Why Health Comms Teams Can’t Afford to Skip the Mid-Year Review
May 15, 2025 |
New McKinsey and Gartner data show that organisations who regularly reset strategy can outperform peers by up to 60%. In fast-moving health communications, the mid-year review is a crucial but often-missed moment to pause, reassess, and refocus. Done right, it sharpens KPIs, reallocates investment to what’s working, and keeps programmes agile in a shifting landscape. In a world of constant change, agility—not activity—wins.
Read on to discover how to make your mid-year review count.
Recent McKinsey research shows that organisations which regularly reassess and adjust strategic priorities can outperform their peers by up to 60% on key growth and efficiency metrics. The most effective strategies are those stress-tested against ever-changing realities, which is especially relevant in today’s health communications environment.
In an industry where priorities can shift quickly, the mid-year review offers a vital moment for teams to pause, reflect on progress, and sharpen focus. Yet it remains one of the most overlooked milestones, often avoided due to the perceived time and effort required.
Done well, these reviews create clarity and momentum by allowing teams to reallocate energy and investment based on actual performance, not speculative objectives. Gartner data supports this, showing that companies running structured strategic reviews at least twice a year are 30% more likely to achieve or exceed their targets. These reviews help ensure focus by enabling teams to decide proactively where to invest and where to step back.
What Should a Mid-Year Review Cover?
In health communications, where impact and value are critical, three areas stand out for review:
- Reassess Objectives and KPIs: Teams should review progress against the original brief and KPIs, ensuring activities are delivering against the measures that matter. It is also important to check whether those KPIs still reflect current business, stakeholder, and healthcare environment needs.
- Audit Budget and Resource Allocation: Mid-year is an opportunity to assess how budget and resources have been used, ensuring spend remains proportionate to outcomes delivered. This supports informed decision-making and ensures investment is focused where it can drive the greatest impact.
- Refine Tactics and Identify Opportunities Learnings from the first half of the year can sharpen tactics, messaging, and channels. It is also a chance to explore emerging opportunities, keeping programmes agile and responsive.
Teams need deliberate moments to pause, reflect, and act with precision. The mid-year review provides that opportunity, helping health comms teams protect what is working, rethink what is not, and commit to the outcomes that will drive success for the rest of the year. Without this check-in, teams risk drifting off course, busy with activity but disconnected from the outcomes that matter most.
If you’re a brand looking to cut through the noise and deliver health communications that genuinely make a difference, we’d love to help.
Because in an era of constant change, agility will always win.
Get in touch at info@foxandcat.co.uk
This content was provided by Fox&Cat
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