Our work

Citeline: Leading pharma intelligence

Citeline provides the world’s largest pharmaceutical, MedTech and clinical drug development organisations, with insight and analysis to shape the direction of their research. Diffusion was appointed to ensure the company’s market leading analysis and expertise informed and shaped public debates within the medical research community. Diffusion was also challenged with maintaining company profile and industry recognition though Citeline’s sale to Warburg Pincus, and merger with Norstella. The merger entailed an extensive rebranding process.

The importance of global pharmaceutical research has been placed front and centre of the public conversation through the course of the Covid-19 pandemic, but this has come with an overcrowding of experts from within and without the scientific community. With its impressive roster of subject matter experts, ranging across treatment areas and pharmaceutical products, as well as its market leading forecasting and data teams, Diffusion’s task was to cut through this noise and amplify the depth of expertise Citeline has to offer.

Insight & Idea

The campaign took a dual approach. First, Diffusion sought to place Citeline expertise within day-to-day reporting on global pharma, ensuring company spokespeople were at the front of the queue for media commentary and analysis when clinical trial data was released, or scientific breakthroughs emerge. The outreach strategy was curated to highlight Citeline’s superior data forecasting capabilities and in-house experts within national and business media, demonstrating their potential to advise clients on the most important topics in global drug development and research whilst also informing public reporting on highly consequential topics.

Next, Diffusion created a proactive, future looking thought leadership strategy, drawing on Citeline’s knowledge base to craft media ready point of view documents on the most pressing issues facing UK drug research and public health. Topics explored include the impact of AI on pharmaceutical drug research and new weight loss and management treatments.

Impact & Action

Through a sustained relationship building and media awareness programme, Diffusion secured over 50 pieces of coverage for Citeline in the first 12 months of the campaign, helping to maintain brand recognition through its corporate transition. Following key publication target reviews, Diffusion focused on higher tier business media securing majority national coverage, amplifying Citeline’s brand alongside the biggest players in global pharmaceuticals, finance, and analytics.

Highlight coverage includes, drug forecasting and commentary published in the Financial Times, insights on drug pricing models in the US and Europe with The Economist, predictions about AstraZeneca’s portfolio strategy after the Covid-19 pandemic with Wall Street Journal Europe, and financial results analysis on pharma majors with Reuters. Diffusion also maintained presence with target trade media securing multiple thought leadership pieces with the likes of PharmaPhorum, Drug Discovery World and PharmiWeb.