Related Posts
Hello everyone, I am Data Engineer with skills on Azure and am holding couple of offers KPMG Digital Lighthouse as Consultant : 12.5 LPA fixed +20% variable +1.25L bonus Tiger Analytics as SE : 14.5 fixed YOE : 4.1 years Can you please help me with which is better in terms of growth and WLB with your insights ? Tata Consultancy KPMG India Tiger Analytics KPMG Deloitte EY
I have an offer from Deutsche Bank, KPMG & Deloitte.
Keeping the package aside, which company is better in terms of growth, hikes, work-life balance?
Please share your inputs, its my first switch so I'm anxious about making the right choice. 😅
Deutsche Bank KPMG KPMG India Deloitte Deloitte USI Deloitte India KGS
More Posts
Chief
Mentor
Conversation Starter
Rising Star
Conversation Starter
Additional Posts in Pharma and Health Advertising
How do y'all approach getting freelance gigs?
Any info on the agency Heartbeat in NY?
I've heard pharma pays well. Is it true?
Thoughts on Klick??? Very intrigued
New to Fishbowl?
unlock all discussions on Fishbowl.
They have an ingrained misconception that Pharma is a last resort - ‘beneath’ those with Consumer talent and experience. More fool them. I’ve made the switch after over 18 years and LOVE IT. Clients who actually appreciate you. Work that can genuinely improves lives (rather than pretending like a can of beer does).
You know pharma work actually takes more skill and pays more money. You can’t just “step down” to doing pharma. It’s a lot harder than folks think. We’ve been trying to find a senior copywriter for a really cool brand for six weeks. 
How about a freelancer!
I don’t know why non-pharma people won’t but I won’t consider writers without pharma experience. Been there, never doing it again.
Been there "once." Hm. Have you taken any of the workshops on disrupting biases?
Because most recruiters and even some CDs outside of pharma disregard people who work in pharma. Even in general market agencies that have pharma accounts, the folks working on them are treated differently.
I actually think a lot of people are open to working in pharma. I get reached out to by college kids often asking about starting in pharma. There are a lot of posts in this bowl and other ad bowls where people are saying they want to take a pharma offer but are scared they will be locked into the category.
Things might change but as it stands, it’s tricky getting work outside of pharma. I know some of us want to scoff at the notion that some people don’t just want to work in one category, but it’s just the reality of the situation. Some accept it, others get defensive.
You look down on us now want our jobs when the going gets tough.
Who is “you” in this scenario? Please clarify.
Everything about pharma is different from CPG. Having made the transition, I can say it’s not easy. Hiring non-pharma experienced people requires a long-term commitment on both sides that in the end may not be satisfying.
Visual Storyteller
I think people would switch if given the opportunity, but are not given the chance if they don’t have prior Pharma experience. This is especially true for some of the more senior positions. Junior folks are certainly welcome and frequently preferred if they have CPG/digital experience.
Non-pharma junior person here: I’ve reached out to several people in account/strat/content roles in an agency working on pharma (especially with “we’re hiring” in their LinkedIn headline or in a recent post) and never heard back. There’s definitely a mentality about applying without a referral or connection there.
DM’d you!
Look plenty of people make mediocre ads. I do all the time. It’s generally what pays the bills. But pharma? It’s like saying, “Ok I’ll trade my time for money.” And leaving the general advertising chat. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but it’s true. It’s like working in any regulated category, the gen pop just couldn’t care less. Out of sight out of mind and you’ll never convince anyone that, “the work was so good.” When, “you may experience mild bloody poops” is in the copy.
I think we glorify advertising more than it deserves. We’re still on the bench waiting for a chance to make the content people engage in vs disregard and skip. We’re just selling a product. Nothing special.
As someone whose entered the health world after a career outside it and who held many of the views on healthcare common among ‘consumer’ folks:
Depending on the account, writers (specifically) need vastly different skill sets if working on the day-to-day.
Many agencies rely (too) heavily on freelancers to concept, robbing more junior creatives of the experience/results.
Highly exaggerated timelines can slow the amount of work you produce.
If you’re just starting in advertising, you’ll have a harder time building a book that can later get you into a non-healthcare shop later (if you want to move between industries).
The salaries can be higher but you can also be trapped into that salary and stay for the money, vs. the opportunity.
A genuine lack of great mentors. From an art perspective I’ve met very few who are design savvy leaders, willing to push the envelope and their teams output.
Frankly a lot of lazy people work in healthcare. Not work-ethic-wise, but quality. The old vets who have seen great ideas die so many times they stopped trying as hard. Freelancers who as a knee-jerk reaction sell an idea with a flower/suit of armor/[insert cliche] and call it a day and CD’s who allow it.
Regulatory. If you’ve worked in ‘consumer’ then being regulated is a huge buzz-kill.
Yes, you can do great work in healthcare but less people know or talk about it and net-result is a certain tarnishing of the appeal. Also, frankly, many consumer shops will not be as excited about you, if you want to rejoin that side.
On the flip side, many client-side/internal agencies might really like you with some healthcare expertise so... it’s all about what your long game is.
Chiming in here as a PM who has done pharma and consumer. Most of the major agencies wouldn’t consider candidates without pharma experience. The catch-22 here is that many roles go for long periods of time without being filled. A small agency gave me the chance to learn pharma advertising when a former recruited suggested I make the lateral move from production management to project management and I learned quickly on the job. Anyone with the passion and desire to learn pharma can excel and bring so much value to a team when given the information and chance to do so. Covid19 has upended how we work - should it then also change how we perceive work and/or hire within niches in the advertising industry? 🤔
1. Concerns that they'll never be able to get back to consumer if they don't end up liking pharma. That was my biggest concern at least, which still feels very valid. Even within pharma it's hard to move from hcp and dtc.
2. Pharma copy is just completely different than consumer (at least at my lower level) so people probably feel like they won't like it (which is probably true).
3. Selling pharmaceutical drugs with scary, permanent side effects would feel like selling your soul for money for a lot of people.
I’m sure everyone is here. I just also think it’s short-sided on either end. Very few hands are clean anywhere. But I hope whether you want to go pharma to consumer or vice versa, if you’re smart and passionate and willing to learn - everyone on this thread will give you a chance.
I was a journalist who made the switch but I am finding that unless you have a real champion as I did, management and HR are gun shy about hiring outside of the industry. Which is a shame, because I think my work experience outside of the pharma bubble has given me a different perspective that has been very valuable at times. People need to understand that "diversity" applies to POV and experience, too, not just gender/racial/ethnic/sexuality balances.
i’ve applied, but most places ask for pharma experience which I don’t have. would gladly work in pharma though!
Interesting responses.
I honestly don’t have an issue with a writer making the switch. The problem is that most of them don’t really want to commit to pharma, and in my experience this makes them unwilling to dive in and really learn the ropes. They fall back on, oh I don’t know how to do that, rather than trying to learn. In the short run that attitude gets the desired result- they don’t get put on the more pharma-y stuff. But in the long run the agency has also learned a lesson- general ad writers aren’t worth hiring when all they do is conceptual work. Unfortunately, many of them have this attitude, to greater or lesser degrees, and it’s clear they really want to go back to general whenever they can.
I haven’t had experience with a general writer eager to learn pharma, but i don’t doubt they exist. What you describe sounds frustrating as well!