Emotion. It is driving us all, regardless of what we think.

I am currently reading the book Switch by the Heath brothers. I think it is a brilliant account of what drives us all to make decisions big and small. I am so thankful to the boys for providing an easy and clear explanation for what I have been ranting about with clients for years: everyone makes decisions based on emotions that are somehow steered by logic.

Another important point the Heath brothers make is the logical mind often gets lost in its own short-circuits. If it does, no decision gets made, or emotion wins out. The emotional mind as elephant and the logical mind as elephant rider is a simply brilliant metaphor for how we make decisions.

I like to think that in our world of marketing we are here to help people make decisions. Let’s create an industry-wide experiment. Let’s pioneer the notion of putting the emotional benefit first for pharma products. Let’s see if we can generate more choices that benefit our products and patients. I know these approaches don’t always show strongest in market research, but you have to get the research right to know you are going in the right direction. If you ask research questions that are logical, the logical mind will answer. But we know which beast is really stronger.

Thanks Heaths. You are making human behavior clear utilizing the power of story.

Ken Ribotsky

Ken is a great deal more than just the president of a medical communications company. He is something of a hybrid. He’s part marketing manager, part creative director, and part copywriter. To the chagrin of his peers—but to the delight of his clients—Ken is a consummate perfectionist. As a former creative director for a high-end consumer agency, he challenged his creative teams to go beyond the mundane to produce work with real creative impact, something he’s just as fervent about today. From producing and directing TV commercials, to launching DTC and Rx-to-OTC switches, Ken brings his clients a world of experience in OTC pharmaceuticals as well as business, lifestyle, and high-end consumer products and services. Whether huddled with clients behind a mirror in a market research center in Houston, facilitating a strategic workshop in Madrid, or developing a global campaign either in the New Jersey or California office, Ken is always fully engaged, bringing “bestness” to all areas of his hectic but full life.