Most often, colleagues from the USA or Great Britain contact our management board requesting support. This often happens early in the concept development phase, but we can also be commissioned for individual projects. Currently, I am supporting our American colleagues in a small German team with the launch of products into the German market.
While the majority of our assignments originate in Germany, we regularly receive inquiries from the USA or other countries, either through our network or directly from international companies.
On the one hand, the time difference can be a challenge. As a result, most calls take place late in the afternoon, and important ad-hoc requests often arrive quite late but are usually time-critical. Here, it is crucial to keep track of everything and prepare as thoroughly as possible so we can react quickly. Having a German team where we can coordinate and support each other is currently a great help. Furthermore, the media landscape (both in terms of trade and consumer press) is different, and there are varying regulatory conditions and laws in the healthcare industry. Communication is key here too – we prefer to align on approaches and details one time too many to prevent misunderstandings and to provide country-specific recommendations to the client or our network colleagues.
Unlike us, for example, the USA does not have a “Heilmittelwerbegesetz” (German Drug Advertising Act), meaning communication around prescription drugs is regulated differently there than in Germany. Especially in product communication, this creates a completely different framework for our American colleagues, which usually does not work for the German market. Therefore, we advise on adapting the approach and communication optimally to local conditions. Moreover, principles like self-governance in the healthcare system and the concept of a solidarity-based insurance community are entirely foreign to our colleagues in the US, so we consistently have to explain them, as they present entirely different challenges for clients.
