One of the classic misunderstandings that keep healthcare manufacturing and service clients from connecting better with their audiences is the reductivist practice of assuming that all doctors are relatively alike. Strange as it seems, clients spend a significant effort in researching “It Beliefs”—what doctors think about their product/service (It)—when they’ll […] keep reading
Is Bigger Better? Thoughts on the Omnicom/Publicis mega merger
Reading the announcement in the NY Times today about the merger of “equal partners” Omnicom and Publicis brought a smile to my face. Not because I own stock in either company, nor because I think it is a good idea, but rather because I am continually amused at how these […] keep reading
Logo testing: informative practice or horrible waste of money?
In the healthcare industry, where the products go through rigorous tests to prove that they are safe and effective, it is not surprising that many healthcare manufacturers insist on putting their logo designs through the same vetting process. “First do no harm” is not just the physician’s credo, but […] keep reading
The Digital Brand: how technology enables brands to be more like themselves
It is common wisdom to suggest that rock and roll was invented by the likes of Jerry Lee Lewis or Little Richard or Chuck Berry or Elvis Presley. But the most un-heralded father of rock and roll is not a person at all; it’s the electric guitar. Jimi Hendrix […] keep reading
Same brand, multiple indications: is a franchise strategy right for you?
Remember Deion Sanders, the pro athlete who played not only for National Football League teams (two of which won the Super Bowl), but also for several Major League Baseball teams, including the 1992 Atlanta Braves who made it to the World Series? Many admired his gridiron skills and ability […] keep reading
The Goldilocks Process: are you paying for too much or too little?
In the early ‘90s, when pharmaceutical advances in pain and inflammation were taking shape for the first time in a decade, I was working on the identity of a blockbuster Cox-II inhibitor. The company had hired a major marketing firm to conduct research and develop strategy. It cost the client […] keep reading
Avoiding the five traps of healthcare branding research
Many healthcare clients have some form of insight mining capability in house, from a single market researcher to a robust department of analysts and databases. Usually, the methodologies are sound and proven, reflecting a legacy of good research practices. However, when it comes to identifying unique insights into healthcare brands, […] keep reading
Time to re-brand Obesity: how terminology defeats weight loss
The term Obesity has led such a maligned and tortured existence that it has gone beyond becoming meaningless; it has become antagonistic to the pursuit of losing and keeping off weight. I’ll forgo the well-accepted stipulation about body-image obsession in our culture; this is certainly a big part of the […] keep reading
The role of the logo in branding—what it can and cannot do
One of the greatest misconceptions in healthcare branding concerns the role of the logo, or brandmark. Whereas healthcare marketers on the client side—and on the agency side as well in many cases—have a solid background with advertising and sales promotion, they are often at a loss when it comes to […] keep reading
Time to rebrand the healthcare consumer as a Re-sumer
Many health and wellness clients make a significant distinction between marketing to consumers (Direct to Consumer or DTC) and marketing to patients. While cleaving the group into the sick and the well may be an easy way to partition resources, it sets up a false premise that creates significant barriers […] keep reading