MGT502 Business Communication: Alphapharm's Digital Strategy

This report outlines a strategic digital communication plan for Alphapharm, an Australian pharmaceutical company. It emphasizes the importance of online communication, essential communication skills for pharmacy technicians, and the need for an effective communication plan. The plan includes market intelligence, setting goals and objectives, defining audiences, developing tactics across various channels (print, radio, television, online advertising, social media), and measurement and evaluation methods. The report highlights the necessity of understanding the company's position relative to competitors and utilizing digital technologies to communicate strategic objectives effectively. It concludes that a well-implemented communication plan is crucial for Alphapharm's success, enabling effective resource allocation and achievement of corporate goals. Desklib provides access to this report and other study resources for students.

Running head: BUSINESS COMMUNICATION
Business Communication
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Table of Contents
Introduction:....................................................................................................................................2
Constraints and implications:..........................................................................................................2
Communication skills essential for the pharmacy techs in this regard:...........................................3
Importance of online communications in this particular regard:.....................................................3
Importance of an effective communications plan:...........................................................................3
Aspects of the communication plan:................................................................................................4
Market Intelligence:.....................................................................................................................4
Setting goals and objectives:.......................................................................................................5
Defining audiences:.....................................................................................................................5
Developing tactics:......................................................................................................................6
Measurement and evaluation:......................................................................................................7
Conclusion:......................................................................................................................................7
References:......................................................................................................................................9

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Introduction:
The institutional image of the Pharmaceutical Companies in addition to their association
assumes a particular significance. The target of an increased attention of the media, it is
necessary for the sector to open to the outside world, either due to the public awareness of what
the activity involves, either to the self defence or by other methods (Dogramatzis, 2015). It is
also possible by the responsible demonstration of the facts as well as the indicators which can
possibly highlight the contributions of the Pharmaceutical Industry for the welfare of the citizens.
The chosen Australian organisation for this particular case study is Alphapharm. The particular
study aims to provide a suitable communication strategy for the company by the utilization of
digital sources. This is particularly necessary as the impact of these procedures is crucial for the
development of the industry as a whole.
Constraints and implications:
The medicinal products comprise a fundamental instrument of the development of the
society and at that particular time, there is an essential piece in the balance of the control of the
society. In this connection it can be said that health communication has emerged as a critical
strategic component of the pharmaceutical as well as the health care marketing. The use of the
integrated communication strategies for informing and influencing the individual and community
decisions concerning the health are of prime importance. The concept of health communication
connects the fields of marketing communication and health care and is being increasingly
recognized as a crucial element of marketing efforts for the improvement of personal and also
public health (Coombs, 2014).

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Communication skills essential for the pharmacy techs in this regard:
A crucial aspect of any pharmaceutical company specifically for a pharmaceutical
company like Alphapharm which supplies all valuable products like generic medicines and other
medical supplies, is their pharmacy technicians. Therefore with regard to the strategic
communications plan it can be stated that, they need to be aware of ways of administering
medicine, the information on the dosage levels and side effects of medication as well as
insurance coverage. Therefore the company needs more and more technicians with sound
training and proper skills for managing patients (Freifeld et al., 2014).
Importance of online communications in this particular regard:
The trend of internet as well as online solution is much more obvious in the aspects of
healthcare and pharmaceutical communication. This can be considered to be convenient because
the members of the market are open to such online solutions but the absence of experience is
responsible for a high distrust level (Mehralian et al., 2012). Due to this the company in this case
has to provide proper solutions with the building of online communication strategies and assist
their respective clients to utilize the online channels and digital marketing solutions effectively.
At the time of considering policies for the purposes of sales and communication, the choice of
format and content is crucial for integrated elements of a suitable comprehensive strategy
(DiMasi, Grabowski & Hansen, 2016).
Importance of an effective communications plan:
A communication plan is crucial for focus and structure to the different aspects of the
communications of the company. There are several elements of an effective communications
plan by the use of digital technologies and its implementation. The management of

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communications in the pharmaceutical industry was simple before the advent of technologies.
There was only the existence of a handful of the trade publications and no Internet, websites or
social media. A strategic plan provides focus and structure to the communications and facilitates
the understanding of how the innumerable pieces require interaction. A plan has the power to
make the communications much more efficient, effective and productive.
Aspects of the communication plan:
The crucial aspects of the communication plan are discussed in connection to this
particular case of Alphapharm Company as follows:
Market Intelligence:
The best place to begin with the strategic communication plan is to understand the
position of the company chosen with respect to the competitors in the industry. This is termed to
be the market intelligence with respect to the company. The most important is starting with a
proper audit of the communications which are being presented by each of the crucial
competitors. This needs to coincide with the communication materials and the activities
(Andreani et al., 2014).
It is desirable that the messages which are written are consistent in the public relations, in
the blog and also in the particular annual report. It should also be relevant in the sales
presentations where the levels are clearly shown, The annual reports of the Alphapharm
company needs to be studied properly and the strategies for bettering the communication need to
be clearly stated in the social media. It is desirable to include focus groups or interviews with the
representatives of all the audiences and this helps in the development of the relevant goals and
objectives.

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Setting goals and objectives:
In case of market research it often happens that the information on the strategic goals and
objectives for communication are found from the research reports themselves. In case a new
need for marketing is discovered for Alphapharm it is to be utilized as a marketing initiative for
the company which requires the support of communications. At the present time of technological
advancement, the digital technologies are most valuable in making the competitors as well as
customers understand about the company’s strategic objectives.
The digital communications help in the understanding of the points on which the
company needs to prosper. Therefore based on the strategies and objectives which the
Alphapharm Company has achieved in the past, the digital plan can be made to ensure the
customer base is aware of the facilities and suitable options which it is ready to provide to its
competitors. This includes all crucial aspects including the budget and the methods of
communication to the target customers by blogs and other methods of online communication
(Lidstone & MacLennan, 2017).
Defining audiences:
Instead of making slow progress by considering the audience as individuals who only buy
the products or services which they sell it is crucial to understand and accept the audiences and
the customers as key leaders of opinion as well as that of secondary buying influences
(Mehralian et al., 2014). The secondary buying influences, the potential employees, the local
community and the press are all responsible for the success of the strategic communication plan
of the Alphapharm company. In case all the stakeholders of Alphapharm have a proper idea
regarding the core message behind the marketing and communications plan of the company it
can help in achieving the corportate importance of the firm. In order to ensure that the different

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stakeholders are aware and have a secure understanding of the core marketing and
communications of the industry, websites and proper official tweets can be utilized (Toole,
2012).
Developing tactics:
The development of tactics are another crucial and effective method of communication
for the company which need to be achieved by utilizing the modern era perks of advertising and
social media to reach broader and narrowly defined niche audiences. However it the present era
it is not sufficient to describe the audiences and their interests, the appropriate communications
channel needs to be utilized to reach a particular audience (Mackey & Liang, 2013).
One of the methods earlier used and very popular comprised that of the print advertising.
This has been losing ground due to the new media. Nevertheless its importance in the
communication plan cannot be denied. The different methods by which the advertising can reach
a niche audience is as follows:
1. Print advertising
2. Radio
3. Television’
4. Outdoor transits
5. Online advertising (mobile, email, banner, advertisements, blogs, newsletters)
6. Search engine optimisation
7. Content marketing
8. Social media (facebook, twitter, linkedin, google+ etc)
9. Presentations of sales

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10. Sales support materials
11. Public relations’
12. trade shows
13. special events
14. corporate philanthropy
It needs to be checked that the value of the integration of communications across the
channels can never be ignored. In order to get better results from the content posted, it is
desirable to be offer the webinar host as an interview which is subject to the key industry
publications.
Measurement and evaluation:
This is a significant part of the communication and the effectiveness of initiatives as all
goals are not easy to follow or implement. Therefore after a plan has been made it needs to be
ensured that plans which have been formulated for implementation are genuine and effective. In
case the goals are dependent on the changes in the environment of the company or the awareness
and perception, there need to be implemented tools for the measurement of the said differences
(Zhang et al., 2013).
Conclusion:
The development of a comprehensive plan for effective and strategic communication and
its proper implementation requires that all the valuable information and resources be taken into
consideration. The complete formation of the plan and the effective understanding is not an easy
task, especially for such a multinational and huge pharmaceutical company like Alphapharm. It

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can however be said that by the effective evaluation of the strategies and tactics for taking the
company to a suitable place the most effective use can be made of the communications budget.

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References:
Andreani, J. C., Rokka, J., Moulins, J. L., & Conchon, F. (2014). Digital marketing effects and
synergy in IMC-insights from the pharmaceutical industry. Acedido a, 20.
(Accessed from http://www.marketing-trends-congress.com/archives/2014/pages/PDF/018.pdf)
Coombs, W. T. (2014). Ongoing crisis communication: Planning, managing, and responding.
Sage Publications.
(accessed from https://books.google.co.in/books?
hl=en&lr=&id=CkkXBAAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PR1&dq=Coombs,+W.+T.+(2014).
+Ongoing+crisis+communication:+Planning,+managing,+and+responding.
+Sage+Publications.&ots=NHw8-
hmlci&sig=V3W6fkgTEIgt8Ygzn2P3S4m7RLw#v=onepage&q=Coombs%2C%20W.
%20T.%20(2014).%20Ongoing%20crisis%20communication%3A%20Planning%2C
%20managing%2C%20and%20responding.%20Sage%20Publications.&f=false)
DiMasi, J. A., Grabowski, H. G., & Hansen, R. W. (2016). Innovation in the pharmaceutical
industry: new estimates of R&D costs. Journal of health economics, 47, 20-33.
(accessed from https://dukespace.lib.duke.edu/dspace/bitstream/handle/10161/12742/DiMasi-
Grabowski-Hansen-RnD-JHE-2016.pdf?sequence=1)
Dogramatzis, D. (2015). Pharmaceutical marketing: a practical guide. CRC Press.
(accessed from https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/9781420025989)

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Freifeld, C. C., Brownstein, J. S., Menone, C. M., Bao, W., Filice, R., Kass-Hout, T., &
Dasgupta, N. (2014). Digital drug safety surveillance: monitoring pharmaceutical
products in twitter. Drug safety, 37(5), 343-350.
( accessed from https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40264-014-0155-x)
Lidstone, J., & MacLennan, J. (2017). Marketing planning for the pharmaceutical industry.
Routledge.
(accessed from https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/9781351919760)
Mackey, T. K., & Liang, B. A. (2013). Pharmaceutical digital marketing and governance: illicit
actors and challenges to global patient safety and public health. Globalization and
health, 9(1), 45.
(accessed from https://globalizationandhealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1744-8603-9-
45)
Mehralian, G., A. Nazari, J., Akhavan, P., & Reza Rasekh, H. (2014). Exploring the relationship
between the knowledge creation process and intellectual capital in the pharmaceutical
industry. The Learning Organization, 21(4), 258-273.
(accessed from https://www.emeraldinsight.com/doi/abs/10.1108/TLO-07-2013-0032)
Mehralian, G., Rajabzadeh, A., Reza Sadeh, M., & Reza Rasekh, H. (2012). Intellectual capital
and corporate performance in Iranian pharmaceutical industry. Journal of Intellectual
Capital, 13(1), 138-158.
(accessed from https://www.emeraldinsight.com/doi/abs/10.1108/14691931211196259)

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Toole, A. A. (2012). The impact of public basic research on industrial innovation: Evidence from
the pharmaceutical industry. Research Policy, 41(1), 1-12.
(accessed from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S004873331100117X)
Zhang, M., S. Pawar, K., Shah, J., & Mehta, P. (2013). Evaluating outsourcing partners'
capability: a case study from the pharmaceutical supply chain. Journal of Manufacturing
Technology Management, 24(8), 1080-1101.
(accessed from https://www.emeraldinsight.com/doi/abs/10.1108/JMTM-02-2012-0023)