Archive for the ‘Device Marketing’ Category

Medical Device Recalls 101: My Device Was Recalled. Now What? (Part 2 of 2)

Part Two of a two-part series

The FDA’s overarching position (PDF) is not that they expect a company to be “recall free,” but they expect a company’s recalls to be conducted properly. Device marketers have to be on top of their game when responding — because, let’s face it, recalls happen. A locked-and-loaded communication strategy is a must.

Bottom line: you can’t always control the action, but you can control your reaction.

Depending on the class of the recall, you will have varying positions and responses. Here are some rules of thumb to get you over the hurdles:

FOUR-STEP RECALL RESPONSE CHECKLIST

1. Plan Ahead

As a marketer, you should be heeding the Boy Scout motto, “be prepared,” by putting together your crisis communication plan in advance. Make it a part of your annual strategic planning process. Consider various scenarios for potential recalls, and appropriate actions (and point persons), in order to react as swiftly as possible. Continue reading »

Medical Device Recalls 101: Devices Have Rainy Days, Too (Part 1 of 2)

Part One of a two-part series

Product recalls are a major headache for Pharma. Yet devices can feel the pain, too. The FDA’s 510(k) process for approval has recently come under intense scrutiny, and while regulatory action may help diminish the number of recalls, it can’t prevent them completely.

A recalled device can create a time of crisis for its brand. When patient safety is at stake, a recall can topple sales, reduce share value and erode market trust. The key is in mitigating the damage.

In Part One of my two-part blog series on device recalls, let’s take a general look at what’s going on. Continue reading »

Comparative Effectiveness: Insight for Device Marketers

Today’s Left To My Devices column features guest author Amy Smith. Amy is an Account Director at HCB Health and provides expert insight into the clinical industry.

Comparative effectiveness (CE) in healthcare has been a hot topic of discussion lately. In fact, recent federal stimulus legislation set aside $1.1 billion to support CE studies. With the intense emphasis on evidence-based medicine over the past few years, there’s no doubt that CE will be significant in the future of healthcare.

In theory, it’s an impressive step forward for the industry. But the great unknown is “how” it will be integrated into the practice of medicine. Will data be utilized by empowered healthcare professionals to make informed decisions? Or will it be used by Medicare and private payors to limit access to treatments based solely on cost alone? The device industry needs to be paying attention to how this plays out in the near future. Continue reading »

Device Marketing and the Importance of Firsthand Perspective

At HC&B, we frequently help our clients launch new products into the medical marketplace. In these cases, there is nothing more beneficial to us than experiencing the product firsthand. Getting up close and personal with a new piece of technology allows us to better understand it and produce more robust creative solutions.

During live surgery, it's hard to tell our HC&B staff apart from the docs.

In November, some colleagues and I had the opportunity to witness live cataract surgery featuring the nation’s first cataract surgery femtosecond laser. To date, femtosecond laser technology has primarily been used in refractive (LASIK) surgery, and is just now being introduced to the cataract market. We at HC&B are responsible for positioning and marketing the first of these revolutionary devices.

What does this firsthand experience look like? We took a small team from Austin to Houston, where a prototype version of the machine was being used. We scrubbed up and joined as observers in the OR. After each procedure, the surgeon spared us a few minutes to discuss the cataract laser system and the experience of using it. We captured several pages of notes, which are helping to flesh out several of our current projects. Continue reading »

Digital Channels and Device Marketing: Where’s the New Hot Spot?

A golden rule of marketing any product — whether a device, drug or CPG — is that an “integrated” approach is always the best approach. The more you can weave a campaign through various media, the better chance you have at achieving “stickiness” of your message.

Integrated campaigns are not just about websites and print ads anymore. Quite a few digital media options are becoming hot outlets for bringing enhanced value to healthcare marketers when launching creative campaigns. Digital channels can enable us to diversify how we get the word out to clinical decision makers and influencers — and yes, even patients. Continue reading »

Creating Sales Aids for Pharma and Device Reps: Six Strategies

Although our clinical clients’ greatest breakthroughs occur in laboratories and hospitals, their successes often are credited to sales representatives — those employees actually out there pounding the pavement. As a member of HC&B’s clinical account team, I often help our clients create sales aids for sales reps. And, as a former “bag carrier” myself, I know what it takes to make those sales aids truly useful.

Some background: I worked in sales for two of the largest pharmaceutical and medical device companies on the market. In my experience, a few lucky sales reps will be given a large amount of time with a surgeon to discuss their product. In many scenarios, however, a rep is given as few as 10 seconds to make an impact.

With that in mind, here are six key strategies for creating sales aids: Continue reading »

Meet Your Number One Competitor

Competition: Something product managers — and their agencies — think about every day. How can we beat the competition? How can we outsmart them?

We always think we know our competition. We have their names, statistics and differentiators. We know their campaigns. But are we thinking about the right competition?

From what I’ve seen, your device’s biggest competitor is not another manufacturer or a similar product. It’s habit. Specifically, it’s the force of habit in the physicians using your competitor’s product. Continue reading »

Welcome to LEFT TO MY DEVICES

Nancy Beesley, CMO of HC&B Healthcare Communications

I love new business calls. Not just for the obvious reasons that all agency leaders would say. I love them because for those 15 minutes, I get to listen to a company’s challenge and really think about new ways to solve it. Every call is a new product, a new category or a new way of doing things. While I always ask a ton of questions, I get asked quite a few myself.

I think we need a blog about bringing devices to the market — that looks at the questions device leaders ask and gives smart, real-world answers. That’s what “Left to My Devices” is all about.
Continue reading »