Translating scientific value for consumerscommunicating brand value to scientists

AllidurA PersPectives

A selection of consumer health feature Articles Authored by Allidura

33

contents

P12

Knowing the ‘new’ consumer — successfully reaching increasingly diverse and sophisticated consumers

the rise of functional foodsP11

P9

the over-the-counter challenge

P13

food Manufacturers and nutritional claims: A recipe for consumer confusion?

P6

focus on: Building credibility in the consumer health and wellness Market

P7

nutritional claims are damaging our industry

P8

would a hung Parliament stall the selfcare revolution?

4

Allidura is delighted to present you with a selection of articles published on health marketing and consumer health and wellbeing, authored by or featuring members of our team.

Allidura, chandler chicco companies (ccc)'s specialist consumer healthcare public relations agency, draws on ccc’s established ethical healthcare expertise and proven success in consumer activation programmes. Allidura is uniquely placed to provide global services aimed at delivering credible health messages to drive consumer brand engagement and loyalty.

Allidura harnesses the expertise of professionals with diverse backgrounds in consumer communications, health marketing, science and media. this unique combination enables us to deliver science-based communications that shape the environment and effect change.

from functional food brands to cosmoceuticals, Allidura’s range of innovative and creative tools provide new thinking to meet the ever-changing demands of today’s educated consumer.

introduction

5

Allidura:the right combination

healthcare knowledge and expertise to

deliver science-based communications,

establishing credibility and endorsement

in-depth understanding of consumer needs

and desires to activate brand trial, engagement

and loyalty

6

Aligning consumer brands with a health message takes careful planning. Allidura's vicky hunt considers the issues.

With consumers becoming increasingly sophisticated in the management of their own health, we at Allidura, believe brands in the consumer health and wellness space need to enhance their proposition accordingly.

These companies must demonstrate genuine health benefits to the public with the same priority as any specialist audience. Now more than ever companies working in the field of health and wellness must build credibility for their brands, which means communicating the science behind them. Brand credibility can simultaneously foster trust in the provider and loyalty from the consumer.

why is credibility important?

Brands must convince consumers that their promised health benefits are authentic, which means communicating the evidence behind them in accessible terms. In this way credibility can be achieved, and trust in the brand can be unlocked.

Over the last five years there has been a sharp increase in brands claiming health benefits, particularly surrounding breakfast cereals, yoghurts and yoghurt drinks which comprise the backbone of the functional food market. A plethora of clinical data and scientific messages exists, but the presentation of this information is so eclectic, and the depth of the science so variable, that it can be difficult for consumers to decide what is real and what is ‘marketing speak’, making credibility an elusive goal.

In pharmaceuticals we know products rise and fall on their credibility, with the absence of compelling data sounding the death-knell for many nascent brands. But the same is increasingly true in the consumer space, with the media, health institutions and peer-to-peer social networks rife with almost gleeful reportage on food brands that are either purveying half truths or outright inaccuracies in their marketing. See Pret-A-Manger’s experience as an example:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1224539/Pret-Mangers-fresh-sandwiches-filled-chicken-came-frozen-Brazil.html

Without credibility, the future of a brand will undoubtedly be constrained.

What does credibility give brands in the health and wellness space?

Although achieving credibility can be a challenge, the associated opportunities are clear. Credibility can:

• illustrate expertise and dedication to the field

• protect against potential issues through strong partnerships

• alert drivers of the health agenda to the value of your brand(s)

• highlight to staff the value they create through their work

• and, of course, improve the health and wellbeing of millions.

the foundations of credibility

Many factors contribute to consumer health credibility. Strong, rigorous data and studies are paramount, but of little value without translation of the science into messages that can be understood and admired by the customer.

For those seeking to build credibility in health-focused consumer brands there are a number of other key considerations:

Companies who recognise and act upon these imperatives will be best placed to drive credibility for their brands.

Allidura knows the value of credibility and has worked closely with Innocent, Danone, Johnson & Johnson and The Coca-Cola Company to build robust health communications for their consumer brands. These companies’ evidence-based partnership approach to building credibility has proven results such as reducing hospital acquired infections with the daily probiotic drink Actimel, raising awareness of lower belly bloating and digestive health with Activia and building the health credentials for Innocent smoothies to be recommended as two portions of people’s "5-a-day".

The markets in which we operate demand their health information sources be credible. Building credibility in health and wellness is crucial for the future success of the consumer health businesses especially as the number of companies involved in this sector increases and interest in health continues to grow. The credibility achieved, relationships formed and partnerships developed will all have a direct impact on our consumers’ health and, in turn, drive sales.

Vicky Hunt is managing director of Allidura, the consumer health unit of Chandler Chicco Companies.

Vicky Hunt, Allidura, prweek.com, 25 June 2010, 3:22pm

Building crediBility in the consuMer heAlth And wellness MArKet

7

when confusion BecoMes threAt

8

A hung PArliAMent need not iMPAct the Pr industry

Allidura team leader Ben hickey has penned an opinion piece discussing the impact of a hung parliament on selfcare and improvements in public health.

The consumer healthcare communicator has discussed what a hung parliament could mean for the healthcare PR industry.

In the piece, Hickey said: ‘One thing we do know is that the Liberal Democrats have pledged to halve the amount that the Department of Health spends on advertising, publishing and PR. If they are part of a future coalition government, what could happen to our public health marketing campaigns and will it be up to brands to fill any void?'

opinion piece:

Following a rather stagnant drive out of the blocks, the general election

game is now on, largely thanks to the first live televised debate and a surge in support for the often-overlooked Liberal Democrats. As we move closer to the actual election day we are being advised of the potential benefits and issues with waking up on 7 May to a hung parliament. But what might it mean to the legislative programme and the on-going political movement towards selfcare and improvements in public health? Could a hung parliament leave the OTC industry and national minor ailments scheme hung out to dry? And what impact might it have on the marketing and PR industries? One thing we do know though is that the Liberal Democrats have pledged to half the amount that the Department of Health spends on advertising, publishing and PR. If they are part of a future coalition government, what could happen to our public health marketing campaigns and will it be up to brands to fill any void?

Political pundits are frantically number crunching to predict what our next government might look like. To them, a Labour or Tory minority government or even a Lib-Lab pact are looking most

likely, although nothing should be ruled out. But how might a coalition government affect the policy and legislative output of Westminster? Phrases such as 'policy vacuum' and words such as 'inert', 'unstable' and 'ineffective' are sometimes used to suggest that coalition governments are "hopelessly stalled". This is largely due to our past experience with hung parliaments in the UK, the most obvious being the minority Labour government of 1979.

However, in the area of selfcare and pharmacy empowerment, the parties share enough common ground to get something done and continue the momentum in this area through good, old-fashioned consensus politics. In addition to the similar ideology of the main three parties in this area, there is a common realisation of the service and drug-cost savings required at the Department of Health.

Reading the manifestos and analysing the key healthcare speeches and hustings, all three main parties agree that more services should switch from GP surgeries to high street pharmacies - but which ones and when? The Pharmacy White Paper is now two years old and there have been no specifics from any of the main parties in this area during the campaign.

However, despite the consensus amongst the parties on the selfcare topic there are other, often more critical and divisive areas that the parties disagree on in the healthcare arena. The fear is that the Department of Health, its ministers and the legislative timetable will become bogged down in more high-profile areas such as scrapping Strategic Health Authorities (a key Liberal Democrat policy), the expansion of Foundation Trusts (a Labour pledge) or the reform of NICE (a Conservative Party cornerstone).

But this need not be the case. Minority governments and coalition governments have had great success around the world in tackling the big issues and also driving forward with reform. In Canada, for example, the universal healthcare reforms of the 1960s were implemented by a minority government. Under a hung parliament the next government, which ever colour (or colours) it ends up being, will need to change the current style of governing to become more collaborative and debate, negotiate and compromise more.

Without a crystal ball it will be difficult for the pharmaceutical and consumer healthcare industries to predict the future. Even when the election result is known it might take several weeks for a coalition government to be formed and begin work. What is known is that the pharmacy policy area is one of the most likely to survive the political wranglings that surround coalition government negotiations. But with coalition governments in Italy and the Netherlands taking over 70 days to be formed and agreed, the issue might then become one of timing. The Queen's Speech is timetabled for 25 May and then we will see whether the politicians will have the political will and energy to drive forward with the pharmacy and selfcare reforms we have all been waiting for.

Ben Hickey is a team leader at Allidura, Chandler Chicco Companies' consumer healthcare division.

Gemma O'Reilly, prweek.com, 26 April 2010, 08:00am

would A hung PArliAMent stAll the selfcAre revolution?

9

using science to Bring crediBility to BrAnds

10

11

the rise of functionAl foods

Pharmaceutical Marketing

12

Knowing the ‘new’ consuMer

with the healthcare industry under intense scrutiny, healthcare marketers are coming under constant attack, not least from the people that they are aiming to help — the consumers.

As the industry’s public relations challenges multiply, there is increasing emphasis on the need for transparency and the importance of corporate governance ensuring that communications programmes comply with the strict industry guidelines. But, the issues facing the industry go beyond reputation management — there is increasing pressure to find a solution to effectively communicate with the ever changing demands of the ‘new consumer’.

Healthcare communications is a recognized specialist market. Without doubt, it is essential to have a communications agency that has specialist in-depth knowledge of the healthcare environment, the regulations, the stakeholders and, of course, the media. But, what about in-depth knowledge of how to engage the ‘new consumer’ with core health messages? Without insight into the new informed, involved consumer, it becomes more difficult to deliver effective health campaigns that will help to shape opinions, communicate core messages and ultimately effect change.

As highlighted in the General Medical Services (GMS) contract 2006/07, the UK government’s priorities are on preventative healthcare provision, accessibility and patient-centred care. While these principles should be integral to all health communications,

for a campaign to be truly effective, it needs to engage the specific target audience. Understanding how to reduce obesity effectively among a core target group, for example, doesn’t necessarily provide the core principals to effect change across a broad range of health conditions. The barriers to consumer engagement are diverse.

diversity dominates the consumer audience.

For healthcare communications to deliver, the campaign needs to be tailored to meet these diverse consumer demands. An effective health communications campaign is not a mass campaign that targets ‘everyone.’ To engage consumers, it’s essential to first understand exactly who you are targeting, what the barriers are and what or who their influencers are.

The core principle at the heart of effective healthcare provision is local delivery — the same principal applies to understanding the needs of your consumer target groups to deliver effective health awareness campaigns. With greater insight into the local community environment — the influencers, the communications networks, the relationships — you start to determine the messages and the delivery method that will prove most effective.

This community environment analysis has the principles of social marketing at its core — a discipline used to address social and health issues, encouraging consumers to adopt behaviours that will enhance their lives. Many health issues have behavioural causes at their core — teenage pregnancy, smoking, and obesity to name but a few. It’s a complex process to change intrinsic behaviour patterns — and requires empowerment, choice and opportunity to encourage consumers to adopt

a healthier lifestyle to improve their quality of life.

But, depending on your message, it’s not just about targeting the informed ‘new consumer.’ How do we engage social exclusion groups or lower socioeconomic groups? For consumer groups with low levels of literacy, print media campaigns are not going to be the solution. Unlike the new breed of information obsessed ‘technochondriacs’, these groups rely heavily on the advice and counsel of healthcare professionals as well as their peers. Again, using local community insight can help to identify communication channels and influencers at a local level — the principles of this insight can then be applied to deliver effective awareness campaigns on a national level.

Different lifestyles, attitudes, philosophies and incomes mean that consumers today defy categorization. Segmentation alone is no longer relevant. Demographics alongside insightful psychographics provide an understanding of the attitudes and behaviour of target consumer groups. Understanding the grass roots of your target consumers’ lives will help to determine the right messages and the right support that are essential for an effective health awareness campaign.

The end result for health communications is to communicate effectively and clearly in a way that is meaningful to the consumer audience. The aim is to enhance quality of life — which, in essence, reflects the soul of the healthcare industry.

CCC has recently introduced a new discipline, Communiology, used to reach diverse consumer audiences and the increasingly important influencers in their communities.

successfully reAching increAsingly diverse And soPhisticAted consuMers requires A higher level of MArKeting insight.

13

negotiAting nutritionAl clAiMs

AllidurA consuMer – effective And seAMless heAlthcAre coMMunicAtions

thAt cleAr uP consuMer confusion

contact:

Vicky HuntAllidura151 Shaftesbury AvenueLondon WC2H 8AL

vhunt@allidura.comT: +44 20 7632 1962F: +44 20 7632 1860