NAKED VOICE

Following on from yesterday's APRIL FOOL's podcast about opening NKD TOWERS - the NAKEDHEALTH team talk about exactly why they are not going anywhere near opening a bricks and mortar office. After over 7 years' successful working, the team talk about the pros of virtual working, any cons and tips to make it work for you.

Following even more growth at the end of 2024 and now into 2025, NAKEDHEALTH enter Q2 by announcing the opening of their new building in trendy Shoreditch, London. All is revealed on this week's episode.

SERIES 4 of THE NAKED VOICE IS HERE! In this episode, we chat about what topics we will cover in series 4 of our podcast series - a little teaser for what will be coming over the next few months...

As 2024, draws to an end, some of the NAKEDHEALTH team were joined by Steve, Ram and Lindi from WE ARE THE HEALTHTRIBE to discuss: 1. Personal and company highlights of 2024 2. Predictions for 2025 This end of year chat covered, of course, AI as well as the current challenges within our industry. We'd like to wish everyone a very happy Christmas and 2025! Thanks for listening

We're honoured to host Dr. Bhawani ‘Bu' O'Brien, a compassionate leader in voluntary assisted dying (VAD) based in Australia, for an inspiring and thought-provoking conversation. Dr. O'Brien shares stories about her journey, the profound privilege of helping patients in their final moments, and the emotional and ethical complexities of this work.   As the future of VAD is hotly debated at the political level now, this conversation provides timely insights into how these decisions impact patients, families, and healthcare providers. And according to the campaign group Dignity in Dying [https://www.dignityindying.org.uk] “84% of the public support the choice of assisted dying for terminally ill adults”.  Join us for a deeply human discussion about dignity, choice, and the realities of end-of-life care. 

Following on from our Mental Health Unlayered campaign on LinkedIn, in this episode we talk to Dr Yumna Dhansay, a leading psychiatrist based in Sydney, Australia. Dr Dhansay specialises in child, adolescent and family psychiatry, forensic psychiatry, perinatal and infant psychiatry. Dr Dhansay offered us a fascinating insight into this highly topical subject and gave us her thoughts on how to best maintain good mental health in our fast changing and challenging world.

A couple of weeks ago, some of the NAKEDHEALTH team went to the Creative Floor Awards in London. Not only were we pleased to pick up an award, a great time was had by one and all! In this episode, we discuss: - Are more independent awards the future? - How we developed our award-winning podcast entry: Living and breathing brand values - What we thought of the awards itself - Our highlights of the winning work

This week we chat with Julia Keller about aging - and how to best mitigate its effects.    Julia is a founder of Youthfuller you - a clinic that provides a holistic approach to combat the effects of aging on the body, mind and skin.  In this episode, we cover: - How much is aging nature over nurture? - How important is diet and what diet is best? - The 3 ways most people jeopardise the healthy aging process - What can we do to look and feel younger?

The last year or so has seen unprecedented times in the advertising and marketing world – very tough times to say the least! With many consolidations within the large networks, resulting in lots of job losses; independents struggling or even going out of business and clients facing the same challenges, the NAKEDHEALTH team chat about their views and experiences, including: - Is this the worse it's ever been? - Has the usual 'recession-proof' pharma industry been impacted as much? - Why is this happening? - Will it get better? A gritty, thought-provoking episode this week, reflective of these times – where sadly many are still experiencing hardship and no sign of new work.

We had the great pleasure of being joined by Dr Sunita Chelva to talk all things menopause! Dr Sunita Chelva runs a specialised menopause clinic in Perth, Australia - Hera clinic - and is deeply involved in menopause advocacy and policy. During our 60 minutes we covered a spectrum of topics: - The basics of menopause, symptoms and common myths - How the decades old Women's Health Initiative (WHI) impacted menopause care and what we have learned since this - How the latest research guides and informs modern management in menopause care - Why menopause advocacy is just getting started and hopes for the future - Dr Chelva's insights from working with women and her specialist practice AND much, much more!

In this episode we chat to WE ARE THE HEALTHTRIBE partner Stephen Handisides of V-UNITE about his unique company. V-UNITE is leading the field in virtual even experiences - empowering the user with the ability to set up, schedule and organise their own virtual experiences, including corporate events and conferences. Stephen chats about this virtual offering, as well as his thoughts on the big topic of the day of course: AI.

In this episode we talk to Renate Hahn about her vast experience in the Pharma Industry – not just about her roles leading global commercial and cross-functional teams but her fascinating journey from growing up on a small farm in South Africa and studying pharmacy. From here, Renate moved to Europe – to Paris and to Switzerland where she and her family now call home. Listen to Renate talk about the adventures and challenges she and her family faced as her career progressed and changed over the last few decades.  

Following on from our Diabetes Unlayered social campaign, the NAKED team chat about their experience of diabetes - from any personal perspectives but also their views on managing or even preventing diabetes. The team also talk about their vast experience working on many high-profile diabetes brands and comms projects. Topics included: Will diabetes ever be cured? Is poor diet a big cause of T2D? Can T2D be reversed? What's the best diabetes campaign you have worked on?

The benefit of the NAKED crews' experience (aka age) is it allows us to look back and reflect on a few decades of healthcare creativity. Do we think it's got more creative over recent times or less? Any campaigns and agencies from 'back then' really stand out - and what about now in recent times? Will AI make the future more or less creative? We chat about all these things and more - tell us what you think - has healthcare advertising got more creative or less?

In this week's episode, we talk to Vinny Mesolella, Associate Director, HCP and Digital Marketing for Mayne Pharma, based in North Carolina. We chat to Vinny about his fascinating journey from graduating in journalism and being interested in pursuing a career in creative writing to leaving journalism after an internship at The Boston Global and joining a small independent advertising agency, working on fmcg accounts like Subway. Vin them moved to NYC to another independent agency, working on luxury brands like Diesel and Tag Heuer  - during the early days of the digital and social revolution. From here, Vin joined the IPG network and eventually ended up working with big pharma clients including Bayer, Novartis and Gilead. Following the pandemic, Vinny moved back to North Carolina and subsequently joined the female health division of Mayne Pharma.  Listen to Vin chat to us about: - His move from fmcg into pharma and how like many people this is sometimes an accidental transition - How pharma compares to fmcg work - Best and worse aspects of agency and client life - What surprised him the most making the move from agency to client side

In this week's episode, the NKD crew chat candidly about the things they do to switch off from what can be quite a stressful day-job, or things they do that helps flex the creative muscles and help with the day-job. Extracurricular activities include reading up on history and politics, music, men's health and comedy.

Amazed at how the right piece of music can enhance or even transform a piece of film? Ever wondered about the process? What comes first? Do the composers sit in front of the storyboard or the early film rushes? How long does the process take? About a year ago, NAKEDHEALTH was asked to develop a film for one of our clients - to show their commitment to late-stage blood cancer. After excellent collaboration between agency, client, director/producer and, critically, music composer, the film was released and shortlisted at this year's PM Society Awards. The bespoke music created for what was essentially a silent movie, really brough the film to life and added so much emotion. So, this week we chat to the composer Felix Ratigan, of TJF Productions as well as Laurie Castelli, the film director and founder of Castelli & Co Productions. Listen to the process we went through - from supplying a known reference song to capture the pace and emotion, to how we ended up with the final composition, which is truly one of the best pieces of composed music we have used in a film.

As a global agency the NKD crew spend - and have spent over their long careers - a lot of time travelling.   So, bit of a different episode this week. We talk about some of the best and worst places we have visited with work - and some of the most memorable experiences too.   If this episode doesn't give you any ideas for your next holiday, it may just raise a smile or two - and remind us all how fortunate we are getting to see so much of the world with work.   

Following on from our spoof April 1st podcast, NAKEDHEALTH have most certainly NOT been acquired and fully run by Abby Ironside (AI). The team are alive and well and chat about some of their experiences and views on AI. Which roles could AI replace? Which roles is AI unlikely to replace? Will AI make things better for agencies and clients?

In an effort to constantly push boundaries and disrupt the healthcare comms space, we are pleased to announce some big changes today, which are discussed in detail via our regular podcast

For this episode we were joined by the inimitable Eric Berkeley and we discuss how independent agencies now stack up against the large holding-company network. There are probably few people more qualified than Eric, who was at the huge network Omnicom for many decades and operationally ran their healthcare, to discuss this hot topic. Can independents truly challenge the older network model? What is it like working in an independent vs the network model? Do clients genuinely need offices in 50+ locations to do global work properly? What are the pros and cons for clients with both models? A must-listen episode for anyone thinking of joining or moving within a network agency and for any clients considering both models for their business.

For this latest episode of the NAKEDVOICE, Shaheed Peera joined us to talk about everything AWARDS!   Not only has Shaheed been a former President of Cannes Lions Health & Wellness, he set up his very own Creative Floor Healthcare Awards show, over a decade ago – now an established and well-regarded show, that also donates a proportion of profits towards a Diversity and Talent Fund.      As well as talking about the increasing value and importance of creative awards for clients, we chatted about experiences, good and bad from the judging room – with top tips about how to put a good entry together and which out of the increasing number of awards are worth entering.

In this episode we discuss the similarities and differences between consumer and pharma advertising.   We are joined by two esteemed guests with many years' experiencing working on some of the biggest consumer brands: Damon Hutson-Flynn and Laurie Castelli   How do these two worlds compare?   What great consumer and healthcare campaigns are worth mentioning?   Is it easier to get great ideas through in consumer world vs pharma? Is there more focus on USPs in pharma vs consumer?   We discuss everything from marmite, Smash, Nescafe to Becks beer and blood cancer.

In this intriguingly entitled episode, we introduce two new important members of WE ARE THE HEALTHTRIBE, Asad Ali and Megha Sethi, based in NJ, USA. As well as talking about their vast experience in the industry, Asad and Megha, talk about what drew them to 'THE TRIBE', their role and ...electric jet skis!

This week it's the turn of our friend from the North: Paul Hughes. Paul chats about his geographical and professional transition from Liverpool to the dizzy heights of NAKEDHEALTH towers. Paul was the first in his family to go to University and subsequently did a D.Phil in organo-metallic chemistry - before bursting, like an exothermic reaction, onto the healthcare communications industry. Fascinating and funny - have a listen!

In the latest episode Paul Hughes turns the spotlight on another member of the Naked Health team, Russell Kirk. We'll ask about his journey to NAKEDHEALTH, his experience as an Art and Creative Director in both the large networks and smaller agencies within the Pharmaceutical advertising industry; the pros, cons and where the future lies for the industry.

In our latest episode of this series charting the team's journey to NAKEDHEALTH, we talk to Max Jackson about his very atypical journey - from studying marine biology to becoming an officer in the navy, going client side as a medical rep then running some of the biggest agency networks in the industry.  As a former CEO at Publicis and WPP, we talk about the importance of that role - setting the tone for, and leading, a large organisation. Max talks about the vision when we set up NAKEDHEALTH and our aspirations for the future.   A fascinating journey that's useful for those entering the industry or for those of us, pausing for a moment and reflecting on our industry.   

In another episode in this series, we talk to one of the NAKEDHEALTH Founding Partners, Lee Williams, about his journey to NAKEDHEALTH.   Before setting up NAKEDHEALTH with Max and Raj, Lee began his post-graduation career in pharmacy manufacturing and research neurogenetics in Queen Square, London. After initially aiming to make the leap into mainstream consumer advertising, as a copywriter, Lee then discovered this now less hidden world of healthcare advertising - and the rest is history! Check out Lee's journey, from the Rhondda valleys to some of London's biggest agencies and then co-founding his own - which may be interesting for those considering a move into the agency world or for those of you reflecting on how on earth you ended up in this industry we love!

In this episode of the NAKED VOICE, we speak to Steve Robins, CEO and founder of SPARK Healthcare. SPARK operates at the intersection of industry, patient advocacy and the HCP community – helping solve public health challenges, hand in hand with industry. Steve talks about his experiences in the traditional agency network model and why he wanted to be part of WE ARE THE HEALTHTRIBE. Steve also discusses some of the cool things SPARK Healthcare has developed like the Beacon Learning platform – a proprietary solution that uses “gamification” to inject entertainment into the learning process for clinicians and patients alike as well as CF R.I.S.E. – a program delivered at point of care that helps cystic fibrosis patients to seamlessly transition from paediatric to adult care – and how such campaigns can help improve the overall quality of patient care and education.

In another episode in this series, we talk to one of the NAKEDHEALTH Founding Partners, Raj Jangra, about his journey to NAKEDHEALTH.   Raj studied at Surrey and Sussex Universities covering interests in biochemistry and genetics before making his way to London (like Dick Whittington!) where he discovered the hidden world of agencies. He worked across medical education, patient comms and advertising before some in-house time at Novartis Global which was followed by setting up NAKEDHEALTH with Lee and Max. Check out Raj's journey - which may be interesting for those considering a move into the agency world or for those of you reflecting on how on earth you ended up in this industry we love!

Ever wondered how some of us ended up in healthcare marketing and advertising? Well, this is the first in a series of podcasts looking into the journey of some of the team from NAKEDHEALTH and WE ARE THE HEALTHRIBE - starting with AMY COATS, Associate Partner and creative copywriter. Amy chats to us about her interesting journey from studying natural science in Cambridge University, to considering a career in medicine, before moving into market research then finally into a healthcare comms agency. Great insights for anyone looking to get into this industry or simply to reflect on the diverse backgrounds and experiences of those of us already here!

We're back with another NAKED VOICE Podcast; this time on a deeply personal topic.   IVF can be an extremely sensitive and difficult subject to talk about, despite the fact that, in the UK alone, around 53,000 patients underwent IVF in 2019. [1]  We recently sat down with Sarah Vine to hear her challenging IVF journey. As a scientist, Sarah turned her experience and insights into practical resources that are helping others worldwide. Our discussion covers:  The misconceptions surrounding IVF The impact of IVF; practically, physically and emotionally Managing IVF while working full time How Sarah's resources really get to the heart of the matter Sarah can be found on Instagram (@living_ivf), TikTok (@livingivf) and Twitter (@livingivf) and her resources can be found here; Two Week Wait: https://amzn.to/3ypJzn4 and Living IVF: https://amzn.to/3ak2gQW.  

This week's very special guest is no other than Sam Teale of Sam Teale Productions who made the biggest Christmas ad of 2022! Sam and his team made ‘Go Kart' the alternative John Lewis Christmas advert based on the premise of ‘Christmas should be made not bought.' This fabulous film, made quickly by a small, young team out of Yorkshire, quickly eclipsed the original John Lewis ad, achieving millions of views on social media and getting lots of coverage by the BBC and other mainstream media. Sam is one of the most energetic and enthusiastic guests we have had on and talks openly about this famous film, his company's set up and aspirations for the future. If you're one of the few people not to have seen the film, you should definitely check it out here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V_KjgSyGhzQ&t=3s – and have a listen to this episode of NAKEDVOICE; follow our LinkedIn page to get regular updates too.

Happy new year one and all! We kick off 2023 with a very special episode of the NAKED VOICE – exploring social media in healthcare. We're super excited to joined by Lindi from Explode – they're experts in all aspects of social media. In this episode, we discuss a number of hot topics in detail, including: Is social really a viable option in a regulated healthcare space? How and when should social be considered in the marketing mix? How do we selected the best social platform for a given objective? How can clients build a social team? Explode are also partners in the We Are The Healthtribe https://health-tribe.com/ - a real network where the client, not the agency, is at heart of the purpose!

This episode of the NAKEDVOICE features brothers in arms – Laurie and Francis Castelli who talk to us about all things production! Both brothers began their careers in leading advertising agencies, before making the move into film and photography production and direction. With decades of experience producing and directing huge global shoots for the likes of Ridley Scott and Becks beer, Francis and Laurie talk about the importance of the big idea, the 3 things that are critical to the success of any shoot, agile ways of working and much more!

In this episode of the NAKED VOICE, we spoke to our very special guest and fellow partner from WE ARE THE HEALTHTRIBE Arjen Van Willigenburg of Terminal 4 Communications. With an impressive medical and scientific background as a trained psychologist and psychopharmacologist, Arjen began his communications career client-side, at large pharma companies. Subsequently, he set up T4 Communications, out of the Netherlands, back in 2008 - now a leading, global medical education agency that develops regulatory documents, scientific publications and broad medical communications across all categories of healthcare. Listen to Arjen talk about his experiences being client side and his recent agency thoughts and aspirations for the future, as part of WE ARE THE HEALTHTRIBE.

In the third episode featuring WE ARE THE HEALTHTRIBE members, we were delighted to speak to Ram Patel, founder of Brainsell. Ram set up Brainsell over 20 years ago to do primary qualitative and quantitative market research within healthcare. With a passion for innovation and technology, Brainsell was one of the very first market research agencies to utilise online testing and continually seeks to use the best of modern technologies. Ram spoke to us about his story, the future of market research and why he was excited to join WE ARE THE HEALTHTRIBE.

In the second of our WE ARE THE HEALTHTRIBE podcasts, tribe member Paul Townley-Jones chats to us about his journey from market research to setting up PAPARICO - a digital marketing agency powered by AI. Paul talks about how AI is, and can, be used in marketing, as well as his experiences with global networks and his vision for WE ARE THE HEALTHTRIBE.

With the recent launch of WE ARE THE HEALTHTRIBE - a new, radically different global healthcare communications network - we took some time to explain why and how this network came into existence. Eric Berkeley, who previously ran the global healthcare network for Omnicom, joined us too and shared his experiences from the old model that helped to shape WE ARE THE HEALTHTRIBE, which now consists of more than 12 different independent agencies globally - and growing! Our discussion included: - What we learnt from our experiences at traditional global holding-company networks - How WE ARE THE HEALTHTRIBE will challenge this model and the benefits to clients More tribe members will be joining the NAKEDVOICE podcast over coming weeks to explain their part in this revolutionary new network and the specific skills they bring to the tribe.

Menopause Thinking For this topical and very educational podcast we were joined by Professor Pauline Maki, Professor of Psychiatry, Psychology and Obstetrics & Gynecology at the University of Illinois, Chicago. Professor Maki explains what menopause is, the typical symptoms and why this happens, before focusing in on her own particular field of interest: the cognitive impact of menopause. She also touches on some simple advise tips for women going through menopause.

For this episode of the NAKEDVOICE, we were joined by the fantastic Lisa McLeod, bestselling author and keynote speaker who helps people and organisations find their noble purpose and engage more emotionally with each other and customers. Listen to Lisa describe what all this means with some real examples of how this can lead to more successful business and personal outcomes.

Does marketing medical devices differ from mainstream pharma and if so how? The NAKEDVOICE Podcasts are back after a short break and in this new episode we are joined by our friends from the US: Liz Patterson and Katherine Wiseman from HighPoint Experience - global experts in marketing medical devices, diagnostics and health technologies.

These are some of the outtakes from our April Fools podcast. It was much harder than we thought to keep on track and keep a straight face! Hope you enjoy listening to it.

Well, the cat is out of the bag, it's time for our big reveal! As NAKEDHEALTH nears its fourth year in business, we talk about our revolutionary and controversial new approach to leadership and ways of working. This podcast may shock, surprise and bemuse many listeners - but it will be certainly remembered and talked about. You may never view a strategic or creative workshop the same again! Hear us discuss our views and ideas on: Just how layer-less we can get with our working lives? Are we on the cusp of a new cultural movement? Gratuitous gimmick or great leveller that will transform the journey towards truly great ideas? We know you are going to have strong views on this one and we'd love to hear them here...

We were joined by two very special guests, Maren Von Platen, an experienced marketeer with prior procurement experience at Bayer Global and Philipp Schuster, Agency & Marketing Partnerships Lead for Consumer Health at Bayer Global. With these two highly-experienced experts, we talk openly and candidly about many aspects of the pitching process: Is it fair? Is there a better pitch process? Do clients appreciate the time and cost that goes into an agency pitch? Should agencies be remunerated for pitches? What's your strangest pitch experience?

What a podcast this was with Marco telling us how he has lived for 20 years with early-onset idiopathic Parkinson's Disease, since being diagnosed at just age 30. We were going to record an end of year podcast looking back on 2021 but we were so touched by this podcast we want to end 2021 with it. In particular, we'd like to ask you to consider purchasing Marco's fantastic book and read about his incredible journey. A journey that's as funny and inspirational as it is shocking and thought provoking; not only an essential read for anyone touched by PD, but relevant to us all as we journey through life, facing challenges that can crush us or help make us stronger. The book is available at Amazon and all major retailers. We'd also like to thank Mike Tindall and Gavin Hastings in advance for agreeing to review Marco's book and the very kind words of support they have offered as they navigate their own family's PD journeys.

How does working in rare disease compare to ‘mainstream pharma'? Listen to our massively experienced guests Henrik Krook, Kristina Sjöblom and Manuela Schneider talk about their experiences of how working in rare disease and large pharma compare. Most importantly, listen to how we can all help raise awareness of a devastating disease that affects young boys: MCT8 deficiency.

Clients: ever thought about jumping over the fence to agency side? Agency people: ever been tempted to leap over to client side? Listen to this fascinating episode featuring our very special guest Matt Neal who made the successful leap from agency to client. We discuss how the two worlds are different, key learnings, why make the move and more.

What do clients really want from agencies? Listen to Ingrid Fussing, Global Marketing Director, tell us about her 20+ years' experience - how she selects and judges agencies. Should agencies be involved in strategy? What's the one thing clients look for in an agency? What can piss off a client?

This week we're joined by two industry veterans: Anthony Smith and Frank Waters who talk to us about the best concept they ever came up with. The topic generated some lively debate around how truly owns the original idea as well remuneration for creatives who originate ideas.

This episode is all about Production. Listen to Jonty chat about his experiences of productions, including brands like Coke Zero and working with Antonio Banderas . We are also joined in this episode by Jane Yatsuka, Executive Producer and CEO of Radioaktivefilm. As well as huge commercial productions like Apple, Jane was also involved in the production of the hit show Chernobyl.