Cosmo Report

Leveraging “Media Analysis” for Successful PR Strategies

2024年11月15日 Cosmo Report, Cosmo Strategy, Cosmo Survey

Recognizing environmental changes, understanding opinion trends, and capturing feedback for your business

Disseminating information via the media remains a central pillar of corporate PR activities. However, with the rise of the internet and social media, the different types of information we now encounter diversified significantly. Besides increased online media presence, personal opinions and anonymous posts on social media often gain traction through media coverage, in turn influencing public opinion. So amid all these changes, how should corporate PR departments best go about approaching “media”?

In this newsletter, we explore the theme of “media analysis,” a crucial element when planning any PR activity. Using an example from COSMO’s own work, we will explore what exactly media analysis is, what it can achieve, and the steps you can take to ensure that it is effectively integrated into your own PR strategies.

What do we mean by “Media Analysis”?

Creating any media analysis requires defining a theme, target media, timeline, and analytical focus. However, the most critical factor is ensuring that the analysis also speaks to the company’s priorities and objectives.

There are typically three main approaches when conducting media analyses:

Quantitative Analysis
This measures how a specific topic is covered in the media and tracks trends in the number of mentions. It allows for competitor comparisons, topic-based article analysis, and characterization of media outlets. Article size can also be converted into equivalent advertising costs. Online media coverage and social media impressions on platforms such as X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube can also be analyzed.

Qualitative Analysis
This focuses on the tone of articles, categorizing them as positive, neutral, or negative.

Combined Quantitative and Qualitative Analysis
This approach merges both methods to analyze changes in tone by topic.

COSMO’s Lung Cancer Media Analysis

Let’s look at an example with COSMO PR’s “Press Analysis Report – Lung Cancer,” published in November 2024. Using “Nikkei Telecom” as our database, we analyzed media coverage during August 1-31, 2024 on “lung cancer” across approximately 500 outlets, including newspapers, magazines, and industry journals. A total of 180 articles were identified.

Topic analysis of these articles revealed eight key topics, with the highest number of articles focusing on patients and treatments/devices. Analysis also highlighted distinct reporting trends by media category. For example, trade publications tended to focus on product approvals and development, while general newspapers covered more patient-centered topics. Additionally, comparing the company names mentioned showed that 22 companies were cited during the selected period, with a significant number of articles mentioning Daiichi Sankyo Co., Ltd.

Using these findings to review articles by category and company enabled us to not only understand market trends, but also which media outlets are most likely to report on specific topics. In this example the analysis focused on a single month, but media monitoring and analysis should ideally be conducted continuously, as tracking trends over time yields deeper insights.

Tailoring the Analysis to Your Business Needs

Press analysis frameworks can be customized based on each client’s PR objectives, with tailored themes, target media, monitoring periods, and analytical axes. This allows for a detailed analysis specific to your company’s products and services, with findings that offer actionable feedback for crafting effective PR strategies.

In addition to tracking how much coverage your company’s news generates, media analysis can also address questions such as:

Are your key messages being properly conveyed to the target audience?
What factors might be preventing them from reaching the audience?
How does the media view your company’s strengths and weaknesses compared to competitors?
What specific aspects of your company is the media praising or criticizing?
What topics trigger strong media reactions, and why?
How is your company and its products perceived on social media?
Can you more quickly identify changes in public opinion, the social environment and the business environment surrounding your company?

Corporate PR encompasses a variety of challenges. By aligning these challenges with a custom-made media analysis and examining the results, you can equip yourself with valuable insights.

What is “Stakeholder Monitoring”?

Companies are supported by and influence a range of stakeholders in their operations. “Stakeholder monitoring” is a method for tracking key stakeholders’ trends and statements through news and social media, helping inform PR and public affairs activities.

This involves setting search keywords, similar to news analysis, to extract the activities and statements of target stakeholders from media and social media. For example, it can identify who spoke about high-cost pharmaceuticals, at what opportunities, and what media covered it. This allows for understanding stakeholders’ “awareness” and “activities” on each topic, providing insights for planning future external actions.

Analyzing the views of stakeholders that may be expressing negative opinions allows us to understand what their current view is, their concerns and which areas must be addressed if we are to shift their opinion. In this way, stakeholder monitoring is a valuable tool for objectively understanding stakeholders’ views based on publicly available information.

Staying True to the Purpose of PR

While media analysis is valuable for planning PR activities, it is also still valuable for evaluating the effectiveness of PR activities and persuading internal stakeholders about the importance of PR. Media analysis can be leveraged in various ways, not only just to track numbers, but also to provide deeper insights by combining quantitative and qualitative analysis and crafting specific analytical axes. Additionally, since analysis is merely a tool, it’s essential to go beyond the numerical results and always return to the true purpose of PR – actively “utilizing” the analysis results.

Making Use of External Support

It’s not necessary to handle the entire media analysis process in-house, from planning and designing to reading results, identifying issues, and developing strategies. If you have limited PR staff, lack the necessary expertise, lack experience in media analysis or wish to approach media analysis from a new perspective, you might consider leveraging the expertise of an external organization.

COSMO PR offers customized “News Monitoring and Analysis Reports” and “Stakeholder Monitoring Reports.” In addition to news sources included in Nikkei Telecom used in the lung cancer medial analysis this time, we can monitor and analyze social media platforms (X, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, TikTok, LINE, etc.). These services not only include monthly periodic reports, but also annual reports that retrospectively analyze past coverage as well. They can be customized to meet a diverse variety of needs, so please feel free to contact us to discuss how they can be applied to your business.

If you would like to receive a copy of COSMO’s “News Analysis Report – Lung Cancer” (published November 2024), or more information about COSMO PR’s media monitoring services, please contact us at info_cosmo@cosmopr.co.jp.

Survey Results: Exploring Strategies for Media and Healthcare Companies in a Post-COVID Era

2024年10月8日 Cosmo Report, Cosmo Survey

Online interviews now a well-established practice with 90% of respondents eager to continue, but face-to-face reporting still holds value

In May 2023, COVID-19 was reclassified as a Class 5 infectious disease under the Infectious Disease Control Law, marking a significant milestone in the post-COVID era. As the pandemic subsides, our daily lives and business activities are gradually returning to normal.

In light of these changes, COSMO PR conducted a second media survey in August 2024, following up on the first media survey in December 2022. This time, the focus was on “media and healthcare companies in a post-COVID era.” Healthcare media professionals were invited to take part in order to understand: 1) what has changed since the previous survey; 2) whether new challenges have emerged; and for the first time, 3) the media’s expectations of pharmaceutical company PR staff and public relations agencies. We received responses from 73 journalists from national newspapers, industry newspapers, and freelancers. In addition to multiple-choice questions, we included a free-response section to capture candid opinions typically not shared.

This newsletter shares a summary of the survey results, including a summary of the free-response opinions. (For details on the survey date and respondents, refer to “Survey Overview” below.)

1. How Information is Communicated

We began by asking respondents the things they don’t like about online seminars (multiple answers allowed).

What do you find inconvenient about online seminars?

As the results indicate, journalists openly voiced their experiences regarding the disadvantages of continued online seminars during the pandemic, reaffirming the importance of face-to-face interviews.

When asked if online methods should remain when face-to-face interviews are possible, the percentage of respondents who agreed that “online information should remain an option” rose to 93% from 87% in the previous survey (December 2022). Furthermore, respondents were asked their preference between face-to-face or online reporting, for both interviews and seminars, and to explain their reasoning.

For interviews, 66% of respondents preferred face-to-face, 4% preferred online, and 30% had no preference. For seminars, 34% preferred in-person attendance, 14% preferred online, and 52% were comfortable with either. While the number of respondents who preferred in-person interviews rose significantly from the previous 40%, the proportion of those who preferred either format remained at 30% for interviews (down from 60% previously) and increased to 52% for seminars (up from 42%).

The number of respondents who chose “either face-to-face or online” increased to 52%, up from 42% in the previous survey.

When we asked those who preferred “either” format to explain why, the true intentions of the journalists became clear. Many expressed that both formats have their advantages and disadvantages, and they appreciated being able to choose the format based on content and schedule. This was consistent with the reasoning provided in the previous question about the continuation of online information. It reflects how journalists find it inconvenient if they were limited to one format, with some voicing that they found it odd when seminars were restricted to in-person attendance only since hybrid-format seminars have become the norm for them.

The reasons given for preferring face-to-face interviews included: “I can ask detailed questions,” “It’s easier to ask follow-up questions,” “I can interrupt to probe deeper,” “I can gain a lot of information from informal chats beyond the main topic,” and “I sometimes find hints on how to cover a topic during casual chats while exchanging business cards after a seminar,” “It’s easier to understand how strongly the interviewee feels about a certain topic.” Others noted it was beneficial for building relationships after interviews, with one respondent saying, “I can arrange appointments after impromptu post-session interviews.”

On the other hand, the most common reason for preferring online interviews was the lack of time and location constraints. Other reasons included: “Online seminars are easier to follow in terms of visibility of materials shared on screen and audio,” “I can share materials on screen, making the content easier to understand,” and “The screen recording feature allows me to review the seminar later, which is very helpful.”

2. Media Expectations of Corporate PR and PR Agencies

Speedy and timely PR responses.

For the first time, this survey also asked the media about their expectations of PR staff at pharmaceutical companies and agencies. First, we asked respondents to select what they considered important in terms of information shared by pharmaceutical companies.

What do you consider to be important information from pharmaceutical companies?

The graph shows that the top three concerns are the effectiveness, reliability, and evidence of the pharmaceutical products. Recent consumer awareness of product safety and security has also grown, and news organizations have shown increased interest in these areas. However, while this graph is beneficial in understanding the overall trend, it is important to note that media interests vary depending on their specific focus. For example, pharmaceutical companies must be creative in providing information to media outlets that are more interested in topics like management and finance, which ranked lower in this survey, or in topics like workstyle, which was not included as a criterion this time.

Next, respondents were asked what they found beneficial in communicating with PR staff from pharmaceutical companies.

What do you consider beneficial when communicating with pharmaceutical company’s PR staff?

As shown in the graph, the top items included “clear explanations,” “speedy responses,” and “knowledge of the company’s products.” These are all basic aspects of information sharing, so it’s not surprising that they were the most common responses.

A number of media said, “I just want them to pick up the phone!”

When asked in a free-response format what could be improved, many respondents said, “I can’t get anyone to answer the phone,” “I wish the press contact number was more accessible on the web,” and “Email inquiries are slow and inefficient.” Journalists also expressed frustration over email-only responses to press releases, saying, “I wish press releases weren’t limited to email,” “I wish phone inquiries were available on days when press releases are released,” and “It would be helpful to have same-day notifications for missed calls.”

The gap between what is considered useful and the areas needing improvement suggests a misalignment between journalists’ expectations and reality. The emphasis on “speedy responses” reflects journalists’ expectations for quick PR feedback. However, the question remains whether the COVID-19 experience has caused pharmaceutical companies to focus on internal priorities, despite efforts to optimize working from home, operational streamlining, and digitalization, leading to a neglect of basic PR practices or a decline in the overall quality of information services. Reflecting on these survey results can provide insight for corporate PR professionals.

Next, we asked respondents about their expectations of PR agency staff. (5)

Although the response options differed from those for corporate PR staff, the top responses – such as “speedy responses” and “clear explanations” – were similar. However, “support with interviews” and “impartial information, including about competitors,” were also noted, indicating that the media expects PR agencies to play a slightly different role than in-house PR teams.

3. Healthcare Topics of Media Interest

Sensitive to trends in the world and the needs of readers.
Leveraging the power of the media to stimulate public interest.

Finally, respondents were asked to select the healthcare topics they are most focused on. (3)

The graph shows the health care topics of interest in the past year, the health care topics of current interest, and the health care topics that will be of interest in the future, arranged by topic, and the changes over time.

Topics of media interest.

Interest in infectious diseases has declined significantly as the COVID-19 pandemic subsides. Similarly, interest in drug loss is expected to taper off as the issue improves. However, cancer treatment and dementia continue to dominate media attention. Gene therapy and healthcare finance are two emerging topics expected to draw more attention in the future.

Media interest reflects broader societal concerns, and topics that gain media attention can shape public discourse. Therefore, it is essential for companies to continuously monitor media interests, listen to the voices of journalists, and understand the needs in information.

We hope this survey provides useful insights with its focus on how the media and businesses can best work together.

Survey Overview
•Survey Title: Media and Healthcare Companies in a Post-COVID Era
•Survey Date: August 27-29, 2024
•Survey Method: Online
•Target Audience: Healthcare journalists
•Valid Responses: 73 (8 national newspapers, 5 news agencies, 1 industry newspaper, 12 trade publications, 21 healthcare professional media, 5 general magazines, 3 TV, 13 web media, 5 others)

＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿
Note: This newsletter is based on an independent survey conducted by COSMO PR. For inquiries, please contact: info_cosmo@cosmopr.co.jp

Online Seminar Report by COSMO Public Relations

2021年12月8日 Cosmo Report, Events

The Impact of COVID-19 on American Life

-Through the Lens of a Leading Global Health Expert-

The COVID-19 pandemic has undoubtedly had a major impact on the daily lives of people around the world. At the COSMO Online Seminar held on November 5, Dr. Dairiku Hozumi, Managing Director of ThinkWell Global, a U.S. think tank specializing in healthcare financing, and Independent Director at COSMO Public Relations Corporation (“COSMO”), was invited to share his thoughts on the current situation in the U.S.

Online Seminar Co-sponsored by Welby and COSMO Public Relations

2021年6月29日 Cosmo Report, Events, Patients

The impact of ePRO on patients’ cancer treatment experience

-Benefits and issues of ePRO as observed in real-word clinical settings-

Cosmo Public Relations (“COSMO”) and Welby, Inc. co-sponsored an online seminar on May 21, 2021 titled: “The impact of ePRO on patients’ cancer treatment experience: the benefits and issues of ePRO as observed in real-world clinical settings.”

The event brought together professionals committed to exploring the use of new digital solutions to improve the treatment experience of patients with cancer, as well as learning about the potential of such tools to strengthen communication between healthcare providers and patients. We learned that:

Online Seminar Co-sponsored by Insights4 Pharma and Cosmo Public Relations

2021年5月19日 Cosmo Report, Cosmo Strategy, Events, Patients

Aligning pharma business objectives with patients’ life goals

-Applying the patient insight approach of drug development to communications-

Healthcare in Japan is undergoing drastic change. To address these shifting trends, COSMO co-hosted an online seminar with global pharmaceutical news media Insights4 Pharma.

The seminar succeeded in spotlighting the crucial role of patient insights, particularly:
• The pursuit of patient insights leads to early detection of disease, prevention of serious illness, improved adherence, and improved healthcare outcomes.
• A solid understanding of patient insights enables the provision of appropriate information to patients, which leads to a positive cycle in which patients are satisfied with their treatment choices and continue their treatment.

COSMO publishes second Patient Insight Report, focusing on women’s cancer

2021年2月10日 Cosmo Report, Cosmo Strategy, Cosmo Survey, Healthcare, Patients

– How patient empowerment affects gynecological and breast cancer patients
– The influence media and patient groups have over patients’ attitudes and behaviors toward treatment

COSMO’s Patient Insight Report series launched in July 2020. The second volume has now been published, this time focusing on women’s cancer.

The report offers quantitative and qualitative insights into how information affects the choices women’s cancer patients make.

It first analyzes attitudes and behaviors toward treatment selection, as observed among patients of the three main gynecological cancers – ovarian, cervical and endometrial, as well as breast cancer. Specifically, it examines how their physicians explain treatment options to them, how and what they research, and their willingness to participate in clinical trials and patient group activities, drawing data from a nationwide online survey conducted in March 2020 of 300 patients affected by ten primary cancer types.

Secondly, the report explores how patient empowerment affects women’s cancer patients and how media coverage and patient groups influence their attitudes and behaviors, based on separately conducted research into empowerment among patient groups and analysis of media coverage for women’s cancer.

Survey results: How should your company communicate with media during a pandemic?

2020年12月25日 Cosmo Report, Cosmo Survey

Journalists in Japan embrace online interviews and want them to continue post-COVID-19, in combination with face-to-face PR to accelerate information sharing.

Drastic changes in the ways in which companies share information with the media in Japan have been accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic. While delivering information online has undoubtedly seen a rapid rise over the past 12 months, there are still some who argue that such channels leave a gap when it comes to giving media what they want.

COSMO decided to find out. We carried out a media survey of fifteen of our closest front-line reporters from the healthcare sector* on “How corporate PR should provide information to the media during the COVID-19 pandemic.”

Conducted from 21 to 23 December, 2020, the results offer first-hand insights into which approaches media find the most suitable, and the topics reporters most want to hear more about.

Read on for a summary of key findings and insights that will help you successfully navigate your corporate PR in 2021 and beyond.

Medinew and COSMO Joint Webinar: What Patients Expect of Pharmaceutical Companies Today; Insights on Appropriate Information Provision

2020年12月9日 Cosmo Report, Cosmo Strategy, Cosmo Survey, Healthcare, Patients

On October 28, COSMO co-hosted a joint webinar with Medinew, a leading medical marketing magazine with a large readership among the pharmaceutical industry. Highlights from the session have now been made available online as a Medinew seminar report (Japanese language only).

Setting out to establish answers to the event’s topic of “What Patients Expect of Pharmaceutical Companies on Appropriate Information Provision Today,” Mr. Yoshiaki Kaneko, CEO of Medinew’s operating company, Pharma Information Network, Inc., opened the webinar with a presentation on “Communication with Patients for Pharmaceuticals Marketing.”

“Promotion efforts have until now focused on improving disease awareness and patient education to increase sales, but due to changes in pharmaceutical companies’ business models and the impact of COVID-19, it is likely that we will see a shift toward more patient-centered promotion in the future. Business areas will also be required to broaden their scope from a focus on product offerings to information service offerings,” said Mr. Kaneko.
Findings and recommendations from COSMO’s “Patient Insight Report”

The next speaker, Tomomi Nagasawa, Managing Director of Cosmo Public Relations Corporation, spoke on the topic of “Patient Awareness and Behavior during Treatment Selection and Prescription: Results of a Survey of 300 Cancer Patients.”

In March this year, COSMO conducted a nationwide online survey of 300 male and female patients across ten major types of cancer in order to gain insights into how cancer patients select treatment options, as well as measuring the behavioral differences among patients with different types of cancers. Patient awareness and perceptions of 19 major pharmaceutical companies were also measured to understand how corporate reputation affects the selection of prescription drugs. The results were compiled and released in July this year under the title of “Patient Insight Report: Cancer.”

Speaking on the decision to undertake such a survey, Ms. Nagasawa explained, “In recent years, treatment options for cancer have increased. [New practices, including] informed consent, in which patients receive explanations from physicians and then decide whether or not to consent; or shared decision-making, where physicians and patients share information on evidence and decide treatment options together, are becoming mainstream. Healthcare is transitioning from a service that patients passively receive from their physician, to one that patients themselves understand and choose.”

Ms. Nagasawa then introduced key findings from the survey. For example, unmet needs when it comes to information may be inferred from the fact that while 80% of patients research treatment options, 30% cannot understand the information and still end up relying on physicians’ explanations.

When selecting prescription medicine, patients are concerned about negative news on drug manufacturers; they research manufacturers of any prescribed medication and assess the company’s reputation. This reveals patients’ desire to proactively select better treatment and implies that the reputation of pharmaceutical companies does affect to some degree patients’ evaluation of treatment options and effectiveness or safety of therapies.

Importantly pharmaceutical companies potentially stand to bridge the gap between healthcare and patients. Supporting patients’ understanding of medical information can help them to positively consent to treatments or actively decide on treatments and thus affect their level of satisfaction toward treatments.

The presentation then concluded with specific recommendations to help pharmaceutical companies fulfill their role of providing information to patients, divided into:

1. Two practical ways pharmaceutical companies can provide easy-to-understand medical information to patients.

2. Three essential elements expected of pharmaceutical companies at all times when developing corporate reputation and communicating messaging.

■ Interested readers who were unable to join the webinar or are interested in reviewing the information introduced may access the full Medinew seminar report available online here, which includes a selection of slides and graphs used during the presentation.

■ Cosmo PR’s Patient Insight Report: Cancer is available for purchase in both Japanese and English language. “The report offers detailed survey results on corporate reputation according to cancer type. It can be used to understand patient perceptions of pharmaceutical companies, including awareness levels and corporate image as manufacturers and distributors of cancer therapies. The report also provides detailed analyses of cancer patients’ thoughts and behaviors that offer valuable reference material for pharmaceutical companies when planning and implementing promotional activities.” – Medinew Japan.
Click here for an overview of the survey and details on how to purchase the report.

We’d like to thank you for your continued interest in Cosmo PR and encourage all our readers to share these links with others who may also find value in them. It is our hope that the webinar discussion, cancer patient survey, and report benefit as many people as possible.

<Topics>

COSMO announces Patient Insight Report at the 12th Japanese Association of Health Communication

The 12th annual conference of the Japanese Association of Health Communication was held online during September 26 – 27. Joining the “Communication with Patients and Families” segment, Cosmo PR offered a presentation on survey results from its Patient Insight Report, under a theme of “Search Behavior of Patients When Selecting Treatment Options and When Medication is Prescribed; Potential Effects of Corporate Reputation on Patients’ Selection Behavior.”

The Acceleration of Digital Health in Japan Amid COVID-19

2020年11月16日 Cosmo Report, Events

-The 1st COSMO Innovation Seminar-

COVID-19 is prompting an acceleration in digital transformation across all sectors. In the healthcare sector, there is growing anticipation for online medical care, app-based treatments, and “digital health”, or health management using digital devices. Regulation prohibiting physicians from providing online medical examinations to first-time patients was lifted in April this year. This was followed in July by the government announcing its Honebuto Plan, in which it stated that it would “develop a scheme to enable patients to receive the entire medical care process online, from medical examinations to receipt of pharmaceutical drugs, by offering electronic prescriptions, online medication guidance, and delivery of pharmaceutical drugs.” This trend of digitalization is only expected to accelerate further.

In recognition of this, COSMO Healthcare held the 1^st COSMO Innovation Seminar on October 30 to further public understanding of digital health. Specialists knowledgeable of the current status and future of digital health in Japan and abroad were invited to join lectures, a speaker panel discussion, and participant Q&A session.

The following report includes an overview of the seminar with selected transcripts. (Please note that Japanese honorifics have been omitted for ease of reading).

Online Survey of 300 Cancer Patients in Japan

2020年8月5日 Cosmo Report, Cosmo Survey, Healthcare, Patients

Online Survey of 300 Cancer Patients in Japan

Real Patient Experiences of Choosing Cancer Treatment Revealed

30% Followed Doctors’ Recommendation Without Sufficient Understanding

TOKYO – July 31, 2020 – In light of the growing number of cancer treatment options now available, COSMO HEALTHCARE has conducted a nationwide online survey of 300 patients across ten major types of cancer in order to gain insight into how informed cancer patients are when deciding on treatment options.

Corporate Relevance:Communications Strategies in the COVID-19 Age

2020年5月22日 Cosmo Report, Healthcare

1. Should we expect a paradigm shift?

Finally we are seeing a flattening of the worldwide COVID-19 curve and lifting of lockdowns across major cities. On May 14, Japan lifted its state of emergency for 39 prefectures. With people and businesses asked to either refrain entirely or severely restrict so many activities during the crisis, we are now entering a new phase of resuming daily life while coexisting with the virus.

Some experts are predicting that the post-COVID-19 world will be accompanied by a transformational paradigm shift, spanning every aspect of our lives from business and commerce, to education to politics. Indeed, the pandemic has already ushered in rapid adoption of long-advocated initiatives, such as cashless society, online shopping, teleworking, paperless society, online education, and telemedicine. We can now finally predict that Japan will see step changes in these areas, with COVID-19 acting as the catalyst.