Public relations for pharmaceuticals seems to be failing to convince the public of the value and merits of its contribution to health - this is despite its very considerable public health achievements.  And it is not doing such a great job with the medical professional and the politicians either, according to many observers.  Why?  What is wrong?

In a dissertation for her MA degree in international public relations, Simina Marca, a student at the Cardiff University School of Journalism, Media and Cultural Studies, asked to interview Roger Haywood for her study.  She was recommended to approach him by her tutor at the university, Quentin Langley, past chairman of Chartered Institute of Public Relations International.  Haywood gives guest lectures at many UK universities offering public relations degree courses, as well as others around the world.  In the last year alone, he has addresses over 5000 young professionals on the business.

Her transcript of the interview includes these observations to be drafted into her thesis:

1. Public relations people within pharmaceutical companies have little say on policy and therefore, believes Haywood, they cannot really be public relations people.  In his view, to do the job properly, they should be advising the pharmaceutical companies of public views, concerns and issues that could shape corporate policy.  There are too many examples of pharmaceutical companies failing to work in the public interest where the public relations professionals should have helped develop better policies. 
2. This situation will only change when every pharmaceutical company of any credibility will have a public relations person on the board - and not just down the corridor issuing news releases.  This will probably happen within five years, he asserts.
3. The industry itself could do much more to prove its own standards and regulation make government regulation almost seem second-class; the best regulation is self-regulation, This must be so well supported that it becomes a compulsory condition of being a member of the pharmaceutical business.
4. Then, Haywood believes that the pharmaceutical industry needs a generic programme built upon these codes.  This would be designed to generate better public trust.  It should not be about publicity but about how the industry works to responsible and ethical standards that are clear and which it enforces.  Public relations people should be central to shaping this framework, allowing individual companies to promote their own messages to their own audiences. He feels this is do-able, but it's a big challenge and it must not be fudged.  

The author of this blog, Roger Haywood, is a leading global trainer, having run consultancies and worked across the world.  He is the only person to have chaired both the Chartered Institute of Marketing and the Charted Institute of Public Relations.  He helped form and chaired the world's largest network of independent consultants with over 150 offices across the business capitals of the world. 

From his experience in recruiting and training hundreds of graduates, recently he has been developing a service to help young professionals with their careers in public relations.  His company has set up its first website www.getstartedinpr.com offering an ebook of advice on how to land that vital first great job in the business.