Telum Vox Pop: How are Mainland Chinese healthcare communicators cutting through the noise?
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Telum Vox Pop: How are Mainland Chinese healthcare communicators cutting through the noise?

The market around healthcare and pharmaceuticals in Mainland China has exploded thanks to demand and interest from the public and government. We spoke with several PR and comms professionals in the space to hear how communicators can help companies stand out in this crowd successfully and in line with regulations.

Harry Liu, Director of Public Relations, Berry Genomics
I’d like to share the three most helpful tips from my communications work, B.T.S.
Branding
Successful branding can help a business differentiate itself from others. Unique branding means clear brand identity, strong statement of the business and unique visual identity system. These three key factors will facilitate companies, including B2B firms, to stand out from the rest.

Tailor-made message
Developing tailor-made messages upon the different ‘tastes’ of diversified channels is key to effective communications. Be aware of the target audience that the brand is talking to and develop messages that they are interested in. Powerful and clear messages can also help deliver the uniqueness of the company.

Synergy
By synergy, not only does it mean internal cross-sector collaboration but also the ability to keep track of the latest marketing trends, including regulation trends. This is why communicators need to keep in close contact and be updated with the sectors of government affairs, marketing and sales to collect information and update their comms strategy and execution plans in a timely manner.

For instance, the use of non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT) technology first started as a laboratory-developed test but is now widely accepted in clinical use in Mainland China. This took synchronised efforts from Berry’s teams ranging from communicators to garner the media’s attention, the government affairs sector to lobby the officials to legalise it and the R&D sector to convince doctors and hospitals to practice the new technology.

Mandy Ren, Corporate Communications Lead, Danaher China
Good stories never lack listeners. With the advancement of diagnostics and life science technology, there will always be a new topic, a new perspective that we can leverage to create specific and effective content to engage our target audience. It’s not easy to tell the story to your right target audience at the right time. And always remember, there is also life at the other end of your story that is reading and feeling. 

I believe communications is never just the job of the communications team. Every associate is our brand spokesperson. By mobilising the strength of the masses to jointly communicate one voice to the public, the message of the enterprise can be maximised. 

For example, during the pandemic, along with providing COVID tests and drug development equipment, we told stories about our advancing technology and solutions, our social responsibility, our employees that helped fight the pandemic as well as our recent efforts in the resumption of work and production in Shanghai. In this process, our employees become the heroes of the story, and they are also very proud to share the company story with the world. As a reward for this, Danaher has been named one of 2022's World's Most Admired Companies by Fortune.

Zhou Yijia, Head of Communications, Shanghai Bracco Sine Pharmaceutical
In a competitive business environment like the Chinese one where the market is divided not only by big global players but also by important locals, having only the right product is no longer enough. Developing a healthy and positive company public image has the same importance as promoting products. Our core business and responsibility in the diagnostic imaging industry is to create values beyond research and innovation.

Bracco aims for sustainable development in a long run. The group has the goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2035 in all branches worldwide. As communicators, delivering the right message to the right person is a must. Internally, our employees are encouraged to stick to sustainable practices such as saving energy and using paper more efficiently. We uphold the Bracco hospitality with sustainable insight by encouraging company guests and clients to join us in being eco-friendly.

We generate the global Bracco Sustainability Report each year. Locally, we launched a sustainability project in Mainland China in line with both Bracco’s goal and the Chinese government’s sustainable development strategy. Through information-sharing sessions, case study panels and cross-departmental coordination, all our employees were able to contribute their ideas and opinions to complete Bracco’s sustainability mission.

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