“Innovation is hard,” Nolan Bushnell, an electrical engineer who founded companies including Atari and Chuck E. Cheese, once said. “Because most people don’t get it. Remember, the automobile, the airplane, the telephone, these were all considered toys at their introduction because they had no constituency. They were too new.”
Innovation is hard. But it is also necessary. That’s why PM360 established the first guide in our industry for all things innovative seven years ago. We wanted to provide our readers with a comprehensive look at the most innovative companies, divisions, products, services, and strategies that are changing the industry—or at least attempting to. Because innovation is hard, it’s possible that not all of the selections highlighted in this issue will catch on, but all of them have the potential to improve how our industry operates, while better serving patients, healthcare professionals, payers, and all other healthcare stakeholders.
From hundreds of submissions, the staff here at PM360 worked hard to discern which are truly innovative. Which of the many AI-powered tools out there can most help you. Which applications of AR and VR hold the most promise. Which solutions are best positioned to help improve adherence, audience targeting, patient education, physician empathy, relationships with payers, access to medication, and more.
So keep this guide close in 2019. Any of the more than 60 innovators and innovations profiled in this issue can likely help you do something extraordinary in the new year. You just have to be willing to take the risk.
Of course, while we hope these innovations provide a look into what is possible both now and in the near future, marketers have much more to think about in 2019 and beyond. That’s why PM360 asked 12 experts to imagine the marketer of the future. To tell us and you how the job will change in the next five to 10 years, and what you will need to do to remain successful.
As for PM360’s future, we will continue to proactively provide the information you need for success—and we want to hear from you. Let us know how we can help. We listen and respond! The first thing you can expect from us in the new year is a look back at the best healthcare creative from 2018 with our Pharma Choice winners—as chosen by you, our loyal readers. We would like to wish all of you a happy, healthy, and successful new year.
