Dudnyk blog
Thinking PAFEO
Adhering to the principles of PAFEO can help biotech brand managers communicate more clearly and efficiently.
It isn’t every day I get the opportunity to share good practical advice from one of my favorite teachers. But after rereading John Keenan’s Feel Free to Write, which was published in 1982 to help business professionals with the daunting task of achieving clarity in their writing, here’s my chance.
What is PAFEO?
Continue reading “Thinking PAFEO” »
4 tips for becoming a mojo-working biotech brand manager
Learn how to turn heads when it comes to your brand.
Bluesman Muddy Waters. Austin Powers of the eponymous movie trilogy. Rapper/singer Kid Cudi. What do they have in common? All 3 have explored the mystery of mojo in song and swagger.
Mojo, as defined by Merriam-Webster, is magical power. Mojo is that intangible something that makes people pay attention, to react favorably to what you say or do.
Continue reading “4 tips for becoming a mojo-working biotech brand manager” »
Your brand imagery should boldly go where no one has gone before.
Biotech: The healthcare frontier.
These are the voyages of the new commercial enterprise.
Its mission: To explore exciting new market segments.
To seek out new physicians and change prescribing behavior.
To boldly go where no brand has gone before.
Differentiating your biotech brand’s creative imagery from that of the entire category at launch is critical to commercial success.
Continue reading “Your brand imagery should boldly go where no one has gone before.” »
Odyssey of the Mind for biotech brand managers
When preparing for launch, assemble a best-in-class team that can work collaboratively and think fast.
Preparing fourth-graders for their Odyssey of the Mind competition is a lot like assisting clients with their first biotech launch.
I am the coach of my 9-year-old son’s Odyssey of the Mind team, which is an international, educational, problem-solving program. Competing teams depend on their creativity to solve problems in a year-long program that in many ways reminds me of the year leading up to a biotech launch.
Continue reading “Odyssey of the Mind for biotech brand managers” »
Lady Gaga and biotech brands
How to be true to your audience by keeping it new.
Have you heard Lady Gaga’s newest song, “Born This Way”? All I could think as she was carried onto the Grammy stage in a translucent egg was, “Hey! That’s a Madonna song!” It may be called “tribute” in the music industry, but in the world of biotech branding, it’s just a recycled idea.
Pass the stereotype!
Continue reading “Lady Gaga and biotech brands” »
7 tips for working with MLR
Following a few simple rules of etiquette (and common sense) can help speed the copy review process.
As a biotech manager you have probably sat through your share of challenging copy review sessions. Here are 7 ways you can build enduring relationships across departments and help make the review process less arduous.
Continue reading “7 tips for working with MLR” »
Biotech brand managers and the specialty pharma dilemma
Niche markets are gaining traction. To be successful in this arena, consider these 4 challenges.
Lucrative blockbuster drugs are golden handcuffs in a sense, with their revenue-generating power tempered by the prospects of major financial instability from lawsuits and patent expiry. These days, more companies will begin to feel the sting of the billion-dollar drug club.
According to a recent news item from the University of Pennsylvania site Knowledge@Wharton “no fewer than 9 of the industry’s 10 biggest blockbusters will go off-patent and face low-cost generic competition within 5 years.”
Continue reading “Biotech brand managers and the specialty pharma dilemma” »
Biotech brand names: how’d you choose THAT?!
Xerese, Zovirax, Orencia, Alkeran, Tarka. How do companies come up with the goofy, unpronounceable drug names that sound like B-movie bad guys?
If you’ve ever been involved in naming a new compound, you know that it’s way harder than naming a baby, with everyone from potential customers to the legal department and FDA weighing in.
Continue reading “Biotech brand names: how’d you choose THAT?!” »
Are biotech brand managers Waiting for Godot?
No need to wait—The FDA has already provided guidance.
In Waiting for Godot, a play by Samuel Beckett, two characters wait endlessly and in vain for someone named Godot to arrive. Are you similarly waiting for the FDA to issue guidance on social media activities? It could be an endless wait!
A recent search of Warning Letters illustrates this point. In March 2009, the FDA issued a Warning Letter concerning a banner ad. The FDA has made a few comments regarding websites since then, but nothing else about banner ads, even though manufacturers continue to use them to promote their products.
Continue reading “Are biotech brand managers Waiting for Godot?” »
Jay-Z’s creative wisdom for biotech brands.
For biotech companies preparing to launch their first commercial product, Jay-Z has Decoded the challenges of developing your first brand.
For any image or symbol or creative act to mean something, it has to touch something deeper, connect to something true.
― Jay-Z
Continue reading “Jay-Z’s creative wisdom for biotech brands.” »