Celebrating comms excellence

While sounding like an obvious statement, strategic planning is pivotal in shaping long-term success. However, given the lack of rigour and time it is sometimes given, perhaps it is not so obvious. It can be argued many in our industry succeed despite their strategy, not because of it.

A helpful way to think of strategy is, as Lawrence Freedman defines it in his epic Strategy: A History, ‘getting more out of a situation than the starting balance of power would suggest’. Considering our world with this definition demonstrates how robust strategic planning can significantly influence market penetration, educational improvements, competitive differentiation and patient outcomes.

Despite widespread acknowledgement of its importance, many companies still approach strategic planning inconsistently. One of the core challenges lies in our industry’s inherent complexity. From drug development cycles to stringent regulatory requirements, we operate in environments where uncertainty is the norm. Given this, we may say we recognise the crucial importance of competitive positioning, thorough market analysis, customer segmentation and a clear value proposition. Yet, many teams fail to conduct the rigorous, data-driven evaluations necessary to adapt swiftly to changing market dynamics.

Flexibility is essential in environments we operate in, characterised by ongoing shifts in technology, professional stress and patient needs. This means devising not only a formal plan but also implementing learning mechanisms to adapt quickly. Unfortunately, because strategic planning is often viewed as a one-time annual exercise, it does not continually evolve with real-world developments, leading to missed opportunities, underutilised resources and suboptimal decision-making.

Done well, strategic planning can have a profound impact. Well-formulated strategies:

• Optimise product portfolios
• Target the right patient populations
• Align cross-functional teams around shared objectives.

Chris Hall is Strategy Director at Aurora Healthcare Communications