We all know that our industry is based on science. And good science from well-controlled clinical studies contains a lot of details. Important details. Critical details. But that doesn’t mean that in communicating the significance of the data, all concern for the user’s experience goes out the proverbial window. To paraphrase the famous expression: “just because you have the data doesn’t mean you have to show me all the data.” What are the chances that your customer is going to really absorb the critical message if we bombard them with all the mind-numbing details?

I remember a great quote I saw recently in Adweek magazine: “The problem with most marketing programs is that the company wants to have a relationship with the customer, but the customer doesn’t want to have a relationship with the company.”

Think about it. Sure, the “Flexergesic” brand team wants to have a relationship with its prescribing physicians and its patients, but why in the world would doctors and patients want to have a relationship with “Flexergesic”? It’s just too easy to fall in love with our own story and assume our customers are in love too. A better approach is to provide information that the customer actually looks forward to receiving. One way to do that is to create a superior user experience for your customers.

Most people have favorite brands. Whether it’s an automobile, a hotel or a store, you can surely trace some of that loyalty to the user experience. What does it feel like to drive that vehicle? Are the controls intuitive and engaging—even fun? How about your most recent shopping experience? Was the store well-organized and uncluttered so you could easily find what you were looking for? A recent TV commercial for Lexus said “keep doing what you normally do” as it demystified automobile technology by linking activities like pushing an elevator button with the newer push-button start feature.

The point I’m trying to make is that it’s too easy and too common to bombard our customers with facts and details without paying enough attention to the way the user experiences all of this. Can’t we serve up content in an engaging manner that respects the user? Be brave. Be bold. Be engaging. Create experiences!

Rob Likoff is CEO/founding partner, Group DCA

From the April 01, 2010 Issue of MM+M - Medical Marketing and Media