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Technology gone good
I love this. Cedars Sinai hospital has brought in virtual reality to let patients sit and experience an amazing world in an otherwise usually tough situation. I am curious to see what this does in helping patients recover more quickly.
The delicate job of moderating
Today I was inspired to read up on some articles in my field of market research. One click led to another and I started reading lots of opinions on moderating. It is truly interesting to read even from the ‘so-called experts’ what they feel are the do’s and don’ts of moderating. Even more interesting, when they elaborate on how many factors go into moderating you can see what a truly delicate job it is.
It’s not a perfect science, by any means…. for one, what we are talking about is a human talking to other humans about their thoughts and opinions. Already right there, you have a myriad of different types of aspects that come into play. If you work in customer service, you know this… there are all types of people in this world, personalities, education levels, cultural backgrounds and keeping everyone on one page as in a group setting is tricky.
It does take some clear cut defined skills; however, there will always be a little variation and spontaneity. Since we are not robots, and hopefully will not turn into them, we need to most importantly understand that moderating is all about adjusting to the situation at hand. It requires ability to adapt quickly. Often times, someone may run late, there could be a technology glitch, a change in materials/stimuli, a new line of questioning appears and a moderator has to pull everything together seamlessly to keep the interviews moving.
It’s not an environment free from making errors. I’ll admit, watching from the backroom is an easy place not only to analyze what respondent is saying, but what the moderator is doing. If it looks easy, they are likely a very skilled moderator. They have learned to adapt, think quickly and pace the discussion based on a million little factors. One important aspect is to build and maintain a good rapport, which is the core of obtaining good solid feedback. This is only truly assessed by the moderator who is sitting in close contact, observing eye contact, movements, how engaged the respondent is, whether what they are saying and doing match up and how much they are truly getting into the discussion.
So it goes without saying… do’s and don’ts- yes, there are definitely some to keep in high regard, such as don’t eat while interviewing, don’t burp in front of your respondent, don’t have bad breath, don’t repeat yourself, don’t make judgements… AND do listen, do probe, do show respect for them, and most of all, do adapt – in any way that will spark the discussion to be fruitful to achieve the end objectives, not matter what.
Best Websites for Pharma News
It is easy to get lost in a sea of information on the web. I love to keep up with the news, but sometimes, the news sites are just so overwhelming. What ever happened to just reporting information?
No, now you have endure a million ads, and little snippets here and there of a bit of everything. So I am going to do my own little research project here and try to find out, which websites produce the best Pharma news based on these 2 simple criteria:
1) Supplies relevant information
2) Has a clear and simple design
First up, Fierce Pharma. I have been utilizing this site for awhile, and usually view it on my mobile. I’d say it meets both criteria particularly on the phone. In terms of the website, it has a newsletter style so in essence, yes, very busy and it takes your eyes a few minutes to find the real “news.” I do like that they have featured stories, so it is easy to find the new information. I’d say in essence it does hit both criteria as opposed to so many other news sites available cluttered with ads. I’ll definitely keep it high on my radar.
Off to check out a few more…
Oncology Apps
Keeping up with the latest and greatest can really be tough in this day and age. New things keep coming out so fast and furious and they are competing against each other for the best. I try to stay on top of it… but it can certainly feel like once you get caught up, you’re actually behind!
I am curious about these different oncology apps… I guess maybe I’ll start with a couple and see how they stack up myself!
The power of the river
Many people do seem to underestimate the power of our river. Sad news to hear when another person drowns… wearing a flotation device is just common sense.
Here is an interesting news article and things to keep in mind next time you step in a river, anywhere.
ASCO 2015
Well I am back from ASCO! Four days of meandering through the largest conference center I have ever been to in my life, the McCormick Place in Chicago. It truly is an exciting experience to attend a conference so highly regarded and full of people from many different countries and different roles. While I attended to view ASCO through the lens of those I normally interview for the purposes of market research; I watched others were more engrossed in the new clinical trial data. Regardless, there is no doubt one the hottest discussions at ASCO is the upcoming era of immuno-oncology.
I embraced these topics gaining a little deeper knowledge attending the educational sessions as well as listening to discussions on the advantages and disadvantages of what’s to come.
Financial toxicity was a new buzz phrase… yes, we have new agents coming out, but are industry leaders and clinicians prepared to find a way to manage this cost to patients? There is no doubt this is going to be a fine balancing act.
I walked through the exhibits as well, enjoying the lively buzz of people walking around, drinking (LOTS of) coffee and small talk. It is so interesting to observe people watching the videos and interactive communication tools companies are using to talk about their current products. I have to admit, I had a few favorites in terms of design, technology and friendliness of the people representing each company. It didn’t hurt when they had a tasty snack too.
I was a bit disappointed by the representatives who clearly only engaged with people who they felt they would benefit from; very much a single-minded approach to representing your company, particularly if you spend the rest of the time on your phone or computer when at a live exhibit for your company. You may want to reserve yourself a small private room rather than be on display, showing you don’t want to interact with others.
On the other hand, I did indeed meet a lot of very kind, engaged and very interesting people… MSLs, sales reps, medical affairs and even a few other marketing folks who were impressing a good culture of their company. At an exhibit show, you are more than just your products. The clinical data showing efficacy helps sell it, the lower AEs helps sell it, the good reimbursement and access helps sell it, and the good marketing sells it… and so does the reflection of what you present.
Beautiful Cinematography of our River Towns!
Highlights in Oncology Commercialization and Market Access
I was fortunate enough to attend the Oncology Commercialization and Market Access conference on February 23rd and 24th in San Francisco. The conference attendees and presenters were all quite delightful. One of the highlights which really stood out from my experience was:
Listening to Camille DeSantis and Maria Casini present a highly insightful story on the importance and value of developing a strong corporate identity to drive new product growth. This was particularly intriguing as they were able to demonstrate how a company without strong support components, or multi-dimensional pillars if you will is not enough. A house cannot stand on one leg (i.e. one product, one service). And interestingly, brand identity is not just developed at the beginning of a company start up, but is based on a continuum of effort to always maintaining strong support, and consistency especially in a changing society where people are using different means to assess a company. We now seek information on websites, social media, news articles… along with their own personal experience with your company.
A strong brand identity brings customers comfort, familiarity and a leadership position in your space; which in turn, helps sell any of your products. It really gave me a fresh perspective to take a look at my own branding and it appears I have some work to do : )
Oncology Commercialization and Market Access
It is a very interesting time in oncology. Pharma is really gaining momentum in this space and pretty soon, we are going to start seeing things move at warp speed. Since this has been a therapeutic area I have had a long history (and more recent uptick of) performing both qualitative and quantitive research, particularly among payers, I’ve decided to venture to the Oncology Commercialization and Access conference in San Francisco coming this February.
This 2-day conference runs on February 24 and 25th and it looks like there is an exciting set of speakers! Looking forward to sharing some highlights!
River Town Research 