Building Clinical Bridges

Clinical Bridges was a promotional medcomms agency under Ashfield Healthcare serving pharmaceutical partners in diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and other therapy areas.

As a member of the Ashfield senior management team, I was tasked with devising a corporate strategy that would differentiate Clinical Bridges in the competitive healthcare advertising landscape.

The Value Proposition

Clinical Bridges, formerly Professional Postgraduate Services (PPS), enjoyed a rich history as a CME agency for 20+ years prior to its rebranding. Its portfolio of award-winning, industry-leading educational initiatives and websites* included The National Diabetes Education Initiative (NDEI) and NDEI.org. While the live and print initiatives were dissolved post-CME, the websites hung in limbo.

The value?  Collectively, the educational sites had an audience of more than 70,000 healthcare professionals (>45,000 opt-ins) who trusted the brands for authoritative content. Building and nurturing an audience requires significant time and financial investment. We had an engaged audience and expertise in chronic disease education - two unique differentiators that would poise Clinical Bridges for success in the promotional space.

I proposed that the websites form the core of Clinical Bridges' corporate positioning.

Progressive Education for Progressive Diseases

Chronic diseases are progressive. So, too, should be the educational interventions that shape how HCPs understand and treat them.

That was the premise.

It meant that Clinical Bridges was no ordinary agency. It would offer all the services that agencies offer - but with a unique differentiator. The focus would reach beyond individual touchpoints. Clinical Bridges cared about education through long-term customer engagement - and it would tap into its established audience to achieve it.

Cardiometabolic Focus

NDEI.org (diabetes) was identified as the flagship property that represented the highest potential for audience growth and revenue.

NDEI was rebranded as an independent educational website:

• • Content development remained free from commercial influence

  • Independent content was the primary driver for traffic, engagement, and marketing/SEO - and importantly, exposure to supporter content

NDEI's infrastructure was reconfigured to accommodate commercial support via:

• • Custom sponsored microsites

  • Sponsored content placement

  • Sponsored banner ads

Phase two would integrate CCMDweb.org (cardiometabolic), effectively doubling the content repository and, by extension, opportunities for commercial support. Long term, additional therapy areas would be integrated to offer broader value and exposure.†

Client-Supported Microsites

Within months of proposing this strategy, I helped NDEI to secure its first commercial sponsor. The client, a pharmaceutical leader in the diabetes space, partnered with NDEI to build "Education Exchange Online," an educational microsite hosted on NDEI. Details on this successful partnership can be found here.  

Clinical Bridges Corporate Strategy Presentation

(Click arrow in upper right corner to open full RFP presentation in new tab)

*NDEI.org (National Diabetes Education Initiative), CCMDweb.org (Committee on Cardiovascular and Metabolic Diseases), NCCH.org (National Campaign to Control Hypertension), PlateletNews.org (secondary CVD, thrombus), PainKnowledge.org (National Initiative on Pain Control), LegDisorders.org (Biology of Leg Disorders), GoutAcademy.com, AestheticEnhance.org (dermal fillers, onabotulinum toxin type A), PediatricRespiratory.org
†NDEI's broader expansion as a site covering multiple therapy areas, including cardiovascular disease, was underway in 2016 under my direction. The site was to be called "Clinical Imprint" and incorporate content from NDEI's sister initiatives, including CCMD/CCMDweb.org. Due to corporate restructuring, Ashfield terminated the effort.

CME=continuing medical education