I do not have any experience in marketing or branding but I feel like I would probably be able to adapt. Having biomedical experience so that you can understand the products better. Marketing is something you would need to work to understand but with some supplemental courses and some guidance from your colleagues you can adapt well.

I have had no previous experience in branding or graphic design, but I have felt that I think I have an eye for what looks good or what looks pleasing to a consumer. When I see certain types of logos or company designs I immediately start to form an opinion on that company, but I definitely would need to take some courses or training in order to really understanding the nuances behind medical device branding.

Though I do not have any experience with branding in a biomedical engineering context, I have some experience with graphic design (Canva, Adobe InDesign, Illustrator, Photoshop, etc.) from when I worked at The Vector, the school newspaper, and worked on the social medias for some of the clubs I was part of during my undergrad. So I have a general sense of branding and getting an idea of how to advertise a product or event. I feel like based on my graphic design experience and biomedical engineering background, I would have feel like I would be a good fit to do Branding at a medical device company. Though I do not think it entirely necessary for someone interested in branding for a medical device company to need to have a biomedical engineering or general science background to do so, I think having one could set you apart and better understand what the company you are working for is trying to portray to their customers. You would also be able to understand what would be the best customer base to target within your branding because of your understanding in products the company is trying to sell. 

Similarly to @ac825 and @njq3 I do not have much experience with branding for Medical Devices, however, I do have experience in designing a poster flyer as an advertisement to come join the research lab that I currently work in. I recall that it is extremely important that the flyer is visually pleasing and inviting as @njq3 touched up on, but asides from that the advertisement needs to be easy to read and needs to communicate important information that the viewer might take interest in. For example, when the flyer was first being made it had long bulleted paragraph like descriptions of what the lab conducts. I realized that this made the advertisement look like "word vomit" therefore I changed the writing on the flyer. It changed into a small cohesive bulleted list of the experiments that we conduct in the lab and the skills that one could gain when they join the lab. From this experience I learned that the visual as well as the text are very important for any kind of advertisement as the visual is how you grab the viewer's attention while the text is able to communicate important information in an effective and efficient manner. Additionally, with my biomedical engineering background, I would be able to understand the device and its applications at a more intricate level than someone without a BME background. Furthermore, with my background I have a strong understanding of who the device should be advertised to (the viewer) and how the device should be advertised (the visual and text).

I think in the world of branding itself, you really just need to know your customer. Of course you can't target everyone (unless you specialize in sales) but for us BMEs we can specialize in knowing a small group's medical needs or do research within it. In my experience I've done 'branding' to an extent for my research's lab for upper extremity stroke patients who were willing to try virtual reality rehabilitations. The process itself is more complicated than I'd like to admit, but the bottom line is that as a BME we can use our knowledge of a certain ailment and both design and brand ways or ideas to market them. 

Personally besides the small research task mentioned above, the only sales representation experience I have is being a sales ambassador for another company during my Junio year in college. I've learned a lot from it, but I'll be honest that it was a brutal learning curve.  

To be in any position that requires marketing as an engineer, you have to be able to help service both the customer and the business. I feel like this job is for people that possess the ability to initiate, establish, and nurture business relationships and do not really care much about the engineering side of actually working on designing, process, or manufacturing of devices. I, personally, do not relate to this but I do believe that these positions are essential for any medical device company. They are ones that bring in the business to the company by finding, building, and establishing loyal customers. Even though there isn't much technical skills that are necessary, there is a whole set of other responsibilities that come in when working with customers. Handling both responsibilities can be tough for just the management/engineers so having a sales engineer can help a company in prospecting and developing customers, generating sales, handling customer inquiries, and grow the business overall. 

People who are designated in branding control the product’s image. I feel like I may be able to do a good enough job in that department. I do not have much confidence in my skills to say that I will be the “best” in that department. All throughout my life, I have taken art classes in middle school and in high school just for fun. As a child, I have always seen myself drawing and creating different pieces. I think I would be able to use graphic designs to create a product logo or image, but I would need more skills than just creating a logo. I agree there is more to branding than just making graphic design products. Medical device branding is not only just creating a product image or logo. It also includes providing the story, message, and values of the product. You are not only focused on the graphic designs of the logo. You would need skills to imagine this device and try to see what captivates the target audience. You should try to make it different and unique. You do not want it to be just another device that is doing the same thing as Company X or Company Y. You have to bring almost everything together to make it a product you have never seen before or something better. Branding also includes the packaging and product labeling. There are all types of skills involved and in different departments as well. There are collaboration skills needed by working with marketing for the brand story, core values, and mission statements; product development for what is included in the product and how to use it; regulatory compliance for FDA regulations and guidelines; and consumer needs for customer service. It looks like a simple concept, but there is a lot more that is needed to create this product image. Labeling and claims are with the regulatory department to ensure that the product is in compliance with the FDA regulations and guidelines. The product should include, for example, active ingredients, warning labels, directions, and dosage for medication. 

Looking back at the product development process, you have to look at what is on the market. The product should not be copying another product. It should be different and should reflect what the company is trying to promote and claim towards the target market and audience. First and foremost, the product should address the customer's needs, why the product was developed, and what it can provide and do for the consumer. Once you have all of that information, you have to come up with a simple and easy to understand marketing plan and message to convey to the public. Be creative and come up with something that will appeal to the consumer and blow everyone away! We saw in the video with General Motors and McDonald’s. In their vision statement, they include the goals and how they achieve the goals. That is another concept with branding. Not only is there the product logo, but the public should be able to look at the product and its logo, and be like “oh, that company is the one that claims this” or “they are the ones that promise x, y, and z”. It should be something they can remember or recall whenever they see it. You, yourself, are creating the product’s identity. You have all the free will and creativity to do what you want for the company and the public, but you need to work with others for them to agree on the concept, as well as adhering to the regulations and guidelines. I think I would have the concern of agreeing on the brand’s concept and story. Not everyone is going to like the idea of what one person says versus the other person. It is difficult to be on the same page as everyone, especially when the identity is on the line.

If it were you with the product’s branding, how would you go about getting everyone to be on the same page with creating the product’s logo and providing the vision/mission statement?