Start your Q1 deliverables now!

You are still in that Summer mode. Everything is a bit slower. You might even have a few more vacation days that you want to squeeze in before Summer is gone. That’s fine, but be sure to go full speed ahead with your planning for your Q1 marketing deliverables as soon as possible.

I know what you’re thinking; It’s still early, so I must be exaggerating, right? Nope!

When I used to manage a marketing team, I encouraged my team members to give themselves about 5-6 months for planning, execution and delivery, and even then, sometimes certain projects would get stalled and risk not getting delivered on time. Every company has a unique approval process and whether you like it not, some red tape that you have to work through. My team dealt with the co-promotion products of the company, therefore this meant a little extra timing was required in order to get input and approvals from all required parties on both sides. And let’s face it, some projects are way more complex than others. If you need to get approval from a 3rd party such as the Pharmaceutical Advertising Advisory Board (PAAB) or Ads Standards Canada (ASC), be aware of how many days they require to do a first review and then subsequent reviews. Simpler projects may only require 1 or 2 reviews, but complex projects may require many subsequent reviews.

Steps to take into account

Here are the steps that you need to account for when determining how much time you need to produce a tool to produce a tool from start to finish. The timing for each step will differ based on the company and the project in mind, and some of the steps will differ as well;

1. Concept planning
   • Depending on the type of company that you work for, this might be done in a very small group (sometimes it might be just the marketer, although this is not the ideal situation). This is usually done in a cross functional meeting, where team members from various departments will gather to come up with a concept that meets a particular strategic objective. Departments that might be included in this beginning meeting are regulatory, medical, market access, sales, market research and any other who may provide insights and expertise on the strategy being tackled or who will be involved in implementing the project at some point. Sometimes, an agency may be involved at this point if there is an agency of record already established for the brand.
2. The agency develops the concept in writing.
3. The internal cross-functional team reviews the agency’s copy internally to ensure that the essence of the project has been met.
4. Once the concept is approved, the agency produces a visual layout.
5. The cross functional team does an internal review of the agency’s layout.
6. The project gets certification in English via the final sign off by a senior manager who is ultimately responsible for the project.
7. Translation if required.
8. Certification of the project in French.

The Project Type Matters

The entire process timeline from conceptualization to delivery for a marketing project truly depends on the type of project. The following examples all assume that either PAAB or ASC review and approval are required;

• a simple dosing slimjim might take 3 months
• a detail aid might take 4-5 months
• a website might require 6-10 months
• anything that is innovative from a technology perspective, such as a podcast or an augmented reality project, may require 6-12 months

A medical marketing consultant could be your solution

Medical marketing consultants can help you at various stages of your marketing project process. so that you can focus on your priorities and still manage to meet your delivery timelines. You may need some strategic input, a medical writer or somebody to manage your internal and external (PAAB, ASC) approvals. Contact Marketing 4 Health Inc. for your medical marketing solutions.