by Miriam Hara | Sep 11, 2025 | Branding, Communications, Marketing
It goes without saying that doctors hold a unique position in society. They are viewed as respected professionals, lifesavers and gatekeepers of our healthcare system. But behind their clinical expertise and decision-making authority, physicians are also consumers. They shop online, scroll through social media and make choices based on usability, branding and peer reviews. Yet when marketing to physicians this basic truth is often overlooked. That’s the reason why brands often fall short. when engaging with HCPs.
Recognizing that doctors are consumers, too, is key to building tools, systems and messages that actually resonate with them. This paradigm shift is especially important in Canada’s strained healthcare system, where physicians face mounting workloads, digital fatigue and administrative burdens.
Doctors Are Not a Monolith: GPs vs. Specialists
According to our segmentation partner, Head Research, not all doctors behave the same way as consumers – especially when comparing general practitioners (GPs) with specialists.
General Practitioners:
- Acting as the first point of contact in the Canadian healthcare system, they deal with a wide variety of cases in rapid succession
- They prefer communication that is simple, efficient, easy to understand and act upon. They have no time to waste
- They are highly focused on serving diverse needs. Special needs will be referred on
Specialists:
- Work in focused areas of care with much more complex diagnostics
- Many are fuelled by complex cases
- They rely on highly specific data, tools and procedures
- They expect high technical precision and depth
- They often face institutional and/or regulatory constraints on product use, especially for expensive treatments
Recognizing these differences helps marketers create better-targeted tools and communications, just like any smart business would for different consumer segments.
GP vs. Specialist: Consumer Behaviour Comparison
Understanding how generalists and specialists behave as consumers can improve product development, marketing and service provision.
| Theme |
GPs |
Specialists |
| Tool Preferences |
Integrated, time-saving, intuitive |
Precision tools, configurable, evidence-rich |
| Motivation for Use |
Workflow efficiency, accessibility |
Technical excellence, peer or institutional validation |
| Content Engagement |
Short, mobile-friendly, practice-relevant |
Deep-dive, specialty-specific, academically supported |
| Adoption Drivers |
Ease of use, peer recommendations |
Clinical rigor, regulatory fit, brand trust |
This table highlights that while all doctors value quality and evidence, their day-to-day needs and expectations differ significantly, just like different types of consumers in any other market.
Think about it: are you treating all doctors the same? Are you also considering how doctors behave outside of work to fine-tune your communications strategy?
Doctors are People first.
Doctors are more than just providers of care; they are users, buyers and human beings shaped by convenience, trust, habit and emotional relevance. In a healthcare system that increasingly demands efficiency, treating physicians as thoughtful consumers can drive better communications, engagement and use, resulting in better patient care.
In Canada’s evolving healthcare landscape, this shift in mindset when engaging with HCPs, is not just helpful, it’s essential.
Need assistance in reaching and engaging HCPs? Let’s chat.
by Miriam Hara | Aug 28, 2025 | Advertising, Branding, Business Success, Marketing
The How
As marketing creatives it’s very easy for us to dream big… We talk a lot about ideas in marketing. Big ones. Bold ones. Ideas that get pinned to mood boards and pitched in boardrooms. But in branding, it’s not enough to ask what or why. The real turning point often comes when we ask: How will we achieve the KPI.
Regardless of the idea, or the dream… of the What If…moment, it takes consistency and clarity for those ideas to turn into achievement. The How matters.
The How? is the intersection of creative momentum meets operational reality. Answering The How, thrusts the vision into action…into reality.
The How transforms a strategic insight into an actual moment of connection with a customer.
Creative ambition grounded for the good
All creative concepts or campaigns start with a set intention or objective. Maybe it’s a needed shift in perception. Maybe it’s reach, or resonance, or renewal. Without asking how, achieving that specific objective often falls short… Regardless of the where, or when. The question of How matters: Consider these:
- How will this message live beyond the presentation deck?
- How will the audience interact with it?
- How will we maintain tone and consistency across touchpoints?
These are not secondary questions. They’re foundational. The brands that ask them early build better from the start.
Ideas need infrastructure
Some believe constraints limit creativity. But in practice, the opposite is usually true. Deadlines, budgets, and audience behaviours do not kill ideas. They sharpen them.
Asking How? provides focus. It gives structure to the concept without stripping it of power. It asks teams to think through the steps. From concept to execution. From message to moment.
It’s one thing to say your brand is inclusive. It’s another to reflect that promise in your visuals, language, website UX, and media strategy. What we say is one thing. How we show up is what the audience actually remembers.
Take Mastercard’s True Name campaign. The brand had a powerful insight: many transgender and non-binary individuals face challenges when using a name that doesn’t match their identity. Mastercard didn’t just craft a message around inclusion. It asked: How can we change the experience? The result was a product innovation that allowed customers to use their chosen name on their cards. Creative, strategy, legal, and operations worked together to bring the idea to life. And because they asked How? early, the campaign landed with authenticity and action behind the message.
How? protects the insight
There’s a moment in every creative process where good ideas risk getting lost in translation. Internal approval cycles. Channel limitations. Format tweaks. A watered-down campaign doesn’t happen all at once. It happens slowly through a series of small compromises.
“How?” helps safeguard against that. It prompts teams to stay focused on the intent behind the idea. To ask: How do we adapt without diluting? How do we scale without simplifying the soul of the message?
It’s where creativity and clarity meet
Too often, creative and strategy are treated as separate tracks. But asking How? invites both into the same conversation. It’s where marketing earns its edge not just in what it says, but in how seamlessly it brings that message to life.
When done right, How? creates alignment. Between teams. Between message and moment. Between what a brand promises and what the customer actually experiences.
Final word: Start strong. Follow through.
In branding, execution is the invisible ingredient. If the customer doesn’t feel the intention, it doesn’t matter how clever the idea was in the room. Asking How? makes sure the work moves not just creatively, but meaningfully.
It’s the question that brings the big picture into focus. And more importantly, into form.
by Miriam Hara | Aug 20, 2025 | Agency, Branding, Business Success, Marketing
My Brand Commandments: The Non-Negotiables
This is the last of my series about my entrepreneurial journey. I truly hope that you enjoyed the last 5 blogs and that it provided you with some incite and value.
Last doesn’t mean least, and in this case, this is perhaps the most important blog of the series. Every brand has big ideas, but what matters most are the non-negotiables that comprise of the values and standards I refuse to bend, no matter the challenge or the client. For me, these brand commandments aren’t just aspirational. They are the guardrails that keep my work honest, my team focused, and my clients confident that what we promise, we deliver. I’ve simplified them to 10 must dos…and here they are:
1. Always Lead With Clarity
Confusion is the enemy of progress. Whether in strategy, creative, or communication, I refuse to settle for muddled thinking. I dig until the message is clear and the plan is actionable, each and every time.
2. Be Bold, But Never Reckless
Bravery is baked into every brand we assist. Encouraging risk-taking, original thinking, and pushing the boundaries of what’s expected, is simply my go-to. But every bold move is backed by insight, not impulse, and that is key.
3. Listen First, Advise Second
Real understanding starts with listening. Invest the time to hear clients’ concerns, ambitions, and blind spots before jumping to solutions. My advice is always rooted in empathy and context.
4. Respect the Process, But Be Prepared to Question Everything
Knowing what works helps, but it’s key that you face each and every mandate like it’s the first time you’ve seen or heard of the challenge facing the brand. Never let habit replace curiosity. There’s nothing fron with following proven steps, yet I’m never afraid to ask, “Is there a better way?” That’s how progress happens.
5. Simply Show Up.Fully. And Be Ready To Play.
Partnership means presence. I bring my full self to every meeting, every brief, and every challenge. I don’t dial it in. I dig in, and I expect that same from my team.
6. Always Overdeliver
Honesty is non-negotiable. I won’t sell quick fixes or magic solutions. I won’t take on a mandate or timeline that is unrealistic and will set the brand up for failure. When timelines are not realistic, or budgets not sufficient to deliver on KPIs, I say so, right at the get go. Don’t get me wrong, I’ll work relentlessly to exceed expectations, every chance me and my team get. But the mandate or the challenge needs to be realistic. Off topic, I’m pretty proud of the fact that my team feels the same way.
7. Own Mistakes and Share Wins
Accountability is at the core of trust. When things go right, I celebrate with the team. And we are a team…which I lead. Showing up everyday to lead means responsibility and building trust. So when things go wrong, I take responsibility and course-correct fast.
8. Stay Human
No brand is built by algorithms alone. And, couple that with AI…. staying human is and will become more on trend than we think. I believe in face-to-face conversations, hand-written notes, and a sense of humour. People do business with people, and building relationships with people… Make sure your brand remains authentic. It’s essential to remember, logos do not make brands.
9. Keep Learning, Keep Growing. Keep Open.
What works today might not work tomorrow. Just like what didn’t work yesterday, may work tomorrow. It’s essential to look at situations with a fresh eye and not be tarnished about the past failures. Keep a fresh perspective.It’s equally important to never stop learning from clients, peers, and yes, competitors. Growth is a lifelong pursuit…and has no end date.
10. Protect the Why
When the work gets hectic or the market shifts, I remind myself and my clients: our purpose is the anchor. We don’t chase trends at the expense of what matters most. It’s not important to jump in on the band wagon, especially if it doesn’t resonate with the brands’s persona.
These brand commandments aren’t just words on a page. They’re the backbone of my brand, the measure of my partnerships, and the reason clients trust me when the stakes are high.
If you’re building a brand, or simply want to show up more boldly, hope these brand commandments inspire you to set your own non-negotiables. Don’t forget and never minimize the importance of understanding what you stand for. Ultimately, it is what will make you and your brand stand out.
by Miriam Hara | Aug 5, 2025 | Agency, Business Success, Marketing, Miriamisms
In my previous blog, the first of this series of six, I explained how every business has a story. And since every story has a beginning,… every business has one too. If “what” is the heartbeat of any entrepreneurial story, then “why” and “how” are the soul. Here’s a little synopsis of my business beginnings.
Business Beginnings
Before I could start a business, let alone build a business, I needed to dig into what truly mattered to me. That meant pausing, reflecting, and asking myself some real and serious questions. What shaped me in my career? What do I actually stand for within the industry that I wanted to shape and be a part of? What did my experience thus far, teach me, frustrate me, invigorate me? More importantly, how did I want to sound out in the world? By answering those questions, I had the makings of my business beginnings.
My business beginning was stitched together from curiosity, drive, and, honestly, a stubborn streak. I always questioned the usual way of doing things. Why not try something different? Why not find a way for strategy and creativity to meet without compromise? In all honesty, the stubborn streak was essential…and the curiosity also had a constant companion…sheer determination. Nothing about my path was handed to me. I carved it out, sometimes the hard way. Trusting instincts, even when it meant taking the harder route, became a pattern. When something felt right, I doubled down, even if it made things messier at first.
Business Adventure
It goes without saying that the in the beginning, you really don’t know what it’s going to take to actually start, build and maintain a business. Nothing quite prepares you. We all know the adage ignorance is bliss. When I started my business adventure, not knowing was the silver lining that I needed to keep going. I just started and off I went to take the curve balls and the outs, and the homeruns in stride.
I would be remiss if I didn’t mention my team. Throughout the 37 years I’ve been blessed. Key to my business journey is that I found an eclectic team of like-minded professional and quirky people who got me… who believed in my vision… and who would propel my business forward. I had one additional thing going for me that many didn’t. I leaned on my family’s and husband’s unwavering support and belief that what I wanted to do, could be done. That’s really where my brand story began.
Developing my Strategic Voice
If you’ve spent any time with me, or read any of my blogs, you know I don’t do generic. I like clarity with a bit of edge. I’m always asking another question, never stopping at the surface. Brands deserve to sound confident, not cautious. I leave out the jargon, skip the filler, and focus on ideas that leave a mark. My business follows the same logic.
I talk, write, and collaborate with openness. But there’s backbone in there too. I’m not afraid to challenge a comfortable answer. Curiosity is great, but so is decisiveness. Those two live side by side for me.
My Business Pillars
I’ve built my business by thinking a certain way and by establishing brands in a context that would enable them to achieve success. In my line of work, it gets busy…but no matter how busy things get, there are no short cuts to how we create and develop brand. Whether I’m in a client meeting, kicking off a new campaign, or up late turning over ideas, these business pillars are what I always strive for.
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Owned Confidence:
Developing brands own who they are. Not just what they sell. Confidence isn’t just a buzzword. It’s how brands grow.
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Strategic Originality:
Big ideas are nothing if they aren’t rooted in real insight. I believe creativity works best not only when it serves a purpose, but is unexpected.
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Boldness:
Vision needs a framework. Strong action. Loud Voice. . Forward propulsion. That’s when the magic truly begins.
These are the pillars I always circle back to. This is what I built my own business… my own brand with. These pillars are what drive my all my work and, honestly, what gets me out of bed in the morning.
by Miriam Hara | Jul 29, 2025 | Agency, Business Success
Every business has a story. Which means that every entrepreneur has their story. This six-part series is mine. In these blogs, I’ll walk through what matters most; from the big “why” to the daily decisions, and how it all comes together to create a brand with staying power.
When you’re an entrepreneur, there is a fine line between your very personal brand and that of the company you have founded. Sometimes the lines just get blurred. It goes without saying, there’s a symbiotic relationship between the two. It comes down to leadership and how that leader drives the organization and team members each and every day. More on that later.
In the Beginning…
As with most big decisions in life, it all starts with a question. Entrepreneurship isn’t a single moment of inspiration.
It’s a series of pivots, doubts, and the kind of clarity that only comes from asking tough questions.
Early on, I realized that finding my “what” wasn’t just about naming a service. It was about defining a promise for the company I was establishing… an extension of myself. It was simple: What do I deliver that actually matters? Not just what I do, but what I bring to clients, to brands, to the noisy, fast-moving world of marketing. That is what I wanted for my company…my organization…and for my team to live by.
Owning the “What”
What I deliver is more than strategy or creativity. It’s clarity, boldness, and an unshakeable commitment to outcomes that matter. My role isn’t just to make brands look good. It’s to help them find their voice, claim their space, and make an impact specially when the stakes are high and the landscape is complex. That’s what I bring to the table, and what my company is defined by. I remember when I first stepped out on my own, the temptation was to cast the widest net. I took on every project and brief. I could do this because I realized early on that growth doesn’t come from saying yes to everything… it comes from exceeding the brief. It comes from owning your difference and applying to however big or small the mandate is. Subsequently I also realized that saying no was also right, when what I deliver and how I deliver it isn’t aligned with the ask.
So what exactly is my difference?
“I help brands in complex, competitive spaces own their voice and their market through strategic clarity, creative courage, and a drive for measurable results.”
Why the “What” Matters
Brands always want to get the most attention. But beyond that, they want and need traction. Brands need to know who they are, what makes them different, and how to turn that difference into growth. My “what” is about giving them that edge, not with quick fixes, but with honest, sometimes uncomfortable, always strategic conversations. That is the only way forward towards building the foundation that lets a brand adapt to the newest trends, stand out, and keep moving forward, no matter how crowded the market gets.
The Heart of My Entrepreneurial Journey
Looking back, getting clear on what I deliver was the moment my entrepreneurial story really began. It’s what gave me the confidence to say no when it mattered, and the drive to say yes to challenges that scared me (in the best way possible). The “what” is never static. It grows as you do. But once you’ve found it, you have something solid to stand on. It’s the north star that guides everything else.
In my next post, I’ll dig into the “who”: the clients, teams, and communities I serve, and why their success is the fuel behind everything I do.
