Vulvovaginal atrophy! Say what?? Yes, that’s what it’s actually called by the medical community. The clinical definition is as follows (via The Mayo Clinic): thinning, drying and inflammation of the vaginal walls due to women having less estrogen primarily as a result of menopause. No one would argue that it […] keep reading
So you think you can brand? How branding is poorly branded
I recently attended the 2014 MMM Awards and was struck by how many of the winning campaigns had no sense of brand identity beyond the logo featured in its usual place, the lower right hand corner of the medium. Yet if you asked any of the ad agencies accepting the […] keep reading
A Brilliant Mistake: why consolidation models don’t make sense for anyone
The Consolidation Blues During my 30-year tenure with large healthcare advertising agencies and their holding companies, I have been involved in several “consolidation” pitches fielded by clients with an eye toward greater cost effectiveness. I’ve been part of the winning team, as well as part of the losing team, and […] keep reading
Playing American Idol with healthcare brands: how cookie-cutter brand archetype systems can lead to dull launches
Several years ago, I was invited to help analyze the disappointing performance of a brand called Xigris (drotrecogin alfa). It was the first of its kind to effectively resolve sepsis, a prevalent and often-fatal, acute systemic infection. The company, Eli Lilly, had received an accelerated approval to launch the brand […] keep reading
Can a brand have too much personality?
Think of people you know, and name their personality traits. Are they funny, smart and loyal? Caring, diligent and non-judgmental? Or could they be all these things and more, but at different times? The more sophisticated and complex the person, the more personality traits they evoke because they live and […] keep reading
Five critical principles that can make or break your portfolio brand
The overwhelming majority of healthcare companies that create franchises—or branded portfolios of products and/or services—do so as an afterthought. That is, they launch a few product brands, run into conflicts about how to represent those products to customers, and then layer over the products with a portfolio approach that (more […] keep reading