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Many of Fierce’s past Rising Stars in pharma marketing have shared an early interest in life sciences, describing biology or chemistry as their favorite classes. That’s not the case with Andrew Willett.
“Science was actually one of my least favorite subjects in school,” he shared in a recent interview. “I never thought I’d work in pharma or science or anything like that.”
Marketing, PR and communications, with their mix of creativity and business strategy, appealed to him more. At DePaul University, he majored in public relations and advertising—a period that also included internships at Tribune Publishing and Mars’ snacking division—before going on to experience agency life at Edelman and Weber Shandwick.
He soon realized, however, that health-focused communications offered some unique rewards when it comes to finding purpose in his work. He’s been at Lundbeck since 2020 and is now a product communications manager for the drugmaker.
In a Q&A for Fierce Pharma Marketing’s “Rising Stars” series, Willett discussed the path that led him to Lundbeck and the importance of moving quickly in comms.
Responses have been lightly edited and condensed.
Fierce Pharma Marketing: What led you to pharma communications, and what keeps you motivated in your role?
Andrew Willett: I didn’t necessarily feel like I was making a positive contribution all the time [in previous jobs], and I wanted to leave the world a better place. Even if it was only in a small way, that would be enough for me. Through an old connection, I learned about this opportunity at Lundbeck. I’ll admit, it really was Lundbeck’s purpose that inspired me.
If a lot of people create one small change, we then have a wave versus a ripple to improve the lives of those around us, improve the planet, improve society. That’s my story of how I went from working in candy to pharma.
FPMK: What have been the most rewarding or challenging projects that you’ve worked on?
AW: At DePaul, I worked with a small nonprofit called Change Direction. Their mission is to educate people on the five signs of emotional suffering. My classmates and I created a campaign for them called “Tough to Be Tough,” and it was all about raising awareness around mental health. The [Chicago Transit Authority] prompted people to use the resources available at the university to seek the help that they needed if they noticed any of the signs in themselves or others. I think we truly created a change on campus and ignited a conversation that is still happening today.
[At Lundbeck,] one that I found especially meaningful is something that we worked on this year: a storytelling campaign called “Raise the Bar for Migraine Care.” I think because migraine is an invisible disease, people don’t always understand its true impact. Chronic migraines are experienced eight-plus days a month. If you think about how bad a migraine is for those of us who experience them a few times in our lives, imagine having that eight times a month. I think there’s not a lot of understanding and there’s even some stigma when it comes to migraine as a chronic and progressive illness.
With “Raise the Bar for Migraine Care,” we partnered with patient advocacy influencers and specific media outlets to run a storytelling campaign, and we created a microsite on our corporate website where we drove people to a patient empowerment guide. Anyone, wherever they are on their migraine journey, can turn to this two-sheeter that provides resources through different advocacy organizations. It also condenses down some critical topics to discuss with your doctor at your next visit.
FPMK: If you could give one piece of advice to people who have worked in the industry for decades, what would it be?
AW: My advice is to learn to move quickly. Technology moves at a rapid rate, and Gen Z is becoming an increasingly important customer base. Millennials are also very digital-savvy. In such a regulated industry, everything has to go through MLR review, and that can really slow things down. I’ve always witnessed quite a long runway from when we come up with an idea to when it’s out in market and performing. If we want to create social-first content and tap into trends, we can’t put that content out three months from now. Move quickly and assess where you can improve processes, and leverage technology to your advantage.
Also, be ready to prioritize different things. If we want to get content out that is hitting a trend, let’s prioritize that and see if we get a really nice ROI—versus prioritizing something like a doctor discussion guide that lives on a website.
FPMK: When you’re not imagining a more agile approach to marketing, what do you do for fun?
AW: Travel is my No. 1 hobby. I love seeing the world, trying different foods and learning things from different cultures. I think I have a very global perspective on life. My next trip, coming up in a few weeks, will take me to my 32nd, 33rd, 34th and 35th countries: Finland, Estonia, Latvia and then Switzerland. Finland is to see the northern lights, and then I’ll make my way to Switzerland to ski—another hobby of mine.