what we do

A Matter of Urgency Campaign
for Overactive Bladder

Astellas Pharma Ltd

Getting the British to talk about their toilet habits and seek help if they think they have an overactive bladder (OAB) is no easy task. Out of the five million people in the UK predicted to have OAB, more than three million are estimated to suffer in silence because they're too embarrassed to talk about their urgent need for the loo.

The A Matter of Urgency campaign successfully engaged the public through innovative use of public events, media and digital channels to help normalise the condition and overcome embarrassment. Following the period that the campaign took place just over 6,000 patients received treatment for OAB for the first time.

British Coffee Association
Refresh and Hydr8 Campaign

Drinking coffee in moderation is perfectly safe and can help people hit their recommended daily hydration targets. However this message was not getting across, largely because of a sceptical media which has focused on any negative effects of drinking coffee, encouraging people to cut back on their usual intake.

By targeting three distinct consumer groups the British Coffee Association successfully redressed this situation. A campaign utilising research, competitions, online and traditional media successfully delivered evidence-based health messages to the public and secured 184 pieces of editorial media coverage to help turn the tide of traditionally negative media coverage.

Linicin Lotion 15m
treating head lice in just 15 minutes

Linicin® Lotion 15 min joined a crowded market for head lice treatments, so it was imperative the benefits that set it apart from competitors were highlighted in both the consumer and healthcare professional media. After surveying more than 200 parents at the school gates to identify their views on head lice and available treatments, it was discovered that 80% had no idea the problem could be treated so quickly.

Family GP Dr Sarah Jarvis was impressed by the clinical credentials and took part in a radio day, which saw more than 30 interviews air to more than 33 million listeners. Meanwhile, working in partnership with a leading parenting social media site, an online competition saw 1 in 3 visitors enter, and print coverage in the nursing, pharmacy and parenting press was abundant.

The Big Question

The Future of Acute Coronary Syndromes Patient Outcomes Report for AstraZeneca, HEART UK, the BACPR, and Anticoagulation Europe

Politicians, clinicians, journalists and patients gathered at the Houses of Parliament in March 2011 to hear why Britain lags behind its European neighbours when it comes to looking after people who have had heart attacks. The event launched a joint industry/professional and patient organisation report explaining how patient care can be improved without more funding from the Government. The Big Question report was then rolled out through media and direct stakeholder communication, reaching an estimated 4.6 million people. In addition it is now available to download on the NHS Improvement website.

Regulatory Communications

Managing the communications process with regional or local regulatory authorities during the life cycle of a drug can be extremely challenging. From the initial approval process for marketing authorisation through license extensions to various safety and efficacy issues, effective communications must be maximized to establish and maintain a product and company reputation.

Through a carefully managed process including logistics, content development, presentation rehearsal, and media strategy following each regulatory outcome, RDC has successfully managed several EMA and FDA regulatory milestones for its clients including oral explanations (the final hurdle to a positive license recommendation), post licensing negotiations and competitive intelligence. When a license decision was part of the outcome, RDC also managed effective internal and external communications including management message cascades and media relations (e.g., Q&A, press release, media sell-in across the relative geography).

Ethicon Endo-Surgery Internal Communications

Setting up an internal communications programme for a successful company with offices around Europe is an exciting challenge. The client’s newly-formed Communications Team needed to raise the profile of the central role it plays and the assistance it can provide to affiliate EMEA offices while also publicising company achievements to internal audiences.

An internal communications strategy to achieve these aims was developed with the primary objective of educating EMEA offices to what communications can achieve with limited resources and unifying and aligning any communications activity conducted.

Within six months, through the development of engaging educational materials including a desk calendar with communications tools defined on each month and a quirky newsletter complete with original cartoon strip, the programme not only raised internal awareness about the team and what it could achieve but also connected the far flung EMEA offices.