What Drives Relevance

Greetings from Brodeur Partners.

Fall has kicked into high gear for all of us in the communications space, hasn’t it? There are a couple of things we want you to know about.

First up is a new Relevance study we announced in concert with TEDxNewEngland’s inaugural conference focused on neuro and life sciences. The research shows nuances in perception among life sciences, medical, and health tech professionals, specifically looking at the New England region compared to a national demographic. Scroll down to see survey highlights revealing these professionals’ particular work-related preferences and attitudes.

The research illustrates why, secondly, we believe it is critical to look at changes in drivers of Relevance at three- to six-month increments. Particularly at this moment in late 2024, and in planning for a variety of scenarios in 2025, we are urging our clients to do an audit of their stakeholders. These stakeholders are your employees, policy influencers, customers, community, and influencers, to name a few.

The differences among generations and geographies around issues ranging from the economy to AI, immigration, and sustainability are all impacting your key stakeholders. If you understand the differences, you can plan for them in the critical months post-election.

We invite you to take a look at our Relevance approach to stakeholder management (second item below) and consider the actions we are suggesting, whether you are a global company or a startup focused on a specific niche.

As always, we want to share best practices, ideas, and creative impact.

New England's Life Sciences, Medical, and Health Tech Pros: 'Mission-Driven High Performers'

New England is one of the world's most dynamic life sciences environments, and its best and brightest minds are unique: They're mission-driven and optimistic about their ability to solve difficult science and health care challenges. While money is a motivator, they are much more attracted by inclusive, meaningful, and fun work environments. They feel prepared to put AI to work for noble purposes, but they are also concerned about the ethical implications of using AI in their field.

These are insights from a new Brodeur Partners Relevance research survey released at the inaugural TEDxNewEngland Conference, the region's premier independently organized TED conference dedicated to scientific discovery. Brodeur is an organizational partner of TEDxNewEngland.

Brodeur's "The State of New England's Life Sciences, Medical, and Health Tech Professionals" survey is aimed at helping the region's elite employers in life sciences, medicine, and health tech (LSMH) attract, recruit, and retain an all-star workforce. The findings come from an online survey conducted in late August of 222 LSMH professionals, half of whom live and work in New England and half in the rest of the country. As a benchmark, the survey also included 352 members of the general public.

"New England is where the best schools, students, graduates, candidates, and employers in life sciences, medicine, and health technology converge," said Andrea Coville, Brodeur CEO. "With candidates having so much choice, we want to help organizations win their share of the brilliant people who will change the trajectory of health care in the next few decades. When hiring, your brand, relevance, and communications strategies matter."

Mission-driven

The research reveals that New England's life sciences, medical, and health tech professionals are knowledgeable, ethical, and purpose-oriented. For example, when asked to weigh four factors in deciding a job offer, pay was less than a third (30%) in importance. Working in an inclusive, meaningful, and fun work environment drove 70% of their decision.

Also, New England LSMH pros are more likely to follow the evidence than the fashion, with 49% saying they don't worry about how others view their decisions.

Bullish around cures

New Englanders working in the science-based fields are far more confident than the general public that scientific and medical research can address pressing environmental and health issues. They are particularly bullish on the ability of scientific and medical research to address chronic illness, anxiety, and mental and brain health, a key focus of the TEDxNewEngland event.

Forty-nine percent (49%) of New Englanders working in a science-based profession are very or extremely confident that brain health can be improved and optimized in their lifetimes.

AI readiness and ambivalence

AI will transform the world, and many New Englanders say they are ready for it. Life sciences, medicine, and health tech workers are three times more likely (36%) than the general public (12%) to consider themselves well-prepared for artificial intelligence's challenges and opportunities. However, the readiness of the New England sciences community is far short of those outside the region.

A full majority (54%) of professionals nationwide say they are extremely or very well-prepared for the challenges and opportunities of AI. At the same time, there's widespread concern about AI. Two-thirds (66%) of New Englanders say they are either very or somewhat concerned about the ethical implications of using AI in their fields.

TikTok headlines

Another surprising finding: New England LSMH pros are comfortable with social media as a source for science-related news. For example, they are five times more likely to use social media (32%) than newspapers (6%) to learn of developments in the sciences. Reputable scientific websites, of course, topped their list of relevant sources.

"These are just a few of myriad new insights we've gleaned about the New England science, medical, and health tech workforce," said Coville. "New England's professionals in these fields are mission-driven high performers who over-index in professional and scientific performance. They are open-minded and socially current yet scientifically practical, a perfect combination for our high-achieving talent market. We are fortunate to have them here in one of the world's centers of medical and biotech/pharma research and treatment."

Dive deeper

Brodeur's workforce profile data is valuable for executives, hiring managers, recruiters, placement offices, and students in the life sciences, medical, and health tech world. Sign up to receive Brodeur's latest whitepaper for an in-depth look at the reseach.

The research complements Brodeur's strategic creative discovery platform based on Relevance, defined as the ability to engage so thoroughly with audiences you can change their behavior. Coville has written two books on the subject.

As an organizational partner of TEDxNewEngland, Brodeur is invested in advancing the region's dominance in science and technology. Founded nearly four decades ago in Boston, Brodeur has helped blue-chip clients in the life sciences and health care industries enhance and sustain their relevance.

"We are thrilled to be partnering with Brodeur as we broaden the reach and impact of our premier TEDx conference to a wider New England community," said Dmitri Gunn, founder and director of TEDxNewEngland. "Brodeur's communications expertise and unique focus on creating brand relevance are perfectly suited for TEDxNewEngland as we advance our mission of bridging the gaps between science and the world through groundbreaking science and storytelling."

What are your stakeholders thinking?

We live in interesting times, don’t we? Despite our good fortune, our society faces some acute challenges.

They’re hard to ignore as we enter the final stretch of the U.S. presidential campaign.

• For many Americans, there’s uncertainty about the present, fear about the future, and widespread distrust in institutions.
• We worry about the economy, climate, safety, national security, and constitutional freedoms.
• Many feel disconnected.

As professional communicators, we all must account for the zeitgeist in all of our communications, whether internally or to a vast consumer audience. At Brodeur Partners, we do. And we’re convinced that, if properly equipped, communicators can counter the negative undercurrents: We can replace uncertainty with confidence, fear with hope, and distrust with connection.

We can do this by leading with purpose – amplifying the fundamental values we still share and affirming our commitment to doing the right thing.

Even amid an unsettled society, we can bring about relevant change. For businesses, relevant change is likely to look like improved financial performance. For higher ed, it’s likely to be better student outcomes, higher enrollment, or more alumni engagement. For nonprofits, it’s receiving more money from philanthropists to do more good in the world.

Relevant change relies on three qualities:

• Humanity – Relevant brands sound, act, and ultimately are human, always addressing the human concerns of their audiences.
• Persuasiveness – To motivate relevant change, organizations must invoke the right and relevant reasons for each audience.
• Sustainability – Relevant change requires a long-term perspective. Focus on how the next few decades could be better than today.

In other words, change does not happen without people … people do not change without relevant reasons to adopt change … and change is meaningful if it endures.

Introducing Stakeholder Management

At Brodeur, we’ve spent 10 years researching the art and science of relevance.

• We’ve explored relevance in two books and put concepts to work for hundreds of clients.
• In that time, we’ve realized that many recent movements – including DEI, ESG, and sustainability – come from the same place: shared values.
• However fraught the labels of a movement, they express widely held ideals and envision positive change.

Thus, as we kick off the fall, we at Brodeur are viewing our work holistically – thinking less about narrow movements and more in terms of stakeholder management.

Stakeholders can include employees, partners, customers, board members, regulators, government officials, and the communities where you do business. Activities to be managed include sustainability, inclusion, good governance, thorny issues, reputation, purpose, and organizational change. Stakeholder management is tailored to each organization and its needs, whether broad, specific, or in between.

The bottom line: At Brodeur, we’ll continue to do the same things we’ve done for clients for 30 years. But when it comes to big-picture initiatives, stakeholder management may be just the right lens for you.

Want to learn more? Reach out, and we’ll think it through together.