opera1
Newbie
Posts: 13 
Sentiment: Long
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Post by opera1 on Sept 7, 2016 12:49:10 GMT -5
I also use direct mailing advertising. Sorry, I had not thought of the first class rates. I run a non-profit so I get a lower rate for mass-mailing. The initial print/production of the piece is expensive but the mailing is relatively cheap. First class is expensive, but it is targeted. As to trash ratio...that is also true. A certain percentage just goes straight to the trash. It's kind of like the open rate for email. What percentage of emails that an advertiser sends out go unopened? A huge number.
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Post by madog365 on Sept 7, 2016 12:54:06 GMT -5
I also use direct mailing advertising. Sorry, I had not thought of the first class rates. I run a non-profit so I get a lower rate for mass-mailing. The initial print/production of the piece is expensive but the mailing is relatively cheap. First class is expensive, but it is targeted. As to trash ratio...that is also true. A certain percentage just goes straight to the trash. It's kind of like the open rate for email. What percentage of emails that an advertiser sends out go unopened? A huge number. Email is also free. The email list may cost money (depends). Both are not great ways to reach new customers these days anymore. |
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Post by seanismorris on Sept 7, 2016 13:00:09 GMT -5
I've never seen a Corp. board do anything meaningful to help a company...
Years (year?) ago I complained about the board of MannKind. The company was in trouble and MannKind was moving incredibly slow to fix the issues.
Looking at the composition of the board everyone was over 70. And, while experience is good no one had likely worked in medicine for many many years. Also, MannKind is not just a medical company but also a technology company. There should be a wide variety of people from different fields and ages on any board...
Have you ever seen a really old person driving a car? That's what MannKind felt like, and the reason we are we're we are.
Matt and Mike finally have brought a bit of fire and urgency to the company, I just hope it's not to late.
The most memorable action by a board (in recent memory) was the firing of Sanofi's CEO. I think that was a terrible decision and so did the market.
I have no faith in any board, all I see is a huge expense. Usually they just set executive compensation (almost always ridiculously high) and collect easy money for the privilege. They're the old buddy-buddy network.
How this relates to the thread, I'm not sure (just commenting on someone's comment) but it's a huge pet peeve of mine.
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Post by mannmade on Sept 7, 2016 13:26:26 GMT -5
We can debate all of this all day long and then some... as the story of Mnkd is one big Onion. So instead of crying about my situation I try to look at what is real and what the future may realistically hold in my opinion of the then current snapshot... For the current snapshot of Mnkd, I choose to hold. Waiting on what I do believe will be more dilution this year. Then pending the terms and whether or not money is off the table for a year or so and scripts are steadily rising (does not have to be spectacular) I will likely buy more. Also I will take a very serious look at options (calls and leaps) This is my personal strategy and am not advising anyone else to follow.
I made the bed I am lying in and now I can either stay in bed and hide or I can get up and think about what I can do to help right this ship... Or else it is time to jump off and swim to shore... Personally I choose to stay on board and help figure out what I can do to turn the ship around.
We all know someone connected to this issue in some way, whether they are diabetic, a doctor, works at a hospital, etc... Mnkd has become sort of a second job for me as I "volunteer" my time wherever I can. As Sports recently told me she carries a dreamboat with her wherever she goes. Now this may not be for everyone and I totally get that as it takes a certain personality to reach out to people and talk to them about AFREZZA without putting them off. Also you need to make sure you are talking to a "qualified lead," in other words, someone who can actually move the needle no matter how small a move. Such as one new patient, or a nurse who can get you time with a doctor or nurse practitioner, local news outlet, etc...
It's not easy and it takes a lot of time... But so does writing about how we have been wronged. I do get that people are justifiably upset but what good does it do other than work to increase negative energy. Either you truly believe you are doing this for the right reasons even if the sole reason is for profit, or you don't. If you don't then it just may time to head to shore...
Apologies in advance if this seems a bit preachy. My intent is to encourage a constructive conversation about what can be done to help right the situation in a positive and realistic way...
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Post by sportsrancho on Sept 7, 2016 14:09:52 GMT -5
I made the bed I am lying in and now I can either stay in bed and hide or I can get up and think about what I can do to help right this ship... Or else it is time to jump off and swim to shore... Personally I choose to stay on board and help figure out what I can do to turn the ship around.
THANKYOU Mannmade
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Post by sophie on Sept 7, 2016 15:08:36 GMT -5
You tap into some really important items. A lot of discussion around matt and his role over the last few years. He's a believer in what Al started, a believer in Al, and a believer in afrezza. He's going to continue being that way regardless of the next few months and when he speaks, it's from this position that he presents himself and his information. So from my view it's not that you were taken, it's that you now see the situation differently and no longer believe what matt is saying. That's the only change because everything else is pretty much the same it's been for the last two years (in big picture terms that is - afrezza isnt' selling this year nor did it in 2015, there's been movement but mnkd isn't going anywhere yet). One of the best posts I have seen on here. Hit the nail on the head. Novel drugs have been greatly decreasing over the past decade. They're mostly just more specific receptor= fewer side effect versions of the old drugs. Not many truly new drugs have become available lately. Docs tend to stick with what they know works- if it ain't broke, don't fix it. It's usually only if the current regimen isn't working or a patient asks to try a new drug that they tend to prescribe the new stuff. Their sentiment is that newer drugs are costlier and more time consuming for them because insurance companies don't care if someone has more side effects from an older drug. If it works and it's cheaper, that's all they care about. |
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Post by sophie on Sept 7, 2016 15:13:12 GMT -5
We can debate all of this all day long and then some... as the story of Mnkd is one big Onion. So instead of crying about my situation I try to look at what is real and what the future may realistically hold in my opinion of the then current snapshot... For the current snapshot of Mnkd, I choose to hold. Waiting on what I do believe will be more dilution this year. Then pending the terms and whether or not money is off the table for a year or so and scripts are steadily rising (does not have to be spectacular) I will likely buy more. Also I will take a very serious look at options (calls and leaps) This is my personal strategy and am not advising anyone else to follow. I don't find pleasure in people's bubbles bursting. But I truly do appreciate these kinds of posts. Realistic ones. Understanding the situation and making a decision based on reality, not what ifs and should bes. Afrezza is a wonderful drug. If it was just about the drug, we wouldn't be here right now. Perhaps I don't know how to word things properly, there's nothing wrong with admitting this is a huge uphill climb but still thinking it can have its day in the sun. I was looking for something more middle of the road than YMB and I hope I found it here. |
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Post by babaoriley on Sept 7, 2016 15:31:09 GMT -5
mannmade wrote: "As Sports recently told me she carries a dreamboat with her wherever she goes." Sports wrote: "Personally I choose to stay on board and help figure out what I can do to turn the ship around."
Well intentioned, but of course, sometimes problematic. I heard she saw a guy injecting himself with insulin at a restaurant, went up to him with the inhaler, politely interrupted the guy and his wife, and asked him if he'd ever experienced "Afrezza." Guy's wife slapped Sports and called her a name or two I can't mention here. As someone pointed out recently, "awareness" is lacking.
Lest the "Sports Police" jump all over me, the above story is fictional (or is it?), and is meant only to illustrate one of our biggest hurdles.
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Post by sportsrancho on Sept 7, 2016 16:15:25 GMT -5
mannmade wrote: "As Sports recently told me she carries a dreamboat with her wherever she goes." Sports wrote: "Personally I choose to stay on board and help figure out what I can do to turn the ship around." Well intentioned, but of course, sometimes problematic. I heard she saw a guy injecting himself with insulin at a restaurant, went up to him with the inhaler, politely interrupted the guy and his wife, and asked him if he'd ever experienced "Afrezza." Guy's wife slapped Sports and called her a name or two I can't mention here. As someone pointed out recently, "awareness" is lacking. Lest the "Sports Police" jump all over me, the above story is fictional (or is it?), and is meant only to illustrate one of our biggest hurdles. I would never go up to anyone in a restaurant:-). A gym is a great place to start a conversation about weight or PWD's. Everyone knows someone who is one. So I have never known anyone to not be interested in the next big thing. Any kind of fitness walk or class were you interact with others. I have been known to bring it up while standing in line at the store:-) I have yet to be disappointed by anyone reaction to the Dreamboat! |
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Sept 7, 2016 16:45:10 GMT -5
You tap into some really important items. A lot of discussion around matt and his role over the last few years. He's a believer in what Al started, a believer in Al, and a believer in afrezza. He's going to continue being that way regardless of the next few months and when he speaks, it's from this position that he presents himself and his information. So from my view it's not that you were taken, it's that you now see the situation differently and no longer believe what matt is saying. That's the only change because everything else is pretty much the same it's been for the last two years (in big picture terms that is - afrezza isnt' selling this year nor did it in 2015, there's been movement but mnkd isn't going anywhere yet). One of the best posts I have seen on here. Hit the nail on the head. Novel drugs have been greatly decreasing over the past decade. They're mostly just more specific receptor= fewer side effect versions of the old drugs. Not many truly new drugs have become available lately. Docs tend to stick with what they know works- if it ain't broke, don't fix it. It's usually only if the current regimen isn't working or a patient asks to try a new drug that they tend to prescribe the new stuff. Their sentiment is that newer drugs are costlier and more time consuming for them because insurance companies don't care if someone has more side effects from an older drug. If it works and it's cheaper, that's all they care about. Isn't that the truth! Most? of us can be just like that - if it aint broke, don't fix it. Ok, so, if we believe that's the case and, hypothetically speaking of course since it's not our call on any level whatsoever, but if docs aren't going to change and we have 1.5 years of data suggesting that's likely the case with only a few exceptions overall, then MNKD should dump their sales force and all direct and time consuming efforts trying to reach docs and put their energy into convincing diabetics directly and give them the tools to do it successfully. Educate the patient since educating the docs doesn't seem to be getting mnkd anywhere yet. The sales force can't be cheap so put that money into advertising directly to patients. MNKD is working on a website with some good tools on it, so spend the sales force money on DTC and drive diabetics to the website. So, here's my plan. Dump the sales force minus 3-5 top performers. Keep those top performers for the endo's that are receptive to afrezza and willing to prescribe it. For the rest of the sales team, if their efforts can't produce scripts then either redeploy them to other company tasks or lay them off. So I don't blame the sales force, it's become practically an impossible job to get face time with docs, enough face time to teach and convince that is. Time to do an end run around the endo's. Spend every last penny they have each month and advertise in multiple platforms. Maybe some of the cheaper air time on TV, a bit on radio, a couple of strategic magazines, some direct mailers to diabetics, and strategic placement on the internet. Can't just keep doing the same thing expecting different results or at least that's what that really smart guy once said... |
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Post by brotherm1 on Sept 7, 2016 17:03:09 GMT -5
I also use direct mailing advertising. Sorry, I had not thought of the first class rates. I run a non-profit so I get a lower rate for mass-mailing. The initial print/production of the piece is expensive but the mailing is relatively cheap. First class is expensive, but it is targeted. As to trash ratio...that is also true. A certain percentage just goes straight to the trash. It's kind of like the open rate for email. What percentage of emails that an advertiser sends out go unopened? A huge number. I just got home to find two glossy and stiff plastic type advertising cards in my mail. One from a cable company and one from a bank. One is 3 1/2 x 9 and the other 4 x 6". One even has a credit card sized detachable coupon attached to it. They both got my attention and of course I pretty much ignored the rest of the junk mail as usual. I think these would be a very good option for our direct mailings, especially since this type of marketing appears new at this time and is therefore bound to get a good amount of attention. |
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Post by Deleted on Sept 7, 2016 17:30:50 GMT -5
If the information was available, MNKD could do phone blasts to diabetics throughout the US. Any marketing gurus out there? There was a time when I had some knowledge of marketing and in those days we always worked on synergistic approaches to getting the word out. So, for instance, if we wanted to get a particular subset of people aware of a product, we'd start off blasting phone calls to our target audience, but, not to sell - to leave a short message indicating the what and why. For afrezza, the what would be additional information and the why would be to get your life back under control. The timing of the calls to the next step is important because it's about touches. Marketing people know it's all about how many touches it takes to get a desired response. So, the calls are the first touch providing a warm up to what's coming next - the mailer. The phone call alerts them to the mailer for additional information and avoiding information overload. The mailer, being the second touch, would have additional simple info with the website address. The blast phone calls produces information (who answered, how long they listened, at what point did they hang up, etc). The mailers also provide information because they have the website so when people go to the website and put in that simple code we included on the mailer, we now know who responded. This begins the process of developing lists of potential targets willing to take action. Do this for a few months, tweak it, gather data, see what's working and dump what's not. Improve but do at least 7 mailers over a two month period to each diabetic on your list. There's stats out there that it takes 5-7 touches to get someone to take action. At least that was the case back in my day. When you plateau on those first two steps, the next steps are building steps - radio, magazines, internet, TV, etc. And matt or mike or a paid spokesperson needs to get on every TV show, every radio talk show, every possible public situation they can handle and talk about afrezza. The more people hear a word the less they fear it. Diabetics need to hear afrezza over and over because it's new, it's unfamiliar, it's scary. MNKD needs to climb that mountain and touches is how companies get there. That's why they still do radio advertising even though nobody listens to the radio ads - their brains are listening whether they are actively listening or not. It gets peoples minds used to whatever they are pushing so that when they see it in a store, they say "hey, that's interesting". Without some familiarity, that process does not work. By the time mnkd would get to the more expensive advertising, more diabetics would have had exposure to afrezza whether they "knew" it or not. That's the goal!
If the goal is to get the word out, then it really doesn't matter that we're talking a pharmaceutical vs a widget. The endo's have not jumped on the mnkd bandwagon. The argument 1-2 years ago against this type of approach was to avoid pissing off the endo's. Is that still a concern at this point? Because, so far, the endo's as a whole seem to be uninterested in afrezza.
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Post by dictatorsaurus on Sept 7, 2016 19:41:14 GMT -5
Doing basic math, if you have 60 sales reps and 120 NRx every week, so basically each rep generates 2 scripts a week on average?
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Post by mnholdem on Sept 7, 2016 20:20:25 GMT -5
If the majority of physicians followed the, "if it ain't broke don't fix it" as some posts suggest, then how is it that ANY new drugs are prescribed in the U.S.? I think that's a very weak argument indeed.
Some physicians, granted, may be under the impression that diabetes is being adequately controlled using current diabetes drugs and protocols. Frankly, I don't know any physicians who think that way.
Also, as was indicated by the recent FDA gathering of KOLs, the current protocols for treating diabetes within the medical community ARE broken because the medical community has been relying primarily on patient's a1C for decades - a number which does little to measure the damage being caused to patients by glucose highs & lows and the inability to maintain "time in zone."
Finally, returning to the original theme of this thread, international medical communities, particularly in Europe, are also aware of the challenges facing the treatment of diabetes and are not complacent about the current standards. Then there is Asia, which has a massive population that is extremely needle-phobic...
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