Thoughts on upcoming European events from a PR perspective
We are constantly being asked for advice on the conference and exhibition scene in Europe, and so with budgeting season coming up with alarming speed after the summer, here are a few tips on the current situation.
In general, shows related to drug discovery remain surprisingly strong, although we see growth of more niche therapeutic orientated shows with anything between 100 and 700 participants. Often these are the result of bundling by smaller organisers such as Select Biosciences (e.g. Stem Cells, Cellular Therapy and Biobanking in Edinburgh) to make economic sense, or by bigger conference groups, such as Terrapinn, striking lucky in the sector with their World Vaccine Congress in Lyon and Antibody Meeting in Geneva. Another interesting development we at Schwartz are involved with is the European Cancer Cluster Partnering Meeting bringing together biotechs, pharma, and investors in oncology.
On the device side, whilst diagnostics shows are limited, there is a bit of a resurgence. A good example of this resurgence is the recent ECIO (European Conference on Interventional Oncology) in Florence, which attracted a lot of interest despite being held in the heat of July after initially being postponed because of the dust cloud. Of course Medica still looms large, and should be your first port of call to meet potential distributors and get a feel for the market. Similarly, Analytica and Biotechnica are worth noting, but still need local German support to be worthwhile.
Moving on to biotechs, you could almost set up camp here since the calendar remains pretty full, starting with JP Morgan in January, running through Bio-Europe Spring in Milan in March, BioEquity in June in Germany/Switzerland, BPE in London in October and Bio-Europe in November (my personal favourite). The focus at all of these is on financing and partnering, and you will find it relatively easy to make contacts both the official way through the "partnering software" and unofficially through the networking over drinks/dinner etc. Another thing to remember is that organisers are constantly looking for a "fresh point of view" and so by putting yourself forward as a speaker or panel discussion member you can often offset your costs. Local meetings vary in strength across Europe, but it is worth looking at the UK again - with the ERBI (now One Nucleus) and Genesis conferences which bring together most of UK's biotech and Thistle Biotech in Scotland andBiotech Forum in Scandinavia.
Finally if you are looking to find out what's going on and just don't have the time to pop over, you can meet most of Europe at BIO or the ones in your field at the relevant major US show every year. And of course Schwartz is always willing to provide advice - I sit on various biotech and other network steering committees on a UK and European level and have plenty of contacts as does Kristina Ebenius in our Stockholm office.
By Richard Hayhurst on September 1, 2010 5:16 PM
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Time Your Medical Device Product Launch to Maximize PR Impact
Schwartz EVP and Healthcare Practice Leader Lloyd Benson takes on the question of how best to time a medical device product launch for greatest public relations impact in a new white paper. We invite you to download "Medical Device Product Launches: Issues & Answers About Timing."
Lloyd's perspective on the question of "when to launch" is informed by Schwartz's work over the years with what we believe to be the PR industry's largest portfolio of medical device clients. A small sampling of our work, which has reached patients, physicians, payors, advocacy groups, hospital management and others, includes introductions of:
- Philips Medical Systems HeartStart home defibrillator
- Cyberonics VNS Therapy for pharmacoresistant epilepsy and VNS Therapy for treatment-resistant depression
- NxStage System One portable home hemodialysis machine
- CYTYC (now Hologic) ThinPrep Pap test
- Hologic Cervista HPV test
He notes that product launches are like "one-pitch softball--you only get the one pitch to swing at. It's not going to happen again in the product's lifetime. So it behooves the healthcare PR pro to closely examine all possible alternatives in terms of timing and effectiveness." Lloyd believes that the received wisdom among many medical device executives causes them to allow that singular PR opportunity to pass them by, effectively turning what could be a chance to reach tens of millions of people into just another press release that crosses the wires unnoticed.
Take a look at the white paper, or drop the Schwartz Healthcare Practice a note if you'd like to talk more about product introductions, seeding the market before regulatory approval, raising awareness of a product already on the market or revitalizing an established brand. We look forward to talking about your company's communications needs.
Tags: healthcare PR, medical device communications, medical device PR, medical device public relations, medical PR
By Laura Kempke on August 24, 2010 2:09 PM
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Video Moves Beyond Consumer Healthcare PR to Technology, Life Sciences Communications
The Schwartz Digital team has been busy as of late creating videos and podcasts for our healthcare clients. It's great that these services have been so well received--I personally think it's indicative of widespread understanding among the types of companies Schwartz represents that there's way more to telling a story than issuing a press release and getting covered in BioWorld or Medical Device Daily. (Not that we don't love and value those publications, because we certainly do.)
Here's a recent video for client Phytel that shows how a clinic is using the company's technology to deliver coordinated patient care.
I imagine one of the things that's really forced marketers to consider video is the fact that YouTube is the second most popular search engine in the US. It's safe to say that YouTube offers something for everyone, but built its reputation among consumers who were looking to be entertained, instructed or grossed out. By now, though, it seems that most companies have figured out that YouTube and other significant video sharing sites, like Vimeo, or even niche sites like TheDoctorsChannel, are in fact looked upon by their target customers as useful sources of information.
If you're the kind of person who appreciates numbers over anecdotal evidence, consult the 2009 Forbes/Google Report called "The Rise of the Digital C-Suite." It'll tell you that "text is king" when it comes to consumption of information by executives, "but online video is entering the C-suite's ranks." In fact, the report says, "27% of senior executives under the age of 50 cite web video as their preferred format for information gathering ...." [The report does note a generational split, with execs who are 50+ favoring text.]
So there's a general trend toward video. But how does it affect companies that mostly care to reach technical or scientific audiences? I suspect that video is going to be very interesting to them precisely because their stories can be so complex.
One thing Schwartz has always done with technical companies, stretching back to our first healthcare client 20 years ago, is help them translate their stories for consumption by a general audience. That ability is now, and always will be, I believe, a critical first step of any communications program.
But sometimes it really kills executives of science-driven companies to prepare their stories for relatively broad audiences. Not because they're unable to speak using terms that their mothers might understand; on the contrary, most are willing to lose the jargon when they need to. What obviously pains them is the thought of having to compress their stories to a few sentences in order to make them palatable to reporters, for example, while preserving the details that will catch the attention of the most knowledgeable audiences, such as other scientists or sophisticated investors.
I think video is a natural option for these companies because it can help them better project the things that make them unique--the researchers, the enthusiasm or images associated with their work--that they often lose, almost by necessity, in writing.
What do you think? Have you seen good examples of healthcare companies that don't market to patients or life sciences firms using video?
Tags: healthcare PR, life sciences PR, podcasting, public relations, video
By Laura Kempke on August 6, 2010 10:09 AM
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Healthcare VC Activity on The Upswing
Tags: ARRA, healthcare IT PR, healthcare public relations, M&A, Meaningful Use, VC Funding
By Doug Russell on July 30, 2010 3:39 PM
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Health Reform Gets 'Meaningful"
The eagerly anticipated HITECH Act's final rule on "meaningful use" of Electronic Health Records (EHRs) was announced yesterday by HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius. It clarifies how doctors and hospitals can qualify for federal aid when they adopt EHRs. At stake: Up to $27 billion in incentives over the next ten years - $44,000 max per clinician under Medicare and $63,750 per clinician from Medicaid. Hospitals also stand to receive millions from "meaningful" EHR implementations.
Lack of definition on meaningful use had stalled many EHR implementations, especially at smaller hospitals, while leaving vendors in a painful wait-and-see position. Last January, many vendors, healthcare organizations and physicians groups like the MGMA contributed their suggestions to a definition during the public comment period, hoping to influence a ruling that didn't position them out of the stimulus-fueled market.
Yesterday's announcement outlined a definition by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on minimum requirements that providers must meet through their use of certified EHR technology to qualify for stimulus dollars. Listed are a "core" group of requirements - like e-prescribing - that must be met, plus an a la carte "menu" of procedures from which providers may choose. This approach is meant to have teeth, but also give providers flexibility to pursue their individual needs. While certainly lowering barriers to federal dollars (and market barriers to vendors), some point out that this also dilutes quality. Many, however, are relieved – and thankful for the public comment period – as the initial “all or nothing” approach, as first outlined, meant that many organizations would likely have not even tried to qualify, fearing they couldn't possibly meet the stringent criteria needed to get funding.
In addition to the final rule on meaningful use, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Office of the National Coordinator of Health Information Technology (ONC) also issued a rule identifying the standards, implementation specifications and certification criteria for EHR technology. But, as ZDNet Healthcare points out, "the companies which will do the certifying have yet to be chosen, after which vendors will have to line up to assure customers of stimulus cash." Assuming their technology is certified, many healthcare IT vendors now have the opportunity to help physicians improve the various processes outlined in the a la carte menu.
Let the wild rumpus begin.
Tags: EHR; Electronic Health Records; Meaningful Use; MGMA; Healthcare IT
By Doug Russell on July 14, 2010 11:54 AM
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MassDevice.com visits Schwartz Communications
It was great to have Brad Perriello, executive editor and Brian Johnson, publisher of MassDevice.com out to our offices in Waltham to speak to our Healthcare PR Practice Team. As they put it, MassDevice.com is “telling the story of innovation from a business perspective” —with a comprehensive news site that gets more than 35,000 visitors monthly.
Don’t be misled by the name, MassDevice.com is not just about Massachusetts-based medical device companies, although it’s a great source of comprehensive information on the large and small medical device companies across the New England region. MassDevice.com is also reporting on all the news and events that impact the medtech industry, from the FDA’s review of the 510K process to healthcare reform to Medicare and more. Their medtech index, presented every Monday in a weekly check up, looks at the medtech industry in Massachusetts as well as Minnesota and California, two other medtech hotbeds. With a goal of becoming the premier business intelligence source for the medical device industry, they define med device to include device, diagnostics, HCIT, mobile/wireless, EMRs and lab tools.
Here are Brian and Brad discussing their new site and the top trends they are following: 
Tags: healthcare PR, medical device PR
By Helen Shik on June 30, 2010 2:39 PM
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Facebook for the B2B
More and more, B2B companies are finding Facebook valuable for sales and marketing to facilitate communication with clients and prospects, and to help drive business forward.
About a year ago, long-standing client Margaret Mayer, marketing director of Boston Software Systems, attended one of Schwartz Communications’ seminars about social media and was intrigued as to how her company could benefit from these communications methods. Margaret decided to test the Facebook waters.
Boston Software Systems is a virtual company with 25 people, 23 of whom work in different locations. Although small, it does a big job helping hospitals and other healthcare organizations save hundreds of hours and tens of thousands of dollars through its workflow automation tools.
Margaret set up Boston Software Systems’ Facebook page and added some links and information, but wasn’t very active on it. She wondered about the value of Facebook for her company and customers.
A member of the Boston Software Systems team at Schwartz, Kristen Perry, noticed that the page wasn’t set up for maximum impact. She suggested turning it from a Profile, as an individual would use, into a Fan Page, which has a more professional appearance and functionality and is geared toward businesses. There is also the question of setting up a Group.
Groups are great for organizing on a personal level and for smaller scale interaction around a cause. Fan Pages are better for brands and businesses that want to interact with their fans/ customers without having them connected to a personal account, and that have a need to exceed Facebook’s 5,000 friend cap.
Kristen also outlined some reasons why it’s a good idea for companies to have a Facebook Fan Page:
• It improves search engine results. Facebook pages now appear among the top entries in Google search results.
• It’s easy for people to remember (particularly if it’s a shorter URL) and for companies to promote.
• It encourages discussions. Fans of the page, by nature, are interested in the company and are more likely to engage in discussions.
Setting up the Fan Page and moving the current fans and links would take time, but Kristen was up to the challenge, and Margaret was pleased and relieved. Kristen describes the process of setting up a Fan Page:
• Before setting up a Fan Page, the administrator needs his or her own Facebook account. Designate someone who can manage the Page and add content regularly. If you also have a solid and trusting relationship with an outside communications agency or marketing consultant, you could also give that person rights as an administrator to keep tabs on the Page’s status and to ensure it has fresh content. If you happen to end your relationship with that agency or consultant, you can remove them as an administrator.
• Recently, Facebook updated one of its most business unfriendly controls by giving page administrators the ability to remove other administrators, regardless of who created the page. This was announced late last week on the Facebook Page for Facebook Pages. Previously, the creator of a page had rights above all other admins, due to the fact that they could never be removed.
• Go to the page to set up a Username and click “Set a username for your Pages.” Be sure to check the Username that you select as you cannot change it. Many companies use Facebook pages to talk about an issue or technology idea. It is a good idea to choose a username that authentically represents your business or brand. You can have it link back to your website and improve search engine optimization.
• Fill out basic company info in the Info tab, including date founded, description of the company and number of employees. You can also start building content on the wall with messages and announcements. It is important to write the company description in the little “About” box with keyword-dense prose to enhance search engine optimization. This holds true for the Info section, where you can also add high priority links.
• One important SEO strategy that should be employed on your Facebook Page whenever feasible is placing keyword-dense prose as close to the top of the Page as possible.
• After you’ve set up your Fan Page, promote it by adding the Facebook icon link to your Web site for easy access. You can also add it to your boilerplate and email signature. Consider linking your Facebook page with your company’s Twitter handle and LinkedIn page. For an extra investment, you can set up an ad, although so far we haven’t seen great value in the ads from a customer adoption perspective.
• Populate your Fan Page with links to interesting content, company news, events or industry news, and start sending messages to your fans. You can load Notes, start a discussion, add photos of people, products, company events, trade shows and screen shots. It is important to keep the information fresh, updated and give your fans a reason to visit and interact.
• Build your Fan base by contacting friends and colleagues already on Facebook. You can also send a note to the fan base from the old site and ask them to get onto the new one. Once people start becoming fans of Facebook pages, their friends will see it on their status. This offers a possibility that they too will show interest and Fan the page.
Once you have 25 or more fans, you can create a custom URL or vanity label for your Fan Page. Although not critical, it makes the page’s URL much more manageable. By adding links to their email signatures, promotional email and other outbound marketing efforts, Margaret and her team at Boston Software Systems are actively encouraging their customers to ‘Become a Fan’ of the Page.
Boston Software Systems is much happier with the company’s new Facebook Fan Page as it presents the B2B company in a more professional manner and allows easy interaction with stakeholders.
Tags: administrator, B2B, Boston Software Systems, brands, businesses, Facebook, Fan pages, keyword-dense prose, LinkedIn, Twitter, Username
By Davida Dinerman on June 21, 2010 1:54 PM
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