Explore every episode of the podcast The Supreme Pod
| Title | Pub. Date | Duration | |
|---|---|---|---|
| E6: The Rise of AI Platforms in Life Science & Healthcare Marketing | 12 Feb 2026 | 00:59:08 | |
In life sciences and healthcare marketing, most AI adoption still revolves around a simple chatbot and looks like “prompt, draft, redo.” In this episode, Paul sits down with Sheldon Zhai (Founder and Chief AI Officer, Supreme Group) and Leigh Wasson (SVP AI and Innovation, Supreme Group) to break down what actually drives value: using AI as leverage across the full marketing workflow, not a series of disconnected point solutions.
00:00 AI leverage, 100x improvements, and “humans tell you why” 00:37 Welcome and guests (Sheldon Zhai & Leigh Wasson) 01:18 Is AI overhyped? Or is it having a real impact? 02:41 Why AI adoption stalls: pace of change and tool churn 05:01 Agility vs security in a regulated industry 06:12 Why point solutions fail: bottlenecks and recontextualizing 07:54 The data unlock: curated content and live data for real-time optimization 10:29 What an AIP is (and why it goes beyond chat) 13:01 Can we really 10x our impact? 16:32 AIP vs ChatGPT 19:54 End-to-end life sciences workflows 26:34 The security risks of unmanaged AI experimentation 28:53 Application example: sales won analysis yields unexpected insights 35:34 Vibe-coding inside the platform and a “white glove” last mile 46:48 Accuracy over speed in regulated sectors 49:08 Why AI pilots fail: forced top-down vs pull-based adoption 52:45 What’s next: context graphs, platforms over point tools 58:40 Wrap and where to learn more AI adoption, life sciences marketing, healthcare marketing, AI governance, MLR workflows, AI platforms, ChatGPT vs AI platform, marketing operations, human-AI collaboration | |||
| E5: Five Trends That Will Define Life Science Marketing in 2026 | 21 Jan 2026 | 01:20:10 | |
In this episode of The Supreme Pod, hosts Eric Southwell and Paul Avery, Ph.D., sit down with Supreme Optimization’s EVP of Advertising Mihaela Pupavac, Ph.D. and biotech media founder Joachim Eeckhout to discuss 5 life science marketing trends to watch in 2026: Bing ads as an underused growth lever, modern thought leadership, why podcasting is a trust engine for your audience, AI without the hype, and the fight for bottom-of-funnel visibility. Listen to find out what you should prioritize in your marketing efforts and tactical takeaways for 2026. If you found the episode useful, we’d love it if you could leave us a review or share it with a colleague. Want to hear more from our guests? Check out Joachim Eeckhout’s podcast The Science Marketer (https://thesciencemarketer.com/podcast) and his accompanying newsletter. You can find more from Paul Avery through his podcasts Life, Science and Marketing (https://rss.com/podcasts/life-science-and-marketing/) and Artificially Intelligent Marketing (https://rss.com/podcasts/artificiallyintelligentmarketing/). And if you want more great content from The Supreme Pod, subscribe to our channel on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SupremeGroupPodcast Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-supreme-pod-life-science-healthcare-marketing/id1832593114 00:00:00 Intro 00:00:47 Meet the Panel 00:06:10 What We’ll Discuss Today 00:07:33 Trend 1: Why Bing Ads Matter 00:10:58 Why Teams Ignore Bing 00:12:46 Where Bing Works 00:18:13 The Automation Trap in Paid Search 00:21:17 Trend 2: Thought Leadership 00:23:07 How to Build Thought Leadership That Works 00:32:34 “Modern” Thought Leadership = Say Something Real 00:35:34 Trend 3: Podcasting Is a Growth Channel 00:38:26 Podcasts Build Trust Before the Sales Call 00:44:35 How Clips, Posts, and YouTube Work Together 00:48:52 Trend 4: AI Without the Hype 00:50:10 Avoiding “AI Slop” 01:00:22 Trend 5: Bottom-of-Funnel Visibility 01:14:10 Q&A | |||
| E4: The Secrets Behind Effective Thought Leadership in Health Tech with Jodi Amendola | 06 Jan 2026 | 00:38:27 | |
In this episode of The Supreme Pod, host Eric Southwell sits down with Jodi Amendola, President of Amendola Communications, a veteran in health tech and digital health PR with over 30 years of experience. Together, they dive deep into the evolution of thought leadership in healthcare marketing, from defining it in today’s social-first world, to using tools like LinkedIn, podcasts, and newsjacking to build authentic, educational visibility. Jodi shares timeless strategies for building trust, consistency, and authority in a crowded health tech market. If you found the episode useful, we’d love it if you could leave us a review or share it with a colleague. And if you want more great content like this, subscribe to The Supreme Group Pod channel on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SupremeGroupPodcast Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-supreme-pod-life-science-healthcare-marketing/id1832593114 00:00 Cold open: People follow people 00:28 Welcome + guest intro 01:10 What thought leadership really is and why it matters 03:21 How to build a thought leadership program: messaging, cadence, repurposing 10:15 Who should be a thought leader? 15:10 Challenges in health tech communications 18:22 The biggest mistakes in thought leadership and health tech PR 24:07 Navigating the health tech landscape 31:04 Newsjacking explained and real life examples 33:09 Future trends and using AI for health tech communications | |||
| E3: The Power of Community-First Marketing in Rare Diseases with Liz Kanter | 26 Nov 2025 | 00:55:20 | |
In this new episode of The Supreme Pod, hosts Eric Southwell and Paul Avery, PhD talk with Liz Kanter, President of Pivot Design, about what actually works in rare disease marketing. From active listening and advocacy partnerships to co-creating resources with patients and HCPs, Liz explains how she breaks through the pharma marketing “sea of sameness.” Liz also shares a beloved rare disease marketing case study: a therapeutic play kit complete with a stuffed animal “patient friend” that went viral in the children’s primary immunodeficiency community, transformed internal company culture, and is still in use 15 years later. Read more about it here: https://www.pivotdesign.com/work/igi/ Our mission is to provide the types of insights and inspiration from across the worlds of life science and healthcare marketing that you cannot find anywhere else. If you found this episode useful, we’d love it if you could leave us a review or share it with a colleague. And if you want more great content like this, subscribe to The Supreme Group Pod channel on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SupremeGroupPodcast Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-supreme-pod-life-science-healthcare-marketing/id1832593114 0:00 — Opening & Introductions 1:28 — How Liz Found Her Calling in Rare Disease 3:29 — What Makes Rare Disease Marketing Unique 7:49 — The Role of Empathy & Emotional Intelligence 11:49 — Building Trust With Rare Disease Communities 17:17 — Pivot Wins Rare Disease Agency of the Year 24:44 — Breaking Out of the Pharma “Sea of Sameness” 31:00 — Liz’s Favorite Campaign (Therapeutic Play Kit) 43:38 — Measuring Impact & Rethinking Budgets | |||
| E2: The FDA Crackdown: What It Means for the Future of Pharma Marketing | 15 Oct 2025 | 00:44:45 | |
The FDA has raised the bar for DTC pharma ads and marketers must act now. Shannon Carlson and Olly Johnston explain plain language, fair balance of benefits and risks, linking ads to patient support, and full audits. Learn when to pause media, rebuild assets, and use AI for claim filters and modular content. Get the concrete steps and CMO playbook to protect your brand and build patient trust. Subscribe now to The Supreme Pod for more insights. | |||
| E1: Life Science Keyword Research: Is ChatGPT Smarter than a PhD Scientist? | 11 Aug 2025 | 01:05:17 | |
Can ChatGPT outsmart a PhD in life science marketing? In this Google Ads experiment, AI faces off with human expertise across keyword research, ad copywriting, and campaign setup. While ChatGPT offers helpful ideas, it misses key scientific and strategic nuances. Learn where AI stumbles, where it shines, and why human insight still leads. | |||
| E7: The Moments That Matter for Women Leaders in Life Science & Healthcare | 06 Mar 2026 | 00:34:08 | |
In life sciences and healthcare, stepping into leadership is about finding the right environment, the right mentors, and the courage to invite yourself to the table. In this special International Women's Day episode, Eric Southwell sits down with four of Supreme Group's most senior women leaders — Nicky Battle (President, Supreme Communications), Liz Kanter (President & Executive Creative Director, Pivot Design), Shannon Carlson (President & Founder, C24), and Elizabeth Yi (Co-Founder, Broth) — for an honest conversation about what it actually takes to grow, lead, and thrive. What you'll learn from this episode
Links
Timestamps 00:00 Episode summary sizzle 00:41 Welcome and introductions (Nicky Battle, Liz Kanter, Shannon Carlson, Elizabeth Yi) 02:20 What most enabled your career growth? 02:53 Shannon on culture, authenticity, and finding the right environment 04:06 Advice for those who don't feel supported at work 05:22 Liz on relationships, trust, and the mentor who changed everything 07:46 The power of mentors vs sponsors 08:57 Shannon on how you show up and the small moments that build trust 10:08 Elizabeth on advocates who played both roles 11:14 What if you don't have a mentor? How to find one 14:04 Nicky on finding "expanders" early in your career 14:44 Shannon on carving out time for yourself 16:08 Elizabeth on the challenge of speaking up and projecting confidence 17:16 Nicky on inviting yourself to the table 19:08 What organizations can do to support women in leadership 21:39 Elizabeth on redirecting the room and passing the mic 22:20 Nicky on allyship and giving credit in meetings 24:02 Advice for women early in their careers 24:45 Shannon on proactive feedback and leading without a title 26:49 Liz on stretching beyond your comfort zone and choosing your circle 28:46 Communication and standing up for yourself with confidence 31:48 Closing wisdom: don't be scared of this space, be intentional, embrace discomfort Keywords International Women's Day, women in leadership, life sciences marketing, healthcare marketing, mentorship, sponsorship, career growth, leadership development, women in pharma, women in healthcare, professional development, executive presence, allyship, career advice | |||
| E10: What the AI Forward Deployed Expert Model Means for Healthcare & Life Sciences | 02 Jun 2026 | 00:34:21 | |
Ninety percent of generative AI pilots fail, often because the technology is disconnected from data, workflows, and anyone accountable for results. As a fix, some AI providers now offer Forward Deployed Engineer (FDE) models to build custom AI solutions from inside a company. Before choosing an FDE partner, healthcare and life sciences organizations should ask: does this company understand the complex realities of regulated healthcare commercialization? And will they recommend what's best for my company’s needs, or what's best for their platform? In this episode, Sheldon Zhai (Founder and Chief AI Officer, Supreme Group) digs into the considerations and opportunities of an AI deployment model in regulated healthcare and life sciences commercial environments. If you're a senior marketer, commercial lead, or AI decision-maker in healthcare or life sciences trying to figure out how to make AI actually land, this episode is for you. What you'll learn in this episode
Links Supreme Group: https://supremegroup.ai Supreme Intelligence: Supreme Intelligence | AI-Powered Services for Healthcare & Life Sciences Timestamps 00:00 Opening and lead-in Keywords #pharmamarketing #lifesciencemarketing #healthcaremarketing #AIinpharma #forwarddeployedexperts | |||
| E9: The First Breath of a New Pharma Brand | 12 May 2026 | 01:04:38 | |
The first breath of a pharma brand is the moment a company stops thinking only about the molecule and starts asking what that molecule needs to mean to physicians, patients, caregivers, institutions, payers, and the communities around it. In this episode, host Paul Avery sits down with Elizabeth Yi, Doug Tischler, and Meredith Pugh from Broth to unpack what happens when a biotech or pharma company begins turning science into a market-ready story. The conversation covers when brand work should begin, why market preparation takes longer than teams expect, how to translate complex science into simple communication, and why launch success often depends on experience, infrastructure, and adoption pathways as much as the brand itself. If you are building, launching, or preparing the market for a pharma, biotech, rare disease, or healthcare brand, this episode is for you. What you'll learn from this episode
Links
Timestamps 00:00 Sizzle intro Keywords #pharmamarketing, #biotechmarketing, #raredisease, #pharmalaunch, #pharmabranding, #lifesciencemarketing, #healthcaremarketing, #HCPmarketing, #omnichannelmarketing, #scientificplatform, #pharmaagency, #AIinpharma | |||
| E8: How to Build LinkedIn Ad Funnels That Actually Generate Life Science Leads | 17 Mar 2026 | 00:57:53 | |
Most life science companies are already running LinkedIn ads with great content and strong creative. So why aren't the leads coming in? Usually, it's because the strategy is broken. In this episode, Eric Southwell (CGO, Supreme Group) and Irene Lecker (Director of Digital Strategy, Supreme Optimization) pull apart real LinkedIn campaigns from MilliporeSigma and Roche, showing exactly where each funnel breaks down and how to fix it. What you'll learn from this episode
A quick disclaimer: all information in this episode is publicly sourced, opinions are our own, and we have no affiliation with either MilliporeSigma or Roche. Links
Timestamps
Keywords #LinkedInAds, #LifeScienceMarketing, #HealthcareMarketing, #LinkedInAds, #LinkedInAudienceTargeting, #ThoughtLeadershipAds, #BiotechMarketing, #PharmaMarketing, #LinkedInAdvertising | |||
| Supreme Pod Episode 12: AEO in Life Sciences: What's Actually Working in 2026 | 14 Jul 2026 | 00:48:32 | |
In life sciences, buyers are now more likely to find your brand through an AI-generated summary than through a traditional Google blue link in the search results page. Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) is an evolving marketing tactic that addresses this shift and focuses on optimizing content for answer-first experiences via AI. But how does AEO actually work in life sciences marketing and how do you know when it’s working? Recorded live at Supreme's annual offsite in Punta Cana, host Eric Southwell (Chief Growth Officer, Supreme Group) is joined by Paul Avery (EVP, AI Adoption, Supreme Group), Dean Hallam (Scientific Digital Marketing Strategist, Supreme Optimization), and Lauren Whitehead (Managing Director, Supreme Optimization) to give an honest, data-backed picture of the current role of AEO in the marketing mix and how to ensure your organization can be found by AI. What you'll learn in this episode
Links Supreme Intelligence: https://supremeopti.com/supreme-intelligence Supreme Group: https://supremegroup.ai Supreme Optimization: https://www.supremeopti.com/ Timestamps 0:00 — Sizzle Reel 1:00 — Intro & Guest Introductions 3:00 — AEO vs. GEO vs. LLMO: Settling the terminology debate 5:00 — How AEO differs from SEO (and what stays the same) 8:00 — AI referral traffic: 4.5x conversion rate & branded search trends 9:00 — Why SEO still has a place in life sciences 11:00 — Google's revenue incentive to protect paid search 13:00 — Query fan-out: Why 80%+ of AI answers don't pull from page one 15:00 — Risks of ignoring AEO — and the "arbitrage panic" problem 19:00 — Agentic AI and second-order consequences for marketers 20:00 — The omnichannel content play that covers all your bases 22:00 — AEO content tactics: Expert quotes, citations, data-backed content 23:00 — Technical AEO: JavaScript, crawlability, schema markup 27:00 — Why AEO is additive to SEO, not a replacement 29:00 — Schema markup and author bios for LLM trust signals 30:00 — FAQ schema: The easiest AEO win most companies skip 32:00 — Where to start if you've done nothing with AEO yet 34:00 — The PDF problem: Why gated content is invisible to LLMs 35:00 — AEO metrics: Visibility, citations, sentiment, and share of voice 40:00 — Designing prompts that actually work for AEO measurement 41:00 — Unexpected learnings: Digital PR and earned media's new role in AI 47:00 — AEO for pharma branded vs. unbranded vs. patient-facing sites Keywords #AEO #AnswerEngineOptimization #LifeSciencesMarketing #PharmaMarketing #HealthcareMarketing #SEO2026 #AISearch #GenerativeAI #DigitalMarketing #AIOverviews #GenerativeAI #ChatGPTMarketing #DigitalPR | |||
| E11: What AI-Native Means for Life Sciences & Healthcare Marketing | 16 Jun 2026 | 00:59:01 | |
AI-Native vs AI-Dependent. There's a massive difference. AI-native means using tools to amplify your expertise and AI-dependent means handing off your thinking entirely. The team at Supreme Group unpack this distinction and much more in the latest episode of Supreme Pod. Recorded live at Supreme's annual offsite in Punta Cana, Paul Avery (EVP, AI Adoption) sits down with Sheldon Zhai (Chief AI Officer and Founder), Paulo Simas (Head of AI Growth), and Ramon Felciano (Board Member and Strategic AI Advisor) to discuss the benefits and considerations of becoming an AI-native organization in complex, regulated marketing environments such as those found in life sciences and healthcare. If you are a senior marketer, agency leader, or commercial lead in life science or healthcare trying to understand what meaningful AI adoption and deployment looks like from the inside, this episode is for you. What you'll learn in this episode
Links Supreme Intelligence: https://supremeopti.com/supreme-intelligence Supreme Group: https://supremegroup.ai Timestamps 00:00 AI-native in life sciences: what it actually looks like 00:37 Welcome and guests (Sheldon Zhai, Paulo Simas & Ramon Felciano) 01:45 AI as a first Photoshop session: the discomfort of learning something genuinely new 05:00 What it actually takes to lead AI transformation across an entire business 07:00 Pitching by prototyping: the new way of communicating ideas to clients 09:00 The 7-day pharma website: what a curious, AI-native team can actually deliver 11:10 Curation over accumulation: knowing what not to use is a competitive advantage 12:52 Hours instead of weeks: collapsing MLR review cycles with verified brand data 14:30 The superpower of client proximity: in-house expertise meets AI-enabled delivery 16:20 AI puts every workflow in question, starting from the ground up 18:17 The Knowledge Lake: why brand-specific data beats general AI in regulated marketing 22:00 What AI-native actually means, and what it is not 23:10 AI-native vs AI-dependent: a distinction that matters more than most leaders realize 27:00 Culture of curiosity and the usage scoreboard 28:00 Solutions from the coalface: the diversity of what curious people build 30:47 Why bottom-up adoption sticks when top-down mandates fail 33:00 Leadership in the ring: leading by doing, not by directing 37:00 The reports feature nobody planned: viral innovation and the end of big roadmaps 40:00 Speed as a differentiator: deploying a voice tool to 300 people in five minutes 43:00 What AI can do today that it genuinely could not a year ago 45:00 From bullet points to clickable experiences: communicating through experiment 49:10 Domain expert meets 100X leverage: building what you wish existed 50:30 The scientific mindset is an AI mindset 52:00 Predicting the next two years: agencies, efficiency, and what fundamentally changes 55:00 Humans at the edges, AI in the middle, and the personal promotion shift 57:00 Wrap and where to find us Keywords #lifesciencemarketing #healthcaremarketing #pharmamarketing #biotechmarketing #aitransformation #marketingai | |||