facing PR is equally
resurgent. We are all re-discovering the great. Agencies and practitioners need to
Citizen in ourselves – recognising our real elevate strategy and strategic thinking.
authority and our personal ability and Insight must be properly understood
responsibility to effect change; to hold and always quantified. Spin needs to be
businesses and brands, Governments and denounced and the shallow world of
institutions, to account. We are driving a new celebrity rebuffed. A higher standard of
democracy at breakneck speed. ethics is needed, backed by more rigour,
more discipline, more content expertise. PR
stands at the threshold of achieving what it
page 7
8. Over the past 20 years, the climate in waged against it on the infant formula
which business operates has changed issue – a campaign that celebrates its
fundamentally and nowhere more so than 20th Anniversary this year – to show how
in the uK. It is a change that has seen some a small but committed media-savvy and
of the world’s most successful companies technology-literate consumerist campaign
brought to heel by a single front page article can make such an impact.
that criticises supposed corporate bad
practice, or being named and shamed by a Political parties and the media have not
media savvy NGO, or being mentioned in taken long to understand the power and
Parliament by an ambitious MP out to make influence of these groups and the issues they
their name. highlight.
The changing climate has its roots in the For the media, they provide endless copy
demise of traditional political discourse to fill the ever expanding appetite for
and the rise of what we have termed content. Harnessing and supporting certain
‘Consumer Politics’ – where business and campaigns gives individual papers and
brands are placed centre-stage, facing broadcasters the opportunity to define
increased scrutiny and an ever-greater themselves in an increasingly crowded media
burden of customer, stakeholder and media market by championing their readers’/
expectation. viewers’ perceived concerns.
Consumer Politics has risen as the old Left- For political parties, the rise of Consumer Alex Bigg is Managing Director and
versus-Right political ideological battles of Politics is a way of engaging a disengaged leads Edelman’s award winning Public
the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s have given way to a electorate and reaching out to key electoral Affairs practice
new consensus over the parameters of the groups. One only needs to re-read (if alex.bigg@edelman.com
political debate and the fight for the precious anybody bothered in the first place) all
centre ground - in which today’s political three political parties’ 2005 General Election
The rise of Consumer Politics means that
parties fight to prove their managerial Manifestos to understand and witness the
business and brands now live by a new set of
competence to run the country, and the rise of Consumer Politics and their electoral
rules, created by a new generation of closely
economy, slightly better than the other lot. importance.
inter-connected stakeholders, consumers
and influencers, who have been energised
citizEn smith
and incentivised by the accessibility and
immediacy of the web.
It is a set of rules that demands
accountability and a meaningful and
transparent conversation. Businesses ignore
– the rise of consumer Politics these rules at their peril.
Today’s Communications and consumer
landscape means that a business has to be
Consumer Politics is the rise of consumerist Other recent examples include Tony Blair’s
seen and heard for sure – but must, more
movements and campaigns whose aims Big Conversation initiative, which was an
importantly, be seen to listen, to learn and
are to encourage Government action attempt to identify and respond to such
to act.
– which is usually code for new or increased consumerist concerns, or David Cameron’s
regulation – to address what they perceive social action and social responsibility
to be corporate bad practice. This usually platform that placed heavy emphasis on the
Further reading
involves seeking to curb a company’s licence corporate sector’s role in addressing widely
• Microtrends, Mark Penn
to operate – be it in the manufacture and held social concerns.
• http://www.demos.co.uk/publications/
sale of foods high in fat, sugar or salt;
manufacturingdissentbook
the promotion and selling of alcohol; a Against this backdrop, no business can
company’s green (or not so green) footprint; assume its licence to operate is safe.
or how a business operates around the Consumerist groups, political parties, citizens
world. and the media all have expectations of
responsible and appropriate brand and
With the rise of new technology and the business behaviour – and will call to account
freedom and power that the internet any organisation that is perceived to have
brings, these groups no longer just rely on fallen short. Certain industries – such as
a simple letter-writing campaign to the Food, Energy, Waste, Alcohol and Transport
local paper. As we mention elsewhere in – have already witnessed the power of the
this publication, one locally based individual consumer, but they are not the only ones.
can now easily turn into an internet based Today, an organisation’s licence to operate is
global coalition containing advocates affected by the behaviours and perceptions
against a company and its products. One of everything it touches – including its brand,
only need look at Nestlé and the campaign employees, supply chain, carbon footprint.
page 8 Public Engagement in the Conversation Age
9. a clouDy FuturE
– Cloud Computing and the Future of Technology
In Technology, a common request is to things, assemble real things and have real Cloud? As with previous generations of new
predict what’s next. Today, looking into the experiences and deliver real services. Go Technology, the industry will need to create
crystal ball, the view is definitely cloudy – or beyond sharing photos and share reality.” technologies and protocols to solve these
to be more precise a complete cloud obscures challenges.
the view. This is not just financial meltdown 3. Develop Influence: In the increasingly
angst but more importantly the future of vast interconnected web, understanding Clearly, Businesses will need to be acutely
computing - Cloud Computing. who influences (at a global and micro aware of the Public Relations pitfalls of
level) and how influence spreads will entering the cloudy future. Yet in the post
Much is already written on the subject of the replace the traditional need for control. credit crunch world, the need to get more
Cloud and much confusion reigns as to what It will be communicators who can work out of less, communicate more efficiently
it is precisely, as well as the issues it raises with influencers to create new ideas and create new business models - all of
around personal data security and privacy that will achieve powerful relationships. which are benefits of the Cloud – will mean
– hence the cloudiness of the Cloud. understanding the nodes that create many firms have no choice.
influence, who then amplifies an idea and
For the non-geek, the Cloud is essentially how conversations and stories spread and
Further reading
made from the combination of datacentres gain momentum will be at the heart of
• The Economist, Cloud Computing
acting as computing factories that use communications strategy – not just for
Supplement, Technology Quarterly,
wireless networks to connect people to traditional Public Relations approaches
Autumn 2008
software being delivered as an online but truly conversational Brand strategies.
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cloud_
service. The Economist quotes Lutz Heuser,
computing
Head of Research at SAP, who refers to it 4. Use Embedded Brains: An extension of
• http://www.youtube.com/
as an “Internet of services” but adds that the Cloud will be the ability for embedded
watch?v=6PNuQHUiV3Q
the cloud metaphor is probably more adpt. computing to allow objects to talk to one
• Cloud computing: A catchphrase
But despite this complexity, the Cloud will another. A car part will tell the garage
in puberty (www.theregister.
pervade economies transforming behaviours, via an ip address when it is going to
co.uk/2008/08/25/cloud_dziuba/)
societies and most importantly the way we breakdown. How we build strategies to
• Cloud Computing: Are there dangers
communicate. support this interaction between the real
to having information infrastructure,
and digital will become a key measure
software and services hosted on
Here are five headlines describing how of success. How Business harnesses and
the internet rather than on our own
communicators can respond to this change: exploits this transparency will be a key
personal computers?, The Times Online,
1. Understand Everything Will Connect: marketing differentiator transforming
5 May 2008
Through the Cloud, information will customer service and expectations.
increasingly become connected to
sources, related comment, opinions and 5. Exploit Mobile Mania: In the Cloud, Jonathan Hargreaves is European
disagreements in a seamless way. This will computing will become more and more Managing Director. A committed
make the connectivity of Web 2.0 seem disembodied and so be consumed armchair Rugby follower, he is hoping
tame. Internet users will have to become where it is needed. Consumers will be that developments in cloud computing
navigators of connections, understanding able to access it at anytime through create even greater opportunities to
everything has a back story, some of mobile devices. As a result, mobile engage with the sport in the near future.
it spurious but all of it trackable. As communications will take another jonathan.hargreaves@edelman.com
professionals we will live in a digital world leap forward and become even more
that we must understand in tremendous sophisticated. The communicators that
depth and detail. Context will become king master the immediacy and human nature
and we will have to be masters of context. of this new model will be the ones that
work best in the cloudy future.
2. Focus On Making It Real: The danger
of this cloudy world is that everything is Amid these headline opportunities, there
shaped digitally but it becomes ethereal. is also a dark side to the Cloud. Questions
Consumers or Citizens will look to make are raised about how it will be made secure
it real by building tangible connections and, importantly, what happens to privacy
between digital and the real world. Our and an individual’s rights to access their
success will be shaped by how we make own information when so much personal
the Cloud tangible for our audiences data is held by the companies that maintain
– understanding the interface will be the the Cloud. One obvious bug bear is who
key to success. will control a person’s ability to store and
access information kept within the Cloud.
To quote a comment businessweek.com: Does a Business have the right to turn
“It should allow people to make real off your personal data stored within the
page 9
10. re-hum
– Next Generation Digital Communicatio
Blogs, social networks, online communities
and the other elements that together
comprise what some have defined as Web
2.0 have really only been around for a few
years. But already, the term has become
passé, as the always-looking-for-something-
new crowd, with their collective gnat-like
attention span, looks for the Next Big Thing.
If their search focuses on a technology,
they will inevitably go astray.
Technology will, of course, continue to evolve
and advance. Perhaps the web will grow
more semantically sensitive and serve us
better by anticipating our needs. The move
towards Cloud Computing – as described in
Jonathan Hargreaves’s article, where all of
our own information is accessible to us from
anywhere at anytime – will certainly change
how we work, play and preserve those
experiences. Improvements in mobile devices
may soon eliminate the need for desktop,
laptop and notebook computers.
These are all interesting and impactful
technological changes.
However, they pale in comparison with the
social change that technology has already
wrought. And it is this social change that
Businesses and other institutions have
yet to fully grasp and incorporate into
their management and Communications
practices. The changes centre around new or
exponentially improved capabilities:
page 10 Public Engagement in the Conversation Age
11. • Easy and convenient access to a massive To be sure, many of these are no longer relationships, Communicators become the
trove of information new ideas and, even so, it will take most facilitators and conscience of the Business
• The ability to quickly form groups around Businesses many years to fully grasp them. itself. For now, this is the realm of specialist
a mutual interest, even a micro one As a result, any contemplative CEO or Brand Digital Communications experts, but that will
• The solution to massive problems or the leader could be forgiven for thinking that certainly change in the coming years.
completion of previously overwhelming the future looks bleak. Over the coming year,
tasks with no management structures stakeholders will increasingly be the masters The move towards this new construct
whatsoever of their relationships with Business. Troubled sets the stage for a hopeful future
• The mobilisation of disorganised, times and the inevitable poor performances where Businesses are more responsible,
disparate individuals into an impactful will make people even more skeptical and transparent, engaged and successful, with
movement cynical of Business voices. Communications at the centre, making the
dialogue happen.
Access to information drives scepticism Therefore, the imperative to embrace change
and is the primary force behind falling and re-humanise both Communications and
Further reading
public Trust in institutions across the board. broader Business practices will become an
• Here Comes Everybody, Clay Shirky
No longer must we take anyone’s word even stronger imperative. At a time when
• Army of Davids, Glen Reynolds
for it. With a click or two, any claim or Consumers are more carefully weighing
• TED: Ideas Worth Spreading
assertion can be confirmed or shown to be purchasing decisions, shareholders are
(www.ted.com)
incomplete, exaggerated or even false. Too examining the implications of every trade,
manising business
ons
often, Business has fallen short in clear and and policy-makers are deliberating who to
transparent Communications. prop up, the ramifications of whether – and
how quickly – a Business moves forward
As a result of that scepticism, people are could be extreme.
reverting to instinct and, instinctively, we
all have an innate ability to evaluate other Indeed, as more and more Businesses begin
people. Here again, technology plays an to embrace the new (old) qualities, the ones
important role. By facilitating interactions that are slower to do so aren’t simply sitting
between people of similar interest, still. They are falling behind. The Businesses
perspective or background, technology has that are embracing change are on a journey.
created an alternate information resource, And for them, Digital Technology now
and one that we find easier to evaluate, trust returns to the picture in the crucial role of
and rely on. Viewed from that perspective, it facilitator.
is unsurprising that Trust in ‘people like me’
is consistently on the rise. Social networks, blogs, and online
communities like Flickr and YouTube are
And it is here that Businesses have an now revealed as vital venues for dialogue
opportunity. It starts with re-humanising: and interaction with stakeholders rather
• Empowering the ‘people like me’ that than mere websites. Google search Marshall Manson is Edelman’s
make up every Business to interact results for Brand-related terms provide Director of Digital Strategy
more freely with internal and external a critical perspective on reputation and (but he still prefers golf to Facebook).
stakeholders and to do so without fear Brand standing, as well as a pathway to marshall.manson@edelman.com
• Being more honest and transparent in information.
Business practices. Doing so requires,
not coincidentally, being a better, more We can take heart that much of what is to
responsible Business come mirrors what is passed. Like the High
• Admitting faults and failings. After all, no Street shopkeeper of yore, Business will
human being is perfect and no Business increasingly rely on Trust and relationships
can credibly claim to be formed on the basis of dialogue and mutual
• Building relationships with stakeholders respect. It is only the technology facilitating
on the basis of mutual gain. This requires that dialogue that has changed.
listening and willingness to be responsive
to stakeholder input In this, Communicators have a key role to
play: by understanding the technology and
advising people at all levels within Business on
how best it can help them facilitate essential
page 11
12. As far as I can make out, the first Crowd meant that in effect the “customer walks
Surfers in the rock and roll sense were either the halls” at Dell. And that means better
Iggy Pop or Jim Morrison... no one seems to products, services and a Brand that has
know for sure. Now of course, pretty much come down from the mountain and is now
every pop star with pretensions will at some much more approachable and accessible.
time launch themselves off the stage in the They still advertise and use direct marketing,
hope and expectation that their fans will but they now also enter into pretty real
break their fall, take their weight and pass and demanding relationships with their
them hand over hand around the arena and customers and stakeholders.
eventually put them back on the stage. The
metaphor for Business is a slightly crude one Other companies like New Zealand Vodka
I admit, but today voluntarily or otherwise, brand 42Below do it because they are
more and more Brands and companies are (or were) small and have little money to
having to get used to the idea that they are compete for attention in the usual marketing
no longer in control like they used to be and ways. One of their YouTube commercials,
that at times they are even at the mercy which was made for just a few hundred
of their crowds. And they are discovering dollars became one of the online hits of 2006
that that means having to do some things and was passed around from blog to blog
differently and occasionally being dumped and via email links and Facebook groups.
on their head in the mosh pit (as it were). Consumers as the media channel (if you
can entertain them enough for them to be
Forrester have research that shows that 80% willing to play with you) can very quickly
of a Brand’s online Communication is not get to scale and of course they carry with
by the Brand itself; it is from Consumers, them the implied endorsement of the most
commentators and media. Edelman’s Trust important person to any Brand or company
Barometer shows that the most trusted – the person like me.
source of information on a company is
‘people like me’ (true also in the uK, as well
CROWD
as globally by the way). The CEO is the
seventh most trusted source. And so not
only do Consumers now do much (if not
most) of the communicating about Brands
David Brain is CEO of Edelman Europe and companies, they are also the most
trusted communicators.
and co-author of Crowd Surfing and – 925 words, so you don’t have to re
finds it difficult to wipe the smile from
his face at the moment because his 40 It seems inevitable therefore that the
plus year obsession with Manchester old command-and-control style of The trick for managers and leaders now
City has been rewarded with Abu Dhabi media (advertising, direct marketing and is to migrate their companies and Brands
millions... and he is handling their PR promotions) are going to be less effective from the old ways of managing marketing
account for Edelman. Personally. In than they were. Many companies recognise and communications to a much messier,
fact no-one else is getting much of a this and are indeed changing their more difficult to quantify, trial-and-error
look-in. Communication mix, but it also requires a approach where they sacrifice control for
new mindset. the credibility that comes with participation,
david.brain@edelman.com conversation and dialogue. As Proximo said
Some companies like Dell come to this in the movie Gladiator, “Win the crowd and
realisation because a “raging mob with you will win your freedom”. Crowd Surfing is
pitchforks” attacks them. In Dell’s case this designed to help people with real jobs in real
was inspired by one blogger, Jeff Jarvis, but companies do just that.
quickly became a movement that at times
almost overwhelmed Dell’s online presence And it’s not like the phenomena of the
with negative comment in the form of the empowered Consumer is going to go away
www.ihatedell.neet web site. In our book, anytime soon. As described elsewhere in
Crowd Surfing, we (my co-author Martin this publication, the rocket fuel of Consumer
Thomas and I) interviewed Dell managers empowerment is technology (social or 2.0
on the experience of having to enter into and mobile particularly) and it has only just
conversation with an angry crowd and started to combust. Consider this: Both my
they described how they started to respond children started using a mouse to navigate
to people’s anger and frustration at bad web sites like Club Penguin at around the age
products and service and how now they of three, about the same time they realised
even institutionalise the sourcing of new they could play the games or look at the
product and service ideas from the crowd via photos on my mobile phone. I have spoken
www.dellideastorm.com, a kind of on-line to enough parents to know that we are not
Consumer suggestion box. Michael Dell a family of total freaks in this. The internet
says that giving up control by entering into became a Consumer friendly/ useful thing at
the conversation that was going on anyway about 1993-4. The first generation then that
page 12 Public Engagement in the Conversation Age
13. grew up using these technologies as soon as
their grubby little fingers would allow them
to were born in about 1990. They are now
18, going on 19 and are going to university
and entering the workforce for the first time.
They are the first true digital generation and
if Brands and companies think that all this
new stuff has been disruptive so far, then
they better hold on to their hats, because we
have only just begun. It is the companies
and managers that learn to crowd surf that
will survive and thrive in this new Consumer
empowered age.
D SuRFING
ead the 60,000 in the book
Further reading
• www.sixtysecondview.com
• www.crowdsurfing.net
• www.dellideastorm.com
page 13
14. Newspapers make for depressing reading, driver of productivity as innovative products Action Plan for the Creative Industries. The
with alarming headlines such as “uK faces account for a greater share of turnover. report sets out a number of new initiatives to
worst of global recession” (FT); “Deep and help the uK’s Creative Industries to flourish,
lengthy recession takes shape as uK output Further, as we move towards a predominantly including 5,000 new apprenticeships to
figures shrink” (The Times); “Recession to knowledge based economy, the fact that help people from all backgrounds make the
hit Britain hardest among Europe’s leading the Creative Industries’ workforce (the most of their creative skills, and the creation
economies” (The Guardian); “Employers sector employs over 1.8 million people, of C&binet, the Creativity and Business
gloomy on job creation” (BBC News)… and, it including those working in related creative International Network, a new forum that will
would be fair to say, worse will follow. While occupations) is highly qualified with over bring together Creative and Business leaders.
some pundits debate that such headlines and 49% of employees having at least a degree
resultant coverage have served to exacerbate level qualification (compared with an unlocking the potential of the Creative
the situation, one cannot disagree that we economy wide average of 31%) surely points Industries cannot be ignored as we look to
find ourselves at the mercy of turbulent to a trend for growth? The Work Foundation plot a course back to economic stability –
financial markets which will have a deep describes the knowledge economy as the and it will be essential for both Government
rooted and long lasting effect on us all. story of new technologies combining with and Business to work in partnership to
human brain power to transform the basis maintain and create the most favourable
So as we attempt to plot a course back to of economic activity; CEO, Will Hutton, conditions in order to stimulate innovation,
economic stability and renewed prosperity in believes that the knowledge economy, the creativity and dynamism.
its truest sense, should we be looking beyond central tenet of the Creative Industries is
the faltering Financial sector to the Creative increasingly important to the uK’s financial Further reading
Industries and ask, can they provide us with a performance. • Staying Ahead: The Economic
way forward and the hope of bolstering the Performance of the UK’s Creative
crunch? Could they drive potential growth The Birmingham Post recently ran an Industry, Will Hutton and the Work
for the future? interesting byline article on the future of the Foundation on behalf of the Dept.
Creative sector (Creative Industries Well- for Culture, Media and Sport
The impact of the Creative Industries as a key placed to Beat Credit Crunch, 31 August • From the Margins to the Mainstream
driver of GDP in the uK is rapidly emerging 2008) by Lara Ratnaraja, Sector Development – Government Unveils New Action Plan
and transforming the perception that these Director of Creative, Cultural and Digital at for the Creative Industries, Dept. for
businesses play a Cinderella role in the Business Link in the West Midlands, who Culture, Media and Sport
economy, sitting on the outskirts of true made the point that: “Companies, which • Unlocking the Potential of the UK’s
Business. Why? Well it is hard to argue with can show a strong yield on investment, Innovators, Cass Business School and
the facts. The Creative Industries grew by an will still have room to grow as long as they Microsoft
average of 6% per annum between 1997 and can evidence that their knowledge-based • Creative Industries Well-placed to Beat
2005 (which is twice as fast as the rest of services are in demand from consumers and Credit Crunch, Lara Ratnaraja, Sector
the economy) and in 2005 accounted for £60 clients. In a nutshell, companies that exploit Development Director of Creative,
billion or 7.3% of Gross Value Added (GVA). their intellectual property fully will emerge Cultural and Digital at Business Link,
Total creative employment increased from from the crunch as market leaders.” Birmingham Post, 31 August 2008
1.6 million in 1997 to 1.9 million in 2006,
Thinking our Way ouT
representing an average of 2% per annum,
compared with 1% for the whole of the
economy over this period. Moreover, the uK
of The CrunCh
Creative Industries outperform every other
European state and have moved to centre
stage of the economy.
Of course the Creative Industries will face
– could the creative industries hold the solution?
the same challenges as every other industry
– including securing investment, debt Innovation plays a key role and, between Pamela Fieldhouse is Managing
management and access to private equity 1995 and 2005, start-up companies Director of Edelman’s Corporate
– but could it be that they are better placed accounted for 48% of turnover growth with Reputation team. She has been
to survive the crunch and display the most software and computer games contributing passionate about understanding how
promising trends for potential growth? the most. A recent report from Cass Business the human mind works and how to
School and Microsoft, unlocking the influence behaviour change since
Successful Business has always been Potential of the uK’s Innovators, predicts that studying psychology at university.
dependent on firstly predicting market we could add £9 billion to the uK economy pamela.fieldhouse@edelman.com
trends and in turn possessing the flexibility simply by unlocking the talent of the hidden
and confidence to respond to them. This entrepreneurs.
has never been more poignant than for
the world of Business today. However, it is Another critical factor will be investment in
arguably more difficult than ever to achieve. skills to ensure we have the right people with
The highly innovative nature of the Creative the right skills to meet the demand and drive
sector would suggest they are better able to growth. The Department for Culture, Media
diversify their products and services. They and Sport is doing just that, as evidenced
are also more likely than the average firm to in a recent report, From the Margins to the
user wider innovation, which is an important Mainstream – Government unveils New
page 14 Public Engagement in the Conversation Age
15. Think bravery
before budgeTs
– Creativity and Brand Bravery
One of the most talked about opportunities turn, represents accelerated risk. and realizing the power of a strong brand
that the changing economic climate will It is the willingness of Brands to take risks story to contribute to culture. Collaborate
telegraph for Communications is a greater that has always had the most significant with cultural institutions to build brand
emphasis on innovation. Agencies will impact in getting creative ideas off the experiences and engage new audiences.
be expected to make more from less. It page. The real elephant in the room is
is anticipated that this will encourage not the need for greater or consolidated Demonstrate Power and Critical Mass
stronger and clearer focus on creativity, and creativity or the confidence in, and – with ideas that work across a multitude
higher creative expectations from Brands. understanding of, new authors and new of channels, avoid thinking simply of
channels – but the climate and tolerance Consumer PR t, everyone is a consumer
This is a good thing. Higher creative for risk, as guaranteeing KPIs and ROIs now, show and understand integrated
expectations are what our industry needs. becomes increasingly pivotal in getting platforms.
Great ideas should always be the heartbeat campaigns that vital rubber stamp. The real
of PR campaigns no matter what the challenge is not Budgets, its Brand Bravery. Show Robust Business Nous – that you
channels or who the editors are. know how to track and demonstrate
Creativity could easily be forced to play measurable results, crucially, illustrate how
But is this emphasis on creative primacy second fiddle to ROI as Brands seek water the idea can effect sales.
going to pose a significantly changed tight solutions. As the tussle for spend
working or business environment? morphs into a battleground between the Integrate and Collaborate - Consumer,
Don’t we always need to be creatively strength and vision of an idea and the Corporate, Digital, PA, the best solutions will
outstanding and doesn’t every pound of commitment and comfort of guaranteed offer every service that the Brand needs.
marketing budget spent need to deliver delivery – the safe way to do things versus
maximum return anyway, and should this the risky, Brand Marketers should lead the These are all obvious considerations, and
not always be the case? march by showing and making Brands feel that is ultimately the point. In the age of
that they can have both their cake and eat it. decision by committee and fear of waste
Marketers are used to working with limited (money, time or otherwise), the onus is on
resources and should always work on the We all know that PR is unique in its ability us to work more effectively with Brands to
principle that the best ideas, campaigns to stretch and engage audiences across a deliver visionary creative campaigns that
and stories are not always the most multitude of channels, to influence and telegraph a robust success narrative from
expensive. Take the seminal 1994 and 2008 shape culture and deliver 360Brand-owned inception to completion.
JCPR Wonderbra campaigns as examples of campaigns. We truly now have the power
huge and powerful campaigns delivered on to Think Big. Further reading
small budgets. We do not need to invent • Juicing the Orange: How to Turn
new ways of working for these changing But do we have the ability to responsibly Creativity into a Powerful Business
times. The best agencies should always and impressively convince Brands of Advantage by Pat Fallon, Fred Senn
relish the challenge to produce exceptional this? Do we need to better interrogate • Branding Only Works on Cattle: The
work – whatever the financial resource and and articulate how we demonstrate and New Way to Get Known by Jonathan
whatever the financial context. communicate ideas to help Brands show Salem Baskin
value and ultimately give them what they
We have read much about the Economics need to make a great idea fly?
of Less, the Rise of Consumer Politics, Ruth Warder is a Director at JCPR and
and the Conversation Age. In the new The war on mediocre but safe solutions has been integrating brands with culture
rules of Consumer Engagement, less means can only be won if Marketers can establish and entertainment for the past eight years.
more. The perceived new creative dawn and develop a dynamic framework to ruth_warder@jcpr.com
should look to define itself in parallel with demonstrate the Business value and stretch
these principles and seize the opportunity of an idea – beyond traditional expectations,
for less to mean creatively more, not traditional routes, traditional results and,
just from a spend perspective but from most importantly traditional, channels.
a thought perspective. As Brands bravely
embrace the world after the 30 second Four Ways to Better Communicate Ideas
spot, they should seek to consolidate with and Influence Decisions:
courageous, simple, uncluttered thought. Build Cultural Relevance - root ideas in the
But belief in the simple and the new has cultural Zeitgeist. Stay current and grow
always required robust single minded the potential of the idea by harnessing
conviction and pioneering spirit which, in
page 15
16. A paradox is in play at the heart of today’s placed upon their interactions with their
society. As individuals, we can consider lay and patient audiences. On the other
ourselves more independent than ever hand, the world is moving on regardless;
before, yet the opinions we hold and the and not just the world at large but their
actions we take are increasingly driven by world too – people, patients, doctors and
a sense of the wider societal context and advocacy groups are all becoming more
consequence. The big issues, in politics, the engaged, demanding and democratised in
environment and the economy sit at the their information-sharing and expectation of
centre of individual concerns, influencing dialogue.
many of our daily decisions.
Engaging wit
– Health in the Conversation Age
As we describe earlier, the most significant According to the Health Engagement
catalyst for change has been the Barometer – a new study by Edelman of
digital revolution, which has effectively 5,000 people (1,000 in the uK) – more than
democratised dialogue, debate, opinion half of adults (55%) in the uK say they are
and ultimately, actions and procedures. becoming more actively engaged in health
Individuals are invited - and are inviting issues, with conversations about health more
themselves - to participate in conversations important to them now than in the past.
at all levels on issues of all magnitude.
Mike Kan is Managing Director of We are now active citizens, not passive The Health Engagement Barometer also
Health for Edelman in Europe. He is also consumers, and we are recognising how the confirms that pharmaceutical companies
passionate about design. He is obsessed digital channel gives us the authority and must embrace the digital revolution. Seventy
by its role in shaping physical, social and ability to realise the responsibility of being nine percent of uK respondents regularly
literary constructions of everyday life the change we want to see. turn to online sources when seeking
from the 1840s to the 1930s. information about a health issue, and 16%
mike.kan@edelman.com Almost every facet of society that regularly turn to blogs for information.
communicated in the traditional ‘top-
down’ pyramidal system is finding success But engagement goes beyond what people
by letting the citizen in. Barack Obama’s want – it is what they expect and demand
overwhelming presidential victory, for of companies in today’s world – and is the
example, was driven by a desire to “speak fundamental driver of Trust. Seventy percent
directly to his supporters” in the words of his of people say Trust is the most important
chief strategist, and allow them to become factor with health companies, yet only 8%
involved and empowered in the campaign. of people in the uK strongly trust health
Initiatives such as myBarackObama.com, the companies. Meanwhile, those who are more
social networking site with approximately engaged in health are more trusting of health
1.5 million active users, were “the central companies overall (60% vs. 53%) and more
nervous system of the campaign,” according likely to be an advocate for them (68% vs. 48%).
to Julie Germany, director of the Institute
for Politics Democracy at the George So how can the pharmaceutical industry
Steven Spurr is Managing Director, Washington university. The success is engage its stakeholders? The digital space
Health. He read Economics at the reflected in the contrast between Democrat cannot be ignored – 51% of uK respondents
LSE and it was here that he became and Republican levels of engagement, as in the Health Engagement Barometer said
fascinated with the concept of perfect evidenced by Obama supporters turning up online methods are their preferred method
information and its role in resource at rallies sporting lovingly home-made t- of communication with companies and
allocation. shirts and banners, while McCain supporters organisations involved in health. While it is
steven.spurr@edelman.com usually wielded the homogeneous, party- a difficult step for any major corporation to
made placards and printed-out badges. ‘let go’ and cede the control they have been
used to (and this is particularly true in such
So why is it that some elements of the a regulated and potentially litigious world as
health sector – pharmaceutical companies in health), the pharmaceutical industry must be
particular – are struggling to countenance braver and overcome perceptions of Digital
dialogue with the emerging Digital Communications as something to be feared,
Democracy? In one regard, it is tempting mistrusted and that, if ignored, might just go
to excuse them from the new world order away.
due to the legal and ethical constraints
page 16 Public Engagement in the Conversation Age
17. ultimately, while the world of health is
complex and multifarious, it has a simple
requirement at heart: people who require
healthcare want the right treatment and
advice from people they trust at the right time
and for the right ‘cost’ (whether in sterling or
side effects). Engaging with this requirement
is in the interest of all stakeholders in health,
and finds its expression in conversations
around access to medicine.
th hEalth citizEns
The stakes are high and the time is right for
the pharmaceutical industry to be braver.
While regulatory and resource constraints
are very real, there is significant scope for
companies to prioritise their engagement
in this conversation and to build Trust with
their citizen stakeholders to secure their
continued licence to operate.
Ensuring appropriate access to medicine
is a complex and fragmented process, and
often too narrowly understood. Stakeholders
in health are often found working in silos
and sometimes to their own detriment.
Communications specialists are uniquely
positioned to weave these strands together:
linking health economics, medical, media
relations, pricing, reimbursement, advocacy,
policy and disease awareness functions
within pharmaceutical companies to
facilitate consistent, transparent and
multi-directional dialogue with the citizen
stakeholders that determine their success.
The engagement is essential across all
channels and we know the stakeholders are
increasingly online. It’s no longer an option.
To secure the future, the pharmaceutical
industry must take a deep breath, embrace
this new channel and enter the brave new
world of Public Engagement.
Further reading
• Edelman Health Engagement Barometer:
www.engageinhealth.com
Page 17
18. Medical Communications and Medical Acambis. However, this consolidation alone with their stakeholders about their drugs
Education are often used as synonymous is unlikely to address the need for late in development. Successful Medical
terms – and in part that is quite correct. All stage products, as most of the pipelines Communications is more business critical
the efforts of a Medical Communications acquired in this way still require significant than ever. Those companies who embrace
agency are directed at educating their development time. This is also compounded a more open dialogue about their drugs
audiences, who are primarily practicing by the fact that some of those biotechnology in development in innovative and more
Health Care Professionals (HCPs). Education based drugs that have reached market will compelling ways with those professionals
takes on a different onus, however, when be facing patent expiry, and the spectre who are ultimately at the forefront of
this is officially recognised as a Continuing of so-called ‘biosimilars’ (the term used to treating patients, will reap the rewards of the
Medical Education (CME) or Continuing describe generic biologics) is looming large. new terms of engagement.
Professional Development (CPD) programme. Pharmaceutical companies will need to
In this respect, different rules and regulations ensure that their R&D pipelines are not too
apply than in the broader Medical narrow in order to maintain the flow and Further Reading
Communications perspective. The focus of momentum of getting products to market, • Edelman Trust Barometer:
this article is on Medical Communications. although undoubtedly some will run the risk www.edelman.co.uk/trustbarometer
of cutting back on R&D during the current • PharmaFocus
Although Medical Communications is a financial crisis. • SCRIP
highly regulated environment – with the
majority of the Communications targeted at Against this background, there is no doubt
HCPs and not appropriate (or permitted) for that pharmaceutical companies will be
Consumer audiences – the time has come guarding their relationships with their HCP
for pharmaceutical companies to embrace advocates with great care. Strong advocates
the same principles of engagement and at the developmental stage of a drug’s
conversation as other industries. This is all lifecycle are critical to safeguard its long
the more important as the pharmaceutical
product development landscape is changing
rapidly – with fewer blockbuster drugs,
companies need to find more compelling
ways to communicate the benefits of their
mediCal
products in real clinical practice.
Conversation is now at the heart of
CommuniCaTions in
any engaging Medical Communications
programme. Enabling and driving peer-to-
peer dialogue is far more powerful than
The ConversaTion age
– where next with health care Professionals?
relying solely on the ‘old model’ of driving
information from the top opinion leaders
down to the broader HCP community.
Trusting the source is the cornerstone of term survival, and we should expect medical
any successful Medical Communications communications to play an increasingly David Noble is Managing Director of
programme and, as the Edelman Trust important role in maintaining these BioScience Communications - Edelman’s
Barometer has shown, people are more likely relationships at a time when companies specialist Medical Communications
to trust ‘people like me’, so having strong will be seeking to ensure that they realise Division. He has extensive experience
professional advocates to drive peer-to-peer their ROI on their later stage compounds of the pharmaceutical industry having
Communications is a clear advantage for in an increasingly competitive market. started out as an R&D biochemist before
pharmaceutical companies. Transparency continues to be the watch moving into communications.
word in developing these relationships,
david.noble@edelman.com
In the current economic climate, engaging so taking a responsible approach and
in conversation with these advocates will be acknowledging the independence of HCPs is
increasingly important. A fairly long term paramount. It is only by encouraging debate
‘scare-mongering’ headline in much of the that pharmaceutical companies can achieve
pharmaceutical press has been focused this with any real credibility.
around the lack of robust pipelines in many
major pharmaceutical companies, with some While the current economic turbulence
high profile Phase III trial failures adding fuel will undoubtedly have an impact on R&D
to this. In the last few years, there has been budgets, pharmaceutical companies cannot
a great deal of consolidation in the industry afford to jeopardise their long term prospects
as pharmaceutical companies seek to by cutting back too severely. This would both
bolster their pipelines through acquisitions, damage their commercial outlook and their
most notably of R&D driven biotechnology relationships with their key advocates in
companies. Roche, for example, increased healthcare practice.
their stake in Genentech to take a controlling
share; AstraZeneca acquired MedImmune Furthermore, in an increasingly competitive
and Cambridge Antibody Technology; and market, pharmaceutical companies will
most recently, Sanofi Pasteur acquired need to embrace a more open dialogue
page 18 Public Engagement in the Conversation Age
