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A high-profile interview with Merck’s CEO would have been impossible a few years ago. But in March, Robert Davis Appeared He appeared on CNBC’s “Mad Money” to discuss the company’s latest FDA approval with host Jim Cramer, in which one expert called the drug, Winlevea, “a breakthrough treatment and a potential blockbuster.” “Paradigm Shift” The drug was approved for the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension. The approval also underscores the wisdom of Merck’s $11.5 billion investment in 2021. Acceleron AcquisitionWinrevair was also a member.
It makes sense to trumpet big wins, but it’s not often that CEOs of big pharmaceutical companies go before the public to tout new approvals.
“Honestly, he probably shouldn’t have been on Cramer’s show,” said Crystal Downing, executive vice president and chief communications and public affairs officer at Merck. “I really had to help him understand and make the case, frankly, for the business reason why it was important for him, as a leader and the lead spokesperson for the company, to share information on a regular, timely and appropriate basis.”
Since joining Merck in 2021, Downing has been at the center of an effort to revamp and in some ways revolutionize the company’s communications, upending the status quo of pharma muzzling and ushering in a “new era” of openness, transparency and “open communication.”
“This was a new muscle that I had to build for the company and help the company stretch it and continue to use it,” she said.
Downing comes to the company from Johnson & Johnson, where she was vice president of communications and public affairs for medical devices, and Merck’s public relations approach is similar to that of other big pharmaceutical companies.
“They were very quiet, very private and very concerned about saying too much, too soon. They didn’t want to share proprietary information,” she said. “They were serious about science and innovation and truly believed that it was clear to all external stakeholders what they were doing, how they were doing it and when they were doing it.”
Of course, that’s not necessarily the case. Big Pharma, especially, Negative public perceptionDespite creating life-saving medicines.
“We live in an era where we are constantly scrutinized, criticized and sometimes vilified,” Downing said.
Changing the narrative
Even after COVID-19 vaccines were developed and deployed with astonishing speed, it didn’t take long for public opinion to shift back to negative debate over the vaccine. High drug costs Challenges regarding access to medicines.
But if that were the only story, it would be the dominant one. That’s why Downing and her team are telling a different story, using what she calls the “CARE” model, to show that Merck is “genuinely helping to save and improve lives and advance global health.”
CARE means “connecting” with your audience, “aligning” your message, “reinforcing” and repeating your company’s positive impact, and “engaging” with a clear, cohesive and compelling real-world story.
“That was a new muscle that I had to build for the company and help the company stretch it and keep using it.”
Crystal Downing
Executive Vice President, Chief Communications and Public Affairs Officer, Merck
“Our goal is to actually break down what we do into small pieces that stakeholders can understand,” she said. “We keep them informed of what we did, why we did it, how we did it, what the positive impact was, and then we share the results.”
Downing also has guiding principles for shaping the company’s communications strategy, including the need to “protect, defend and enhance” Merck’s reputation and a focus on the company’s “vision, values and tone.”
Under Downing’s leadership, Merck has become more open about sharing good news when it has updates to be proud of, such as Davis’ all-out effort after Winlevere’s approval.
She told the CEO, “You’re going to be on CNBC. Bloomberg“We’re actually going to be doing some releases, we’re going to be doing some embargoes,” she said, “and all of this is something we’ve never done before.”
But it also means learning to speak up when the company needs to defend itself and “getting used to riding the wave of new cycles.”
Downing said Merck First company To File a lawsuit It was clear to Downing that the company would receive negative publicity for such a “lightning rod” issue, but she and her PR team guided Merck’s response, “making sure that reporters and the media were all informed and understood our perspective, because that’s what we want.”
“If you’re going to report it, report it accurately,” Downing said.
So far, it’s hard to measure the success of Merck’s communications strategy: As Downing noted, the company is “not a cost center.”
“It may not have an income statement or a revenue target, but it is certainly a truly strategic value driver for both the company and its stakeholders,” she said.
Rather, trust, recognition and understanding are all important measures of success, and Downing is convinced that clear and open communication is the driver for that for the pharmaceutical industry — and that it’s worked well for Merck.
“Looking at the list we’ve had, the most Sustainable (Pharmaceutical) companies, most Praised Company, to the maximum extent just “We have found that our stakeholder community is responding positively to what we’re sharing,” she said.
