Words That Heal: The Alchemy of Storytelling in Medico-Marketing

Written By: Vivek Hattangadi

Can I tell you a story?

The moment I say this I can see your eyes gleam, glow, and blaze. You want to enjoy hearing a story! (Even today at 74, I enjoy listening to stories.)

Even today, Aesop’s fables and the Panchtantras take me to the imaginary world with talking animals, birds, and fairies.

Alice in Wonderland took me to the beautiful hills, woods, and forests.

As I grew up, I took pleasure in listening to the stories of foolish Akbar, the wise Birbal, and the clever Tenali Ram.?

What’s more, I learnt so many lessons through these stories’ lessons which through a one-sided narrative from my teachers or parents I may never have learned. From the story of the “Thirsty Crow”, I learned that by thinking hard you can find solutions to difficult problems.?The “The Wolf in Sheep’s’ clothing taught me "seek to do harm and harm will come to you".?I learn that if I do an evil deed, I will be harmed by my own deceit.?

A story is an interesting way of communicating messages which cannot be done in one-way sermons.? Stories have the power to captivate an audience and evoke emotions. People tend to remember stories better than mere facts or data alone. By incorporating storytelling into your medico marketing copy, you make the information more memorable. People tend to remember stories better than facts or data alone. By incorporating storytelling into your medico marketing copy, you make the information more memorable.

Read what Jonathan Gottschall writes in his delightful book ‘The Storytelling Animal: How Stories Make Us Human’. ?“Humans live in landscapes of make-believe. We spin fantasies. We devour novels, films, and plays. Even sporting events and criminal trials unfold as narratives. Yet the world of story has long remained an undiscovered and unmapped country. Stories help us navigate life's complex social problems - just as flight simulators prepare pilots for difficult situations. Storytelling has evolved, like other behaviors, to ensure our survival.”

Drawing on the latest research in neuroscience, psychology, and evolutionary biology, Gottschall tells us what it means to be a storytelling animal and explains how stories can change the world for the better.

Do you know when did story telling start?

Storytelling can be traced down to the cave ages when people went hunting during the day and returned late in the evenings. While they sat around a fireplace to cook meat from the hunted animals, the hunters told stories about their exploits during the day.

This hasn’t changed. Dad comes back from office and shares with his wife and children what happened in office while the mother tells stories about what happened at home. Children tell stories about their teachers and classmates.

Storytelling happens everywhere. And can happen even in medico-marketing communication.

A story in medico-marketing is a narrative that communicates your message to the target audience.?You can tell a story to build brand awareness, create emotional connections with padocumer’s, and persuade doctors to act. Ultimately, it should persuade them to act – prescribe your brand. Storytelling in medico-marketing communication is a powerful tool that goes beyond the conventional exchange of clinical data and product information.

Our field is inundated with complex scientific information, research findings, and pharmaceutical advancements. Communicating complex scientific information is the norm. ??This makes it challenging for doctors to absorb and apply this knowledge in their practice. Storytelling serves as a bridge between the technical aspects of brands and the human side of medicine. Storytelling allows you to humanize the information by sharing real-life experiences, challenges, and successes. This helps create a connection between the audience and the medical information being conveyed. Storytelling offers a unique and effective way to convey critical information, build relationships, and influence medical decision-making.

The neuroscience of storytelling

Do you know the changes that occur in the brain chemistry because of storytelling?

Stories can cause emotions, can increase empathy which can help improve information processing and memory. Stories can help people feel more connected to each other.?

Oxytocin is released which enhances positive emotions. Oxytocin has been described as the ‘super-hormone’ of storytelling. Changes in levels of oxytocin are associated with a deep concern for the characters in the story. (1) While there are many other things within us that helps us make social, oxytocin has been identified as a chemical that promotes prosocial, empathic behavior. Oxytocin enhances feelings of trust, empathy, and generosity. Oxytocin sends a signal that we should care about someone. Therefore, the more oxytocin released the more connected and empathic you will feel towards the characters in a good story.

The next is dopamine. Stories excite neurons that make dopamine.?This affects emotions, movements and sensations of pleasure and pain. The release of dopamine makes you feel good. It is a happy hormone. Dopamine is released when we experience something pleasurable, such as a good story. Dopamine is associated with pleasurable sensations, learning, memory, and more.

Cortisol is gets produced when something warrants our attention, like pain and distress. This hormone is mainly released at times of stress. The more distress you feel, the more cortisol you release. This chemical will prompt you to take action. Cortisol thus enhances excitement.

Our brains are wired for stories. Hearing, reading, and telling stories, we love it all. Paul J. Zak in an HBR article ‘Why Your Brain Loves Good Storytelling’ writes: “When you want to motivate, persuade, or be remembered, start with a story of human struggle and eventual triumph. It will capture people’s hearts – by first attracting their brains”.

What do doctors hear and what they want to actually hear?

The other day I was watching a crime thriller from my favorite Byomkesh Bakshi. The thriller was about to reach its climax… and do you what happened?

The story was suddenly interrupted for three and half minutes by ads. But those three minutes and half minutes seemed an eternity. The first thing I did was to curse those ad agencies who are disrupting me. Wowed never to use these brands. All I could now hear was noise, noise, and more noise.

Now empathize with a busy doctor from Mumbai, Dr. Hemchandra Gupte. ?When the time comes to meet medical representatives, there are thirty of them, from thirty different companies or divisions of the same company. What does Dr. Hemchandra Gupte hear now? Din and noise; more din and more noise; and only din and only noise.? Is it humanly possible for Dr. Hemchandra Gupte to remember the brands detailed to him.?

So, what should you do? Story is the greatest weapon to combat noise. Stories will help you clarify complex technical messages. But that is not easy. ?Ask yourself these five questions.

1. Can it be verbalized easily?
2. Is it simple, relevant?
3. Will the medical representative like to detail it even on the last day of the quarter??
4. Can your entire sales force repeat the brand message in a compelling way?
5. Has the sales force been given talking points as to why every potential prescriber should prescribe it?

Human brain, no matter from which part of the world it comes from, is drawn towards clarity, away from confusion. Do not burn doctor’s brain calories to decode your message. It will only distance the doctor from you brand.?

All great stories are about survival.

When you say, ‘great stories are about survival’, this means that the most interesting tales often involve characters overcoming difficulties, whether it's a murderous villain, an IIM entrance test, or a Services Selection Board test to get an admission into the National Defence Academy.

Do you remember the story of Robinson Crusoe? The most interesting and exciting stories often involve characters facing big challenges and trying their best to overcome them. The story of Robinson Crusoe explains this concept beautifully. His struggle for existence in a lonely island. Survival doesn’t always mean just staying alive. It can also mean overcoming tough situations or problems, like Robinson Crusoe. His skills, courage, and ingenuity after he met his Man Friday, survived this challenge, and made him get out safely from the island.

The reality we need to face in our industry - doctors look for brands that can make patients survive and thrive after a great struggle.

All great stories are also very simple.

If you want your brand to be remembered the communication must be simple. Do not make the doctor burn his brain calories when he reads your message. Else, he will simply ignore it. Complex medical jargon can lead to misunderstandings and misinterpretations, potentially causing errors in treatment plans. Simplifying communication helps reduce the risk of miscommunication, enhancing patient safety and overall healthcare quality.

Simplifying communication is crucial for making doctors come emotionally close to your brand and making your brand his darling brand. Simple communication will build trust within the healthcare community and beyond.

Story is atomic - It is perpetual energy.

The quote “Story is atomic - It is perpetual energy” is from Donald Miller, a bestselling author and marketing expert. He uses this metaphor to explain the power and importance of stories in human communication and persuasion.

The word atomic specifically describes power or weapons. In this case, atomic means the process of either splitting an atom, known as fission, or joining two atoms, fusion, to create energy. This is the kind of perpetual energy a good story generates. A truly engaging and compelling narrative has a timeless quality that allows it to continue resonating with doctors and patients, the padocumer’s, long after its initially told. Nobody can get away from a good story.?

What do doctors want to hear? Music and stories

A story makes music out of ‘More Noise.’ A story is the greatest weapon to combat noise. Do you know about the seven surs, or swaras or notes of Indian classical music? The notes, or?swaras, of Indian music are? sa, re, ga, ma, pa, dha and, ni.?These seven basic notes?create the backbone of?classical Indian music. Each note has a unique sound and flavor, and understanding their properties is essential for creating beautiful melodies. These notes, when used imaginatively by a music director, and then sung correctly by the musician, can produce a mesmerizing effect on the listener. (Western music too has something similar - Do, Re, Mi, Fa, Sol, La, and Ti.) Once you have a basic understanding of the seven swaras, you can begin experimenting with different combinations of notes to create your unique melodies. There are endless possibilities for creating seven swaras-based compositions.

But what have these seven notes to do with medico-marketing stories?

A story too has the equivalent of these seven swaras, the seven notes! Let us call it the ‘Septule of a Story’.

1. A character.
2. Has a problem.
3. And meets a guide.
4. Who gives a plan?
5. And calls for action.
6. That helps avoid failure.
7. And ends in success or a disaster.

Let us see two extremely popular stories to illustrate this. One is the 430-year classic Romeo and Juliet, while the other is the 1975 Bollywood movie, Sholay.

Another story is from Bollywood; about the biggest Hindi film ever ‘Sholay.’?

Both follow the same pattern – the ‘Septule of a Story’. The ‘Septule of a Story’ thus becomes skeleton for building a story for your brand. The ‘Septule of a Story’, when used imaginatively by the copywriter (the brand manager), and then detailed correctly by the medical representative, can produce a mesmerizing effect on the doctors. Once you have a basic understanding of the ‘Septule of a Story’, you can begin experimenting with different combinations to create your unique stories. There are endless possibilities, so do not be afraid to experiment and explore!?

Figure above: The Septule of Two Stories

The primary reason storytelling is crucial in medico-marketing communication is its ability to humanize complex scientific narratives. You enhance engagement and retention, build trust, address scepticism, and strategically differentiate your brand. This differentiation is not solely based on scientific attributes but also on the emotive and relatable elements that stories bring to the forefront. By integrating stories into it you can bridge the gap between clinical data and real-world patient experiences.

For instance, sharing patient success stories or narratives of individuals whose lives were positively by your brand adds a human touch to the information. This approach helps doctors relate to the potential impact of your brand on their patients' lives.

As the healthcare landscape continues to evolve, the art of storytelling remains a timeless and invaluable tool for pharmaceutical companies seeking to effectively communicate the value and impact of their products to healthcare professionals.

And whether it is print media or digital media, the principles of storytelling will not change.

Bibliography

Zak, PJ (2015). WHY INSPIRING STORIES MAKE US REACT: THE NEUROSCIENCE OF NARRATIVE. Available at Why Inspiring Stories Make Us React: The Neuroscience of Narrative - PMC (nih.gov ) (Accessed on 24 June 2020)

PS: Acknowledge the help of my wife Veena Hattangadi who is a musician has in-depth knowledge Hindustani Classical music.

- Vivek Hattangadi