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Amanda Strong is soft-launching a job and event board for biomedical and health care communications in Canada. www.biomedcomjobs.ca

This job site is specifically for medical writers, editors, illustrators, graphic designers, translators, project managers, and for any other professional in the field of biomedical communications.

In her own words:

“BioMedComJobs is owned by Amanda Strong, a medical writer based in Montreal. The site was set up to facilitate contact between various professionals working in the field of biomedical communications in Canada.

Our concept in setting this site up was simplicity, so we don’t have all the bells and whistles of the larger job boards and networking sites. Instead, what we offer is the ability to search for a job, event or professional opportunities in your field of expertise: biomedical and health care communications.

How much does it cost to register?
Registration is always free.

Why should I register?
Registration allows you to post a profile, jobs or events. If you are freelance or seeking a job, posting a profile is a good way to find collaborators or potential employers. If you are an event organizer, posting an event exposes it to a wider audience, for free!”

Check it out here: www.biomedcomjobs.ca

Here’s a simple, yet very emotional spot for the Québec Cystic Fibrosis Association.

Description:
A boy and a girl each blow on a dandelion to see their seeds fly in the air.

[SUPER]
La fibrose kystique est la maladie génétique mortelle la plus répendue chez les jeunes Canadiens.
On pense qu’au Canada, un nouveau-né sur 3600 est atteint de fibrose kystique.
50% des personnes atteintes sont des enfants.

the boy tries blowing on the dandelion again but starts coughing.
Donnez le souffle de vie.
Aidez les personnes atteintes à  réaliser leur voeu le plus cher.
Aidez-nous à vaincre la fibrose kystique.

www.aqfk.qc.ca

Cystic fibrosis is a fatal genetic disease most spread among young Canadians.
We believe that in Canada, a newborn in 3600 is suffering from cystic fibrosis.
50% of sufferers are children.
Give the breath of life.
Help people realize their fondest wish.
Help us fight cystic fibrosis.
www.aqfk.qc.ca

Brand name: Association québécoise de la fibrose kystique and Fondation canadienne de la fibrose kystique
Generic name/category: disease awareness, fund-raising
Country/Market: Canada, North America
Indication(s)/use: Cystic Fibrosis
Target: Consumers (DTC)
Medium: TV commercial
Size/duration: 42 seconds
Publication/Aired: 2009

This ad and thousands more can be seen on the AdPharm gallery, the largest online pharmaceutical advertising gallery.

From the AdPharm gallery

When you (or your client) decide to place an advertisement in a publication, there are certain production rules that apply when laying out any ad. Some Art Directors or Graphic designers – and let’s face it, sometimes it’s a client directive – may dare to go past the infamous “type safety area” or “live type area” set by the publication. It’s not a good idea to do so, even when the size of the safety margin seems exaggerated.

We have an example here (the Januvia/Janumet ad on the right) where not much harm was done, but you can see that something is cut off at the bottom right of the page. It’s the information box that the PAAB (Pharmaceutical Advertising Advisory Board) of Canada requires to have in order to direct readers to the drug’s Prescribing Information page. So this is obviously something that should not be cut off.

Type safety, minuscule legal text, ads with too much content… that’s life in the pharmaceutical advertising industry, no matter what country you work in. And there sure is a lot of pharma advertising out there that falls in those categories. We plan on showcasing more examples in the future (and there are lots in the AdPharm gallery). The idea is not to point fingers, because we all know that many great ad concepts and layouts go south once account people, clients, medical departments, regulatory bodies, to name a few get their hands on it. The goal is to help improve and find better ways to build ads. The challenges of creating and laying out pharmaceutical ads are daunting sometimes. Seeing good and not so good examples can help us make better decisions.

So we would love to see other ads examples that got cut off badly.

If you have such examples, please send them to blog@adpharm.net.

Click here to see it on AdPharm

AdPharm is the largest online pharmaceutical advertising gallery. It is subscription-based with various subscriptions plans available here.

Commercials 1 and 2

Brand name: Le Neuro
Generic name/category: Public awareness, corporate
Company: Institut et Hôpital Neurologiques de Montréal
Country/Market: Canada, North America
Indication(s)/use: Neurological diseases
Target: Consumers (DTC)
Tagline: au centre de la vie, la matière grise At the center of life, the gray matter
Medium: TV commercial
Size/duration: 30 seconds
Publication/Aired: 2009

For more ads from AdPharm, click here

IDS Canada is a member of IDS Media Group, a global healthcare marketing and service organization. Operating in 14 countries, we are the world’s largest provider of direct-to-patient communication programs in the medical waiting room environment.

IDS Waiting Room Advantage

• Right Time, Right Place: Reach patients at a time when they are thinking about their health and ready to act

• Reach women ages 25-51: the primary family healthcare decision maker and principle household shopper
• Drive Sales: Maximum exposure of your digital or print message in an uncluttered and focused environment
• Impact retail purchases: 80% of patients will visit a pharmacy after seeing their doctor
• Inform and influence your target audience – provide patients with the information they need to make good healthcare decisions
• Trusted healthcare environment: perceived endorsement by physicians for your product/service or disease awareness message
• Category exclusivity for your brand message
• Measurable campaign ROI: quarterly brochure utilization reports and semi-annual patient research
• Guaranteed distribution and display of your product literature ensures maximum exposure and readership
• Shipping/handling of your material from our warehouse to our 65 service reps across Canada Read the rest of this entry »