Talk of omnichannel marketing has dominated conversations in the life science industry for years now. It’s a buzzword that doesn’t seem to be going away any time soon. Agencies and pharma marketer alike are obsessed with talking about omnichannel. Understandably, so.

Agencies have to offer what the market wants to stay afloat. Marketers have to stay ahead of the competition to remain relevant. The insatiable thirst for growth isn’t new, but the velocity in how the digital landscape continues to shift is only gaining momentum.

Just like 93 million other Americans, I’ve researched health conditions, treatment options, side effects and interactions of those treatment options via a search engine like Google. I have never looked for health information on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or any other social media platform. Yet today, my feeds are flooded with reminder ads and regurgitated content from pharma TV spots. It’s all from the lens of product promotion when companies should be catering to the wants and needs of the patient. We’re all patients in some form or another. So why is it so difficult for us to truly be patient centric when we don our marketer hats each morning?

My second time visiting South by Southwest (SXSW) was once again an incredible experience. There is no energy like that of Austin during this annual event. The streets were swarming with people eager to learn and network. The convention center was full of trade show vendors from industries ranging from robotics, to social good, to VR/AR, technology, and health and wellness. Beyond meeting with current and potential clients/partners, SXSW offered an array of skill-building workshops, educational panels, industry meetups and roundtable discussions.