Dear Lost in the Long-Term,

You’re right. The pace of change has accelerated significantly. For companies such as yours, with long histories of proven success using methods that are increasingly out-of-date, that pace can seem dizzying. But take a deep breath and relax. Not everything is different.

• You don’t have to start over: you can use your existing messages in new ways – did you know that many of the best-practice strategies for marketing emails have their roots in direct mail? A great ad campaign is a great ad campaign, whether your target audience sees it on a billboard or a banner ad.
• Your targets have moved, not changed: Clinicians used to leaf through medical journals and spend time sitting through detailed presentations about new drugs. Now, they don’t have as much time, but they need the same information. Journals haven’t disappeared, but doctors are as likely to read them on their smartphones as to read them on their lunch break (which they probably don’t get any more anyway.) Increasingly, physicians are consuming information digitally, and you need to follow them. The message hasn’t changed, but the medium has, and you may need to tweak your delivery method accordingly.

It’s important to position your organization to adapt to changing market circumstances quickly and with agility. As they say, change starts from within. If your company is like most traditional pharma companies, it uses a top-down, hierarchical system that hasn’t changed for decades. Adaptability, however, thrives on environments that encourage knowledge flow, diversity, autonomy, risk-taking, sharing, and flexibility. Contrary to the classical strategic thinking they used to teach, strategy follows organization in adaptive companies.

In this fast-moving environment, it’s vital that pharma companies choose partners who are adept at delivering their messages in every medium. Make sure you’re teamed up with a creative agency that also excels at adaptive strategy and nimble execution.