Three reasons Rising Stars are the key to future-proofing your medical strategy

There are so many great key opinion leader (KOL) mapping providers out there, no stone has been left unturned in the pursuit of uncovering scientific influence. As great as this is, it also creates a big problem – everyone is chasing the same experts. Established KOLs are constantly in demand, leaving medical affairs professionals competing in an overcrowded space, struggling to differentiate their efforts. While influential figures will remain essential to any medical strategy, focusing solely on them is like relying on yesterday’s data to solve tomorrow’s challenges.

As a consultant at VISFO, I support medical affairs teams in achieving strategic success and have repeatedly witnessed the challenge of relying on the same pool of established KOLs. While these relationships are valuable, a number of key issues consistently emerge:

KOL fatigue: The same KOLs are being approached by numerous companies, leading to overexposure. When too many organizations compete for the attention of the same small pool of influencers, the impact of each individual engagement is diluted and standing out becomes increasingly difficult.

Lack of fresh perspectives: Established KOLs are typically experts in current practice, but they may not always be at the cutting-edge. Relying on the same voices may limit access to novel ideas, innovative research and new perspectives that can drive progress.

Long-term vulnerability: Building relationships with established KOLs often results in short-term wins but can leave organizations exposed in the future. As these leaders retire or shift focus, medical affairs teams may struggle to find new equally influential partners, leaving a critical gap in their long-term strategy.

So, what, or who, is the solution?

Enter Rising Stars, professionals in the early stages of their career already demonstrating an impact. Today’s Rising Stars are tomorrow’s KOLs, so expertly identifying and engaging them is your key to remaining fiercely competitive.

Three reasons Rising Stars are your key to success:

They drive innovation

Rising Stars are often the creative minds behind breakthrough ideas. In an industry where innovation directly addresses unmet need and impacts patient outcomes, engaging talent that provides input outside of your typical sphere of influence will significantly improve your impact.  

They’re agile

The pharmaceutical landscape is rapidly evolving due to shifting market demands. Rising Stars, who are naturally more amenable to advancements in the field, are better equipped to help your organization navigate this evolution. Their fresh perspectives and willingness to embrace change allow swift adaptation to industry developments and maintenance of a competitive edge.  

They safeguard your strategy

Rising Stars are the future leaders who will steer your organization through both opportunities and challenges. Their adaptability, fresh perspectives and disruptive approaches will allow you to remain at the cutting-edge of healthcare and safeguard your engagement strategy for the long-term.

Sounds simple enough, right? Well, not quite. You can’t just pluck any star out of the sky, you need to handpick those who are best aligned to your strategy.  

How do I find Rising Stars?

Finding the right Rising Stars for your organization can be difficult for a lot of reasons. There’s so much data out there, and the limitations of traditional, often biased, evaluation methods mean that emerging talent can easily be overlooked, especially when individuals don't fit conventional molds or are in the early stages of their career. Add to that the constantly evolving nature of the industry and intense competition for top talent and suddenly, identifying and engaging high-potential individuals before they're noticed by your competitors becomes a real challenge.

A data-driven approach

The solution lies in a data-driven approach that goes beyond traditional opinion leader identification and mapping. By leveraging advanced analytics and machine learning, companies can gain deeper insights into the potential of talent and the trajectory of their careers.

Real-time analytics

With real-time data analytics, companies can quickly identify and respond to emerging trends. This agility allows them to stay ahead of competitors and capitalize on opportunities.  

Automation

A data-driven approach reduces the time and resources spent on talent identification and trend analysis. By automating these processes, companies can focus on strategic initiatives and drive growth more effectively.  

At VISFO, our established methodology and sophisticated data-analytics tools empower you to shape your engagement strategy with confidence and clarity.

Bespoke and intuitive intelligence boards

Our intelligence boards arm users with a multidimensional profile of each Rising Star by integrating the latest bibliometric data with a tailored literature library. This approach not only highlights who these individuals are, but also shows how closely their expertise aligns with a company’s specific needs and strategic goals.  

To ensure you focus on the talent that aligns most closely with your strategic needs, we also offer proprietary impact factors and a range of additional metrics.  

Key benefits:

Remain at the cutting edge

Our tools allow you to track early career researchers who are already making waves by collaborating with the top Key Opinion Leaders (KOLs) in your therapy area, helping you identify those engaged in frontier research.  

Understand the broader ecosystem

Our platform enables you to assess the institutions and networks that underpin the work of Rising Stars, providing you with invaluable information to inform your territorial strategies and tailor communications to resonate with the unique priorities of each location.  

Keep your finger on the pulse

Finally, we recognize that the pharmaceutical industry doesn’t stand still, and neither should your insights. That’s why our platform offers user-defined data updates, allowing you to maintain a clear view of the Rising Star landscape and invest in the right people, fostering both innovation and long-term relationships.