I came home from Philadelphia with two things I hadn't planned on: a Van Morrison LP for my Dad, and a fairly clear view of what makes pharma marketing work right now. The two turn out to be connected.
I was at Fierce Pharma Week supporting one of UP's life science clients, meeting journalists and getting a feel for what's occupying pharma marketers at the moment. It was my first time at the event, and I liked the format immediately.
There was a good mix of conference sessions and exhibition activity, but the hall wasn't so enormous that you needed a map to cross it. You could visit every booth, have proper conversations and see what each company was doing to stand out.
That matters more than it sounds. At the biggest shows, you spend half your time walking and the other half recovering. Here, you actually got to talk to people.
AI was everywhere, which surprised nobody. It dominated the conference discussions and, quite literally, the exhibition floor, where a humanoid robot wandered about dancing and posing for photos.
Impressive? Certainly. Memorable? Less so than you'd think.
The booth I remember best belonged to a patient record data company that was giving away retro vinyl records. I spent a few happy minutes flicking through the crate before choosing Van Morrison for my Dad. The company told me they'd done it before, and the reason was simple: it gets people to the booth.
It did exactly what good exhibition marketing should do. It made me stop, interact and remember the brand afterwards. In a hall full of companies competing for the attention of the same people, that's no small thing.
This feels particularly relevant in life sciences right now.
Communications are becoming more sophisticated. AI, data and personalisation are giving us increasingly precise ways to understand and reach healthcare audiences, and there was plenty of discussion about how AI is already being used in pharma marketing: analysing complex data, identifying audiences, personalising content and engagement.
But sophisticated doesn't have to mean complicated. Or impersonal.
Whether you're designing a conference booth, developing a PR story or creating content, you still need to understand what will make someone curious enough to stop and pay attention. Technology can help us find the audience and reach them at the right moment. Creativity and good communication give them a reason to care.
Some of the most valuable time I spent at Fierce wasn't in the conference sessions at all.
It was sitting down with editors, talking through the latest news and research coming from our clients and, just as importantly, hearing what's interesting them. Which stories are becoming overdone. Where the industry is heading. Which questions they think are still worth exploring.
In my experience, B2B PR works far better when those conversations happen throughout the year, not only when there's a press release to pitch. An event gives you the rare chance to have them face to face.
Give people a reason to stop. The biggest budget doesn't always win. A crate of vinyl can beat a robot if it sparks curiosity and a conversation.
Talk to journalists before you need them. Use events to listen as much as to pitch. The relationship you build in the quiet months is the one that gets your story read.
Let technology find the audience, and let creativity win them. Data tells you who to reach and when. It can't tell them why they should care. That part is still your job.
AI will undoubtedly keep changing how life science companies communicate, and Fierce offered plenty of glimpses of where that could take us next.
But good communication still starts with curiosity: understanding your audience, finding the interesting story and giving people a reason to remember it.
If a dancing robot helps, great. If it's a Van Morrison LP, apparently that works too.
Planning your next trade show? Contact us to talk about how to make the most of your event PR opportunities.