Think of Advisory Boards and you’d be forgiven for thinking your agency can help only by sending a medical writer to take the meeting minutes.

At Ward6, we take a different approach. Our dedicated in-house strategy team can not only help the smooth running of your Advisory Board, but also leverage those hidden insights that often come to light at these invaluable Key Opinion Leader meetings.

Ward6 Strategy Director Scott Davis discusses how the agency’s strategy team works in synergy with its medical writers, and how involving both at your next Advisory Board could strengthen your brand strategy and translate hidden insights into tactics to help your brand grow.

What expertise can Ward6 Strategy bring to an Advisory Board?

Scott discusses how Strategy brings to an Advisory Board expertise in understanding human behaviour. “Strategy is anchored in human behaviour and understanding what drives behaviour. It’s looking at not just what is said, but understanding why it is said.”

He explains that in terms of strategy, an Advisory Board is not dissimilar to consumer focus groups. “Yes, they are experts, but they are people, and their motivations and behaviours are driven by the same things as consumers”. Strategy can help drive conversations that dig further into areas where there may be leverage points that can benefit the brand.

What additional outputs can be gained from having Ward6 Strategy involved in an Advisory Board?

Scott describes how involving Ward6 Strategy at an Advisory Board puts the business challenges that sit behind the Advisory Board under a lens, helping to glean insights that inform brand strategy as well as tactics for its execution. “Part of Ward6 Strategy’s role is taking information and data and turning it into direction for the brand.”

He tells how Ward6 Strategy can also bring a wholistic brand view to Advisory Boards, complementing medical objectives, which are often the primary focus.

What synergies exist between Medical Writing and Strategy at an Advisory Board?

“Strategists and Medical Writers both have a problem-solving mindset.” However, Scott goes on to say Medical Writers and Strategists bring different perspectives to an Advisory Board, allowing robust discussion around the meeting findings to understand the underlying human behaviour challenges for a brand.

In terms of changing human behaviour, Scott explains the involvement of both Strategy and Medical Writers can allow for smarter disruption: “The rich understanding that comes from the two disciplines working together allows for smarter disruption.”