Category Archives: Working in the industry

How can pharma attract talent when they continue to shed employees ?

Posted on August 12, 2011 | 6 Comments

As suspected Pfizer has started laying off salespeople as Lipitor faces patent expiration.  Merck is still laying off people and Lilly has plans to reduce its workforce in Indianapolis.  When companies loose sales the way pharma companies are loosing products because of patent expiration there isn’t much choice but to make organizations smaller.  However we all should remember that in this economy that meeting with their managers can be devastating to employees and their families. Continue reading →

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Cleaning up an agency mess

Posted on August 4, 2011 | 2 Comments

A couple of month ago I got a call from a frantic client who needed help with their interactive agency.  It seems that their eMarketing person had quit and left a lot of open projects with the agency and that the VP was at a loss to try and make head or tales out of what was happening and what was paid for.  As I started to dive into the pile of over 46 invoices I could not believe what I was seeing, $15,000 to do a simple Photoshop redo of an image ?  It started me on a rant about agencies and agency people that was evident to most readers of this website. Continue reading →

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The definition of irony thanks to Merck

Posted on August 4, 2011 | 1 Comment

The ad states “I am not a segment, I am not a demographic, I am not a patient.  I am person”.  This was the ad on NBC Nightly News replay via their website but the problem is that the segment was on layoffs and right at the top was Merck with 13,000 layoffs.  So while consumers are not a demographic or market segment employees are just numbers to be cut as business continues to decline for big pharma. Continue reading →

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Help Wanted: Some innovative DTC marketers

Posted on August 2, 2011 | 1 Comment

Frustrated employees are voluntarily quitting their jobs at the highest level in almost three years as confidence they will find another stabilizes, even with unemployment at about 9 percent for more than two years.  Almost 2 million Americans quit their jobs in May, a 35 percent rise from the lowest level in January 2010, according to the Department of Labor.  Over the past year I have seen some very good marketing people leave healthcare marketing because they have had their fill.  Why is this happening and what does it mean ? Continue reading →

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Never seen such a clear chance to make a real difference

Posted on July 8, 2011 | 5 Comments

Steve Woodruff today, on his BLOG, asks “As the industry has evolved, however, I can’t help but ask the question – is it time to give up on the idea of commercial prescription pharma interactively participating in the open, public social media space using current platforms? (please note the careful choice of words before having a knee-jerk reaction).”  It’s a good question and he lists some of the symptoms preventing pharma from implementing a social media program but the market has a way of forcing change for leaving those who refuse to acknowledge change in the dust. Continue reading →

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Which has a better ROI for new Rx’s the web or TV ?

Posted on July 7, 2011 | 1 Comment

Before I begin with my daily pontification let me make a statement: given the same amount of money that a DTC marketer would spend for TV (production and air time) I can drive more Rx conversions through online marketing.   No I am not bragging, nor am I a genius,  I am just stating a fact.  I can drive a better ROI and exceed brand objectives with the Web vs. TV and I can do it for any product or disease class. Continue reading →

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Some excellent pharma Tweeps to follow on social media

Posted on July 5, 2011 | 6 Comments

So you obviously know whom I do not like and why but I also want to share with you some very talented people, even some agency people, who I believe are great resources for learning and who are great at putting the patients at the center of everything they do.  I follow these people everyday and think the world of them because they have made me a better marketer and have showed me why they do what they do.  So here is the list.. Continue reading →

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The people who are dragging pharma marketing down a path towards irrelevance

Posted on July 3, 2011 | 7 Comments

With a fair amount of big drugs due to come off patent in the coming years one of the biggest casualties may go well beyond revenue to talent retention.   You see when drug companies start to layoff people because of declining revenues the people that are left are not necessarily the most talented they are most often the ones who are the most politically connected, the ones who are good at kissing up and ones who are great at maintaining their empire. Continue reading →

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Posted in Business of the drug industry, Working in the industry

Working with legal to approve DTC marketing materials

Posted on June 28, 2011 | 1 Comment

The thought of meeting with your legal people to clear new marketing materials can terrify marketing people, especially if your legal people like to become editors as well as lawyers.   However, remember that they are there to do a job just like you and there are things that you can do to enhance the relationship between marketing and legal.  Here are some guidelines that have worked well for me over the years. Continue reading →

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Breaking the cycle of mediocre agencies and talent

Posted on June 12, 2011 | Leave a comment

I don’t know about you but I for one am sick and tired of people who haven’t provided real business results joining agencies.  To make matters worse these agencies announce the move with fanfare saying the person “strategized” or “led discussions”.  Excuse me but I believe a resume is supposed to have examples of providing REAL results as applies to business objectives.  This endless circle is one reason why there is so much bad biopharma marketing out there. Continue reading →

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Are agencies supposed to “teach” DTC marketers now ?

Posted on June 1, 2011 | 6 Comments

I have heard a lot of BS in my time but expecting an agency to teach DTC marketers about marketing is something that I believe is pure mule muffins !   If you have to teach someone how to do their job than that person is in the wrong job and, more importantly, while they are learning consumers and patients are moving on.  By the time they learn the fundamentals what they just learned will be outdated.  Agencies are not supposed to teach people they are there to provide value by implementing and adding value to brand objectives. Continue reading →

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