With over 20 years working with different pharmaceutical companies such as Pfizer, MSD, AstraZeneca, and healthcare entities, we sat down with Carola Castiglione, our key account manager at HWP, to discuss the latest trends in healthcare:
Recently, you took part in a round table with partners from our network, Worldwide Partners, to discuss the health communication landscape. What was this event about and how did the different voices contribute to the vision of this topic?
HWP has been a member of Worldwide Partners since 1996. Worldwide Partners is the largest independent agency network in the world. This allows each agency to maintain its local idiosyncrasy, being aware of global trends, as we are represented in all continents.
Through this network, we participated in the round table with other international agencies that manage health accounts to discuss what the trends were and see what is happening around the world in terms of telemedicine, see how the Covid-19 has affected the relationship between brands and health professionals with their patients, and then ... see what's next, right?
Well then... what's next?
Basically, we realized that, despite being totally different countries and regions, the situation is similar all over the world.
Telemedicine and the digitalization of the relationship between brand - health professional - patient are the axes that are in everyone's mind at the moment.
For example, that information that used to be transmitted through sales representatives with face-to-face visits and that now have opted for virtual spaces where we have realized that although they are more spaced out, they are of higher quality because more time and information can be dedicated to them on digital platforms.
With the arrival of Covid-19, all industries underwent a sudden digitalization. How has this been experienced from the Health sector?
This digital migration had been working for a long time, and with the Covid-19 it became the main factor and the focus point of all the brands related to Health.
Not only for the pharmaceutical companies, but also to help the doctor to make this migration, considering that the relationship between patient and doctor is very important and the face-to-face consultations and this trust that is generated, is not the same as what you feel in a virtual session.
However, trends show that once patients try these virtual platforms, they are more willing to continue using them.
And it's a win-win, because it allows the doctor to more easily cover patients from different regions or with mobility problems.
This option of telemedicine will continue to be given, and will be used more and more.
If you could give a piece of advice to someone with their first health account, what would you say?
You have to have that capacity for change, for not sticking to what is established, and above all, L E E R.
Everything in the health sector requires a lot of preparation and research. It is a beautiful sector, but you have to be reading and learning obviously things that are not within your range of knowledge.
You have to know about the pathologies, the side effects, the medicines, everything beyond marketing.
It's a sector that forces you to always be learning.
In general, I'm curious.
These are subjects that you often don't know about and you have to prepare yourself enough to communicate them.
Someone's health may depend on the type of information you communicate, so it's better to know what you're putting into the copy.
Three qualities to manage a health account?
Thoroughness, responsibility, and being passionate
In a word, what's the hardest thing about a health account?
The kind of information... is very scientific and communicating it is sometimes a challenge.
The same information must be spoken in three different languages depending on whether it is for a health professional, a pharmacist, or a patient.
And the most beautiful thing?
Really, when you know that the project you're working on is going to change patients' lives, you really feel proud to be part of that process.
People like Carola are the ones who make the difference at HWP so that a healthcare company can transcend from the doctor's handwriting to effective and transparent communication.