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Human purpose is the catalyst for better healthcare communications

How creativity helps providers, patients and carers

The rate of medical discovery is increasing exponentially, technologies that previously existed only in science fiction are now a reality, and the vast potential of data has finally been unlocked. The future of healthcare is exciting, and patient outcomes will improve. But by how much and how far will be based on our work as a creative community. The reality of the best and most advanced treatments making their way to patients across the globe depends on our ability to raise awareness, drive education and ensure universal adoption.

Not long ago, we were suffocated by #BadPharma and the historic conduct of our industry. We were guilty of championing our pills, our commercial success, our self-importance. As such, we were dismissed by the brightest creative talent, who instead chose to advertise the latest fashions, lifestyles, must-haves.

During the last decade, we have made incredible progress to change the behaviors, philosophies and ambitions of the pharma community, and as such, external perceptions. Human purpose is our priority, making a meaningful difference the catalyst to attract the most empathetic, the most passionate and the most brilliant creatives to our cause. Those who deny tradition, champion change and demand more.

Our job is to transform healthcare professionals (HCPs) into innovators, so they are the rule versus the exception. Ensure patients are educated and engaged—activists for their own health and that of others. Help unpaid carers to become project managers of care and the champions their loved ones need.

Every year, we see tens of thousands of HCPs retire to be replaced with a new breed of digital natives. For millennial HCPs, scientific knowledge remains the foundation of their profession. But as you would expect, their ability to use technology has transformed how they operate. The concept of learning via a textbook is now archaic, yet some of the best science is still hidden behind overwhelming reports, publications and data. To better support HCPs in this world, we need to leverage the latest technologies to ensure that for the right patient, at the right time, they have the right information. We also need to recognize the evolution in their characteristics. Today’s physician is more open to collaboration, many of them now harbor entrepreneurial tendencies, and, like wider society, they are visually conditioned. As we learned at Cannes, pharma can no longer celebrate our creativity, we need to deliver creativity for good powered by human purpose.

As part of my research series, I published a white paper Smiles That Save Lives, which explores the vital role of creativity on the subjective well-being of patients. Google discusses winning the moments that matter, and we need to do the same in healthcare. We need to make sure patients feel supported in the broadest sense, and that they are part of their solution. Engaged and empowered patients are the influencers. They are the heart of the community and broader crowd. They are critical in the credibility and cascade of information to the global community. For too long we have failed to connect with many of our patients. The clichéd smiling patient has been the easy solution. Today we must build partnerships at an emotional level, with understanding, empathy and human insight.

The third group we must consider is the “invisible army” of healthcare—carers. In the U.S., the value provided by informal caregivers—families, friends, neighbors—was estimated to be $470 billion in 2013, and increasing. Unpaid carers are the glue that holds healthcare systems together. To doctors they are the partners turning treatment plans into reality; for pharma companies they are the catalyst to success; and for patients they are everything. To unlock the true potential of carers, we must broaden our focus. We must tell better, more relevant, readily understandable human stories to ensure there is a true information exchange between the HCP, patient and carer, so that carers become the advocate patients so desperately need.

Purpose, empathy, humanity have always been the foundations of healthcare. It must now also be the building blocks of our communications.

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Changing healthcare communications

Lou Shipley is a Creative Director at the Havas Lynx Group. In this joint blog, alongside David Hunt, CEO, Lou shares her thoughts on the importance of creativity in healthcare.

For too long pharma has suffered with anxiety and paranoia. Determined to position ourselves as inferior to consumer marketing and communications, citing regulations, global complexities and politics. It’s an excuse for mediocrity. It’s also unattractive. Five years ago we launched the Havas Lynx Group on our #GoodPharma manifesto. We believed it was possible to make money and do good. To help patients and carers, and drive the commercial success of our clients. We knew with real purpose and ambition, we could attract the most brilliant minds to join our mission. Below Lou Shipley, a Creative Director at the Havas Lynx Group, shares the truth about being a healthcare creative.

The truth about being a healthcare creative, by Lou Shipley

‘Are you sure that’s a good idea?’ That was the reaction from my industry peers in consumer- land when I announced my decision to work in healthcare. And naturally my initial concerns were all based on their ‘pharma urban myths.’ What if it’s boring? Creatively limiting? Will it be endless shoots of doctors with stethoscopes? Will I regret flunking science at school? Will I mainly be flogging athlete’s foot cream?

And now, three years into my healthcare journey, I know all of those myths are perpetuated by people with absolutely no idea what it’s really like in healthcare. I’ve done my fair share of work for a plethora of me-too consumer brands. Instant coffee, banks, dog food, cars and microwaveable burgers; all scrabbling around to differentiate themselves from a carbon copy competitor. And that’s fine, but all too often I’d find myself thinking: is this it? And that’s exactly the reason why I chose healthcare over consumer advertising. There’s far more to get your teeth into, it’s really interesting and it’s a whole lot more rewarding.

You see, I’m a geek, and I love interrogating a brief to find out all there is to know about the subject in hand. It’s about digging for that juicy nugget of truth, and the solid gold insight that makes a brilliant idea. Sadly, there’s only so much interrogating a microwaveable burger can handle. I know, I’ve tried.

But in healthcare, you have gallons of studies, unique benefits, more USPs than you can shake a planner at. It’s all at your disposal to find great creative ideas. And you know what? These are the products that actually deserve great creative – I’d much rather give my all to a brief if the end result means I’ve changed a life for the better. That kind of effort feels somewhat wasted on most consumer campaigns. And that feeling is emphasised when I hear moving testimonials from patients and HCPs. I never felt emotional about dog food. But I did reach for the tissues after hearing patients talk about life-changing treatments.

These are the products that actually deserve great creative – I’d much rather give my all to a brief if the end result means I’ve changed a life for the better.LOU SHIPLEY, CREATIVE DIRECTOR, HAVAS LYNX GROUP

Admittedly, it’s not all roses around the layout pad and creative unicorns skipping through the office. It’s really hard work, with hundreds of rules, regulations and stakeholders to please. Global campaigns are accompanied by translation issues, forcing you to think bigger and better than lazy clichés or puns (thank goodness for that). And don’t start me on the campaigns where we can’t talk about the product or benefit. But is any of that really much harder than trying to sell a blue alcopop by doing something ‘whacky’? (Yep, that was the brief and it really was as soul destroying as it sounds.)

Lastly of course there’s the science. Most days I’m transported back to school chemistry lessons (I did flunk). But thankfully, I’m surrounded by people who are smarter than me, translating the science into something even I can understand.

So yes, it’s a different world. But I don’t feel like I’ve turned a weird corner into a creatively moribund science lab. And I don’t need to unlearn everything from consumer advertising. Quite the opposite, it’s about using my skill set to create work with meaning. How many people in the consumer ad industry can truly say that?

As Lou explains, of all sectors, I believe that ours is of the greatest importance. When you speak to patients, families and their care team, you witness our ability to support, help and even change lives. Our insights and ideas have the power to scale scientific discoveries and transform healthcare innovations into global answers. But only if we replace anxiety with confidence, mediocrity with purpose, and attract the brightest, smartest and most creative minds to join our cause. We can change the world, once we change the way we do healthcare communications.

 

Agency of the Year
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Cannes Lions Healthcare Agency of the Year – championing change and demanding more…

Havas Lynx Group are Cannes Lions Healthcare Agency of the Year 2018

I am exceptionally proud of the progress that we have made, while equally excited about the work we are still to do. This is not the end, nor is it the beginning. During the last decade we have made incredible progress to change the behaviours, philosophies and ambitions of the pharma community, and as such external perceptions. Not long ago, we were suffocated by #BadPharma and the historic conduct of our industry. We were guilty of championing our pills, our commercial success, our self-importance. As such, we were dismissed by the brightest creative talent, who instead chose to advertise the latest technologies, fashions and lifestyles.

Since the inception of the Havas Lynx Group, we have been leading the charge in defining a new approach to pharmaceutical communications, one which champions transparency and considers healthcare holistically. We embrace breakthrough scientific discovery, emerging technologies and meaningful data, as well as the individual experience of all stakeholders in care.

Brilliant, empathetic, vulnerable; creatives. The spiritual partners to stakeholders across healthcare that deny tradition, champion change and demand more.

Every year, we see tens of thousands of healthcare professionals (HCPs) retire to be replaced with a new breed of digital natives. For millennial HCPs, scientific knowledge remains the foundation of their profession. But as you’d expect, their ability to use technology has transformed how they operate. The concept of learning via a textbook is now archaic, yet some of the best science is still hidden behind overwhelming reports, publications and data. To better support HCPs in this world, we need to leverage the latest technologies to ensure that for the right patient, at the right time, they have the right information. We also need to recognise the evolution in their characteristics. Today’s physician is more open to collaboration, many of them now harbour entrepreneurial tendencies where their predecessors did not and, like wider society, they  are now incredibly visually conditioned. As we learnt at Cannes, pharma can no longer celebrate being social. Our content campaigns  must now compete with the very best of the consumer world.

As part of our research series, we published a white paper Smiles That Save Lives, which explores the vital role of creativity on the subjective well-being of patients. Google discusses winning the moments that matter, and we need to do the same in healthcare. We need to make sure patients feel supported in  the broadest sense, and that they are part of their solution. Engaged and empowered patients are the influencers. They are the heart of the community and broader crowd. They are critical in the credibility and cascade of information to the global community.

For too long we’ve failed to connect with many of our patients. The clichéd smiling patient has been the easy solution. Today we must build partnerships at an emotional level, with understanding, empathy and creativity.

The third group we must consider is the ‘invisible army’ of healthcare: carers. In the UK the estimated cost of the NHS is £134bn and the estimated value provided by unpaid carers is £132bn, a difference of just 1.5%. Unpaid carers are the glue that holds healthcare systems together. To doctors they are the partners turning treatment plans into reality, for pharma companies they are the catalyst to success, and for patients they are everything. To unlock the true potential of carers, we have to broaden our focus. We must tell better, more relevant, readily understandable stories to ensure that there is a true information exchange between the HCP, patient and carer, so that carers become project managers of care.

The future of healthcare is exciting. New technology, new science and new data have the potential to drive exponential advances in medicine. We have access to massive quantities of data harnessed from a plethora of new technologies. AI and machine learning are revolutionising how we understand and use that data, helping us to develop new, more personalised treatments more quickly and more cheaply than we ever thought possible.

In short, what we once believed to be science fiction is now a reality. But the reality of the best and most advanced treatments making their way to patients depends on our ability to raise awareness, drive education and ensure universal adoption.

Our job is to transform HCPs into innovators, so they are the rule vs the exception. Ensure patients are educated and engaged – activists for their own health and others. Help carers to become advocates and champions for their loved ones. And in doing so, ensure equal access to the latest, most progressive science, technology and data. Winning Cannes Lions Healthcare Agency of the Year is a step in our journey. We can do more, and we will do more. We know the role we must play as a creative agency to help unlock the future of medicine, today.

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Communication is the key to unlocking the potential of immuno-oncology

Communication is a necessity not an option

A new white paper from Havas Lynx Group explores the exciting new frontier of cancer treatment – immuno-oncology (IO) – and what it means for how we communicate with healthcare professionals and patients. David Hunt, CEO of Havas Lynx Group, writes why Big Communication in the age of IO will be crucial to realising the potential of this groundbreaking new treatment modality.

Despite its many forms and varied outcomes, cancer has stubbornly embedded itself as a singular entity in the public’s consciousness: the amorphous and universally feared ‘Big C’.

In 1971, the 37th President of the United States, Richard Nixon, famously declared his war on this singular, recalcitrant enemy, asking congress for the “same kind of concentrated effort that split the atom and took man to the moon” to beat cancer.

Decades later, in a twist of presidential fate, 92-year old fellow US President Jimmy Carter received his all clear from melanoma thanks in part to an entirely new way to treat the Big C.

“To truly realise the transformative potential of immuno-oncology,
we must step up and create equally transformative Big Communication across every healthcare touchpoint.”

David Hunt, CEO, Havas Lynx Group

This new treatment – immuno-oncology (IO) – is revolutionising cancer care. Immune-based drugs are controlling advanced cancers in a way that’s never before been possible. IO is fast becoming a lifeline to thousands of cancer patients, and has reformed our expectations and hopes for what’s possible in treating cancer.

The science of ‘omics’ – genomics, proteomics, metabolomics – has already taught us that the Big C is far from a singular entity, but is more like thousands of individual diseases caused by a myriad of cellular glitches that make normal cells ‘go rogue’ and grow unchecked. Fantastic successes with IO have given tantalising glimpses into how the power of the immune system can be unleashed to recognise and kill such rogue cancer cells.

Yet IO is still a story of two extremes. At one end of the spectrum comes the unprecedented successes – the supersurvivors – those who defy long-embedded prognostic expectations, whose tumours melt away to nothing thanks to the near-miraculous effects of IO. Though their numbers are steadily increasing with every new IO approval, the supersurvivors remain the lucky outliers.

For every patient who has a supersurvivor response, there’s a handful of those who don’t respond at all. And there’s still no reliable way to predict this.

For those on the front line of treating cancer, IO brings a whole new level of excitement and opportunity, but also unprecedented complexity and uncertainty. And for patients, the practicalities of their cancer treatment have changed. IO is shifting the fundamental realities of cancer treatment. Scans look different. Treatment schedules are unlike those of other treatments. And side effects can range from the benign to the devastating.

IO heralds a new age for the Big C. Not just a new age, but an entirely new vision. New treatment standards require new communication standards.

In short, in the era of IO, the Big C is Big Communication.

Our latest white paper explores how we can help to unleash the true potential of IO through such Big Communication thinking.

The next wave of IO discovery will focus on identifying patients in whom these treatments work best; discovering mechanisms of resistance that can be overcome; and developing better means of reducing side effects. Our white paper shows how a corresponding wave of Big Communication will be essential to focus on cutting through the complexity that IO brings.

This clarity afforded through Big Communication could help to improve outcomes for many more patients. On the flip side, there’s a real danger of letting patients down if we don’t do more to support the unprecedented clinical advances with fit-for-purpose communications strategies.

“I was told [I had cancer] in a language that I didn’t understand. It was a total shock. We had access to a network of people who had more experience. We spent time emailing people for case studies and what we could do. But I don’t know if other patients would be able to do that, or would do that?”

Marje Isabelle, Founder and CEO, Fertile Matters

This means working with others to define a new lexicon for cancer care; helping healthcare professionals stay on top of the deluge of new data and insights; and lifting the veil on the IO field for patients.

Our white paper looks at how Big Communication in IO affects every patient touchpoint – from clinical trial engagement to conversations about prognosis and side effect education. Moreover, it redefines how we  talk to healthcare professionals and raises the need for a new value proposition beyond basic unit cost.

IO has broken the mould. It’s changed the conversation. It moves us yet further away from the tumour-centric view of cancer treatment to one that co-opts a patient’s own immune cells to create living drugs that respond to rogue cancer cells anywhere in the body.

We must correspondingly break the mould of communication in cancer. Big Communication is a necessity, not an option.

To download the white paper and access further information go to: switchedoncology.com

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Havas Lynx comes out on top with 5 golds at the prestigious PM Society Awards

Leading healthcare communications agency, Havas Lynx, has celebrated an unprecedented number of big wins at the prestigious Pharmaceutical Marketing Awards  (PM Society Awards).  The Manchester based agency collected a total of five golds, four of which were won for its innovative “Change the face of HIV” campaign for Viiv healthcare.  This year’s awards sweep of gold, silver and bronze takes the agencies total to an incredible 36 PM Society wins in the past six years.

Competition this year was tougher than ever, with entries from a total of 51 agencies and 83 in-house creative teams.  Havas Lynx’s record-breaking ten accolades were achieved in recognition of its innovative work across a variety of therapy areas and categories.

The PM Society Awards are widely regarded amongst the most esteemed in the pharmaceutical healthcare sector, and is the biggest annual gathering in the industry. They are unique among healthcare creative awards in that they include categories judged by healthcare professionals – the targets of the work (TARGET) – as well as a creative panel from the industry (CRAFT).

Havas Lynx’s gold awards comprised of:

Best primary care advertisement – Change the face of HIV for Viiv healthcare (TARGET)

Best advertisement campaign – Change the face of HIV for Viiv healthcare (CRAFT)

Disease awareness – Sun safety on site for HSS Hire supported by Cancer Research UK (CRAFT)

Best Primary Care Campaign – Change the face of HIV for Viiv healthcare (CRAFT)

Best Film – Change the face of HIV for Viiv healthcare (CRAFT)

Dave Hunt, Havas Lynx CEO, said:

“We’re incredibly proud to have smashed our own awards record and been recognised at the PM Society Awards, despite incredibly tough competition.  

“Our strategy to invest heavily in our creative capabilities over the past few years has really paid dividends and we now have a studio team of over 75, and a total of eight hugely talented Creative Directors.  This month we’re delighted to be welcoming Tim Jones to the team, a truly stand-out, multi-award winning Creative Director, who brings with him a wealth of experience in consumer and HCP campaigns.

“As an agency we are constantly evolving, and we are dedicated to creating profound work that has real impact. These awards are recognition of that and testament to our hard work.  It’s real a privilege to work closely with our clients, whose ground-breaking work inspires us on a daily basis.”   

About HAVAS LYNX

Informed by experience and driven by innovation, the people of Havas Lynx are agents of the next era in health.

Dedicated to helping clients connect consumers, professionals and brands with information, services, and influences to drive new relationships and better outcomes. Comprised of what was formerly known as Euro RSCG Life 4D and Creative Lynx, Havas Lynx has offices in New York, Manchester and London. A member of the Havas Health global network.

Website: www.havaslynx.com

YouTube: www.youtube.com/user/HavasLynx

Twitter: @HavasLynxEU

Instagram: www.instagram.com/havaslynxeu/

Facebook: www.facebook.com/HAVASLYNXEurope

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Generation Now – Round Table Event

When we started our journey into Generation Now I had no idea how much interest it would generate and how it would develop a life all of its own. Generation Now puts the millennial healthcare professional under the spotlight and never more so than at our most recent event – a round table meeting of key millennial healthcare professionals, at the Royal Society of Medicine.

We were delighted to be joined by some of the industry’s top healthcare entrepreneurs and millennials. Between them Dr Shafi Ahmed, Dr Stephanie Eltz and Dr Matt Jameson Evans represent some of the most innovative faces of healthcare in the twenty-first century. Dr Ahmed, consultant general and colorectal surgeon, is a leader in the use and development of augmented reality in clinical practice in areas such as sharing the latest surgical techniques through live streaming oncology operations[i]; Dr Eltz is a trauma and orthopaedic registrar and founder of Doctify – a platform-neutral online patient-doctor interface and Dr Jameson Evans, previously an orthopaedic surgeon, is the co-founder and chief medical officer of HealthUnlocked – an online community that is gaining a reputation for being the LinkedIn for patients with chronic conditions. We also had key leaders from the pharmaceutical industry and the ABPI.

The round table discussion was lively – as you’d expect with such big personalities in the room. Entrepreneurs by nature are generally outgoing and yes sometimes outspoken – but then the point of the evening was to try and discover what the millennial generation could expect from healthcare, and what we could all be doing to help it get there.

Big data came up and, not unexpectedly, but maybe not quite fairly, the NHS’s apparent struggle to cope with it. Perhaps the recent involvement in healthcare of big data big guns such as Google and Facebook can help it find its place in healthcare. ‘Wearables’ were also seen as one of the next big things. Continuous blood glucose monitors are already ‘a thing’ but imagine the possibilities for 24/7 monitoring of health predictors and the benefits that this could bring to people with other chronic conditions. And where do I even begin with the possibilities that virtual and augmented reality could bring?

We may all be used to viewing healthcare as an immovable object, but everyone in the room was in agreement that much of the technology, either under development or already available to support the millennial HCP, will disrupt this status quo. As an industry we have so much to offer the millennial HCP and help them become positive disruptors, that can take new technology into healthcare for the benefit of all of us. One thing is clear – the future is most definitely coming, and with it huge steps in our understanding of patients, diseases and treatment.

While there were far too many great points made throughout the course of this event to talk about here, there are a few key things that really stuck in my mind. It’s clear that we all need to increase collaboration to encourage the uptake of these innovative technologies.  We need to stop thinking we have to maintain the status quo – our entrepreneurial HCPs are delivering some amazing new approaches and, if we really embrace them, they have the potential to add enormous value to the way our healthcare system works. Probably the most important point though, was that while innovation should be welcomed, we must remember not to leave people behind. After all it is the millennial healthcare professionals and millennial patients that make our health service what it is; and what it will become.

Thank you to everyone who made this such an exciting and insightful debate.

Participants involved include:
Dr Shafi Ahmed, Consultant and Surgeon, and Co-founder of Medical Realities
Dr Stephanie Eltz, Founder of Doctify
David Hunt, CEO Havas Lynx
Dr Matt Jameson Evans, Co-founder and Chief Medical Officer of HealthUnlocked
Dr Rebecca Lumsden, Head of Science Policy, ABPI
John McCarthy, Vice President, Global Commercial Excellence, AstraZeneca
Dr Claire Novorol, Founder and Chief Medical Officer of Ada, Founder and Chairman of Doctorpreneurs
Sarah Price, Senior Planner, Havas Lynx
Hiba Saleem, Partnerships Director of Doctorpreneurs and CO-founder of Medtech Student Network
Dominic Tyer, Editorial Director, PMGroup and Chair

The Generation Now Round Table event will be featured in the November edition of PME, available online from 8th November 2016.

[i] http://www.wired.co.uk/article/wired-health-virtual-reality-surgery-shafi-ahmed

 

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Why your gran’s not too old to be a millennial

In May Havas Lynx released its Generation Now website and white paper, a multimedia investigation into the impact of the millennial healthcare professional (mHCP). Speaking at the launch event, I defined millennials by their attitudes, behaviours and ambitions, not their date of birth.

Certainly, they’re ambitious, entrepreneurial and socially conscious individuals, who like to work iteratively and collaboratively, They are also digital natives who have grown-up surrounded by an ever-evolving digital landscape and as such live their lives in a constant state of beta.

Undeniably, these characteristics are more common among the millennial age group than any other. These assertions are based upon over a decade of research by Havas Worldwide, who surveyed more than 50,000 adults from around the world in creating their Prosumer Report. In their own research, Havas Lynx spoke to Kristian Webb, a cardiac device specialist who started pacemakerplus.com because he was concerned about the misinformation patients found in the media and online. Webb’s DIY initiative and passion for protecting the wellbeing of others are typical of his millennial age.

However, who’s to say that a Gen X or Baby Boomer couldn’t hold these characteristics too? Indeed, there’s evidence to suggest that more mature generations, who worked away industriously in their youth, may have been inspired by their children’s pursuit of quality of life over career progression. Travel trend studies suggest that 55-year-olds are more likely to take a touring holiday than the traditionally young backpacker demographic, while one in five older people volunteer for two or more charities.

And, according to Havas Lynx’s investigations into the mHCP, there are plenty of examples of professionals who fall outside of the millennial age-range but possess their traits. Take Dr Jack Kreindler, for example; a medical technologist and investor, whose career demonstrates the sort of diversity and push for progress (not just progression) typical of a millennial, despite him being a touch mature to be strictly classed as one. Kreindler paid his way through medical school by working as an IT consultant, before progressing to A&E, specialising in high-altitude medicine, and eventually founding a sport-science-based practice, while also investing in practices driven by machine learning.

Pharma should be excited about engaging mHCPs, but it should also be prepared for change. This is a dynamic group of professionals, set on shaking things up and doing things their way. Moreover, it’s a generation who are influencing those who came before them as well as those who will follow, in an era when technology is empowering all; from clinician to carer, from grandma to grandson. As such, it might be time that our own definitions of generational characteristics exist in a constant state of beta too.

• For more information on Havas Lynx’s investigation into the impact of the millennial HCP on our world, go to m-hcp.com. Here you’ll find the Generation Now whitepaper, as well as keynote speeches, blog posts, podcasts, and video interviews from a range of contributors and leading experts.

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The future is bright

We believe that the future is bright, that health will improve and that progressive pharma will be successful. Led by emerging science, amplified by technology and powered by engaged patients.

The scale and impact of progress, will be at the discretion of a new breed of physician, the millennial HCP (mHCP). Digitally native, their number increases year-on-year.

Of course, they exhibit many of the traits of their predecessors; knowledge, empathy, ambition. We’re comfortable with the healthcare professional in them. But what about this other side – the millennial? What does it mean when your homework group included Google and Wikipedia? When you spent 14 months of your medical education online? And when you haven’t written by hand for more than a month?

Millennials are visual. They choose SnapChat, YouTube and Instagram. 72% of them use emojis to communicate their emotions – no language has ever grown more quickly.

Millennials are visual
Millennials are visual

Millennials embrace progress. 95% make positive associations with the word ‘change’. Their digital tools of choice are in a constant state of beta, as they look to optimise their digital being.

Millennials demand more. They believe big business should take as much responsibility as the government. And, as illustrated by the UK Government and Junior Doctor dispute, they believe in collective power.

It would be wrong to define this generation by their birth certificates, and to suggest that this population only includes those born after 1980. Instead, it is a generation that was forged in the last two decades as its members immersed themselves in a new world. Their habits and personalities have evolved with the technology around them. Put simply, they are digital.

In this world, insight, creativity and design are more important than ever. CREATIVE agencies have a critical role to play, aiding and supporting mHCPs to leverage the science and technology at their disposal.

Scientific knowledge has been, and always will be, the critical capability of physicians. The shift, is in their expertise and confidence with technology. And our opportunity is to recognise these new skills, supporting mHCPs in improving outcomes.

Capabilities
Capabilities

Much of the industry boasts an exciting pipeline of products. As we look to build these brands and partner with healthcare professionals, let’s not forget the millennial within them 😉

To find out more about the impact of the millennial generation on healthcare, sign up for the new white paper, podcast, and YouTube series from Havas Lynx at www.m-hcp.com

References
The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. State Health Facts 2015. http://kaiserf.am/1VfEncN (Accessed May 2016)
Ofcom. Media Use and Attitudes Report 2015 http://bit.ly/1E3fFyO (Accessed May 2016)
Docmail. The death of handwriting. 2012 http://bit.ly/1srFRoG (Accessed May 2016)
Bangor University & Talk Talk Mobile. Linguistics Research. 2015. http://bit.ly/1HseRrW (Accessed May 2016)
Pepsi Optimism Project. 2008. http://bit.ly/1R6meY1 (Accessed May 2016)

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The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Millennial Healthcare Professional

Originally written in the late 1970s, Douglas Adams’ well-loved sci-fi masterpiece, The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy, tells the story of Arthur Dent as he flees Earth shortly before it’s destroyed to make way for a hyperspace bypass. Accompanied by his alien friend Ford Prefect, Arthur finds himself floating around a universe in which small digital devices can tell you everything about anything; where foreign languages can be instantly translated into native tongues; where machine intelligence dwarfs the cognitive capabilities of mankind; and where flagging down a lift is as simple as pressing a button. A universe…rather like the one we live in now.

More than just another sci-fi oracle, Adams has proved an inspiration for those defining a future well beyond his own lifetime, including Dr. Jack Kreindler. A medical technologist and investor, Kreindler is one of a new wave of physician redefining what we expect from HCPs. He spoke to Havas Lynx as part of their research for Generation Now, a new white paper about the millennial HCP (mHCP).

Kreindler’s introduction to Adams set him on an extraordinary and unorthodox career path. To help support himself through medical school, a young Kreindler worked as an IT consultant for Adams: ‘I realised through working with Douglas that we were practicing medicine in kind of the Stone Age. And it got me thinking that perhaps the use of connected devices and information technology would absolutely transform what we regarded as truth in medicine.’

Since then, Kreindler has worked in A&E, specialised in high-altitude medicine, founded a centre for health and sporting performance, and invested in practices driven by machine learning. Each venture has vastly progressed his medical understanding and clinical practice. Moreover, they’ve provided a career diversity that is commonly sought out by millennials. Speaking at an RSM Digital Health Entrepreneurs event last September, Adam Tulk, CEO of Frameshift  (who connect HCPs with temporary work), reported that ‘a lot of doctors want to have less of a purely clinical career and more of a portfolio career.’

Many seek extra-clinical opportunities in digital. Having grown-up with digital engrained in their everyday life, and seen its transformative impact firsthand, they have ambitions to harness this power to shake-up healthcare. ‘The key thing that is redefining those ambitions,’ says Dr. Kreindler, ‘is the generation of entrepreneurs that have made it very big; the Larry Pages, the Elon Musks, and the Zuckerburgs of the world. People don’t have the fear any more. They are thinking if they can do it so can I.’ Systems and providers are moving to support such ambitions. NHS England launched its Clinical Entrepreneurship Programme at the end of 2015, as part of a drive to open-up entrepreneurship and innovation to professionals. It’s a clear indication from Sir Bruce Keogh and his colleagues that, far from harming clinical practice, engaging professionals in non-clinical initiatives could benefit the nation’s healthcare.

And why wouldn’t it? Many mHCPs are as motivated by a sense of social conscience as theyare any personal ambition. Kristian Webb is a cardiac devices specialist who started up a number of initiatives to provide quality patient information. ‘It was the inaccuracies in medical information online that worried me,’ says Webb, ‘I felt I had a professional responsibility to put more accurate information out there.’ Unlike large healthcare companies and organisations, Webb felt no problem with engaging with patients online, using forums and social channels to direct them to robust clinical information before eventually starting up his own repository for cardiology information.

Engaging with patients online, monitoring them remotely, and providing timely information and advice will all be vitally important as mHCPs move away from treating sick patients and towards facilitating sustained good health. It’s a shift that’s vital if we are to alleviate the burden of aging populations suffering multiple comorbidities. But there will be challenges. mHCPs are going to need skills their predecessors never dreamed of, not least in communication. ‘We know more about when to inspire people, when to motivate them to make a change from the advertising industry than we do in medicine,’ says Kreindler.

Interpreting the wealth of data at their disposal will be as critical. As in The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy, where the creators of the Deep Thought super computer so struggle to understand the answer it gives to ‘The Ultimate Question of Life, The Universe, and Everything’, so we have not yet mastered the reams of data available in such a way that professionals can easily make use of them.

There’s going to be plenty to keep mHCPs on their toes, especially with the expectations of increasingly empowered patients and the rocketing rate of medical innovation. As such, they’ll need support from all corners. For pharma, this means new opportunities in unchartered galaxies. It’s an exciting, challenging and important time. Just whatever you do, remember The Hitchhiker’s Guide’s golden rule; don’t panic.

More information available at www.m-hcp.com

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The story of Havas Lynx

This week officially marks the 30th year for Havas Lynx, so in the spirit of all things Lynx, we’re taking this opportunity to revisit the archives to see how we’ve gone from a team of two to become a powerful global healthcare communications agency with offices in Manchester, London and New York.

1986 – 1999

When we opened our doors as Creative Link, our aim was to work with clients who could bring about ‘positive social change’. Before three years were up, we’d won our first Pharmaceutical Marketing Award for our work with Rheumox, marking the beginning of our successful path in pharmaceuticals. The win was followed by a challenging pitch for Aricept, the first Alzheimer’s disease treatment. For patients and carers, this was the first glimpse of hope and the potential of a better outcome. Winning the pitch, we launched what became the world’s gold-standard treatment for Alzheimer’s disease.

During the ‘90s, we also worked for our home city, branding and launching Manchester Arena; acting as sole creative agency for Manchester’s 2002 Commonwealth Games bid and designing the book: ‘Manchester – A Celebration’, part of the 1996 Olympic bid.

Remaining committed to our city, when the IRA bomb struck in 1996; the British Government and Manchester City Council enlisted us (now named Creative Lynx) to create the briefing package for the rebuilding and re-planning of Manchester city centre. We launched the package worldwide and Manchester came back, alive and kicking.

2000 – 2008

Whilst the ‘80s and ‘90s were time to build our business and reputation, the ‘00s were definitely time to build the team. We recruited four future directors and gained one of our biggest and longest-term clients who would contribute to the new shape of the agency; at the forefront of pharma.

In 2008, we found our new home in Princess Street; our founder, Stuart Wilson, stood down after 22 years at the helm, and the Senior Leadership Team as you know it today, stepped up. The year after, we were appointed to the London 2012 Olympic design and artwork rosters, the only Northwest agency from 13,000 others.

2009 – 2016

The last seven years have been some of the most instrumental in Lynx’s development and in 2012, we merged with Havas Worldwide and opened up our first offices in New York and London; our new name, Havas Lynx.

Externally, our work has had a profound impact on patients, healthcare professionals and the wider industry. Highlights include, our award winning work for JHI which has been clinically proven to reduce hospital referral by 58%. Our EGFR disease awareness campaign, which shaped national guidelines, and ensured patients received the correct medication at the correct time. And a series of industry firsts, from our pioneering CLM iPad eDetail Aid in China, to our breakthrough work in social media, and our globally recognised smart phone apps.

Internally, our focus has remained on building and retaining our culture #LYNXLife. As we continue to grow, it is our people that are key to our success. We significantly invest in our team to ensure they are equipped with all the tools they need to deliver exceptional scientific, strategic, creative, and innovative campaigns that truly make a difference. In 2014, we launched the unparalleled #LXAcademy, an internal training programme, to share knowledge, provide inspiration and develop our next generation of talented leaders. We also transferred our motto of #helpfulchange outside of healthcare by supporting the charity Born To Thrive. Rising over £30,000 for the charity and helping to send 43 children to school, and build three new classrooms to enable the children to finish their primary education.

All of this activity has seen us win many awards (totalling 72 so far) including one of our greatest accolades yet, Havas Agency of the Year and most recently PMGroup Communiqué Communications Consultancy of the Year.