As we mark the 20th anniversary of DTC, while so much has changed in contemporary marketing strategy, the nuances of human reality are more important than ever to consider. Some of the most effective healthcare marketing cases are based on a simple insight where a small shift in perspective made a huge difference in impact. They have what a valued client once called "the rock in the snowball" - a simple, powerful idea that made you look at the brand in a fresh way.

Why effective education is a crucial component of care, and how healthcare marketers can help.

Historically, there has been a noticeable divide in the kind of work we do for healthcare professionals (HCPs). It's either highly creative with compelling concepts that are translated into arresting visuals that inspire emotion. Or it's largely scientific with text-heavy content and data-focused visuals that lack much, if any inspiration. Can there really be a happy marriage between medical science communications and creative?

In the U.S., the practice of marketing medicine directly to consumers (DTC) is turning 20 in just a few months. Its presence and impact have been a lively topic among physicians, advertisers and patients. DTC ads have been skewered on Saturday Night Live, maligned as increasing cost and motivating unnecessary treatment, credited with helping people become aware and get necessary treatment, and ... the AMA would like to see them gone forever.

Feeling alone can be almost as debilitating as the condition itself.

Intelligence is generally considered an exclusively human attribute, but we're fast approaching an age where machines will be considered intelligent as well. If this is indeed the case, it's only natural that machines will also develop a genuine personality. Many of them, such as Siri from Apple and Amazon's Alexa and Echo, already have names and voices.