It started, as it usually does, with a phone call. A client asked if I could come up with some creative ideas for a drug launch meeting. They wanted to equip their audience with the latest data; they wanted them prepped to handle the questions that they might get out in the field; and they wanted it to be innovative and fun. I was told that a number of previous ideas had already been vetoed.
I sketched out some ideas, slept on them and got up earlier than usual the next morning when all was quiet. Revamping and honing the ideas, I reduced them to a short list, put on the coffee, and reviewed my pitch for the conference call that was coming. The initial response was positive, enthusiastic. A few days later the client had approved the ideas, with some tweaks. Over the next several weeks, after the usual number of conference calls, storyboards, design sessions, and moderator prep, we were all ready to go.
Launch meetings are fun and stressful. There’s excitement in the air about the launch of a new product, but there’s tension also because first impressions are being made—and you don’t get a second chance with that one.
The programs were three game-like sessions designed to get the doctors deeper into the data and to strengthen their understanding of the product’s key messages. We also wanted to foster honest debate on the hot issues, so no “training” was designed into these sessions. Plenty of time was given for discussion. My team members took a moderator’s role, supporting the medical science liaison each was coupled with to form a tag team that would drive the discussion to its conclusion.
The doctors enjoyed the format tremendously, and all the design goals were met. They particularly liked the way we capped off the session with a lightning round of challenge questions (one of the client’s tweaks), which got their competitive hackles up as the top five teams were awarded honorable mention at the close of the conference.
For me it was the culmination of a lot of hard work. But that’s work that I love: the opportunity to take an idea from concept to execution. Fewer and fewer of our programs are off the shelf these days. More and more clients want to break the mold and do something that wins serious ROI, is innovative, and is memorable. Creativity wins the day in this economy, and the results of this meeting were proof of that. This was a meeting to remember. And flights home after meetings like that are always a pleasure.
