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Top of Mind Thursday Memo Archive
Top of Mind Thursday – March 2, 2023: The Most Precious Liquid on the Planet Just Got Affordable
Last year, consumers complained bitterly about the price of gasoline–which got as high as $6 and $7 a gallon in some places.
But that’s nothing compared to the price of insulin, which could cost as much as $300 for a 10ML bottle–the equivalent of $113,400 per gallon–for people who don’t have health insurance.
The difference is more than just dollars and cents. Without insulin, people die. At least 7 million people in the US are insulin-dependent. A recent Yale University study found that nearly 15% of those (almost a million people) find paying for insulin is a serious financial burden.
We hear all the time about novel next-generation medical therapies that cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, but that’s not the case here. Insulin was discovered by Canadian doctor Frederick Banting in 1922 and the patent was sold a year later–for $1. Today, it costs about $6/vial to produce.
Yet, over the last few decades, the three leading manufacturers of insulin have continuously raised their prices to exorbitant levels. Human insulin, introduced in 1996 at $21/vial, has been selling recently for more than 10x that price.
Until this week. Eli Lilly, who licensed the original insulin patent for a mere pittance, announced they will cap the price of insulin at $35/patient per month. It’s expected the other two manufacturers will follow.
It’s absolutely shameful that in a country like this, people were dying–not from side effects of diabetes–but because they couldn’t afford to buy a vial of insulin. No one should have to choose between buying a bottle of insulin and paying for food or shelter.
A century ago, when Frederick Banting licensed his patent to the University of Toronto for no monetary reward, he said, “Insulin does not belong to me–it belongs to the world.”
If only the world could afford to buy a vial or two. Now, they can.
Check out our marketing thought leadership podcasts and the video trailer for my book, Marketing Above the Noise: Achieve Strategic Advantage with Marketing that Matters.
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Let us help your business rise to the top.
linda@popky.com
(650) 281-4854
www.leverage2market.com
Top of Mind Thursday – February 23, 2023: An Anniversary No One Is Celebrating
Tomorrow marks the one-year anniversary of Russian troops invading Ukraine in an effort to re-integrate the country into Mother Russia.
No one expected things would go the way they have. Not Vladamir Putin, who thought the conflict would last a few days or weeks at most. Not the US or NATO. Not even the Ukrainians, who likely underestimated their own ability to persevere under the leadership of President Zelenskyy.
No one expected the conflict to cause worldwide disruptions in grain supply from Ukraine, or gas and oil pumped from Russia to Europe. Nor did we expect the global inflation that resulted from these disruptions.
Certainly, Putin never expected his actions would unite the Western World in a way we haven’t seen since World War II. Not only have the NATO nations strengthened their resolve, but Sweden and Finland have asked to join the alliance–as has Ukraine.
Through the bombings and the artillery attacks, the Ukrainian people have continued to hold fast. The damage has been devastating–both in terms of the loss of human life, but also towns and cities destroyed, bridges blown up, and families displaced.
Yet the Ukrainians are determined to hold fast, and the conflict has even resulted in bipartisan support in the US–something that’s in short supply these days. It’s hard to complain about every day inconveniences, when looking at what an average Ukrainian family is dealing with on a day-to day basis.
There’s a lesson for the rest of us: People can accomplish amazing things when our backs are against the wall and we face annihilation. Freedom and self-determination are always worth fighting for, and we can do incredible things when we collaborate and work together–in spite of our differences.
No one is happy about tomorrow’s one year anniversary. Let’s hope on this day in 2024 we are celebrating peace, not continued bloodshed.
Check out our marketing thought leadership podcasts and the video trailer for my book, Marketing Above the Noise: Achieve Strategic Advantage with Marketing that Matters.
.
Let us help your business rise to the top.
linda@popky.com
(650) 281-4854
www.leverage2market.com
Top of Mind Thursday – February 16, 2023: Bursting the Bubble
Nearly two weeks ago, the US military shot down a presumed Chinese spy balloon over water after it crossed North America.
Since then, American forces have shot down three more unidentified flying objects–all of them smaller than the first, and none immediately identifiable.
Do we have a new flurry of foreign surveillance? Could these be alien or extra terrestrial in nature? Is there a new threat to our existence or way of life?
Or, might we just be finding more of these things because we’re now looking for them?
At least one of the most recent objects may turn out to be one of our own weather balloons. Whoops.
Here’s what happens when you focus your attention on a specific thing: you start to notice all of those things in your environment. If we talked about big black SUVs, you’d likely start to notice all of the big black SUVs you pass while driving. That doesn’t mean there are more of them–just that you are noticing them.
This is a serious concern with medical imaging. Better technology means radiologists see more anomalies on a scan–but that doesn’t mean they detect more malignancies. Most of these are benign and may have been there forever–we just didn’t used to be able to see them.
The key to staying sane through this is to have a good process to separate out what might be a critical piece of data that requires action–and what is just noise that is distracting and might need to unnecessary or even dangerous actions.
In your business, do you know how to identify the critical information that shows you action is needed? Or are you spending too much time chasing down stray balloons?
Check out our marketing thought leadership podcasts and the video trailer for my book, Marketing Above the Noise: Achieve Strategic Advantage with Marketing that Matters.
.
Let us help your business rise to the top.
linda@popky.com
(650) 281-4854
www.leverage2market.com
Top of Mind Thursday – February 9, 2023: From the Rubble
Early Monday morning, a set of intense earthquakes struck southern Turkey and Syria. Over 20,000 people are known dead, thousands more are missing, and significant aftershocks continue.
The images from this tragic event are horrifying: Entire city blocks leveled. Parents holding on to the hand of a child buried in the rubble. Family members unsure if they will ever learn the fate of loved ones buried under the debris.
But amidst all this devastation, there was an image I found extremely inspiring: a photograph of three rescue vehicles parked together at a location near the quake’s epicenter. One was from Iran, the second from the Palestinian Authority, and the third from Israel.
These three entities have no love for each other. In fact, they are often involved in deadly conflicts with the others–and with Syria, too. Yet, when a natural disaster of this magnitude struck, they all moved quickly to provide humanitarian aid to their neighbors in distress.
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if sworn enemies could come together when it is the fate of their own people at stake? If they can work together in times of disaster, why not in other times as well? What if countries in conflict could start from a point of unity and agreement, rather than from animosity and hatred?
In our own lives and businesses, where can we work together to do the right thing with those with whom we disagree? Do we need to wait till a massive disaster strikes?
From the depths of the rubble, is there a glimmer of hope we can nurture for the future?
Check out our marketing thought leadership podcasts and the video trailer for my book, Marketing Above the Noise: Achieve Strategic Advantage with Marketing that Matters.
.
Let us help your business rise to the top.
linda@popky.com
(650) 281-4854
www.leverage2market.com