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Over the past two weeks, my family and I enjoyed a vacation in Portugal, visiting three extraordinary destinations: Porto, Lagos, and Lisbon. While Portugal is renowned for its architecture, food, environment, and history, one of the most striking insights of my trip came not from a centuries-old cathedral or a breathtaking coastline, but from something far more whimsical: the Porto Duck Store.
This shop, dedicated entirely to rubber ducks, captivated my daughters immediately. My 21-year-old was drawn to the creativity and novelty, while my younger daughter -- an aspiring future (real) duck owner -- was in heaven. What looked like a novelty store at first glance turned out to hold important lessons about creativity, reinvention, and customer engagement.
At its core, the Duck Store is built around something incredibly pedestrian: the rubber duck. A simple toy, unchanged for decades, familiar to almost everyone. Yet here, it has been transformed into a vast universe of creative possibilities.
On the shelves: Star Wars Stormtrooper ducks, a Yoda duck, Harry Potter ducks, political parody ducks, ninja ducks, even ducks with a slightly risqué twist. The store was bustling not only with children but also with adults who found themselves intrigued by the sheer inventiveness. Parents could even grab a coffee at the small bar tucked away at the back, while their kids explored and took selfies.
What struck me is how a basic, almost forgettable object had been turned into something magnetic. By layering creativity, cultural references, and humor onto a simple product, the Duck Store transformed the pedestrian into the irresistible.
So, what does this mean for those of us working in pharma and biotech -- industries often perceived as highly technical, data-driven, and, at times, overly serious?
The Duck Store demonstrates the commercial potential of reframing the ordinary. Many of our products -- be it a well-established therapeutic, a diagnostic, or a support service -- may appear “ordinary” to those not living in our world. To engage customers, patients, and healthcare providers, we must ask: how can we take the familiar and reimagine it?
For commercial teams, this means thinking beyond features and functions. Can we present therapies in a way that aligns with cultural moments? Can we add creative, human-centered layers that resonate emotionally? Can we turn a “commodity” into a conversation piece?
Just as Jeep owners exchange rubber ducks as a playful community ritual, pharma companies can create moments of delight and connection with patients, caregivers and HCPs. This isn’t about being gimmicky -- it’s about recognizing the power of creativity in building engagement and loyalty.
What the Duck Store illustrates is not just product creativity, but experience design. People didn’t just come for the ducks; they came for the joy of discovery, the chance to laugh at a Darth Vader duck, or the opportunity to share the moment on social media. They left with stories, not just purchases.
In pharma and biotech, we should be asking: are we giving our stakeholders -- patients, physicians, payers -- stories worth sharing? Are we providing experiences that inspire, delight, and ultimately differentiate?
As I glanced around the store, watching my daughters marvel at rows of rubber ducks dressed as everything from superheroes to knights to chefs, I couldn’t help but smile. The lesson was clear: innovation doesn’t always require groundbreaking science or billion-dollar budgets. Sometimes, it’s about taking something ordinary, something basic, and dressing it up in ways that make people stop, smile, and engage.
That is a lesson worth bringing back from vacation.
