The marketing monologue has turned into a conversation 

“We don’t believe in digital marketing. We believe in marketing in a digital world, and there’s a huge difference,” said Clive Sirkin, new chief marketing officer of Kimberly-Clark, in an Ad Age article.

I take this to mean that at Kimberly-Clark, digital marketing isn’t in a silo but incorporated as part of the larger marketing team. That interactive tactics are viewed as an integral part of a holistic marketing campaign. Marketing in a digital world still requires offline tactics—they just need to be fully integrated. I hope Sirkin is including social media in his use of the word digital because it’s essential that social media tactics support the overall company or brand marketing objectives.

Most of our target audiences are living in a digital world—one of multitasking, near constant noise, and information available 24/7. Interactive devices, especially smart phones, keep many of us constantly digitally connected. In just a few years, this access has become an essential part of our daily lives. I thought this Domino Theory blog post had an interesting way to think about the topic: “Marketing in a digital world isn’t about the tools YOU use, it’s about the tools your customers use.”

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Most of our medical science comes from people with rare diseases 

Rare disease research is on the rise, and that’s good news for the 25 million rare disorder patients in the U.S. In fact, it’s good news for all of us, because the insights that we gain from this research can lead to pharmaceutical innovations that extend beyond the rare sphere, affecting the medical industry as a whole. By focusing on a few rare patients, we have the potential to change the lives of many.

Since the Orphan Drug Act was passed in 1983, the number of rare disorder treatments that are available has been steadily increasing every year. In addition to increasing awareness of the rare disease community, this high level of activity has led to pharmaceutical discoveries and advancements in the treatment of other more common diseases.

A Broad Impact on Health Care
There are numerous examples that illustrate the influence rare disease research has on health care. Alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency (AATD) is a rare lung disorder that affects less than 100,000 people in the U.S. However, as scientists learned more about AATD, it was discovered that the alpha-1 antitrypsin protein could potentially be used to treat Type 1 diabetes, a disease that affects tens of millions of people worldwide. The FDA has since granted regulatory clearance for the protein to be evaluated in clinical trials.

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there will be a pharmaceutical brand that will have a compelling use for this type of technology 

I’m not embarrassed to admit it: I love Foursquare. It may be a silly game, but it shows how technology – and society – is evolving and how location-based services will be part of our future.

Forrester Research recently found that only 4% of U.S. online adults have ever used location-based mobile apps like Foursquare, Gowalla and Loopt. The majority of users are males age 19-35 and Forrester recommends that most brand marketers wait for a larger audience before engaging. Others endorse jumping in now. I’m not suggesting that pharma brands should start using Foursquare, however it is important to learn about new marketing tactics so we can adapt them for our unique industry.

What is Foursquare?
Foursquare is a location-based social application. Go to Foursquare.com, create a free profile and download the mobile application to your Smartphone. The next time you are out, open the app to use your phone’s geolocator to show places near you and “check-in” at your location. You can also give permission to your friends on Foursquare to allow them see your location and vice versa.
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The challenge with innovation is to not get distracted by what’s shiny and new 

Innovation. What a loaded word. And a bit intimidating. But according to Merriam-Webster Dictionary all it means is “the introduction of something new.” It’s in my title (Director of Search & Innovation) and for me it’s about paying attention to what’s new and different in pharma, rare disorders and online. It means being open to explore different ideas and adapt them to the unique situation of our clients.

Oooh, it’s a Shiny Object
The challenge with innovation is to not get distracted by what’s shiny and new at the cost of losing sight of the marketing basics. Social media is particularly appealing because everyone is talking about it and it’s “free.” As I’ve written before, social media is a tactic, NOT a strategy. The same goes for mobile and video. It’s important to stay focused on the tools that support the brand strategy. And it’s important to remember that successful strategies build trusted relationships by offering information, help and support the audience truly needs.
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