It’s hard to accept the deaths of Rock Stars when—like David Bowie, Glenn Frey and Paul Kantner—they pass on at 69, 67 and 74 respectively. They’re supposed to die before they turn 40 if they die at all (looking at you Keith Richards). That’s part of the mystique of being […] keep reading
The Donald Trump of Pharma: how Martin Shkreli has hi-jacked our brand
By now, everyone is familiar with the principal circumstances of Donald Trump’s candidacy for the Republican presidential nomination: a successful figure from outside of politics, very full of himself, takes the media by storm as he exaggerates an ideology to such an extreme that it becomes a lunatic caricature of […] keep reading
Do you execute the strategy or the strategist?
Many years ago, I decided to learn how to formally cook. The first course they teach newcomers is Knife Skills. Knife Skills is pretty much what it sounds like. They show you the time-tested ways to cut every single protein and vegetable for the greatest efficiency and effectiveness. This took […] keep reading
The 2015 Clio Awards—Monumental ideas: what healthcare brands need to learn about how to be big
I attended the annual Clio Awards in New York City last Wednesday, held at the American Museum of Natural History. It was the first time that the healthcare categories were included with all the other consumer goods and services nominations—a recognition, perhaps, that healthcare brand ideas have come within the […] keep reading
Seeing red: How not to sound unintelligent when discussing color in branding
Color is the Rodney Dangerfield of branding hallmarks. Compared to typography and iconography, it gets little to no respect in the development of healthcare brands. Yet it is the first aspect the eye sees when searching. True, some healthcare marketers honor the role that colors play in brand building. But […] keep reading
Before the gold rush: why NY hospitals should not be allowed to dispense their own brands of medical marijuana
Imagine if Pfizer or GSK or any of the largest pharmaceutical manufacturers decided to buy a hospital network, and then dispensed only their own brands of medications to the thousands of patients that come to them for treatment each month. Cries of “foul” would flood the media channels in an […] keep reading