KOL to brand advocate in a day?

KOL to brand advocate in a day?

Can a brand narrative workshop turn a room full of key opinion leaders into brand advocates in one day? And if it can then is that the morally right thing to do?

To me, and I realise I am slightly biased, the answer to both questions is a blindingly obvious 100% yes.

Of course this point of view rests on the assumption that every brand a pharma company might pay to put through a brand narrative workshop has some utility to someone, somewhere in the world. I would concede that brand narrative workshops can't perform miracles. If a brand really sucks then no amount of workshopping is ever going to change that but the vast majority of marketed brands have a useful purpose to someone, somewhere at some point.

KOL brand narrative workshops get under the skin of this.

Brand narrative workshops start by exploring the world of the potential patient and defining what that could look like should the world be a more just place. This defines aspiration and creates a sense of purpose.

There are always many problems that get in the way of achieving this purpose. Brand narrative workshops define these problems and explore how the brand might be part of the solution.

Brand narrative workshops demand evidence to support the brand’s problem solving role. And a role based on assumption and hypothesis convinces no one.

Brand narrative workshops conclude with a usage case or two that illustrates how the brand solves a problem that makes achieving the aspiration more possible.

Doctors involved in brand narrative workshops are some of the smartest people you'll ever meet. They generally lead thinking in their field and show little if any sign of compromise on their mission of doing the best for their patients.

They rarely struggle to identify where a brand can add value and where it cannot and they have the language and knowledge to articulate that clearly in a very strong brand narrative.

So do they become brand advocates in a day? Of course they do. The critically align their purpose, their challenges and the incidence of use of the brand in question that assures it adds the most value. Having debated with their peers to reach this position, they have no problem explaining and defending it to others.

Is it moral? Again, of course it is. The object of the exercise is to identify the correct place for the brand to add value and then work out a clear approach to communication to achieve this efficiently. Brand narrative workshops are constructed in such a way to eliminate over claims or poorly evidenced positions. The moral footing of the workshop is very solid.

So where does all this leave us? In the hands of a global KOL, the brand narrative becomes a tool for analysis and truth allowing the high impact communication required to ensure the right patient receives the right drug at the right point in their treatment plan, in order to achieve the desired outcome.

If you'd like to better understand the role of brand narrative as a tool to markedly accelerate advocacy development, please get in touch.