The interactive visual aid, more commonly known as the IVA, is undergoing a revolution.

The IVA, a primary sales force tool, used to be a direct copy of the printed sales aid. Now we’re taking advantage of all the digital space has to offer to create an interactive, relevant story for our audience. We’re thinking about how our audience gets  information. We’re still presenting straight charts and data, but we’re also including new snapshots of data, some that are interactive and some that are animated. Information presented in a new way that hits home for a physician, encourages the sales rep and physician to have a better conversation.

To get there, it meant changing our way of doing things.

In the past, we may not have discovered until the final approval process that a piece didn’t meet certain legal or regulatory standards, standards that continually evolve. However in this case, we began with collaboration. We started talking with our legal and regulatory counterparts at the concepting stage. We brought them in at the beginning, sharing our mindset. Of course we always had the medical point of view; but, it was helpful to share our creative goals early and often with our full team.

With consistent involvement of all parts of the team, the hurdles became much less, because everyone was in on it from the beginning, no surprises. We were not the only part of the team that was eager for the project to succeed. Everyone had a stake in the success. The team had a good understanding of what we were trying to accomplish creatively, so they provided feedback that helped us get there.

Extending connectivity to more stakeholders.

Now, as we begin to plan for future projects involving the IVA, Jeff Stauffer, VP, Digital Strategy at GSW Worldwide believes that in the near future, we can look forward to a lot more connectivity. He says that with the introduction of the iPad and other similar hardware, the digital game will change. Reps will have an easier time handling the hardware, for one. Physicians could enjoy real-time connectivity.

Real-time connectivity for the IVA could mean that as a rep talks with a physician during a sales call, they’d be online and maybe also see that a thought leader is also online. A real-time conversation could happen – creating interactive connections between people, on demand. We have Skype and webcams. A global, mobile conversation could take place at just the right time and place for all the participants.

Of course this type of connectivity brings with it a whole new set of concerns. Being able to openly discuss these concerns with the whole team will help bring new ways of thinking – about how the IVA could work -to life. Taking the time to put all parts of the team in a room (even if it’s virtual) to discuss the goals and desired outcomes will help us get there sooner, all while delivering the best creative.