The joy of the drudge

I know that referencing and editing the work of a healthcare practitioner is not every writer's favourite job, but I do sometimes get slide sets or the writing work of others to reference or create reference packs for. When working in an agency this is the work you dread! It takes ages, the referencing is sometimes not accurate even when you manage to find the references and, because you are working on a million different important things at the same time, it just isn't what you want to spend your time doing!

This is why these jobs are often outsourced to freelance writers in order to free up "in-house" resources and I have to say that I do sometimes quite enjoy this kind of work. You can just sit, rest the right hemisphere and get on with it, step-by-step. The sleuthing nature of it also appeals to me, there is such a sense of accomplishment when you can find a reference from only an author name and year, although this is supremely rare!

It may not be glamorous or win awards, but there exists a time and place where the drudge becomes a joy!

Ebb and flow

There is an ebb and flow the work within an agency and that is certainly true for freelance writing. I have been kept busy with quite a flow of work in the last couple of months, which is why I have been quiet on the blogging front (not good for my stats, I know). But I have a couple of days to rub together so here we go again...

The 3-question interview - Dominic Marchant talks digital

Digital communications has become an important part of any Pharma campaign. So what does digital add to the equation and how much does it encroach on the traditional methods that companies have employed for decades. Dominic Marchant has agreed to enlighten us on the role of digital communication in Pharma.

Dominic is MD of DJM Digital Solutions, a full service digital agency working for clients like GSK, AstraZeneca, Ferring, Abbott and Shire as well as Coca-Cola, Panasonic and the National Portrait Gallery.  He is a member of the Interactive Media Council and regularly speaks and writes on the role of digital within the pharma industry.  

1. What are the unique challenges you face when creating digital projects for the pharmaceutical market as opposed to consumer?

"The obvious answer to this question is that regulation is a major consideration when working with pharmaceutical marketing.  However, the actual answer is that it is the interpretation of the codes and guidelines that is often the biggest challenge.  Each pharmaceutical company has a different view of how digital media can be utilised and stay within the confines of regulations.  Even within companies, medics will often have differing views on what is compliant.  It is this lack of clarity that causes considerable nervousness for the marketer and the agencies tasked with building digital programmes.  However, it is not the fault of the medics.  The guidance is often itself very vague.  

In my experience, the best way to ensure internal approval is as smooth as possible is to show examples of similar activity that has been produced for either our own clients or publicly available case studies.  However, this is not always possible when producing something completely new and innovative.  For example, we have started working within augmented reality and, whilst the visual appeal is obvious, there are no precedents within the industry.  In these instances, one simply has to have bold clients!"

2. What are the unique benefits of digital communications?

"Interactivity is peculiar to digital: the ability to control the story and direct the message is key to its appeal and success.  With this comes fun!  Often overlooked but digital is an experiential medium which means that users can "play" with the content and immerse themselves in the communication.  Much of the messaging within pharma is quite dry and clinical.  Most detail aids look professional and communicate effectively but do not engage the user in the same way a multi-media rich e-detail can.  Video, games, augmented reality, holograms, 3D - these are the tools with which a sales or medical communications story can be brought to life.  And it is this power to engage the emotions with these powerful tools that makes digital so attractive to anyone who works with brands.

Lastly, although not unique to digital, metrics are more readily available and accurate in digital than any other media.  It is because of this fact that all digital campaigns' success can be measured and, dependent on results, altered to improve results."

3. Can digital communications truly ever replace the sales force?

"I think so, particularly in the UK.  The more I look at research and hear customer feedback, the answer is clear: the healthcare professional has less and less time to talk to a representative BUT still wants to communicate with the pharma companies.  A medium that allows the user to engage with the message on their time and at their pace has obvious appeal.  Add to this fact that this communication is measurable and relatively inexpensive, it seems that digital has not only a strong place in the marketing mix but possibly is the lead medium.   

But there are plenty of "industry experts" like myself who talk of digital tools replacing the sales representative.  The real answer to the question though is based on whether this conservative industry is willing to back new technology in favour of a proven, albeit expensive, sales route..."

Dominic Marchant

MD of DJM Digital Solutions

www.djmdigital.com

A different approach to pitch

Pitches have always been focussed on all the bells and whistles that an agency could think of, which really means expensive projects. So imagine this situation.


You have the whole team around the table, you have worked into the evening for several days to create a presentation that will blow the clients away. You go through the projects you would suggest, cutting-edge stuff...then you get to the final slides...the costs. 


The client is probably not likely to say that they do not have that kind of money, they just won't choose you as their agency. However, say you are so good that they decide to use you anyway, but now you have to tell them that, in stead of all the bells and whistles, you can only really provide them with some hot air for the money they are able to spend.


So should pitches be approached differently?  I believe the way forward may be to focus on illustrating your company's creative thinking and presenting projects that are innovative, effective...and cost-effective or less labour intensive. This is the kind of situation where it is very important for the creative director and medical writer to work together closely to ensure practical creativity i.e. projects that hit two birds with one stone, communication that ages well and does not need to be changed constantly, to name a few. 

I don't think there is one right answer, but one thing is certain, agencies will need to think outside the box to come up tops in the competition for the limited Pharma spend.

Will agencies create their own rainbow?

Someone recently told me that spending by Pharma on advertising, medical education and the like is down by 60%. I don't know if this is true, but I think everyone will agree that, due to the economic situation, pharmaceutical companies are spending less. This leaves agencies with a problem: what do you do when your clients are spending less? Is there any point in trying to get a client to spend more when you know their resources are limited? Or is a change in focus needed?

When all pharmaceutical companies are spending less, should the focus be to get them to spend more or should it be to get more clients?

I think that with each client having a limited pot, probably the most effective way for agencies to stay on track or increase profits is to win more business i.e. several small pots = one big pot. Another strategy would be to diversify your offering i.e. greater access to more pots.

I have not forgotten the costs inherent in pitching for new business or in creating a broader offering. However, could these costs in the short-term not be more effective in generating profit than trying to cajole clients to spend money they don't have?

The 3-question interview - Mike Young talks branding in Pharma

Branding has taken over the world, whether we are always aware of it or not. Many companies spend a lot of money to make sure that their brand subconsciously becomes a part of our lives. The pharmaceutical industry, though late to the game, is no different.


Mike Young, previous owner of Young & Day, current Chairman of Brand(x) Communication and a leading voice of branding in pharma tells us what branding is and why it has become so important.

What is branding?

"A brand is a name that stands for something in a customer’s mind. This "something" gets into the customer’s mind as a result of associations made every time there is an encounter with the company product, service or whatever it may be. These associations may be rational, emotional or sensory.

For example, the rational associations with Caterpillar may be around heavy construction equipment; the emotional  associations may be with toughness and ruggedness, and the sensory associations may be yellow and black.

Branding is the process of managing encounters so that the associations produced result in a desirable identity for the brand. To achieve this, marketing professionals must first create a blueprint for the brand and then manage the encounters accordingly."

How does pharmaceutical branding differ from consumer branding?

"The principles that govern pharmaceutical branding are identical to those that govern consumer branding. The differences are in the customers.

The key to success in branding is customer insight. Historically, the pharmaceutical industry has had excellent understanding of its products but less than optimal understanding of its customers’ needs. It is only when the features and benefits of a product are brought together with the needs of customers that you have a brand.

Today, the customer environment is more complex than it once was and at the very least, if marketers are to build successful brands, they must have a deep understanding of the needs of payers, health care professionals and patients. Despite this, payers are frequently regarded as hurdles rather than customers and patient needs are often not that well understood.

Unlike the consumer industry, the pharmaceutical industry still has some way to go before it can truly claim to be customer-orientated."

How do you avoid me-too branding?

"Today, in every product category including pharmaceuticals, innovation is quickly copied. In other words, product difference is no longer sustainable. We live in a world of me-toos and to compete the only options are to enter price wars or build strong brands.

If the difference isn’t in the product, it can only exist in the customer’s mind. It lies in what the customer thinks and feels about the product, it resides in the brand. This is why it can be said that whoever understands the customer best wins!

You cannot avoid me-too products but you can avoid me-too brands by making your customers' encounters with your brand more relevant and more engaging than those of your competitors.

This means being perceived as meeting both their rational and emotional needs better. The importance of the latter should never be underestimated. Neurological research has shown that whilst we gather information to help make decisions we feel our way as we actually make them. Indeed, people with impaired emotional centres in the brain often cannot make decisions and endlessly request more information!

In pharmaceuticals, as in any other category, when all other things are equal, the most emotionally attractive brand will succeed so ignore emotion at your peril."


Mike Young
Chairman, Brand(x) Communications Ltd
www.brandxcoms.com


Please note that shortly after this interview, it was announced that Brand(x) Communications,  will be undergoing a rebranding to become known as ICC Lowe London.

A series of 3-question interviews

As part of this blog I have decided to run interviews on different topics that touch on pharma marketing, agency life and agency/client relationships. Each interview will consist of only 3 questions, so they will be short and to the point.


I was lucky enough that Mike Young, Chairman of Brand(x) Communications, agreed to give the first interview. This interview focusses on branding in the pharmaceutical arena and will follow shortly...so watch this space.

A gift by any other name?

When I just started by career in medical writing, I had to write and advertorial for a very simple little product. No complicated data, no strange side effects, but it was for the treatment of one of the symptoms of a very complicated disorder. 


I have never been fond of the advertorials that look like pages out of a clinical paper and luckily the client did not want one of those. So we had to hook the reader with something interesting and then go on to provide the information on the product. My approach was to show something complicated, relate this to the disease and then show the solution (the product) as the simple decision. 


Sudoku was all the rage then, the newspapers had just started printing them and I did my morning Metro Sudoku on the train to Mortlake every morning. So I thought, why not put in a really complicated Sudoku puzzle, that would give it some stopping power, make it retainable and relate nicely to the complicated disorder. 


I don't know why we checked if this was allowed according to the code, but we did, the verdict...it's a gift, not allowed. We could only use it if we inserted all the numbers.


With the new ABPI code banning gifts we immediately think: no more gifts with mailings and no more handouts at stands. But how does the new code apply to those nice little cardboard engineering mailers that turn into calendars and pen holders and such?


I am afraid that according to the supplementary information to Clause 18.1 any promotional mailing which can be used for practical purposes would be in breach.


"Many items given as promotional aids in the past are no longer acceptable. These include coffee mugs, stationery, computer accessories such as memory sticks, diaries, calendars and the like." ABPI code of practice, 2011.

So even if the promotional aid is folded in paper, it is still a promotional aid and covered under this clause. Sorry direct mail companies, pharma business may be low from now on.

My final rule

4. Consider the user


The person most forgotten in the writing of detail aids is the rep. If the rep does not take the detail aid out of their bag it won't reach any audience.


So make it user-friendly. Give the rep a story they can believe in and make sure that each page flows easily to the next. When I write a detail aid, I actually sit and imagine detailing to whoever the audience is, because if I cannot tell the story using my detail aid then there it is not fit for purpose.

My third golden rule

3. Consider the audience


Writing a detail aid is not "one-size-fits-all". You need to adapt your writing to the specific audience, whether specialists, GPs, nurses, pharmacists or payers. Each requires different tone, language, content and focus. 


Have you heard the expression "teach your grandmother to suck eggs"? (Now for the purposes of this blog I tried to find out the origins, but it turns out that nobody is quite sure, if anyone out there knows, please let me know) It means, of course, to give advice on a subject to someone who knows more about it than you. This relates to the specialist, unless it is a completely new type of product, they probably know quite a lot already, so stick to what is new and interesting...no history.


The GP is a Jack-of-all-trades, they have to know something about everything, but they don't have the time to be up-to-date with everything. Especially the things they don't have to deal with often. So you need to give them a little background and don't get super technical.


Nurses spend a lot of time with patients, especially those with chronic conditions, they are the ones who often have to explain the treatments, put in the IVs, give the injections and hold the patients' hands. This means that it is important to relate the data to the patient and how it will impact their lives. 


So fit your writing to the audience.

My second golden rule

Symmetry is a funny thing, research has shown that the more symmetrical a person's face the more physically attractive we find them and this is subconscious on our part. 


How does this relate to a detail aid you ask? I may be crazy, but I feel that the more symmetrical you can keep a detail aid spread, the more visually pleasing it will be and as a consequence, more effective.


2. Be balanced


I just cannot focus when I look at an unbalanced detail aid i.e. where one page of the spread has significantly more information than the other or where the data is presented very differently. My brain itches, I feel like my eyes pick out all the inconsistencies. Now this may be because I write these things for a living, but I believe my background just makes me more aware of the fact that I am doing it. I think that the intended audience just becomes subconsciously uncomfortable with what they are seeing. 


So if you want your audience to find the piece visually appealing and focus on the message...be balanced.

My golden rules for the detail aid

Detail aids are the "bread-and-butter" of pharmaceutical marketing. Despite what many think, the creation of a good detail aid is much more about art than science. The basic information contained within may be scientific, but to translate this into a tool that is focussed, engaging, effective and useful is certainly tricky.


In writing a detail aid you have to know what you are talking about in terms of the science, but you also have to understand effective communication. I have several golden rules of effective communication that I never break (unless I am given no choice and I cannot change said person's mind through some very compelling communication of my own). 


In my first series of blogs I will  discuss these rules and how they apply to the detail aid. So here goes...


1. Be focussed


The  previous owner of Young & Day, current chairman of Brand(x) and general branding pioneer, Mike Young, likes to say: "To win something, you need to sacrifice something.". This generally means that just because you have a lot to say doesn't mean everyone wants to hear your life story, so just tell them what you want them to remember. In terms of a detail aid it means that you should stay focussed on one thing: What does the client want to achieve with this detail aid? and try to accomplish this in the simplest possible way.


You don't have much time to sell an idea in a sales call, so when you get down to implementation, every page should stay focussed on one message only. This message should be immediately apparent and if you can convey it visually, all the better. Now I know that this is a strange thing for a writer to say, but the fact remains, that if you can link information to a visual cue it is more memorable. People also respond better to information conveyed in an uncluttered way, so the page should have as much white space (empty space) as possible.


I generally try to keep to a heading, subhead, visual, bullet point and maybe a closing line (the "so what" of the page, if you will). If you cannot say what you need to in a maximum of 2 bullets underneath the visual, then you are trying to convey more than one idea on that page.


So keep it simple, write as little as possible and think visually...be focussed.