How GSK spun the media

Jack Flack writes on his blog about how drug company GlaxoSmithKline used its public relations might to spin a story.

Flack writes, “But GSK seemed to get that new plot point last night, when it announced it would curb its sales rep incentives and stop paying doctors to give speeches and attend conferences.  The announcement made GSK the first major pharma to shift away from those long-time, often-criticized industry practices.

“The timing was essential to the news value of the story.  By moving first in the industry, GSK is generally getting credit in today’s coverage for showing leadership among its competitors, many of whom will likely soon follow.  The practices being ended are not only highly criticized by the public, but also have become increasingly ineffective as marketing tools, giving pharmas less and less reason to stick with them.

“From a spin perspective, GSK did not waste the opportunity, maximizing the news value of the story by apparently brokering a shared exclusive between the NYT’s Katie Thomas and the FT’s Andrew Jack.  Both reporters got to interview CEO Andrew Witty for stories seemingly embargoed for midnight GMT, though the FT’s time-stamp shows they couldn’t resist jumping a minute early.

“Exclusives usually provide two benefits to a company breaking news.  First, exclusives ensure the story will be played loud and large in the selected media outlet, which will naturally seek to give prominence to its ‘scoop.'”

Read more here.