I am often asked "What makes Fishawack different"?

This is a deceptively simple question. While there is no straightforward answer, let’s consider some of the possibilities.

Is it our service offering? No. We offer the same core services as other mainstream medical communications agencies.

Is it quality? Often. But then, most agencies have teams within them that are good. Otherwise no-one would hire them. Most of the quality control procedures are standardised across the sector and excellence in execution is a minimum expectation. The key to quality is consistency.

Is it size? No. We are of a significant size and growing, but there are larger agencies.

Is it therapy area expertise? For many clients it is. But as we have a team of 40+ writers, we cover a broad range.

Is it the people? Yes and no. An agency is the product of its people – united by a common purpose. But that’s true of every agency. Most agencies employ mostly good people, but a positive culture allows them to excel.

Is it creativity? Often. We work in an inherently conservative field, however we recognise that creativity can come in many forms and can be subtle as well as bold. Many agencies see creativity as the sole domain of ad agencies – we don’t.

Is it independence? Yes – depending on your view of what it means to be independent. For us, it is the freedom to meet our client’s objectives without being compromised by our owners’ objectives.

Is it a willingness to innovate and embrace new ideas? In part, yes. There are many individuals within our sector who don’t like change. However, we view it as critical to our success.

Is it that we never make mistakes? No. Everyone makes mistakes. It’s a vital part of learning. What’s not forgivable is failing to learn from them – continuous learning and development is inbuilt into Fishawack’s culture.

Please forgive the length of my answer to a simple question. The fact is that Fishawack represents different things to different clients. What I can say is that we have a culture where team members are encouraged to be themselves – if they have a strong set of skills and a love of what they do, then they will thrive at Fishawack. When asked to summarise why we stand out from the crowd in one sentence, I say that Fishawack is a specialist medical communications business that encourages independent thinking and embraces innovation and creativity. This remains rare for a medical communications business.







Oliver Dennis