An Advisory Board Meeting can be an invaluable tool. Having the right agency partner can be the difference between receiving a generic meeting transcript versus actionable insights that will drive brand strategy.
It was a typical Monday morning at AS&K. I’d only been copywriting for a few months, mainly writing about neurology and dermatology. But on that morning, a meteor entered my atmosphere: a writing project, for a client, all about… the vagina.
We’ve had an increasing number of requests in the past few years to build gamification into our projects – for a wide variety of project types, from internal communication and training to medical education to branded promotional activities. But, what makes an activity gamified? And, does gamification actually improve its effectiveness?
Advances in technology and communications have made it possible for us to have an ever-growing amount of information at our fingertips, ready to be consumed, shared… and quickly forgotten? In a world that revolves more and more frequently around images, leaving a mark has become an increasingly difficult challenge, particularly when complex information is involved: our knowledge can be expanded now more than ever, but what about our capability to understand, memorize, and recall?
In November 2021, my career trajectory did a full 180°. With a Pharmacy degree and a few years of med comms experience, I joined the Creative Club – taking my first big step into the cool and colorful world of medical copywriting. Before I had time to doubt myself, it was day 1 at the virtual office, and with Stephen King’s wise ‘On Writing’ words engrained, and my A-level grammar refreshed, it was time for me to bellyflop into the pool of the unfamiliar.
The word ‘infographic’ gets used a lot in Med Comms. It sometimes feels like the ubiquitous solution to every challenge – big chunk of data, turn it into an infographic; latest study results, turn them into an infographic; promoting disease awareness, let’s make an infographic!
The days of large, dense chunks of text are long gone – no one has the time or the patience to wade through them. Instead we want an eye-catching infographic – enjoyable to read, easy to understand and visually striking.
Today’s modern learner is overwhelmed, distracted, and impatient for information, according to a recent report by global industry analyst Josh Bersin. So, as a medical education professional, how do you tailor your programs to meet the personal needs of 21st century learners?
Slide decks are something of a staple in med comms and come in all shapes and sizes ‒ long, short, simple, and all too often, rather complicated. At AS&K we are often tasked with creating eye-catching decks from scratch, or transforming dull complicated slides into punchy, engaging ones that will capture an audience’s attention, and keep it. This can be challenging, even for seasoned PowerPoint users, especially when you factor in diverse therapy areas, products and audiences, and throw the odd tight deadline on top.
Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) policies and initiatives have long been considered a pinnacle of ethical business practice. These seek to create an inclusive company culture, i.e. the absence of exclusion or perceived exclusion by team members. These relate to protected characteristics under the UK Equal Opportunities and Discrimination Act (Equality Act 2010): age; disability; gender; marriage and civil partnership; pregnancy and maternity; race; religion; sex; and sexual orientation.
Impactful content that stands out from the crowd is key to the success of a campaign, but can we leverage its full potential with limited resources, time, and attention spans?
As the ancient Greeks used to say, Panta Rhei - everything flows. The world changes relentlessly, and in the modern business of marketing this necessitates constant adjustment, refinement, and attunement to grab the attention of audiences that are continuously bombarded with content.