Mesoblast - Supporting Outreach in Europe

Corporate and Healthcare Communications

Mesoblast (ASX:MSB;OTCADR:MBLTY) is an Australian headquartered company pioneering a proprietary allogeneic (“off the shelf”) adult stem cell product in several clinical trials worldwide. The Company appointed College Hill in August 2011 to manage its financial and corporate communications in Europe in order to raise its awareness, understanding and interest with investor and industry audiences.

Objectives

• To raise the profile of the Company in Europe, where Mesoblast was relatively unknown.
• To ensure its target audiences understood the Mesoblast story and the potential for its innovative stem cell therapy using Mesenchymal Precursor Cells to change the medical paradigm for treatment of a wide variety of diseases.

Our Approach

• The Company had a low profile with European audiences, therefore, we aimed to start the communications campaign with a high profile event to kick-start media interest, to generate some immediate positive coverage and to provide a platform from which to build for the longer term.
• We identified the announcement that Mesoblast had received clearance to begin the first ever European trial of its “off the shelf” stem cell treatments for heart attacks, as the focus for the media event.
• We devised the strategy for a press conference to be hosted by Kings College Hospital, London, including the timing, structure and content of the event. We developed key messages, prepared supporting background documents, co-ordinated with all parties, including external speakers from the UK and the Netherlands.
• We identified and briefed a notable external spokesperson to be available to the media.
• We developed the target media list for the press conference and to receive the release.
• We carried out intensive media outreach before and after the event, selling in the story, encouraging attendance at the press conference and coverage afterwards.

Results

Mesoblast’s story was communicated with maximum impact. We had very good attendance at the press conference, with representatives from a broad selection of national newspapers and scientific trade press. We arranged a face-to-face briefing with the Financial Times, and numerous telephone interviews. Coverage was widespread ranging from the UK daily press, to key business press and trade media. Notable coverage included: Reuters, Financial Times (magazine), Daily Telegraph, Daily Mail, Daily Express, New Scientist, BioWorld, MedNous, SCRIP, Clinica and EP Vantage. We are building on this initial interest to secure ongoing interest from other top tier media, and we are planning investor meetings for the Company on the next visit to Europe.

Client Endorsement

Julie Meldrum, Corporate Communications Director said: “The media briefing event was an unqualified success, and we were delighted to receive such extensive high quality coverage. We greatly appreciated College Hill’s professionalism in putting together such an event in a short time and the results achieved. This is a solid platform upon which to build our communications programme in Europe.”

September 2011

For further information:

Sue Charles, Managing Partner
UK: +44 (0)20 7457 2020/ +44 (0)7968 726 585
Australia: +61 (0)466 924 218
sue.charles[at]collegehill.com

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