Novo Nordisk Case Study

Isha Aggarwal
Jourdyn Alli
Jamie Geller
Maya Suero
I pledge on my honor that I have not given or received any unauthorized assistance on this
assignment.
Isha Aggarwal
Jourdyn Alli
Jamie Geller
Maya Suero

________________________
________________________
________________________
________________________

Background
Information
Novo Nordisk is a worldwide
healthcare company that has
spent the last 90 years
establishing itself as an
innovator and now leader in
diabetes care. The company
also
specializes
in
hemophilia care, growth
hormone
therapy
and
hormone replacement therapy. Novo Nordisk is considered a product-based company, but they
also venture into research focused on the aforementioned diseases. [Image courtesy of Novo
Nordisk Careers - About Us] Its Hemophilia Research and Development portfolio creates
projects that attend to the unmet needs of hemophilia conditions (Haemophilia R&D Portfolio,
n.d.). With all of the companys products and campaigns, Novo Nordisk remains committed to
its customers (Our Mission, n.d.). In our interview and analysis of Novo Nordisk and
specifically the Public Relations department, we plan to mainly focus on goals, objectives,
strategies and tactics of current campaigns as well as the strengths, weakness, opportunities and
threats of the company through the viewpoint of Sarah Spielvogel, senior manager of products
communications.
Novo Nordisk offers many products that treat type 1 or type 2 diabetes. Victoza is a type 2 noninsulin diabetes medication that helps lower blood sugar within two weeks (Products, n.d.).
Levemir is an insulin product used to control high blood sugar in adults with type 1 or 2 diabetes
and children with type 1 diabetes (Products, n.d.). NovoLog is an insulin product taken with
meals that controls blood sugar for patients with type 1 and 2 diabetes (Products, n.d.). Novo
Nordisk also provides medication for those with hemophilia and other medical conditions, such
as NovoSeven, which mainly treats bleeding episodes in hemophilia patients (Products, n.d.).
Norditropin is a medication for children who have growth failure due to a lack of growth
hormone (Products, n.d.).
Some of Novo Nordisks primary competitors in the pharmaceutical industry are Pfizer, Sanofi,
and Eli Lilly and Company (Fraende, 2013). Eli Lilly and Company proves to be one of the more
significant competitors because it recently introduced new diabetes products (Fraende, 2013).
Sanofi is also proving to be a worthy opponent by improving its top-selling insulin, Lantus
(Fraende, 2013). Novo Nordisk has had a hard time among drug industry investors lately because
U.S. regulators did not approve its long-acting insulin product Tresiba, which was pending
further tests for heart safety. (Fraende, 2013).

Novo Nordisks main headquarters are located in Bagsvaerd, Denmark, and the United States
headquarters are stationed in Plainsboro, N.J. (Locations, n.d.). While Novo Nordisk is an
international company, it has a strong presence throughout the United States. According to the
companys website, the location of the U.S. headquarters places the company within an hours
drive of both New York and Philadelphia (Locations, n.d.). The Novo Nordisk pharmaceutical
facility is located in Clayton, N.C., and the inflammation research center is stationed in Seattle,
Washington (Locations, n.d.). The Clayton site also assembles and packages the FlexPen(R)
disposable insulin device for the US market (Locations, n.d.). Currently, Novo Nordisk employs
36,300 individuals across 75 countries (Who We Are, n.d.). More specifically, the medical
organization has over 3,340 employees in North America (Declarations, n.d.).
The company holds three goals in respect to its public relations function (Public-affairs, n.d.).
Novo Nordisk sets out to give people with diabetes appropriate priority (Public-affairs, n.d.).
This is executed through motivating governments to provide resources that match the level of the
condition (Public-affairs, n.d.). They also want to drive outcomes for people with diabetes
(Public-affairs, n.d.). Persuading governments to think holistically when designing healthcare
systems provides better situations for those with the disease (Public-affairs, n.d.). The final goal
is to break the curve of the global diabetes pandemic (Public-affairs, n.d.). This is obtained by
rallying stakeholders efforts in the fight against diabetes (Public-affairs, n.d.).

Ethics and Company Values

Novo Nordisk clearly states on its website and through its employee trainings how much it
values ethics and how it expects its employees to act. The guidelines say, Ethics and
transparency are central to our public affairs activities. Whenever we are engaged in public
affairs activities that address issues that are material to the company or of significant public
interest, we state our interests and positions in an open honest manner (Guidelines, 2013). Novo
Nordisk has its guidelines broken down into three sections: interactions with public officials,
conflicts of interest and interactions with patient organizations. The company wants to ensure
that when public affairs department employees are interacting with external stakeholders and
other people that make their intentions clear. The company wants complete openness during
negotiations. As for conflict of interest, the company disqualifies an employee when they may
have a personal preference or relation in the dealings. The final guideline focuses on patient
organization interactions and the importance of maintaining strong and positive relationships
with those organizations. This is because the company can learn how to better support its patients
through those non- financial and formalized partnerships with those organizations.
Beyond the guidelines for public affairs personnel, Novo Nordisk abides by seven strong
business ethics they compiled under their Novo Way, which the company also teaches its
employees through its compliance trainings (Business-ethics, 2013). The seven pillars are trends,
3

risk and procedures, governance and coordination, training, effective lines of communication,
auditing and monitoring, disciplinary guidelines, and investigations and corrective actions.
Overall, the Novo Nordisk Way outlines expectations for employee behaviour by stating that
we never compromise on quality and business ethics (Business-ethics). Above is only the start
of Novo Nordisks full code of ethics that is available online to all employees and others
interested in the company. From the public affairs department to the IT department, Novo
Nordisk wants to ensure that its employees are act honorably. As a past employee, Isha can
vouch for the companys persistence on employees participation in compliance training. The
employees must complete all four trainings within the first month on the job or they are asked to
leave. The companys stern ideology and ethical standards earn the company respect from its
employees and other businesses.

Spokespersons and Campaign Examples

As a healthcare company with a large focus on diabetes, one of Novo Nordisks key publics is
patients with either type 1 or type 2 diabetes. Although these are smaller groups, the companys
primary publics also include patients in need of hemophilia care and hormone therapy. Novo
Nordisk produces several types of medicines, so pharmaceutical companies and distributors are
also important secondary publics. Spokespersons such as Charlie Kimball and Paula Deen, both
who were faces of Novo Nordisk campaigns, act as moderating publics for the company.
Novo Nordisk organizes many campaigns to raise awareness about diabetes and other health
issues along with related lifestyle choices. Novo Nordisk had an ongoing campaign with Paula
Deen called Seeing Diabetes in a New Light that highlighted management of type 2 diabetes,
but this ended after news broke in summer 2013 of the chefs inappropriate comments (Novo
Nordisk and Paula Deen Announce Winners of the Seeing Diabetes in a New Light Contest,
2013). In the decision to dissolve the relationship with the Food Network star, campaign
employee, Ken Inchausti said, Right now were letting her focus on what she needs to
dowhich is how shes rebuilding her relationship with the public (Diabetes Drug Maker Novo
Nordisk Drops Paula Deen Amid Scandal, 2013). As a popular public figure, Deen provided a
familiar face to the condition that more than 26 million Americans live with.
The company recently announced the winner for its Race with Insulin Pit Crew sweepstakes, a
campaign that lasted six months and shone light on people who support diabetes patients as they
manage the condition. Charlie Kimball, a 28-year-old IZOD IndyCar Series driver who has type
1 diabetes, continues to be the face of the companys insulin product, NovoLog (Novo Nordisk
Announces Winner of Race with Insulin "Pit Crew" Sweepstakes, 2013). When Novo Nordisk
was approached with the opportunity to work with the racecar driver, the company found it as a
good match. We hit it off from the get-go, said Sarah Spielvogel, manager of product
communications for Novo Nordisk. After five minutes we got the sense that hes very
passionate about what he does (Camp, 2013).
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According to Spielvogel in a recent interview, Novo Nordisks goal for the Race with Insulin
Sweepstakes was to increase the awareness of its diabetes products. To accomplish that goal, the
team had the objective to increase the voice and visibility of the products. A second objective
was to motivate patients to speak with their doctors about treatment with NNI products (Camp,
2013). Spielvogels department had the strategy of capturing compelling stories to share with the
public and it did so through the tactics of Charlie Kimball media relations, social media
engagement and local market events. The media relations tactic included racing video footage
and still shots to use for commercials and other regional and national press materials . The tactic
has already generated more than 393 million media impressions; 306 original places including
two wire service stories; 47 print; 106 TV/ radio; and 306 online placements, and continues to
gain visibility (Camp, 2013). The social media engagement specifically focuses on the expansion
of the @racewithinsulin Twitter page. The page has developed and gained popularity as more fan
interactions with Kimball are visible, currently with more than 2,500 followers (Camp, 2013).
The third main tactic of this campaign is local market events where Novo Nordisk provides the
opportunity for patients to actively learn about diabetes management. Kimball has participated in
more than 15 national conferences and has directly engaged more than 42,000 patients with his
story (Camp, 2013). Spielvogel said these were just a few examples of how the campaign started
small with the original six-month timeline of small appearances and just blew up; Charlies
story is 90 percent of the campaign.
In September 2013, Novo Nordisk launched GLAM (Great Life After Menopause) to bring
awareness and start a discussion about vaginal dryness in menopausal women (Novo Nordisk
Launches GLAM (Great Life After Menopause) to Ignite the Conversation on Vaginal Health,
2013). The campaign encourages women to talk about and seek treatment for the vaginal atrophy
symptoms that many women do not speak about, even with their doctors. The campaign is an
alliance of five female advocates who are influential on different platforms, including public
speaking and online publications. These five women, Geri Brin, Ellen Dolgen, Karen Giblin,
Barbara Hannah Grufferman and Staness Jonekos, in partnership with Novo Nordisk, plan to use
social media to rally women around this very important topic (Novo Nordisk Launches
GLAM (Great Life After Menopause) to Ignite the Conversation on Vaginal Health, 2013).
This campaigns objectives are to raise awareness about the symptoms of vaginal atrophy caused
by changes in estrogen levels during menopause, increase the number of women who speak
about and seek treatment for vaginal atrophy and also to inform women about the source of their
problems along with the options for treatment. The company posed their objectives this way: to
help raise awareness of the vaginal changes associated with menopause; educate that these
changes may be due to a chronic, treatable condition; and empower women to break the taboo
and seek treatment so they can live their lives to the fullest (Novo Nordisk Launches GLAM
(Great Life After Menopause) to Ignite the Conversation on Vaginal Health, 2013).

Using a clever strategy, the company chose spokeswomen who were active writers and bloggers
on womens health issues, each of whom had a solid following of women that match the
campaigns target publics regarding age and interests. To accomplish these objectives, the
women are using online tools such as Twitter and blogs to spread the message about GLAM.
Grufferman and Dolgen are two of the women heading the campaign and they have started using
hashtags to get the name of the campaign and the sponsor to some of their publics. Both have
used #GLAM4U and #NovoNordiskSponsor in their tweets to their followers. Grufferman also
posted a private Youtube video to her Twitter followers that she said answered questions they
may have. As part of the campaign, the company has a specific website
(http://www.vaginaldiscomfort.com) with the Novo Nordisk logo that provides information and
resources for women with vaginal atrophy. All of these online elements are tactical details that
make up a second strategy for the company to raise awareness and promote action.

Employee Communication
Regarding employee communications, the department sends out press releases for everyone to be
formally informed about major events taking place. As for internal communications there are
plasma screens throughout the Novo Nordisk U.S. headquarters with informative slides playing
on a loop. In addition, the employees have an internal Internet interface with news articles and
chat forums on current and related issues for employees to securely communicate and share. All
of these communications methods and channels are meant to spread awareness of the diabetes
initiatives and campaigns going on within the company.

Qualifications
If a student is interested in interning with the global public affairs department, they would have
to have several qualifications to be able to apply. Novo Nordisk requires its potential students to
be studying communications or a similar program at the graduate level (Nordisk, n.d.a). Because
many of the internship positions are located outside the United States, another major requirement
is that the applicant is fluent in spoken and written English (Nordisk, n.d.a). They also ask that
applicants have a global mindset, experience working in other countries and the ability to
handle cultural diversity (Nordisk, n.d.a). The internship is a support position to the Advocacy &
Events team (Nordisk, n.d.a). Because the position focuses on support, the company values the
ability to solve tasks with colleagues, but also wants a potential employee to be able to work
alone (Nordisk, n.d.a).

Planning
Throughout the entire company, whether it is in the internal or external communications, public
affairs or various product marketing departments, Novo Nordisk requires communication plans
to be submitted when the department desires to modify a process. In the communication plan, all

the elements of planning in public

relations are present, such as, research,
communication channels, evaluation,
timetables, implementation and desired
changes.
Through Ishas internship with the
company this past summer, she had the
opportunity
to
put
together
a
communication plan and then see it play
out months later. The following is an
example of a plan her team implemented
this summer as part of the Norditropin
Marketing Brand Team. First we stated what we wanted to accomplish and why the change was
necessary. We proposed an outline of how to create consistent communication to the sales force
on key brand initiatives (Aggarwal, 2013). The reason being consistent, proactive
communication from the brand is a key factor in ensuring sales forces ability to successfully
execute in the field (Aggarwal, 2013). Control the controllables! The message in these
communication plans need to be explicit and concise in order for high level associates to review.
The message here is simply to implement more communication with various new and old
channels with the sales forces. We did research to identify the problem and understand what
methods of communication did not work. The research consisted of primary feedback from the
sales force over a weekly check-in. Comments composed of lost emails, miscommunications and
lack of regular communication, which is why we focused our purpose on what is above.
Before stating the communication channels we wanted to go through, we needed to state the key
initiatives in need of communication improvements and who would head their executions. Those
initiatives include, but are not limited to: Storage Flexibility post launch and NordiCare are
Scott Colemans responsibilities while Focal Point is Tam Ngos responsibility (Aggarwal,
2013). As for the communication channels they mentioned weekly emails, Webinars (online
tutorials/ trainings), Globeshare (internal employee interface), and task force phone calls. We
evaluated that once-a-month emails did not satisfy the sales forces need for feeling a part of the
brand team; therefore, wanted to increase the email frequency. The forces feedback also
mentioned the need for all promotion and technical materials to be housed in one place and for
the force to have an immediate chat when they have a question. The teams remedy to that need
was the implementation of Globeshare, where the force can have real-time communication and
view documents. We drafted the communication timetable for a four-month period, where at the
end of the cycle, the team would evaluate what channels the force benefited from or was
hindered by. The short four-month timetable of this plan proportionally demonstrates how long
decisions take to be made in a corporate setting. Our communication plan concluded with final
call-to-action items and summary notes expressing what the evaluation measures would be used.
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The broken down example above is just one of the simpler communication plans Novo Nordisk
has implemented. Even when the internal communication department wanted more in-person
presence of their senior manager, a communication plan needed to be created. All the electronic
versions of those plans keep not only everyone in the specific department in the loop and
aligning to timetables, but can also easily inform other departments that may be affected. Those
communication plans demonstrate the departments thorough research into an idea, which backs
the Novo Nordisk way. The culture at Novo Nordisk, which is heavily involved in the
pharmaceutical industry, is to have documents and decisions reviewed several times before
approval. I think that the company is successful in doing so because it allows for multiple
department perspectives to weigh in. The plans are good representations of what it is like to
function in corporate communications. How everything, big or small, needs to be approved and
discussed time and time again before actually being implemented is important to remember.

Application of Relevant Theories

Situational Theory: Those who get involved with Novo Nordisks effort are often a product of
the situational theory. They join the fight against diabetes because they believe their actions in
tandem with the companys can make a difference. Situational theory exists in three stages.
Problem recognition, as Novo Nordisk realized not enough was being done to combat diabetes
and advance research, so they made it their mission. Their founder, August Krough,
revolutionized diabetes treatment with his invention of insulin. Constraint recognition, as
diabetes research is well underway and results are tangible. Novo Nordisks Race With Insulin
helped promote diabetes treatment and spawned new involvement and interest in their mission.
Lastly, the level of involvement is a dual effort of both patients and staff. Novo Nordisk extends
beyond assigning priority to patients, they work to break the diabetes pandemic and to prevent
the disease. This level of care in resolving the issue means that they hope their business will be
obsolete as curing diabetes could mean the end of treatment centers. However, Novo Nordisks
commitment to healthcare spans beyond their desire to simply run a business. Their direct,
bottom line is commitment to results.
Relationship Management Theory: The RMT is the maintenance of a pattern of behavior by
individuals in relation to their involvement with an organization. The theory applies as Novo
Nordisk handles its clients, values satisfaction, trust and commitment. These values are measured
through cognitive learning, affective responses and resulting behavior. In its mission statement,
Novo Nordisk emphasizes its focus on innovation in order to lead to customer satisfaction (Our
Mission, n.g.). They strive to remain competitive in their business results, and fuel this goal by
maintaining diabetes research. Novo Nordisk manages their relationship by assuring the public
that they are on the leading edge of this research and will take the best care of each client. Novo
Nordisk also strives to find the proper balance between this scientific competitiveness and
compassion for their company, clients and mission.
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Grunig Theory: The two-way symmetrical model is the most important aspect of this theory in
regards to Novo Nordisk. The models focus on social science as a method of achieving mutual
understanding through listening, telling and adapting directly relates to Novo Nordisks
prioritization of its publics. By lobbying the government for better healthcare resources, Novo
Nordisk fights to give diabetes and similar blood-related illnesses a fair light. This in turn allows
Novo Nordisk to better serve their publics who benefit from their treatment methods, leading
them to the ultimate goal of success.

Media Analysis
Novo Nordisks website is packed with a lot of
information and can be difficult to navigate at times. The
main page has tabs for different visitors to find what they
need. Patients and healthcare professionals are given
extensive options that can be overwhelming for someone
unsure of where to find the information they need.
Because Novo Nordisk is an international company,
many of the pages also have options for other languages
and countries. The main page also lists a news section to
keep consumers informed of new events and products
from the company. The only problem is the news
section is placed at the bottom of the screen and is
formatted similar to the products and services section.
Although Novo Nordisk is a consumer driven company,
they should consider catering their website more to the
media. With more emphasis on the media, journalists would be able to easily pull information for
articles. These articles could reach a broader consumer base and spread the companys message
more efficiently.
A brochure entitled responsible sourcing standards for business partners is one of many
products that the company produces for internal and external use. This particular brochure was
balanced with text, infographics and images (Nordisk, n.d.b). This is an effective layout because
it gives the main points of the brochure with bold facts and entices the audience to read the text.
The text itself is embellished with lists and bullet points to ensure that the reader is not flooded
with paragraphs. The use of subheads organizes the information in a way that allows the
audience to scan the text and find the information that is most relevant to them.

Social Media Analysis

Novo Nordisk has a significant presence on social media. On Twitter alone, the company has
more than 10 accounts for different countries and programs, including its United States, Mexico,
Canada and South Africa accounts. In addition to the companys main accounts, there are
verified accounts for the companys campaigns. Charlie Kimball tweets from the handle
@racewithinsulin to support his partnership with Novo Nordisk. His personal and campaign
accounts both refer to his partnership with the company and he tags Novo Nordisks United
States account (@NovoNordiskUS) in many of his tweets. The GLAM campaign also has a
presence on social media.
To support the GLAM campaign, the company created a website, a separate Web page on the
company site, and used accounts on social media platforms, such as Twitter and Pinterest. The
companys presence online has helped to raise awareness for the campaign and to start
relationships between GLAMs advocates and the target public. The GLAM Web page,
http://www.greatlifeaftermenopause.com, introduces the campaigns five female advocates and
briefly explains their occupations and experiences transitioning through menopause. In addition,
the home page introduces a doctor with experience in obstetrics and gynecology who is
associated with the campaign. After their history, each advocate provides advice for women
undergoing the changes of menopause and ends with a few personal facts. The overall
appearance of the page is clean and similar to Novo Nordisks main website. The campaigns
title is at the top with a trademark symbol. The page is streamlined, adhering to the grey and blue
colors that are present on Novo Nordisks other sites. The advocates pictures are all in black and
white, creating a cohesive image. At the very bottom of the page, Novo Nordisks information is
in a gray box with a small white outline of the company logo in the bottom right corner.

To find further information on menopause and vaginal changes that may result from this
transition, visitors are guided elsewhere. The page has visible links to the campaigns Web site
with Novo Nordisk, where it directs visitors for more information, such as the one below.
The companys website, http://www.vaginaldiscomfort.com, provides resources for its target
publics to answer questions and provides connections for treatment. The main page features five
tabs, in addition to the home page where visitors land. The tabs have clear labels: Vaginal Health,
Vaginal Atrophy, What Can I Do?, Have The Talk!, and Glossary of Terms. The pages that are
under these tabs are easily navigable and clearly labeled as well. The appearance of the website
is similar to that of the campaigns Web page. The Novo Nordisk logo is located in the upper left
10

corner, displaying the connection between the information and the company. The site also
follows the blue and gray color scheme that is indicative of Novo Nordisk. Unlike the Web page,
the site features a large photograph in the middle of the page with text over it.
The campaign has a limited presence on Pinterest. Barbara Hannah Grufferman, one of the
campaigns five advocates, has a board for GLAM on her Pinterest account. On this board,
http://www.pinterest.com/grufferman/glamtm-great-life-after-menopause/, Grufferman has six
pins. Of the six pins posted to this board, four display the GLAM trademarked name and either a
link to a webinar for the campaign or to information about common problems women face
during menopause. The other two pins link to outside sources that talk about side effects of
vaginal atrophy. Grufferman, who is an author and host of an AARP Youtube show, has 654
followers on Pinterest, all of whom have potentially been exposed to her posts about the GLAM
campaign.
The campaigns advocates also reach their publics through Twitter, using the hashtags
#GLAM4U and #NovoNordiskSponsor. While the women tweet about the campaign from their
personal handles, two tweet from the handles of their respective companies or organizations. Fab
Over Fifty, a website created by GLAM advocate Geri Brin, tweets links and pictures with the
two hashtags from the Twitter account, which has more than 3,400 followers. Red Hot Mamas, a
menopause education program started by GLAM advocate Karen Giblin, does the same with
almost 2,000 followers.

Comparing Sources
The Novo Nordisk website provides important information for consumers, patients and
healthcare providers, but it presents the information in a way that can be overwhelming. The
website is an important part of the companys contact with its public, so this could be detrimental
to Novo Nordisks goals. The company, however, does a better job with its social media
presence in general and for its campaigns. The companys many Twitter accounts target the
publics in a specific area, allowing for more detailed and genuine messages. The GLAM
campaign does a good job of creating targeted messages for its publics. While the GLAM
campaign Web page is informational, the website and social media pages encourage interaction
between the advocates and the public. The Twitter posts by the campaigns advocates are more
humorous and lighthearted than the website and Web page. Some of the pictures posted to
Twitter with the companys hashtags make light of the serious effects women experience with
menopause. Even the Pinterest account, run by Grufferman, is more serious than the Twitter
posts made by the advocates and their company handles. As Twitter is more of an informal type
of media, this type of messaging reflects what the audience may expect on the site.

11

While the social media parts of this campaign are more lighthearted than their website
counterparts, the two work together to form a cohesive front. Vaginal discomfort is a serious
topic, but the campaign is trying to get women to speak out about their issues and to seek help.
To do this, a little humor might be necessary to make women feel more comfortable about the
topic. The Pinterest and Twitter pages do well at creating a personal connection between the
advocates and the public, developing a relationship with a certain level of comfort with the topics
addressed. The Web page provides more information about the advocates and acts as a more
serious link between the faces of the campaign and the information available for women. The
Web site provides more information for women who may have questions about menopause or
seek information on how to start conversations about their issues. Even though the social media
sites are slightly different in tone than the Web page and website, they match the goal of the
organization, seen through their direct links to the official website. By having all roads lead to
the main Web page, Novo Nordisk creates a streamlined message for all publics it is targeting
with this campaign.
Novo Nordisk follows this same method for its various campaigns. The company chooses
advocates and spokespersons that represent the target public or are watched by the target public
and delivers messages that match the campaigns goals, such as with Charlie Kimball and Paula
Deen. By catering to the publics needs and media consumption for a specific campaign, the
company creates targeted messages that are better suited to reach the intended audience.

SWOT Analysis
The interview with Sarah
Spielvogel provided insight into
the
different
strengths,
weaknesses, opportunities and
threats Novo Nordisk encounters.
A strength that the company
proudly works with is the
diverse team of people the
departments are made of,
Spielvogel said. Specifically in
her
diabetes-focused
public
relations department, the success
of the campaigns come from all
the different backgrounds and
perspectives that work on them.
She lists participants with agency,
corporate, non-profit, healthcare
and journalism backgrounds that

12

make up the solid team. Spielvogel finds that the public relations department benefits from the
variety of experiences because its network is vastly expanded and it is well-equipped for all the
communication that takes place.
The variety of experiences that make up the department may be a strength, but the countless
communications the department undergoes daily is categorized as a weakness. A company may
face several communication related problems and the Novo Nordisks weakness is its avenues of
communication. Spielvogel and her team want to work on a better method of tracking all the
pieces of the campaign they are working on. The campaign is made up of so many working parts
and with so many different people spearheading them that it is hard to track what gets done.
There should be even more communication than the several follow-ups and check-ins already in
place, Spielvogel said. She stated that she wants to minimize the number of pieces that fall
through the cracks, which would be accomplished through the creation of a better tracking
system. Until that system is in place, the department thinks that the disconnected channels of
internal communication are a weakness.
Spielvogel focused most of the interview on the opportunities that Novo Nordisk has. She
considers the companys position as the leading diabetes care provider to be an opportunity. Her
reason for this was that each campaign released and spokesperson signed on continues to
establish the leading title. Companies are still working their way up the diabetes care leaderboard,
but Novo Nordisks history speaks for itself. Because of this, campaigns can be more creative to
gain new patients while maintaining the loyalty of the patients the company already serves.
Those companies that are trying to gain access into the diabetes care market or increase their
share of the market pose a threat to Novo Nordisk. Competitors who try to emulate our
campaigns definitely are threats to our success as the leading provider, said Spielvogel. We try
our best to be well-informed and ahead of the game, but we never know who will come up with
the next big idea. Spielvogel seems confident in Novo Nordisks campaigns against others in
the market, but cautiously stated, we are not the only ones with good ideas, we just have to be
sure to educate ourselves on as much of the market as possible so we are prepared when the time
comes. In the time spent with Spielvogel over the phone, she provided a decent overview of the
departments and companys strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats.

Recommendations
Novo Nordisks press releases are effective, which is seen by how they get picked up by a wide
variety of sources for articles. Websites such as NASDAQ, Huffington Post and the Examiner
feature stories that include information from the organizations press releases. On the contrary,
the PR departments campaigns do not receive as much attention as we expected from such a
large corporation. For example, the aforementioned GLAM campaign received little support on
social media and Novo Nordisk only posted one tweet about the campaign to their official
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Twitter page (Novo Nordisk US, 2013). Outside of the organization, there were only eight tweets
that talked about the campaign and each tweet only received around one to two retweets.
(https://twitter.com/novonordiskus) We also did not see a lot coverage of the campaigns on many
major news sources.
To improve the coverage of their campaigns, they need to increase their presence on social media.
With only 3,000 followers on the United States Twitter account, the company is limited to a
small audience (https://twitter.com/novonordiskus). Pfizer, a Novo Nordisk competitor, has
about 57,000 Twitter followers and constantly tweets about its campaigns to keep them relevant
(https://twitter.com/pfizer). The more followers an organization acquires, the more advocates it
creates to help disseminate information. Because Pfizer has so many followers, its campaigns
receive more attention.
Novo Nordisk should also embed links of their articles on the website in their tweets. Most of the
articles that they tweet about are from third-party websites that do not even mention the
organization (https://twitter.com/novonordiskus). If Novo Nordisk were to tweet links to its press
releases and news, it would increase its websites traffic. Because the company does not link its
press releases to Twitter, it relies solely on PRNewswire and other websites to distribute the
information. A public is not going to think to immediately go to PRNewswire to find out
information on Novo Nordisk. It is more likely they will check social media or the official
website.
If we were in charge of the PR department, we would encourage the big-named spokespersons to
endorse the campaigns on their personal Twitters. Someone like Paula Deen, who has more than
1 million followers, could drive her audience to learn about the campaign and get involved
(https://twitter.com/Paula_Deen). There is no reason why Paula Deen, who once was a
spokesperson, has so many followers and the organization she was representing barely has any
followers. Novo Nordisk is starting to do this with Charlie Kimball, but he only has about 13,000
followers (https://twitter.com/charliekimball). They should consider reaching out to Tom Hanks
who recently announced his diabetes and has a large following (France, 2013).
We would also emphasize further promotion and use of Novo Nordisks YouTube channel. Novo
Nordisk currently has several videos on YouTube, but the most recent ones barely have 500
views (http://www.youtube.com/user/novonordisk/videos). The problem is that they do not
feature their spokespersons in the videos and do not promote the videos enough. If the
spokespersons starred in the video, they would be more inclined to promote it, as would their
supporters. Videos allow companies to share a lot of information without forcing the audience to
read. With an increased focus on videos in the media, Novo Nordisk should consider spending
more time trying to improve that aspect of their function.

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The pharmaceutical industry makes it more difficult to be creative because of its restricted
publics. Outside of the industry that the company is in, the company itself does not seem to be on
the forefront of public relations compared to its competitors. Learning about Novo Nordisks
campaigns and comparing them to its competitors help clarify our groups career plans. Some
members of our group, such as Jourdyn, would rather work for Pfizer or GlaxoSmithKline, who
have creative campaigns that garner a lot of support.

Conclusion
For nearly a century, Novo Nordisk has dedicated itself to type 1 and type 2 diabetes care. The
international healthcare giant integrates both products and research to create optimal and
effective results. Novo Nordisk has an array of insulin-based treatments along with other bloodrelated medical treatments. Novo Nordisks goals include giving diabetic patients appropriate
priority, persuading governments to consider holistic methods in designing healthcare systems
and breaking the global diabetic pandemic. Novo Nordisks ethical standard, the Novo Way
insures that employees act with honor and respect for their business, coworkers, and clients. The
key clientele are main diabetic patients, but also hemophilia care and hormone therapy patients.
Spokespeople like Paula Deen and Charlie Kimball have helped draw attention and raise
awareness to the cause, which was furthered through their Race with Insulin sweepstakes. The
GLAM campaign was also introduced to raise awareness for womens health throughout
menopause and provides information and communication for those who experience it. Novo
Nordisks internal communications are strengthened through press releases regarding major
events, and online forums where employees can share questions and opinions. Within their
public communication plan, research, communication channels, evaluation, timetables,
implementation and desired changes are all aspects that they find imperative to success. The
situational theory, relationship management theory and Grunig model all are applicable in
practice as factors to Novo Nordisks steady principles and success. Novo Nordisks website
keeps consumers updated on upcoming products and events. The company also reaches a larger
public through social media management. Novo Nordisk has more than ten Twitter accounts that
are tailored to the different countries and programs they were created for. They also use Pinterest
for some of their programs to further attract an audience. Novo Nordisks SWOT highlights a
diverse team and large network, some internal communication related issues, their leading status
in diabetes care, and competitive companies, respectively. They use a wide variety of press
sources, both online and print, to publish feature stories that include information from their press
releases. Novo Nordisk still has room to improve with their volume of social media postings and
an increased usage of their YouTube channel in order to drive more traffic to their website.
Through methods including research, carefully planned campaigns and press releases, Novo
Nordisk understands that in the fight against diabetes, clear communication is a key to the cure.

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Appendix
Person interviewed: Sarah Spielvogel, manager of product communications
Date/time/location: Phone interview on Thursday, Oct. 31, 2013 at 11 a.m.
Questions asked:
What PR campaigns are you currently working on? (she covered specifically what her
team works on)
goals, objectives, strategies, tactics
Strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats (SWOT)
What types of employee communications does the department have?
*Note: Most background knowledge is available via online research; therefore, in the interview
we focused on more specific topics.

Breakdown of Responsibilities:
Isha Aggarwal: Spokespersons and Campaign Examples, SWOT Analysis, Employee
Communications, Planning, Ethics and Company Values
Jourdyn Alli: Media Analysis, Background Information, Recommendations, Qualifications
Jamie Geller: Summary, Application of Theories, Final Edit
Maya Suero: Key Publics, Social Media Campaign Analysis, Campaign Examples, Comparing
Sources

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