This article examines measuring Corporate Storytelling success in the pharma sector: what the specific challenges are, and my suggestion as to how best to measure that success.
It goes without saying that we all want our work to be a success. Quite understandably and quite rightly we want to be able to see the difference we are making for our team, our business, and perhaps above all, for ourselves.
So, how do we measure success in storytelling, and in particular, storytelling in the pharma sector? For those of us who work in communications and storytelling, measuring success is particularly important. Communications and storytelling are very much about working at the interface between the company and the customer or client. We create – and sometimes represent – the public image of the business, an image that needs to show the best of the work that the company does. This means our work can, does and should have a major impact on the reputation of the company, and that reputation can rise or fall for the slightest of reasons.
Unfortunately, however, there’s no easy option.
The Barcelona Principles
Successful stories in pharma can often be assessed in similar ways to other industries and fields. My favourite starting point has always been the Barcelona Principles, which were drawn up in Spain in 2010 by the International Association for Measurement and Evaluation of Communication (AMEC). I’d recommend anyone involved in communications to read – and where possible, adopt! – these seven principles, but for now we can list just the headings:
- Principle 1: Goal setting and measurement are fundamental to communication and public relations.
- Principle 2: Measuring communication outcomes is recommended versus only measuring outputs.
- Principle 3: The effect on organizational performance can and should be measured where possible.
- Principle 4: Measurement and evaluation require both qualitative and quantitative methods.
- Principle 5: AVEs [Advertising Value Equivalent] are not the value of communication.
- Principle 6: Social media can and should be measured consistently with other media channels.
- Principle 7: Measurement and evaluation should be transparent, consistent and valid.
(…) there has to be a clear set of goals or objectives to measure.
Need a clear set of goals and objectives to measure
Standing alone, these principles may seem a bit vague, which is why I’d recommend anyone to read more about them. But it’s important to make one or two comments on them here. It’s worth reiterating at the outset that there has to be a clear set of goals or objectives to measure. This might be, for instance, to increase organisational revenue. If we’re looking at internal communications, it might be to make colleagues more aware of a new product or a change management plan.
Another important aspect is to avoid a comparison with advertising. It’s reasonably straightforward to measure advertising effectiveness simply by linking it to increases in revenue-generation. But communications – and certainly not storytelling – cannot be boiled down to one simple metric, so a comparison with, or even ‘overlaying’, the same metrics as advertising should be avoided.
Detailed reports should be presented that demonstrate the effect of communications and storytelling. There are several programmes out there – some free, and some not-so-free – that allow you to track the impact of your comms with a simple reporting format. If you want to know your engagement levels and social media impressions, then it makes sense for just one programme to do this for you. Once this information is taken from whichever programme you choose, it should then be plotted against the organisation’s goals. And this can and should include both internal and external impact.
Reader engagement on websites
A mix of qualitative and quantitative reports are also important to emphasise. We all want to know about reader engagement on our company websites and social media, but shares, views and likes are not the be-all and the end-all. These should nowadays focus, where possible, on the length of time that a reader is engaged on a website, and subsequent re-visits.
Qualitatively speaking, customer satisfaction surveys can be effective in that they go deeper into what lies behind the reasons as to why individual customers may have selected a given product, or even company, over another. The challenge, of course, is that surveys are unlikely to be as comprehensive as we’d like them to be, and often are only picked up by those customers who really want to engage.
What success looks like in storytelling – and in particular in the pharma sector – is a question that many of us are pondering. That’s why there’s already quite a few online pieces that are tackling the question. I don’t want to overwhelm anyone with too many articles, but I’d highly recommend the following three.
This article by Robin Robinson from PharmaVoice online magazine is a great starting point. It presents evidence and examples as to why and how storytelling in pharma can be effective, and how it can be used better. This LinkedIn article by Talbot Logan on storytelling, is also incisive. It doesn’t go into specific examples, but instead discusses how and why measuring storytelling success can be such a challenge. It reiterates the need for an emotional connection between story and reader – without which any storytelling campaign will fail – but also underlines that part of the current problem is that there is too much focus on end results as the only measurement of success for stories. Why? Because end results are “forever variable” and as the rate of technological change, and therefore consumer behaviour, is so great, it can be a major challenge to devise measurements that are effective and long-lasting enough.
Finally, this piece by Vanessa Chase Lockshin makes a fascinating series of points about “patterns” in storytelling. The author’s point, in part, is that it’s not that one article will necessarily change people’s minds and urge them to take action, but more that a series of stories over time will help change people’s view of a given situation, and consequently to take action.
The challenge of measuring success
We shouldn’t be surprised that tracking success in pharma storytelling can be a challenge. It comes with the territory. After all, if tracking success in storytelling in general can be difficult, there’s no reason why pharma would be any different. Nonetheless, there are certain specific factors at play in the pharma sector.
I recently had dinner with the head of corporate comms for a medium-sized pharmaceutical company. As so often in these situations, it was great to get further insight into how the industry works. Pharmaceutical products of course have to be carefully regulated. Under EU law, there is a distinction between advertising pharma products to healthcare professionals and members of the general public. Non-prescription drugs are permitted to be advertised to the general public, whilst prescription drugs can only be advertised to professionals. Pharma companies may also describe their research on their websites and so forth, provided there is no attempt to present it in a promotional style. The legal guidelines for medical devices are less detailed, but medical devices are largely covered by consumer legislation on misleading advertising.
(…) there is an important distinction between ‘advertising’ and ‘promotion’. Whilst advertising can be seen as a specific, direct attempt to sell a product – for instance, through television and billboards – promotion is more of a general approach to inform the public and consumers about a company’s activity.
Distinction between advertising and promotion
Furthermore, there is an important distinction between ‘advertising’ and ‘promotion’. Whilst advertising can be seen as a specific, direct attempt to sell a product – for instance, through television and billboards – promotion is more of a general approach to inform the public and consumers about a company’s activity. Promotion of specific products on websites is prohibited, largely because of the legislative restrictions outlined above.
Other aspects of the company’s activities can certainly still be promoted. These could include expanding geographical access to those who are currently unable to benefit from particular products, or explaining a company’s general approach to its mission. And of course, storytelling is still a highly effective method for internal communications. But promoting a product through storytelling, no matter how efficacious it has proved to be, is forbidden. And that’s why storytelling in pharma can be such a challenge.
Different regulations in USA and EU
There is one important supplementary point to make here, however. These conditions are not as stringent in the USA, where regulatory laws are different. Promotion of products and medical devices through storytelling is not forbidden, and so more storytelling could become a significant part of a company’s overall communications package.
But I should reiterate that storytelling should undoubtedly be a key component of any business or organisation’s overall communications strategy. It allows all readers and audiences to better engage with the company, and to take action as a result. Whether it’s purchasing a product or donating money, storytelling will make a difference. But that is not to say that storytelling can and should be deployed on its own. It has to be closely linked with all other aspects of communications and marketing, which may include: advertising, direct marketing, internet marketing, sales promotion, public relations, media appearances and thought leadership. These then need to be tracked using a series of measurements which link to an increase in customer sales or achievement of targeted objectives.
My view is certainly that whilst tracking storytelling success can be difficult, it is by no means impossible, and nor should it be.
Questionnaires and feedback forms could measure success
My view is certainly that whilst tracking storytelling success can be difficult, it is by no means impossible, and nor should it be. Elaborating on an earlier point, it seems to me that the best way to track successful storytelling would be to devise a series of questionnaires or feedback forms to be completed directly by customers. These surveys should not be too long, and they should be adaptable to different contexts. This could include questions around why a particular product was chosen over another, how far the storytelling aspects of the marketing and communications influenced their decision, the specific elements of the stories that won them over, and if and why they would engage with that company or product again.
Storytelling cannot change everything. There are some people who will never buy a product or join a certain campaign, just as there are people who will (almost) always do the opposite. In their different ways these consumers and supporters can be relied upon. Part of the role of marketing and communications is to win over those who hesitate, those who are not in the ‘yes or no’ category. It is my view that storytelling can positively influence the remaining group – those who would switch from ‘maybe’ to ‘yes’. Like other forms of communication, storytelling can influence at the margins, the zone that makes all the difference.
Audit Assessment Framework
Unfortunately, however, storytelling is not currently deployed as readily as it might be. But with a more solid means of assessing the impact of storytelling, it is my contention that this could soon change. In part that’s why I’ve drawn up my ‘Audit Assessment Framework‘. This framework allows for a ready and straightforward analysis of what works and what doesn’t work in Corporate Storytelling. By breaking down each story into different elements, it is easily possible to see what is going wrong – and of course, what is going right – and to mark up these sections for improvement. Once the assessment is completed, future storytelling will not only become more straightforward, but its overall impact on the readership and audiences – whoever that may be – will become much more clear.
And if you or your company or organisation feel you might benefit from such an assessment, then please do not hesitate to get in touch through my contact form or sign up for a one-on-one consulation. Thank you!