In a 2012 TED Talk called, “Dare to Disagree,” Margaret Heffernan made the point that disagreement is actually central to progress. The entrepreneur and best-selling author, who has served as CEO for companies such as InfoMation Corporation, ZineZone Corporation, and iCAST Corporation, said, “For good ideas and true innovation, you need human interaction, conflict, argument, debate.”
In the life sciences, human interaction is becoming increasingly important to innovation. More and more companies are going straight to their consumers to work with them in order to discover the best ways to better serve their needs. And using co-creation methods doesn’t only result in innovative ideas, but more trusting customers. In an exclusive co-creation survey from Bulbshare, 81% of consumers said brands that collaborate with their customers are more authentic and 86% said brands that co-create are more trustworthy.
It also results in a better understanding of customers. And the key to truly impactful innovation is understanding what your customers need and helping them to get it. That could mean technology that puts doctors in patients’ shoes to help them experience the impact of any individual patient’s disease firsthand. Or an AI-powered program that understands the time constraints of today’s physicians and can scan all of the latest medical research to find the most relevant info they need to know about. Or tools that can help marketers better identify the best opportunity for sales reps, for earned media placements, for payer negotiations, and more. All of these innovations may not have relied on co-creation, but they do show an understanding of their customers’—and the market’s—needs.
That is why they are among PM360’s picks for the most innovative achievements of 2018. Below you can read all about our picks in six categories:
- Companies: Any organization developing new ways to push the industry forward.
- Divisions: New sectors formed to address a particular problem facing the industry.
- Startups: Companies less than five years old pioneering new avenues in healthcare.
- Products: Software, apps, programs, and anything else designed to improve how those working in the industry do their jobs.
- Services: Compelling offerings that help the industry tackle new challenges.
- Strategies: Never-before-tried approaches that are changing how the industry operates.
The editorial staff of PM360 read, marveled, and debated over the hundreds of submissions that we received to bring these picks to our readers. We hope, as always, you are not only impressed by these innovations, but they can also help make your jobs a little easier and the lives of the people you serve a little better.