The post-Covid evolution of communication with external audiences
Marissa Poole talks about talking—to patients and customers—during and after Covid (480 words, 2.5 min)
NPC Healthbiz Weekly is presented to you in cooperation with Peak Pharma Solutions
Fundamental shifts in our healthcare systems and the evolution of “normal” have made themselves apparent over the past 18 months. As we begin to emerge from the pandemic, the pharmaceutical industry must take stock of how the delivery of care has changed and determine what meaningful engagement looks like in a post-Covid world.
Marissa Poole, GM at Sanofi Genzyme and Sanofi Canada Country Lead, argued that the pharmaceutical industry’s ability to engage, communicate, and partner with external stakeholders will be crucial to the resilience of our healthcare systems.
During the NPC Spring Webinar, Poole (photo below) highlighted how communication has changed—and must keep changing—during these tumultuous times, and outlined some of the new opportunities at hand.
“As many healthcare visits shifted to virtual, patients started to adopt more technology,” Poole said, “using new devices or apps to manage their conditions.” But the sudden availability of information has had its drawbacks—a majority of patients reported feeling overwhelmed.
The key is personalization, Poole said. “Tailored communications are becoming more important and frankly expected. Deeper insights will be required to shape communications, and are seen as a value-add,” reducing the sense of being overwhelmed by providing clarity and understanding. “Relevance,” Poole said, “requires quality over quantity.”
For HCPs, who receive high volumes of digital content, communications must be relevant and tailored. Poole explained, “HCPs have reported that the information and services that companies started to offer during the pandemic were of higher value than before Covid-19. They saw increased value in communications beyond product information, which provided support and met their most pressing needs.”
Poole shares the common opinion among industry leaders that future interaction with HCPs will require a hybrid approach, combining in-person interaction with new digital and remote engagements.
The shift to digital provides an opportunity to reimagine what customer interactions will look like, “using a platform-first approach” to take full advantage of the technology being used. Enhanced cross-functional partnerships are a benefit of digital approaches—Poole suggested that “virtual platforms will make it easier to include other subject matter experts during a call,” such as resources from medical or market access teams.
“Shifting the mindset from a 1:1 relationship to having field teams facilitate interactions with a broader team of resources will drive the value that customers are seeking,” Poole said. “Anticipate that there will be talent and operational impacts. New promotional models require changes to the processes and capabilities underpinning them.”
Navigating evolving customer needs in the post-Covid era will require resilience and a flexible mindset. Talent will need coaching in critical areas of field orchestration, peer-to-peer orientation, and digital outreach to deliver the personalized, needs-based approach required.
“The companies that set the new standard for customer engagement will be agile, digitally savvy, and commercially precise,” Poole said. As an industry, we have an opportunity to reframe our relevance and value “through the way we create partnerships and build relationships.”
WEEK 07/13/21
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CANADIAN HEALTHCARE MARKETING HALL OF FAME
The Canadian Healthcare Marketing Hall of Fame awards were established in 2002 to honour healthcare marketers who have contributed to our vocation and inspire others.
More than 100 honourees have been selected during the past 18 years. In the selection committee's view, they stand for a representative cross-section of the qualities that make our business unique and fulfilling. Each week, NPC Healthbiz Weekly will acknowledge one past Hall of Fame Honouree.
2011 Inductee
Morris Goodman
Chairman, Pharmascience Inc.
Montréal
Phil Diamond Award for Community Service
Morris Goodman’s career in the pharmaceutical industry started at the young age of 10, when he was a messenger boy for a local drug store in Montreal. “My cousin got a job, so I thought I could get one, too. That is how I started in the drug industry,” says Goodman, who has more than 50 years in the world in pharmaceuticals and is Chairman of Pharmascience Inc., the largest pharmaceutical employer in Quebec.
After completing a year at Montreal’s McGill University, Goodman entered pharmacy school at the University of Montreal. He continued at the same pharmacy where he had been a messenger boy and worked there as a pharmacist after his graduation in 1953.
Upon graduation, Goodman received the “Most Likely to Succeed” University Prize, but he notes that he was in the same graduating class as Quebec pharmacy giant Jean Coutu, so there were other graduates that achieved great success.
“When I did graduate, I knew that I did not want to work in retail pharmacy,” says Goodman. “I knew there were opportunities to bring drugs to Canada, so I started to align myself with small and medium-sized drug manufacturers.”
He started Winley-Morris Company Ltd., which acted as the Canadian distribution agent for US pharmaceutical companies that produced therapeutic agents to treat tuberculosis and innovative products such as benzoyl peroxide for the treatment of acne. A pioneer in the development of the generic drug industry in Canada, Goodman grew the company from scratch from 1954 to 1971.
He sold the company to California-based International Chemical Nuclear Corporation and ICN Canada Ltd. was born in 1971. Goodman stayed on as president, and under his leadership, the company developed and marketed drugs for the treatment of tuberculosis and Parkinson’s disease, supplying the drug L-dopa to many clinical researchers in Canada. In 1983, Goodman left to start Pharmascience Inc.
Pharmascience began with 1,000 square feet of office space and five employees. Goodman managed to secure a long-term contract in the first year of operation at Pharmascience Inc., which produced revenues that allowed a significant infusion into the company’s R&D portfolio that became the foundation for the company.
“The success of Pharmascience Inc. is based on the investment in R&D, the development of new generic products, the building of relationships with the pharmacy chains, and having a quality product,” says Goodman. “I think it’s also important to be creative on the marketing end.”
Goodman plans for his company to distinguish itself from its competitors by focusing on specialty markets.
“We have to re-engineer the company as we go forward,” says Goodman. “The whole market has changed because of the consolidation of the retail business and the generic business. It has become a volume-driven, price-driven market.
“This [pharmaceutical industry] is a great field to be in,” says Goodman, who has been a philanthropist, making donations to Montreal-area hospitals and universities over the years.
In 2011, Goodman was awarded an honorary degree from McGill University in recognition of his philanthropic contributions to cancer research.
In 2015, he published his autobiography, To Make a Difference: A Prescription for a Good Life.
CHECK OUT OUR PODCASTS!
“NPC Podcast Presents: Next in Pharma” is available now. The first episode, “AI-Powered Analytics,” is hosted by Michael Cloutier. Mike’s guests are Martin Booth, Director of Analytics and Data Excellence at AstraZeneca; Omer Ariburnu, Affiliate Head of Customer Excellence and Operations at Biogen; and Shawna Boynton, Omnichannel Marketing Manager at Novo Nordisk. “NPC Podcast Presents: Next in Pharma” is presented in co-operation with our friends at ODAIA.ai
And don’t forget to listen to the latest episode of the NPC Podcast and the final episode of Season Four! NPC Podcast host Peter Brenders interviews Ronnie Miller of Roche Pharmaceuticals for his take on what the industry will look like post-pandemic. The NPC Podcast is made possible in co-operation with Impres Pharma and features a series of conversations with pharma industry leaders for their takes on current events.
NEXT WEEK
In the 07/20 edition of NPC Healthbiz Weekly, read wisdom from Eileen McMahon, Partner and Chair of Intellectual Property and Food and Drug Regulatory Practices at Torys LLC, on advertising prescription drugs to Canadian consumers. It’s easy to get your no-charge subscription and have the issue sent to your phone or inbox each Tuesday at 6:00 a.m. sharp.
Stay safe, stay sure, and stay on your game. We’ll see you again next week!