Last Thursday evening, I attended the PM360 Trailblazer Awards dinner held at Gotham Hall in New York City. The Trailblazer Awards recognize the industry’s most innovative people, companies and initiatives—from DTC campaigns and product launches, to brand champions and consumer websites—and much more. Here at Rx EDGE, we were honored to receive the Silver award in the Pharmacy Campaign category for the Restasis Solutions at the Shelf program. We were a finalist along with two other top-notch efforts: BrainWorks Communications and Novo Nordisk for their work in improving diabetes care in the pharmacy, and gold-winner JUICE Pharma Worldwide and Merck, for Merck’s adult vaccination program.
Acknowledging pharmacy’s marketing value
It’s notable that last year there was no Pharmacy Campaign category in these awards. Its addition to the line-up is a testament to the increasing focus that’s being placed on the pharmacy – as a point of care, as a healthcare destination, and as a marketing channel. We have been advancing pharmacy’s vital role as a brand communication medium for some time, so it’s great to see that major trade publications like PM360 are putting some recognition emphasis behind it as well.
Award or not, doing the right things in support of patients
This was not only a fun event, but also a great opportunity to mingle in one room with a multitude of the people who do good work on behalf of patients. During the awards presentation, I was struck by just how many great examples there are of marketing efforts that support drugs, devices, diagnostics, and disease awareness. Each and every one, whether award-winning or not, demonstrated the level of dedication and talent that goes into creating communications that will be meaningful and have a positive impact. Today’s patients, caregivers, and healthcare providers now have so many more communication channels available to them!