Pharmaceutical companies sick from bad PR

Pharmaceutical companies sick from bad PR
By Annie Bowen

We’ve all seen them – clever and compelling advertisements in magazines, on television and online about the latest medicine for diseases like fibromyalgia, restless leg syndrome and numerous others. Despite these well-crafted commercials, however, the pharmaceutical companies that research, manufacture and promote these drugs are currently struggling with some very bad public relations issues. In essence, pharmaceutical companies are facing negative press because they are seen as untrustworthy, giant corporations that hide significant health risks and invent illnesses in the quest for more profit.

First, it is important to note that by “currently” I am referring to roughly the last five years, and that unfavorable public relations issues for pharmaceutical companies have been occurring steadily over the years. The issues that pharmaceutical companies face can be, for the most part, divided into two categories. The first is when drugs that are successful at preventing/combating an illness are then linked to potentially causing other health issues, such as increasing risk of heart attack. The second is when drugs are marketed for certain illnesses that some physicians and experts believe do not truly exist.

In 2004 Pfizer’s arthritis drug Celebrex, although advertised as one of the safest drugs on the market, was said to present an increased risk for heart attack. As well, in September of the same year, it was reported that Merck’s Vioxx posed similar heart attack and stroke risks.

Findings such as these cause many problems for the pharmaceutical companies. For one, trust in the company is drastically lessened. In the case of Pfizer, investigations suggest that the company did not attempt to study the drug thoroughly enough to find the cardiovascular risks before it was released. In fact, Pfizer has even been accused of failing to publicize important study data on the drug. In addition to the decrease in trust, Merck faced billions of dollars in legal liabilities and a decrease in its stock price because of bad press about its drug.

More recently, the New York Times ran a story that covered another drug controversy involving Pfizer. This time, its drug Lyrica was criticized because it is advertised to treat fibromyalgia, a condition that supposedly causes chronic pain. Some doctors and medical experts, however, do not believe that fibromyalgia is even a legitimate disease.

So, what public relations lessons can we learn from all this? First and foremost, pharmaceutical companies must understand that their primary asset is trust. Doctors must trust the company and its products in order to prescribe them, and the public must trust so that they will be comfortable if and when their doctor does prescribe these drugs. When stories are being published that your organization withheld important safety concerns, this significantly impacts the level of trust; and as we all know, trust is something that cannot easily be regained once lost.

Second, I think that pharmaceutical companies must be proactive in combating the image that they are solely aimed at boosting their stock price and/or gaining profit. Community and non-profit involvement, such as donating medication to local shelters and overseas efforts, would help the public to look more favorably upon the companies.

These same principles apply, generally, to our client "OU Nightly." Credibility is of large importance for news programs, since the audience must trust that the news being covered is done accurately and fairly. Second, partnering with non-profit organizations helps to foster an image of being involved in the community, which is crucial for news programs so that they become relevant to the community in which they operate.

Want to read more?

Pfizer's Celebrex could face PR problems
Pfizer's Funk

Image located at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vioxx

Da Boys

Lark Rayburn
Blog 3

As my last semester as a student at OU comes to an end, I began reflecting on the past four in a half years. You know, it’s amazing how much someone can mature in that amount of time! For example, my freshman year of college I didn’t have a job, I was an active sorority member, an accounting major, and I definitely had no interest in football. Now, a little less than five years later I have a job, I am an inactive sorority member, a public relations major, and I LOVE college and NFL football! I don’t know when or why I became interested in football, but whatever it was, I’m glad it happened.

I grew up living about 20 minutes away from Dallas, which of course is home to the Dallas Cowboys. Regardless if it was something I enjoyed or didn’t enjoy, every Cowboys game that was televised, my family watched. So, I am sure that in between then and now I developed a liking for the game, and the team.

For now though, I will continue to work at my current job, Here I Grow Child Development Center as the Human Relations Administrator at a Child Development Center. During this time I plan on saving up some money and searching for a job that gets me one step closer to working for the Cowboys. Not to mention, I wouldn't mind working in the stadium they are building for the Dallas Cowboys in Arlington. Talk about AMAZING!!

(For some reason my computer would bold the words, but wouldn't let me add a URL. When I clicked on the graphic that looks like a broken chain a blank box comes up, but it doesn't show any words or anything.
So, instead of the links on the words, I am going to type them below:
OU: ou.edu
NFL: nfl.com
Dallas: www.dallascityhall.com
Dallas Cowboys: www.dallascowboys.com
Here I Grow Child Development Center: www.trinitynorman.org
Stadium: www.stadium.dallascowboys.com

William Scheihing's Guide to Design

Group work is something that people either love or hate. Usually it is the people doing all the work that hate it, and those who put in the minimal effort tend to favor it. Regardless, sometime in a college atmosphere you will be put into groups and assigned work which you may or may not know how to do.

In this class, the groups were assigned and the tasks were assigned within the groups. One of my responsibilities was to design. At first, this seemed like a daunting task. I don’t have much experience in design, except for the required publication course. Of course the first thing I did was get on the InDesign program and then proceeded to stare blankly at the screen hoping inspiration would strike at some point. After I wasted an hour of my time that I will never get back, I started to remember some of the things they mentioned in the publication class.

So I will list some of these tips that helped me create instead of just sitting. One of the first things I did was get out a piece of scratch paper and started doodling. I just drew everything that came to mind. The results may not be amazing but at least the ball is rolling.

The next step I took was looking at other publications for inspiration. The internet makes looking at publication examples incredibly simple. I found the good, the bad, and the ugly examples of desktop publishing/creating.

After I found some examples I went back to my scratch paper and continued to draw. I finally found something I thought would fit our group well and thirty minutes later it was completed and printed.

Life and especially this class require time management. My strategy might not work for everyone, but it might just save you hours of time in Gaylord.

Here are some web sites I recommend for digital inspiration:

http://www.logodesignpros.com

http://www.logmagic.com

http://www.desktoppub.about.com

Children and Families

Lark Rayburn
Blog 2

Children and Families

I’m a member of Team Heroes, the BEST group ever!! Our client this semester is the Center for Children and Families, Inc. (CCFI), a non-profit organization which has worked on improving the lives of children and families for almost 40 years. Established in 1969 as a juvenile shelter Juvenile Services Inc. (JSI), has continued to adapt to the needs of its community. The mission of this organization is to improve the lives of children through partnerships with families and communities, because every boy and girl deserves to grow up safe, nurtured and loved.

CCFI, a partnership with United Way, is Norman’s safe place for families in distress, an education and rehabilitation hub for parents and children in crisis, and an invaluable source of expertise in family development and neglect and abuse issues. In 2006, the organization assisted 9,624 Cleveland County residents.

The Center has four programs including Divorce Visitation Arbitration, Neighborhood Centers, Teenage Parenting and Parents Assistance.

Although CCFI has many beneficial things to offer, the organization has received little recognition. Because of this, CCFI desires to get the organization’s name out and interest the community in visiting CCFI and take a 50 minute tour to learn more about the organization’s programs, operations and goals.

Our group is planning on holding a media event which would inform the public about CCFI’s services, programs, volunteer opportunities and facility. We ultimately want CCFI to be a household name.

This opportunity seems overwhelming, but I know this will be an extremely practical and rewarding experience.

Sports Information Director

John Cook
Blog 3

My dream job is working as a sports information director (SID) for a NCAA Division 1 school. SIDs are in control of the image of the sports programs, the publications that the programs produce in every sport, organizing the media, and also organizing almost everything on game days that involves the media. This job will keep me busy and a public relations (PR) degree will fit in perfect for this career.


Crisis management is a big part of being a good SID. Think ‘Rhett Bomar.” After my experience this year in PR Campaigns I feel like a seasoned veteran when it comes to crisis management. There are other lessons taught in campaigns that will help as I move forward into this field as well. Ethics is another area that we focus on in PR that is crucial. As the voice of the athletic department you can only report what you know and only after you find the truth. There is no reason to report on unfounded rumors or answer questions from the media that you may not have all the facts about at that point.


These are just a couple areas that PR has helped me prepare for my dream job. Unfortunately becoming a SID at a major school is very difficult. There are only 119 schools in Division I football, so there is a very limited amount of jobs available at that level. Only the best SIDs get a chance at schools like OU, Texas, USC and other big time schools. I will continue to work on my goals as I move forward and hopefully I will be the OU SID down the road. I will probably end up at a small school before I make the big leap!

Livin' the Dream in the Big Dub

My dream job in public relations is a little off the beaten path. I have in fact, been called a nerd because of my choice. I don’t dream about working in Hollywood as an agent or representing spoiled athletes or being an event coordinator to the stars. No, my dream job is working as the press secretary for the President of the United States. I was sixteen when I first discovered what I wanted to do when I graduated, and my enlightenment came from the TV show “The West Wing.” As an avid amateur politico that had been weaned on the Nightly News with Tom Brokaw, I was immediately drawn to the fast paced world of the President’s executive office. It was also quickly apparent to me that in the boy’s club of the show, I had found a role model in C. J. Cregg, played by Alison Janney. Cregg was smart, funny, and sarcastic, all things I wanted to be. And what a job! She was the gate-keeper to the American people. Later on in the show, they showed what Cregg had been doing before she went to work for the president. She apparently worked for one of the biggest public relations firms in Los Angeles as a promoter for movies. That’s when I knew that I should major in PR when I finally got to college.
In pursuit of my goal, I have tacked on a political science minor and have gotten involved in political campaigns. I am currently volunteering for Senator Andrew Rice in his bid for US Senator against incumbent Senator Imhoff, who once stated that global warming was the “biggest hoax perpetrated against the American people. I wish I was joking on that one, but it actually happened. I am also a member of the street team for Rock the Vote. I’m not sure if I’m on the right path to my dream job, and I know that I’m going to need a Democratic president to work for, but look out for me any way in a few years. I may just be getting mocked on Saturday Night Live, like my poor friend Dubbya.

Investor Relations - Technical Communications

-Joshua M. Jones

What to do after graduation...hmmm. Well, I'm in debt to a University and a Fraternity, a couple of parents, and and a couple of banks. So I should probably get a little income going on soon. I have been in school for 5 years now, so do I have the energy in me for law school...eh. Do I want a master's degree...can't conceive it. So let's graduate, with a plan.

I first learned about Investor Relations about two years ago when I interned for a company caller IR Partners Inc. They published a website called Firestocks.com...now defunct. It was an independent company that did IR work for about 12 other companies. So now your asking what IR work is? I defer to wikipedia for an understandable summary.

Basically, IRO's (Investor Relations Officers) serve two purposes depending on the need of the organization. They can play a disclosure-publication based role, where they craft the annual report, keep the SEC (Securities & Exchange Commision) informed of the fiscal status of the organization, and communicate the feelings of the investment community with management (ie. salty stockholders.)

The other role that IR can play is much more strategic and interesting to me. This is talented skills-based role, associated with raising capitol (money) and making strategic moves to help put an organization in a better financial position. Simply put, when a smaller company wants to raise capitol for a new division, plant, subsidiary, or opportunity in general, but they don't want to sell more shares of their stock, the IRO comes in and puts upper-management and the investment banking community in a room together, to put lots of financial options on the table. The IRO makes it happen, arranges the business trips, the meetings, and talks directly with the CEO.

So you say, Josh that's a pretty bold goal, I mean that's going take some time and effort, right?

Yes, but I have a plan that I'll share with you all now. I'm going to be working for a company that has a market-cap of at least $250 million, (relative worth of company.) I want to work for a large company, but not massive by today's standards. I will be working under the IRO doing all the grunt work no matter if that involves setting tables for meetings, getting coffee, and scheduling golf outtings. I will be doing this for at least three years, while I'm getting my C.F.A. (Chartered Financial Analyst.)

This is a three-year self-taught course that involves three levels of exams and let's just say they're more than tough. But, I will be learning the subject matter through my work as well, so I know I can do it. Once I achieve this, I will be looking for a promotion. Hopefully, I will continue my work and be qualified to become an IRO, then I will be able to market myself with experience and merit.

In the long-term I would like to start my own IR firm that takes on companies as clients. We would handle the IR. So we would bring our skills, contacts, and resources to the table to achieve the most lucrative solution possible for your organization.

Bonus vocabulary with links!

NIRI - The National Investor Relations Institute. This organization certifies IR professionals and requires them to sign a code of ethics.

Sarbanes-Oxley Act - In 2002 IR became much more critical with the adoption of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, because it required all companies to provide more transparency in their fiscal activity, this is monitored by the SEC.