So many have written on this topic. I recently read (and highly recommend) a book titled the same, as well as an article in Forbes about the lack of story in PR. I have to say this is true. We continue to forget that there needs to be a story behind our products, services and brands. In fact, without a story, you do not have a brand. But why do we continue to ignore a basic principle of learning — the story as the provider of a lesson? Stories have motivated us to learn—to believe—throughout the ages.
Why can’t the pharma world put data in its place? Why can’t they focus on the reason to believe the story, and not just the story itself? “Now more than ever” (I like to quote myself), we all need a good story to break through the clutter in our daily lives. Why should a healthcare professional listen to blah blah efficacy of X percent more than blah blah with side effects including: heart failure, inability to operate heavy machinery, possible thrombosis and halitosis? Wouldn’t they be more likely to respond to the positive story we can tell about what a product can do for a patient’s life? Or how our service makes life easier—even if the life in question is the healthcare provider’s?
Regulations aside, I say it’s worth fighting for. Heck, I do it every day!
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Ken is a great deal more than just the president of a medical communications company. He is something of a hybrid. He’s part marketing manager, part creative director, and part copywriter. To the chagrin of his peers—but to the delight of his clients—Ken is a consummate perfectionist. As a former creative director for a high-end consumer agency, he challenged his creative teams to go beyond the mundane to produce work with real creative impact, something he’s just as fervent about today. From producing and directing TV commercials, to launching DTC and Rx-to-OTC switches, Ken brings his clients a world of experience in OTC pharmaceuticals as well as business, lifestyle, and high-end consumer products and services. Whether huddled with clients behind a mirror in a market research center in Houston, facilitating a strategic workshop in Madrid, or developing a global campaign either in the New Jersey or California office, Ken is always fully engaged, bringing “bestness” to all areas of his hectic but full life.
