McDonald’s CSR blog

McDonald's has started a new Corporate Social Responsibility blog, says David Roberts.

“I just left a comment on it, though comments are moderated and it hasn't been posted yet,” says Roberts. “We'll see.”

“Corporate social responsibility through the eyes of Senior Director, Bob Langert, and the other people at McDonald's who work on corporate responsibility issues that matter,” says the McDonald’s blog. “Get personal perspectives on the issues, meet the people behind the programs, and hear open assessments of the challenges we face.”

Pharma PR and digital media

Graham Edwards, Regional President, Ogilvy Healthworld, Asia Pacific, feels that “the standard of healthcare communications is, by and large, pretty average, to say the least”.

In an interview with agencyfaqs, Edwards calls for radical changes in pharma communications. “The pharma industry has been largely dependent on ‘paper’ communications, such as medical journals. It’s time to move from paper to a bigger canvas, such as digital media…

“Nowadays, it’s getting harder and harder for medical representatives to catch hold of doctors. Most doctors today don’t have the time to meet medical reps. On the other hand, doctors can’t afford to ignore pharma companies, as these companies are the greatest source of information on the latest drugs and the pharma industry as such.

“So, in order to solve this ‘time’ problem, digital media seems to be the way to go. In fact, it has already caught on in other parts of the globe, particularly in North America and Japan. For instance, ‘E-Detailing’ on the Internet has a mechanism through which the doctor goes to a website and checks out information on a particular drug. This will catch on in India as well.

“Apart from E-Detailing, even patient support programmes can use the digital medium effectively. There will be a time when we will be able to send ‘compliance’ messages on mobile phones. For instance, diabetics who don’t take their medicines regularly will be sent SMS reminders.”

Pharma PR and digital media

Graham Edwards, Regional President, Ogilvy Healthworld, Asia Pacific, feels that “the standard of healthcare communications is, by and large, pretty average, to say the least”.

In an interview with agencyfaqs, Edwards calls for radical changes in pharma communications. “The pharma industry has been largely dependent on ‘paper’ communications, such as medical journals. It’s time to move from paper to a bigger canvas, such as digital media…

“Nowadays, it’s getting harder and harder for medical representatives to catch hold of doctors. Most doctors today don’t have the time to meet medical reps. On the other hand, doctors can’t afford to ignore pharma companies, as these companies are the greatest source of information on the latest drugs and the pharma industry as such.

“So, in order to solve this ‘time’ problem, digital media seems to be the way to go. In fact, it has already caught on in other parts of the globe, particularly in North America and Japan. For instance, ‘e-detailing’ on the Internet has a mechanism through which the doctor goes to a website and checks out information on a particular drug. This will catch on in India as well.

“Apart from e-detailing, even patient support programmes can use the digital medium effectively. There will be a time when we will be able to send ‘compliance’ messages on mobile phones. For instance, diabetics who don’t take their medicines regularly will be sent SMS reminders.”

‘PR industry sees tremendous growth’

Andrew Goldman, Vice-President - Communications, Philips Consumer Electronics, has told exchange4media, “It looks like the public relations industry has grown here (in India) tremendously. It clearly started with multinational organisations coming in, but now the media landscape is changing very quickly and it represents a lot of opportunity. It is a good channel of communication.

“There is a lot of strategic value to the public relations function and it is not just about press releases. There are a lot of other activities revolving around PR. I don’t know much about India, but studies done recently in Europe and the US indicate that consumers tend to rely on things like word of mouth and recommendations from colleagues, and a lot of this can be achieved through PR.”

Big opportunity for India’s dotcoms

Are the US Internet companies inching into a situation where there would be an opportunity for countries like India to create another Google? Does India meet all the requirements? What steps should India take?

“It’s time for an Indian rival to Google,” write G Anandalingam and Chris Dellarocas of the Robert H Smith School of Business, University of Maryland, in The Economic Times.

“Before we know it, India can capture a respectable slice of the global search market, and perhaps even become a significant player in the e-Business marketplace,” they say. “Of course, the Indian government needs to not only articulate a crisp and credible policy of protecting user-privacy, but also ensure that any politician meddling with these privacy laws will pay severe penalties.

“In the 20th century, Switzerland was able to successfully leverage its neutrality and build a world-class banking industry around the concept of bank secrecy. In the beginning of the 21st century, a similar opportunity exists around the concept of Internet privacy.”

Coming from global experts, these words indicate the immense potential of India’s communications industry. It is time India showcases its strengths more aggressively while effecting the desired policy changes.