Measuring ROI: Is Your Communication Strategy Outmoded?
June 24, 2011
Anita Harris
Anita M. Harris is president of the Harris Communications Group, a public relations and marketing communications firm in Cambridge, MA.
Koch Institute Gallery
The Celebration of Innovation in Kendall Sq—held on April 29 at MIT’s David H. Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research-- definitely lived up to its title.
Among other innovations I’m still celebrating:
- A university president (Susan Hockfield of MIT) walked over, introduced herself and actually seemed interested in learning about ME.
- 21 speakers got through their material in 25 minutes, total. (Good thing, because the audience of approximately 150 stood, sipping wine, throughout).
Living” bronzed” statues of dead inventors Ben Franklin, Ada Lovelace, and Thomas Edison walked silently around the room–stopping, occasionally, to pose for photos.
- Rudi Belliardi of the Wellington-Harrington Neighborhood Association described the development of polarizing lenses and quinine
- Daniel Heller, a fellow at the Koch Institute, said that the Robert Langer Lab, where he works, is seeking ways to target cancer using nanotechnology.
- Barbara Broussard, president of the East Cambridge Planning Team, spoke about the development of synthetic penicillin.
- Noubar Afeyan, chair and co-founder of Joule Unlimited, explained how his company is developing renewable fuels from waste carbon dioxide.
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Tom Waggener, Physioanalytics and Susan Hockfield, MIT
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Economic Development
- Dan O’Connell, president and CEO of the Mass Competitive Partnership, provided an overview of economic development in the Kendall Square Area.
- Alex Laats, partner Commonwealth Capital Ventures, outlined the origins and importance of the Internet.
- Bill Aulet, managing director of the MIT Entrepreneurship Center, spoke about the rise of entrepreneurs.
- Yi-Han Ma, co-president of the MIT Sloan Venture Capital and Private Equity Club, went into the growth of the venture capital industry.
- Tim Rowe, Founder and CEO of the Cambridge Innovation Center, and President of the Kendall Square Association, described the area as a “Startup Hive.”
Community
- Cambridge Mayer David Maher introduced the topic of ”community;” Margaret Drury, the Cambridge City Clerk, described her pride at officiating at the nation’s first same-sex marriage ceremony.
- John Durant, Director of the MIT Museum, told us about the upcoming weekend’s Cambridge Science Festival.
- Program directors Rebecca Gallo and Caitlin McCormick, described their work at the East End House; children Selena, Nubian, Ralph and Christelle acted out roles to bring out the current and historic importance of the Margaret Fuller Neighborhood House to the city’s immigrant population.
- Jane Hirschi, Executive Director of CitySprouts, explained the importance of school gardens and kids growing food.
- Travis McCready, Executive Director of the Kendall Square Association, described a recent low-tech camping experience in order to emphasize the growing role of technology in daily life.
- Gavin Kleespies, Executive Director of the Cambridge Historical Society–which provided historical background for the event– spoke on the development of microwave Radar
- Susan Athey, Harvard Economics Professor and Microsoft’s Chief Economist, described the growth of Internet search–confessing that, perhaps for obvious reasons, she is biased toward Microsoft’s Bing.
- Roscoe Thomas, the Area IV Neighborhood Coordinator, told of the trials and tribulations experienced by Elias Howe before he became the first in the US to patent a sewing machine.
- Rod Brooks, MIT Professor Emeritus and Founder of Heartland Robotics and iRobot, spoke on the past and future of robotics.
After the event, walking by sidewalk art by Robert Guillemin, the Whitehead Institute, Novartis, and Amgen on the way to my car, I felt energized by the creativity, forward-looking spirit and excitement of the gathering. And I mused at how far Kendall Square has come since I first visited there in the 1970s–when it was inhabited mainly by run down factories and empty lots.Is the News Embargo Dead? Not so fast…
May 11, 2011
Xconomy senior correspondent and San Francisco editor Wade Roush says he’s done with news embargoes.
In a column entitled, “The News Embargo Is Dead. Tech Crunch Killed It. Let’s Move On,” he writes that he’ll no longer agree to being “pre-briefed” by tech companies or PR firms with the understanding that he’ll wait to publish until the stories are made public— because he’s been burned one too many times.
What happened? TechCrunch went to press early with an embargoed story that he was also covering–making him look like an “also ran.”
In the coming year, pharma can expect:
- Little growth for big caps and fewer big cap company mergers
- Increased focus on therapeutics for niche and orphan diseases
- Accelerated need for prescription/diagnostics combinations, leading to partnerships or acquisitions.
“In our view, most pharma firms’ current approaches for playing in new fields will not succeed—and companies have many difficult decisions to make,” Glorikian writes. “A big question is whether, in making those decisions, they will try to satisfy shareholders’ immediate needs or ensure long-term company health.”
Here’s a link to the complete blog: Pharma in 2011: A Year for Big Decisions
–Anita M. Harris
Scientia Advisors, based in Boston and San Francisco, is a management consulting firm specializing in growth strategies for major and emerging companies in health care, life science, biotechnology and nutrition. Scientia recently launched a practice Pricing and Reimbursement/Market Access .
Anita Harris is president of the Harris Communications Group– an award-winning marketing and public relations firm in Cambridge, MA. HarrisCom also publishes New Cambridge Observer, a blog covering arts, sciences, business, politics and life in and around Cambridge, MA.
HarrisCom Presents: “Branding for Biz” Dec. 9, 2010-Free!
December 6, 2010
The Harris Communications Group is pleased to present:
Branding for Startups and Emerging Companies: What, How, and Why for Busy Entrepreneurs.
A nuts and bolts workshop with Julianne Zimmerman, strategic consultant.
Moderated by Anita Harris, President, Harris Communications Group, and hosted by the Cambridge Innovation Center.
4 pm Thursday, December 9
Cambridge Innovation Center
1 Broadway 4th floor, Kendall Square, Cambridge, MA
Followed by networking at the Venture Cafe
The first in a series of workshop/seminars sponsored by the Harris Communications Group at the Cambridge Innovation Center
RSVP http://brandingforbusiness-harriscom.eventbrite.com/
Pre-registrants attending the workshop will be entered in a drawing to receive a complimentary hour of consulting with Julianne Zimmerman or Anita Harris.
*
Julianne Zimmerman provides high-value strategic guidance to entrepreneurs and executives of small and early-stage organizations. She is an accomplished veteran of boutique and startup companies, with more than 20 years’ experience in technical, strategic, and communications leadership roles,www.juliannezimmerman.com or www.linkedin.com/in/juliannezimmerman .
Anita Harris, president of the Harris Communications Group, is an award-winning strategic communications consultant specializing in marketing communications, media relations and social media for emerging and established companies. www.harriscom.com.
Cambridge Innovation Center (CIC) is the largest flexible office facility for growing technology and life sciences companies in the Greater Boston area.
The Venture Café, currently in its alpha stage, is in session each Thursday from 3-8pm. The cafe is a resource for the Boston entrepreneurial and innovation communities with the mission of creating fresh and useful conversations. As the Venture Cafe prepares to enter its permanent home in Kendall Square, the founders project that the marriage of innovation and creativity with a European-style cafe space will facilitate collaboration and build a greater sense of community in Kendall Square. www.venturecafe.net. Information: Carrie Stalder, Founding Manager for The Venture Café, 617-329-1324, carrie@venturecafe.net
Chicago Trib Board should throw book and more at CEO Daniels
October 19, 2010
In his piece, Carr reports that Randy Michaels, a former radio executive and disc jockey, was “ handpicked” by Sam Zell, the Times Mirror’s new controlling shareholder, to run much of the media company’s vast collection of properties, including The Chicago Tribune, The Los Angeles Times, WGN America and The Chicago Cubs”.
As I wrote in a letter to the New York Times,
Letter: The Troubled Tribune
I’m appalled and saddened by the irresponsible attitudes and actions of those now in command of a once respected, trustworthy pillar of the fourth estate. Even if (especially if?) those in charge care more about making money than fulfilling their privileged societal watchdog role they must be subject to the same laws prohibiting sexual discrimination and harassment as are all other businesses across the land.
Building 19: Copy to be emulated?
October 8, 2010
I probably shouldn’t admit this, but I am a secret admirer of Building 19′s copywriters–whomever s/he/ they may be.
I have friends who won’t set foot in the bargain stores–which, according to the latest circular, were founded in 1964, when a ship originally sailed by Christopher Columbus finally arrived in Hingham. (That does make you wonder how long some of their merchandise-aka “good stuff cheap”–has been lying around). And I admit–that even I, the penultimate bargain shopper–have been known to remark that you need to take a shower after you experience shopping there.
But how can you not be drawn in to a come-on like this:
WOULD YOU LIKE A HIGH POWERED CAREER IN ADVERTISING?
And not laugh when it goes on to say, “If so, this is not for you.”
(The ad, on the front page of Building 19′s October 8 flier, continues: …but if you want to work on the Building #19 circular in a fun atmosphere, rework a few pages from this circular and send them along with a resume (preferably yours) to Human Resources or email: hr@building19.com).
And how ’bout the ad for “Hat’s entertainment–(featuring Halloween hats such as Fuzzy Brim the Pirate, the Don Corleone Straw, the Linda Blair special–featuring devil’s horns)?
And the one for Liz Claiborne II, a second and ”brand new shipment” of Liz Claiborne shoes? It includes pictures of “the ACTUAL stickers from the boxes ” and a warning to “Hurry in to beat the madness, this time around.”
My point is that in writing copy, you need to understand your audience and what will motivate them to get out there and buy your stuff. Building 19 certainly does have the knack: its home page even features a link to its “Classic Ads.“ But enough of this. Life is short and I gotta go–those shoes won’t be there forever.
–Anita M. Harris
Anita M. Harris is president of the Harris Communications Group, a marketing communications and public relations firm in Cambridge, MA.
Companion Diagnostics: New Worry for Pharma Execs
September 23, 2010
Pharma execs with blockbuster drugs on the market should be up staying at night strategizing in case someone comes up with a “companion diagnostic” that the FDA requires before the blockbuster can be prescribed.
So write Scientia Advisors authors Amit Agarwal and Jonathan Pan in “Theranostics and Already Approved Drugs: What You Don’t Know Can Hurt You,” published in the 2010-2011 Parexel Yearbook.
Disclosure: Scientia is my client.
In the article, Agarwal, partner, and Pan, senior associate, describe the situation that led the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to require warning labels and recommend diagnostic testing for the blockbuster drug Plavix more than 10 years after the anti-thrombotic hit the market. Plavix is marketed by Bristol-Myers Squibb and Sanofi-Aventis to prevent myocardiofaction (MI) or strokes.
As early as 2001, when Plavix had been on the market for four years, studies began to show that Plavix helped certain patients more than others, the authors write. By 2008, genetic testing by a competing pharmaceutical company showed that nearly one-third of Plavix users did not fully benefit from the drug. Based on these and other trial results, in 2010 the FDA required that the manufacturers include a “black box” warning label and a diagnostic testing recommendation for the product.
In 2009, Plavix had worldwide sales of $9.5B including $5.6 B in the US. As a result of the FDA diagnostic testing recommendation, the authors project that by 2012, BMS and Sanofi Aventis will lose $450M to $575M in sales in the US alone– and more if regulators in other nations add requirements. “Given the need to maximize revenue in the face of generic competition across their portfolios, it is a significant amount to offset.” Other drugs, prescribed in conjunction with Plavix, will also most likely be impacted.
Agarwal and Pan recommend a number of actions that pharmaceutical executives can take to mitigate such potential post-launch losses.
- Expand competitive landscape and threat assessment coverage to monitor the diagnostic environment for new research and clinical trials which could potentially impact the sales of marketed drugs
- Upgrade skills, capabilities, reporting relationships and the organizational clout of the theranostic function
- Develop organizational structures that allow knowledge of new biomarkers and clinical trials to reach commercial decision makers
Scientia Advisors’ article is available in the PAREXEL’s Bio/Pharma R&D Statistical Sourcebook 2010/2011 at Barnett Educational Services.
—Anita M. Harris, President, Harris Communications Group
Scientia Advisors, located in Boston and San Francisco, is a management consulting firm specializing in growth strategies for major and emerging companies in health care, life sciences, biotechnology and nutrition.
HarrisComBlog is a publication of the Harris Communications Group, an award-winning public relations and marketing communications firm in Cambridge, MA.
