Jargons- Simply annoying!

Along with people coming in late for meetings, co-workers stealing credit, loud and ineffective managers, the use of business jargons are right up there on my list of pet peeves.

Sure, some level understanding of common business practises are necessary for communication but i think more managers are sprouting them to be seen as a knowledgeable insider. I do find my blood pressure boiling over at a tacky catchphrase being used once too often.

In no particular order of irritation factor:

1. 'I-get-where-you're-coming-from'
2. 'Think-outside-the-box'
3. 'take-it-offline'
4. 'core competencies'
5. 'value propositions'
6. 'leverage'
7. 'synergy'

It absolutely jars me when when the word 'strategy' appears in more grammatical morphologies than the english language permits. A typical management meeting often accomodates the likes of a few irritating marketing folks who rattles on an on about 'strategic focus','strat plans', 'strategizing', 'strategic levers' yada yada... we got your point the first time round, stop waffling and get to the substance now won't cha.

As if sitting through a meeting heavily laden with corporatespeak is not painful enough, these days, drug reps are joining in the fray. While it is unfair to assume that all drug reps are not clued in on general business concepts, there is a good majority who are still pretty unaware of what goes on in the backoffice.

An overzealous rep repeatedly tried my patience when he kept bringing up suggestions to improve the 'positioning' of the brand during team meetings. not that have a superiority complex issue, but i would be much more receptive to his ideas had he actually displayed any indication of knowledge in the area of brand positioning. After a once too often push to adjust the pricing of the drug (which drug rep never thinks their drugs are overpriced?) which he attribute to a case of 'poor positioning', i lost it and asked him for the definition of the word in marketing terms. He never brought up the subject again.

or the time when all I hear from a fellow manager's presentation is an avalanche of jargons. from the time he started about the 'strategic focus' to 'leveraging on existing strengths' to highlighting the 'unique selling proposition' to creating positive 'value propositions' to key 'customer segments' to 'going forward' with 'launching new initiatives' etc etc... it's marketing 101 all over again..

CME fatigue

In the 'monkey-see-monkey-do' world of pharma marketing, it is rare to find a gem such as Nexium (AstraZeneca) and Lipitor (Pfizer) whose market leader status are the resulting of pure marketing genius which turned the 'me-too' drugs into the global phenomenon that they are now.

CMEs in my opinion, no longer serves as a reliable lever given that every brand in the market are doing it. Last I heard, distributors are holding their own CMEs for post-patent products in the hope to regenerate some new interest.

And certain companies too, have led the pack into organizing GSAs (Group selling activities) led by drug reps to less than impressive results if i must say. The proliferation of these GSAs have caused the rest of the industry to follow suit and develop an industry norm.

From what doctors have candidly professed, they are simply there to enjoy the food and collect CME points. And with the abundance of these meetings, they can well afford to pick and choose which to attend.

Given the common pool of physicians that most pharmas are courting, high- level GPs, cardiologists, oncologists, ENTs, psychiatrists, and various others, it is little wonder that they are suffering from CME fatigue.

Like how one particular cardiologist said it: "I see 30patients at each clinic, after which I'm accousted by 3-4 drug reps with nothing interesting to say. I'd rather pay for my own lunch and be spared the repetitive drug spew.'

With the dwindling number of attendees and the increasing number of poorly organized CMEs, it is perhaps time for the industry to think if it is all worth it in the end. A mediocre event will perhaps put your A&P back $80 per head and given the recent inflation, it may not generate the kind of ROI that we like to imagine.

That is not to say that we shouldn't hold anymore CMEs for that is still the most effective way to get out message out to the people who matters. But it is time to relook and finetune it to an art. Bringing back the crowd through more professional content, credible speakers, knowledgeable exchange to provide value for the audience is more important than putting on an event for the sake of meeting some KPIs and stressing the reps to deliver the audience.