Bridging the Digital Divide: Meet Jonathan Richman

2)  Can you tell us a little about your business?

My company is called Bridge Worldwide (http://www.bridgeworldwide.com). We’re a digital and relationship marketing agency based in Cincinnati. (We’re number 38 on the AdAge list of largest digital agencies for 2008). Our company’s client list includes several FORTUNE 500 companies such as Procter & Gamble, ConAgra Foods, Fifth Third Bancorp, and Kroger.

We do a lot of work in healthcare including well-known OTC brands such as Prilosec OTC, Pepto-Bismol, Metamucil, and Similac. In addition, we just started as a digital agency for Centocor Ortho Biotech working on Procrit, Doxil, and, soon-to-be-launched, Yondelis.

In addition, to this client work, we’re trying to kick start an evolution in marketing towards something called Marketing with Meaning (http://www.marketingwithmeaning.com). The main idea is that you need to create marketing that is in of itself meaningful to consumers. Not just meaningful products, the marketing of the products should be meaningful. A great example is how Nike offers Nike+ for free. Using this service they’re indirectly selling running shoes, but also adding value to consumers’ lives. A big goal, but one we’re excited about.

As for my role at Bridge, I’m the Director of Business Development. Fancy title, but the big part of my job is helping to solve clients’ business challenges by finding the right solutions among all of the many choices available to today’s marketers. From social networking to relationship marketing to channels such as mobile and complex back end technology platforms, I help clients sift through the clutter and hype to find the best options for their brands.

I also get to be the author of pharma and healthcare industry blog, Dose of Digital (doseofdigital.com), which provides insights on digital marketing in healthcare. And I also write and speak extensively on the impact of digital technologies on healthcare marketing including his blog and multiple white papers. The company gives me some great flexibility to do this.

3)  If you could give any advice to those thinking of leaving their pharma to start a new career, what would you say?

I would say do it.

If you have the chance, then you should really consider it. I’d say this is especially true if you can get outside of healthcare or in a related business service industry at a company like mine.  Most of the people I know in pharma have always been in pharma. They may have switched companies, but generally they’ve always been there. That means they know a ton about that industry, but as a whole very little about other industries. Unfortunately, this means that a lot of that experience doesn’t translate very well.

Compare this to a marketing role in other industries where you can jump back and forth and quickly pick up on industry-specific pieces. Someone from pharma couldn’t expect to jump to a role where they need to know a lot about retail marketing (stocking, in store promo, etc.) where someone who worked for, say, an ice cream company and moves to a dog food company could. Point is, I think it’s very important to diversify your background and experience.  I’ve tried to do this by learning the agency business, which took some time, but I had worked with agencies in the past as a client, so I had a little head start.

Things are only going to get worse in pharma. Opportunities will become fewer and far between as more consolidation takes place, so there are going to be fewer jobs with more people competing for them. Those with diverse or related experience are going to have a leg up. So, if you have the chance to diversify, do it. Now.

4)  What are you seeing in the job market for people with pharma experience?  Should we be looking at the broader healthcare niche, or looking at other industries?

I’d definitely say to look outside healthcare and especially outside of pharma. These jobs are all contracting and will continue to do so. There will be some niche jobs available and this will be an option for some, but ensure that even in these cases that you’re getting some different types of experience. You’ll need it later most likely.

Many companies are biased against pharma people because they have specialized (they’d say “narrow”) experience. They really know pharma, but not other industries. Marketing and selling pharma products is vastly different from anything else in the world.

Concepts that pharma is way ahead on, some other industries might be behind on. Many other concepts have pharma much further behind and include things like digital marketing. An expert digital marketer at a pharma company is at best an intermediate digital marketer at a digitally savvy non-pharma company, which is what I found out when I came to Bridge.

5)  What jobs are people with pharma experience best equipped for beyond pharma, and what are we least equipped for?

Best equipped might be healthcare service companies like advertising agencies. There you can leverage your experience, but also learn a new industry. I think other healthcare areas such as managed care organizations or hospital networks might also be good options.

6)  You’ve done an amazing job embracing social networking technologies like Twitter - tell us a little about how that’s helping you build a profile for yourself and your business.

Thanks. Twitter and other social networking tools are really powerful ways to meet like-minded people. Many of my close contacts within the industry have come from these technologies. It’s simple to search out and start a conversation with just about anyone using these media. I’ve tried to establish myself as being good at one specific thing (healthcare e-marketing) and have tried to learn from some people and help others who want to learn.

You’ll be surprised how quickly people recognize you as someone they can rely on for good information and advice. Find the one thing that you know a lot about or have an interesting perspective and own it. Find the people who are also good in this area and you’ll quickly build your reputation. Think of all these tools basically as a cocktail party. You can mill around and listen to different conversations and join in a few. You’ll also meet people and share ideas. Tools like Twitter are no different except that they are online.