Digitalness

The engaged viewer

2010-12-07T07:26:00.000-08:00

What's the value of an engaged viewer? This is the headline of Google's True Video launch announcement on YouTube. The answer may arguably be, 'everything'. An engaged viewer find value in having their need state met. Engagement invites conversation and hopefully a long term relationship if not a transactional one. True Video simply enables viewers to decide which ads they see when. This puts user centricity and relevancy at the forefront - delivering messages to the right person at the right time in the right environment. This is a trend being embraced by many, including Hulu with their self-selecting ad capability.

In its five years of existence, with 3.5 years under the Google umbrella, YouTube videos are streamed 2 billion times every day and YouTube is ranked as the second largest search engine behind parent Google. According to Mintel, watching videos over a PC is the most popular way to view videos, with the majority of those under 45 years of age doing so - particularly watching TV shows. eMarketer notes that video leads in the creation of 'magnetic content' defined as content that consumers genuinely want to engage in and pass along to others. The upside for brands is that they only pay when someone actually views their ad or video on YouTube - so it is win-win for the media publisher, the audience and the brand.

So, as marketers, the need to establish a reciprocal value, served within the context of relevancy, extends beyond merely creating the video, but also in redefining the 'ads' served as well. Shifting from advertising to engagement, awareness to education, push to invite - will be key success factors a brand's ability to form and sustain a relationship with their audiences. Perhaps instead of focusing on creating a marketing plan, we need to shift to understanding what our brand's value plan is.

New media in a constantly new world

2010-11-09T06:32:00.000-08:00

We are all acutely aware of the fragmentation of media and the declining impact of pure 'advertising'. New media changes things in that it constantly shifts the balance of power from paid media to owned and earned media. The recent Mintel report on Attitudes Toward the Internet and New Media Marketing reports that consumers are more likely to click (42%) to arrive at a purchase (23%) from a webpage link than they are from a search ad, email ad, or banner ad. This means that to engage target customers effectively, brands must fragment their presence - but also their value and relevancy.

Consumer trust in the information provided by third party Web sites is on the rise, particularly among the under-45s and highest income groups with close to half trusting this type of content, according to Mintel. With 57% having social networking profiles, social networking sites (SNS) are part of this footprint. Smart brands are also tapping into blogs, video distribution and content syndication as well. This is no longer forward thinking, it is survival.

Despite the still higher penetration of traditional media ads to new media ones (86% vs. 44%), new media is increasingly displacing traditional with its measureability and credibility. Hulu, the online TV/movie video site starting asking viewers "was this ad relevant to you?" and also plans on offering surveys in lieu of watching ads to view content. Ads related to user interactivity are the most successful in terms of purchasing pull-through - earned/owned media sites certainly are a part of this. Lastly, organic or natural search engine optimization (SEO) is critical. It's no wonder that a third of the increase in new media spending from 2007 is in Search. No other segment topped 10% spend growth, despite a disproportionate increase in audience growth for video (91%), in-game ads (91%) and social network marketing (140%).

Google Slam

2010-11-05T07:52:00.000-07:00

There are rare times when I read my industry updates with my morning coffee and say "wow, that's amazing". Google's Demo Slam is definitely one of those moments. Contests are not new to marketing. However contests where a brand's audience, or ideally their fans, celebrate the product and elevate it's usage to others - that is not common in our current environment of splintered consumer media attention and brand loyalty. Demo Slam is experiential in how it engages fans in the many existing and emerging Google products, and reinforces Google as a branded house, not a house of brands.

The idea is eloquent in its simplicity. Upload your own video of how you use a Google product, and your idea will face off with another video to be voted on and ranked. Current champs include "The Logo Bandits" featuring Google's Change Background Theme, and "Rushmore by Slam Force One, featuring Google Goggles for mobile. This week's contenders are battling it out over Gmail Video Chat, and my pick for this week - Google Real Time Search, (which is different from next week's slam on Google Instant Search which can save 2-5 seconds per search), where two guys compose a song on the fly using real-time search results for "babe" - video below.

The Dad Demo

2010-10-29T07:00:00.000-07:00

Now for some fair balance on mom-marketing. True, moms tend to be the household decision makers, but Dads are a high value-target as well. According to a survey from DadCentral (interestingly enough, a division of MomCentral), 92% of Dad's put on their "Dad Lens" when shopping for their family - applying a different set of criteria. Being a Dad influences their decision making and who they ask for advice. Dads' communication style is different too, with 80% favoring one-on-one conversations and 86% work conversations, with social networking increasing but still not as predominant as with their mom counterpart.

According to a Man of the House survey, men have a difficult time transition to parenthood - an unmet need that marketers are beginning to address. The Fatherhood.gov initiative is trying to do so with their AdCouncil PSA series and Web site. In 2010, Pampers promoted Fathers Day celebrity events with their Daddy PlayDate initiative.

The August, 2010 Mintel Report, Marketing to Dads, notes that Dads are not "just another mom", they bring a unique perspective. They are more evenly spread out on the age spectrum, with 1/3 of Dads having kids 18 and under being younger than 34, and 30% being over 45 years of age. Dads today are far more likely to share in the child rearing responsibilities, skewing higher with household income trends. With 15% of Dads self-identifying as stay-at-home-Dads, P&G created the Man of the House web site - engaging Dads directly with a relevant value proposition.

Retail brands have begun utilizing "manly merchandising" guy-gear displays, targeted to Dads. This is carrying over to the non-brick and mortar space with increased content and advertising focused on Dads, sending them to destinations with Dad content and Dad imagery. Many marketers are straddling the fence or are choosing to be gender neutral. Sears' ManageMyLife Web site gives parents alike all the information they need to simplify their life, from making stuffing for Thanksgiving to changing the oil in your car. TV spots are doing less "Dad-bashing" and putting Dads in more of a positive light with respect to their kids and family role. Daddy blogging sites are increasing as well, including DadLabs, RebelDads, DadCentric, and others. Dads are under-targeted and perhaps under served with respect to childrens brands and health decisions - but hopefully this is a trend that will continue to reverse with brand marketers.

Mom Stats and Segmentation

2010-10-28T08:41:00.000-07:00

A few mom stats for you. Of the nearly 83 million mothers in the US, according to Mintel's Marketing to Moms 2010 report, 55% are between the ages of 15 and 44, with the population of women 35-44, or Gen X, declining. By 2015 most women of childbearing age will be Echo Boomers or Gen Y, born between 1977 and 1994. The mean age of first-time moms is 25. Just over 30% of US households have children under the age of 18. Nearly 71% of moms participate in the workforce.

Beyond the stats, the traits considered to define a "good mom" include focusing on what's most important - safety, emotional health, fitness and nutrition for her children. Engaging kids in meaningful organized activities has also emerged as a train - such as museum trips, Wii games the family can play together, etc.

Mom definitely still owns the purchasing decision power, but while they do seek information from a variety of sources, they also trust their own instincts and preferences, often preferring brands they are familiar with. New moms tend to reach out more for advice. Social networking, according to BabyCenter.com research, has increased from 11% in 2006 to 63% in 2009, with many new sites focusing on product opinions such as 24/7 Moms and Cool Mom Picks.

Mintel's Cluster Analysis identified three segments: Family Engineers (34%), Chill Moms (45%), and Networkers (21%). Family Engineers like brand familiarity, and make family a high priority. They are 45 years and older, with HHI of 25k - 50k. These moms appreciate genuine marketing messages that emphasize family time, especially in our changing economic times. Campaigns such as Target's "Up & Up" focusing on "real moms" are an example of this. Chill Moms, with lower HH incomes are more neutral about mom recommendations, but they are influenced by TV and print ads. They are more relaxed in their motherhood approach, and respond best to value positioning but not just price value. Networkers are more likely to use daycare than the other two segments, tend to be aged 25-24 years with HHI of $100k or more, and are more likely to have smartphones. They value healthy living and being a good mother. Networkers are super-connected, and are considered "influencials" especially in new media. Sites such as CafeMom and Motherproof.com are examples of this. Brands targeting her should focus on harnessing social media to create relevancy and value for her.

Mom-it-Forward

2010-10-27T09:53:00.000-07:00

After my last post on Moms and Media, a co-worker, "Kay" told me about her journey as a "mommy blogger", now getting close to 1,100 followers on her own blog. She was bubbling with excitement over MomItForward.com, a mom resource site. What's unique about it is their #GNO or Girls Night Out Twitter parties, hosted for 2 hours on a weekly basis on a variety of topics, both educational and also sponsored, reaching a wide audience of engaged mom bloggers. According to the BlogHer blogging network, 23 million women engage weekly in blogging activity.

Kay told me all about a Seventh Generation GNO she participated in where a series of audience market research/ attitudinal questions were asked followed by a education component on their green and non-toxic products. For Kay, this was illuminating for her in that her child has skin sensitivities, and so she is going to try their laundry products based off of this, and then blog about her results and opinion (and hopefully recommendation).

For consumer products, the fit is obvious - brands are able to engage customers in their brand story and the value or relevancy the brand may bring moms, and hope they then spread the word. The upcoming GNO sponsored by Snapfish provides tips for making holiday cards with family photographs. For health and wellness, MomItForward may offer a unique story telling forum through their GNOs, such as the ability to tell the factual case for preventable disease vaccinations and debunking the myths - arming moms with the facts to have more informed discussions with their pediatric and family doctors and make decisions they feel more confident in....and hopefully, spread the facts through word of mouth. What's different is that MomItForward allows brands to invite their audience into the conversation and not just market to them!

Moms and Media

2010-10-25T07:05:00.000-07:00

Let's take a look at the media consumption habits of Moms. Everyone talks about Mom as the influencer, chief purchasing office, alpha mom, health decision maker. It's not enough to reach her or target her, brands need to engage with her. "Women do not buy brands, they join them" according to the President of Pink Tank, who goes on to say that "to connect with women, be sure you're inviting them to a group they'd want to join".

Let's assume you have that part down for now, meaning - creating a compelling, relevant value proposition to her. How then do brands reach her? According to the Digital Mom report, by Razorfish and Cafe Mom, "...digital technologies are making things easier" for her. The survey reports that more digital moms interact with social media (65%) and SMS (56%) than with news sites, and just as many are gaming as well (52%). But the report also cites the "digital divide". Moms under 35 are more likely to leverage new technology platforms and social media, yet moms 45+ tend to utilize informational tools such as news and consumer reviews - or, it they have children over 12, they may use social media to monitor them. Regardless, digital channels are prevalent at all stages of brand engagement.

The average mom spends 8 hours a day with media. The Living La Vida Rapida report by AOL echos the trends toward multi-tasking, "handling 27 hours of activities in a 16-hour waking day". Media consumption is more mixed in the baby/toddler years, then trends less TV/newspapers in the 5-8 year old and more mobile in the tween/teen years - with the Internet being a constant. Their media consumption is tied not only to the rational purpose it serves, but to an emotional connection to her. The Internet is associated with productivity, and for being a "lifeline" to the outside world. Radio/TV are preferred for background, TV for recreation, spending time alone, relaxing and noticing ads, and games for killing time. Email and mobile are preferred for spending time with friends. The Cafe Mom report notes that Social is a growing trend in communicating efficiently with word of mouth from friends or "people like me" more valued than ever among moms.

Internet is the most important medium for both everyday life and for parenting information or advice for moms. Of the 8 hours consuming media, the highest is spent on the Internet which is the preferred format for task oriented things - shopping, coupons, advise, health information, connecting, etc. Think about the fact that 95% of moms co-use media at lease once a week with their children - this increases the potential footprint of a brand, but also increases the need for reciprocal value. So then, be sure you're inviting them to a group (brand) they'd want to join!

The Alpha Mom

2010-10-19T12:07:00.000-07:00

Chances are you know this woman, or perhaps are just like her - the "Alpha Mom". According to an article by Mintel/Oxyen, the Alpha Mom/woman asserts her role as an influencer, both in and outside of her family role, beyond just being a mom. The Alpha Mom, according to Mintel, is "the holder of power beyond traditional motherly activities" which includes product purchasing in addition to health decisions. This group can't just be targeted as the current norm, as the Chief Purchasing Officer. This woman breaks through boundaries beyond roles or gender - she is multi-dimensional.

From a marketing perspective this group's desire to self-define impacts channel planning. Word of mouth marketing certainly plays a role, but also just getting these mom's to try product and have it in their homes is key-- often Alpha Mom's do not have time to socialize product decisions - and they want to use what they see in other Alpha Mom households. For health decisions this may equate to more in-person word of mouth in addition to the Facebook's of the world.

Alpha Moms are choiceful in their product decisions, often looking for dual purpose products (e.g., hair + skin, baby + adults), and streamlining the number of products they use. This is especially true for repeat-moms or older moms, according to the Living La Vida Rapida survey by AOL and OMD. Increasingly, moms are boasting or posting about how they are streamlining or saving, as thrift is the new chic. Marketers are increasingly targeting this woman. Ninento pre-released their new Wii video game console to Tupperware-style mom parties, and timed the release of Wii Fit around Mother's Day. Kimberly Clark and P&G have created web sites and social media destinations focused on product innovation, coupons and offers.

As I was getting my haircut the other day, there was a heated conversation around childhood vaccinations next to me. Rather than being passive, I jumped right in and offered the "facts" that I knew to debunk the negative myths around immunizations. I know I influenced about 3-5 moms that day, and I felt satisfied by helping them in their decision making. So - I suppose I wear the Alpha Mom badge with honor then - so be it!

Intelligence: Social Media Objectives

2010-05-27T05:35:00.001-07:00

"Garbage in, garbage out" is a popular agency phrase for what happens when due diligence is not aptly applied to a marketing initiative, from branding to promotional executions. This acutely applies to social media, a venue where companies often throw social media tactics up against the proverbial wall of audience targeting, to see what "sticks". Not thinking through social media outreach in the context of an integrated cross/multi-channel plan can weaken brand impact or even reputation. This necessitates a coherent mapping of objectives, audience behaviors, sustainable infrastructure, measurement and optimization -- to audience value.

The Social Media Road Map, just out from Marketing Sherpa, shows how social media wisdom is a function of social media stage and "maturity". Brands that have been hazed through the initial trial and transition phases, are more likely in the seasoned strategic phase to map their measurement back to accurately defined objectives:

Social media can not be treated like a campaign. It is not an event-specific commodity. Social media, whether earned or owned, feeds off of reciprocal value between the company and their audience, not the advertiser and their customer. Starting with a "gut check" of what your social media objectives are and how you are going to go about them -- is worth the time investment both from an brand ROI, and an audience engagement perspective.

Nick Jonas and Diabetes

2010-02-26T14:30:00.000-08:00

As someone who is inundated with the Jonas Brothers by my children and their friends, I was surprised how refreshing Nick Jonas' contribution to childhood diabetes was when he lent a hand to Bayer's resource site, NicksSimpleWins.com. Bayer has always been an innovator in diabetes monitoring devices, and has been visibly and effectively leveraging social media as a company.

Bayer had already established SimpleWins for people living with diabetes. Tapping Nick Jonas was a very purposeful nod toward being more relevant, and adding value, to children and teens with diabetes. Debunking the stigma, Nick embraces the teen or "screenager" tendency towards social connectivity and expressionism to make managing diabetes more hip. This includes the "Express Your Simple Wins" contest and color-skins for Bayer's monitoring device. In addition to submitting your own story to share, Nick also invites connectivity with his Facebook page for sharing your custom diabetes "dog tags" and his own cause page on Facebook.

All in all, this is a nice example of a integrated disease state and product initiative, rooted firmly in audience insights and executed with relevancy and value to their target audience. Nice job!

Tech Trends: Patient Compliance

2010-02-26T11:39:00.000-08:00

Patient compliance as an issue is nothing new. Patients believe they are more compliant than they are, and physicians know this. While there have been some attempts to enable compliance and adherence, they have fallen short in some measure. GlowCap by Vitality takes an interesting spin on applying technology to help patient compliance. By using chip technology, the GlowCap reminds patients when to take their medication via a tone, light and even phone call. A standard pill bottle is dropped into the GlowCap, available via pharmacy or even Amazon.com for $99. What's different about this versus other attempts is that the GlowCap seems to be easy to get and use.

There are other products offering similar technology, however GlowCaps have a unique advantage of pulling through on compliance, even if the patient chooses to ignore the reminders. Updates and communications may be sent to caregivers and physicians, and pharmacies can be notified for renewals. One Amazon reviewer noted, "It's an ultra helpful pill bottle and a net based wifi system for your medication."

Applications for this technology are obvious. Though it won't be a silver bullet for compliance, and adoption will certainly be slow - usage may increase if managed care benefits are found. For conditions heavily reliant on a caregiver, such as Alzheimer's disease, or where a parent is relying on a child to take medications for chronic conditions - it is a perfect fit. But it also makes sense for conditions where patients tend to stop taking meds when they feel non-symptomatic (Cholesterol), or where may have challenges (depression). Finally, being able to track and prove adherence to oral medications may provide a lift in the realm of oncology, where physicians can be skeptical of non-IV treatments.

This may be a slow burn, but with the increased emphasis on electronic medical records and performance based managed care - it's a trend worth watching.

Constant Reinvention

2010-02-23T06:57:00.000-08:00

Agencies are at present in a "sticky wicket". Like most everything else in this economy, they are pressured to do more for less. But often this places them in a reactive, order-takers mode which in turn can render them obsolete over time. "Strategery" is certainly called for then. But given a tightening of the belts, many clients won't pay for the time and resources required to do this. In fact, I have heard one client say "we don't pay for strategic work, only deliverables that get approved for execution." Ouch.

For an agency, building an integrated strategy - whether that is for the brand positioning or the strategic marketing plan, or the strategy behind certain concepts or big ideas -- this is time consuming and requires a specific, custom set of skills and team members. So, agencies that seek to evolve will have to decide if they are in the service / communications business, or in the strategic consultancy arena. With both, clients get what they pay for. The former is a commodity, the latter is not. Consider that, as the below video echoes on the progression of technology, we as a society are "preparing college students for jobs that do not yet exist, using technologies not yet invented, to solve problems we do not know are problems." (This video was developed by Karl Fisch, Scott McLeod and Jeff Benmar.)

To be a valued strategic partner, we need to not only embrace this change but stay ahead of, or at least keep up with this staggering change. This requires almost constant reinvention and continual evolution. To enable this agencies or consultancies must continue acquiring a unique collective skill set that makes thinking differently both possible and pervasive -- every day into the future, not just today at this moment in time. As the MasterCard commercial states, this is priceless.

Intelligence: Earned Media

2010-02-16T09:44:00.001-08:00

"Earned Media" is the new black when it comes to social networking replacing or rather - evolving from user generated content (UGC). But what is it exactly and what do we need to know about it as marketers? Short answer - it's not about marketing at all, it is about syndicating true, unsolicited and unbiased audience dialogue.

As noted by Forrester below, earned media is different from owned media, which can include your brand or unbranded web site and partially owned entities such as Facebook and Sermo. This has intrinsic value in that you are facilitating a true dialogue by providing the tools to do so. This is also often called word of mouth marketing (WOMM)- but again, the concept of "marketing" is attached to this. Earned media is organic, also called word of mouth, absent the marketing part. Earned media is a results of brand behavior, but as Forrester notes - it stems from the old PR notion of enabling free media or buzz. With today's social media "constant context" however, this term has morphed to include true transparency, relevant value or even participatory value, and instant feedback. This holds true whether the earned media is positive or negative. The 411 is as follows:
So how can we apply this to pharma and wellness marketing? It involves a shift in embracing the potential negatives along with the hopeful positives. This then requires well thought out approaches, processes and not only monitoring, but being able to react in real-time. Heidi Youngkin from Johnson and Johnson stressed in her webinar on how J&J has tackled and actually deployed a fully integrated social media strategy (successfully), that it starts with corporate governance and a well laid out business plan, plus having a welcomed value proposition to your target audience to begin with. Well said, and carpe diem!

Behavioral Targeting Backlash?

2010-02-16T07:21:00.000-08:00

Backlash or confusion? A recent eMarketer article cites the rise in consumer backlash toward behavioral targeting employed by advertisers. As marketers increasingly fight the tide of diminishing advertising reach and effectiveness, behavioral targeting continues to increase as a way to increase relevancy and engagement. This then fuels consumer backlash.

Some context:
Facebook privacy concerns or "buzz" continue grow - especially in light of the new concern over Facebook's new privacy policy and the "everyone setting" that enables Facebook posts to be searchable by Google or anywhere on the Internet and not just those logged into Facebook. This has been very recently amplified by Google's new competition to Facebook - Google Buzz, and privacy concerns around this.

So what is a marketer to do? And how about the pharma marketer who is even more constrained by FDA regulations and consumer negativity? Stay calm, stay focused, and stay relevant. eMarketer's article goes on to say that some of the consumer "hostility" may be driven by confusion. When people are ill informed or misinformed about the implications and use of data collection, then it's reasonable if not expected for people to be confused or resentful. Perception is reality - as eMarketer goes on to state. I couldn't agree more. As marketers our obligation is around providing not only greater transparency and education around data collection - but on crafting and communicating a welcomed value proposition. If we illuminate the reciprocal value to our target audiences - e.g., increased content or tools that help them in their quest, then the value exchange is defined.

As I stated in a prior post on targeting, it's all in the context and execution. Behavioral targeting makes sense given the right relevancy, context and value exchange - and planning that out in advance is key. But we still can't expect everyone to welcome this, but at lease those who may be more open to this value exchange will not feel alienated.

Cake or Fruit Salad?

2010-01-29T09:52:00.000-08:00

Cake or fruit salad? That's the question asked during research conducted by Stanford University when asking whether Emotion trumps the Rational in our brains. in NPR's "Morning Edition" story, researchers tasked two groups with remembering a series of numbers while walking up and down a hallway -- one group remembering two sets and the other remembering seven sets of numbers. Both were interrupted with a snack choice of cake or fruit salad, with the "two" group selecting fruit salad ant the "seven" group choosing cake - both overwhelmingly.

The conclusion? When the brain is not overloaded, it is more likely to select the rational or "better for you" choice - fruit salad. When our brains are over tasked, our emotional side dominates, and we select what we're really prefer - cake! The ratio was 7:1 in this study, emotion vs. rational.

So what? Good marketers talk about marrying the rational and the emotional, but often times once (especially with the much regulated pharmaceutical industry) rational wins out. But emotion is not just a "soft" factor - it is hardwired in our brains, which this study helps underscore. Granted, our challenges and opportunities are far more complex than a snack choice, but so are the drivers we must factor into our marketing in engaging our audiences.

B2B Social Media IQ

2010-01-19T13:17:00.000-08:00

Surprisingly, B2B (business-to-business) seems to be outpacing B2C (business-to-consumer) in their respective industry's use of social media, according to eMarketer. Possibly this is because B2B marketers may have to work a bit harder to build relevancy and loyalty, and are less "glitzy". More probable is that B2B has historically been more grounded in maximizing channel reach and engagement, including relentlessly optimizing their list or customer value over time.

Facebook and Twitter top the list, but LinkedIn is right up there. As you can imagine, Consumer tracks higher (slightly) than B2B on Facebook (83% vs. 77%) and MySpace (23% vs. 14%), but B2B is outpacing Consumer on Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube (28%, 23% and 13% higher respectively). B2B marketers tend to often have smaller budgets, so social media is appealing as a low-cost tactic, lower-audience waste scores.

In pharmaceutical marketing, social media seems daunting and risky. Aside from the obvious B2B retailer potential (eg, promotions alerts), there are some less obvious ones. For example, clinical trial recruitment is essentially a B2B initiative, in that pharma co's recruit from referring physicians into trials. Patients generally get referred via physicians, although some are direct. Novartis' Twitter presence, while less active now, still provides a link to their web site for recruitment information and pull-through. A more straight forward example is Performics (Search specialist) and Saatchi & Saatchi Wellness, sister companies to Saatchi & Saatchi Healthcare Innovations. Performics uses their Twitter feed to push out Search trend updates and thought leadership promos for their white papers, etc.

For B2B, relevancy and purposeful, timeley updates are key, no fluff please!

Email + Social

2010-01-19T08:54:00.000-08:00

"Hey, your social media got in my email!" - can you imagine marketers ranting about this? Email is the top channel tactic marketers expect to increase spend in 2010 (69%), according to eMarketer, followed by social media (59%). While many marketers are pursuing both, very few area planning their channel mix with an integrated email-social approach. Why?

Some of the usual suspects play into this, including a fear of the unknown, inability to integrate technically, or a lack of ability to measure and pull-through on an integrated approach. But email remains a strong tactic when used the right way, as a permission based, relevant and user centric (I'll click on it when I'm in the right mindset or time allows). Social media is more engaging and relevant, sparking high viral pass-along value and interactivity or "buzz". Leveraging social media to increase email engagement rates or product / brand conversation makes sense - it's a combination of two great ingredients.

This can be as easy as including a link to a social media destination, which can be a corporate one if med/legal/regulatory concerns are present. Within pharma/healthcare marketing, this integrated tactic is a natural for unbranded or condition related communications. For example, an email could highlight patient stories then link to a site (either unbranded or a 3rd party support organization) to view more or post your own story to motivate or support others.

According to eMarketer, 4 out of 10 marketers plan on integrating the two tactics - but will they be able to deliver on this? Will they be able to measure and optimize from this? It's possible, but it must be planned as an integrated effort that is sustainable due to the social media component, and not viewed as a finite campaign or one-off communication.

To target or not to target, is it even a question?

2010-01-14T07:38:00.001-08:00

Targeting is one of the most efficient, measurable and high impact forms of digital marketing, yet it is often underutilized, misunderstood or bluntly not on marketers' radar. The digital savvy embrace and worship this as a first line tactic.

Simply put, targeting is the ability to not only precisely target (WHO) who you wish, but in the relevant content (WHAT) at the most appropriate time (WHEN) to deliver the highest form or level of engagement (WHY). Targeting is easy to do, it's a matter of having the right partner to enable this. As marketers today, we have the ability to literally imagine how we would ideally reach our audience, and there is probably a way to achieve this with today's technology, ad serving and robust analytics.

As noted by eMarketer in December, there are several ways to target:
For Pharma, exploring effective targeting and retargeting holds true promise, and should be a low hanging fruit. We are able to geo-target patients for enrollment in clinical trials or patient support groups. We can contextually reach physicians when they are reading relevant specialty or condition content. We are able to tap into robust publisher networks to reach the right demographic or psycographic, and even go further to optimize the list of network sites based on click through and engagement to our destination site. Behavioral targeting offers the ability to engage difficult to reach audiences. Example: hepatitis C patients -- most do not realize they may have this, as it is often confused with flu or fatigue like symptoms. Many would not assume they have risk factors. Through targeting we are able to find them when they are searching on relevant terms or if they have demonstrated a sequential pattern of content consumption (eg, first responders, flu/fatigue content, etc.).

The most overlooked form of targeting for pharma in my opinion is retargeting. Most pharma companies either have a list of their segmented targets, or are able to do so with a list partner such as SDI or IMS. When you have the power of this list, you are then able to reach out to key sites such as Medscape, and only market to your target list when they are signed/logged in - this eliminates waste. We can also deliver sequential messaging to key targets, which in essence is relationship marketing. For example, if a patient clicks on a tagged email to a unbranded condition support site, but elects not to opt-in, we are able to find these people when they are on the top Nielsen rated sites, and deliver specific messaging about the value of enrolling in our patient support program.

"Just 30.5% of marketers surveyed had used retargeted display ads in the past, but the majority of those who reported using those ads had seen greater impact" as referenced in the eMarketer article, which goes on to cite that retargeting can boost response up to 400%.

So, I ask you... why wouldn't you target?

Convergence

2010-01-14T06:44:00.001-08:00

There's a blitz of year-in-reviews. In reading the eMarketer round-up I see some of the usual suspects - video, social media, usage and access. Of their list, Convergence most motivates me. We've been hearing this terms for nearly 2 decades as "coming soon". When I worked in the telecommunications and digital broadcast industry, this always seemed 10 years away.

The Consumer Electronics Showcase (CES) in Vegas this year showed that "soon" may actually be right now. Technology advancements in television have enabled linking to web content portals and sites such as YouTube, Blockbuster and Netflix today. Gaming applications such as Wii do t his as well, in addition to mass multiplayer (MMP) gaming. Usage of the "third screen" or mobile and computer advancements - are also accelerating this trend. While the ability existed before, it was not intuitive or user centric to advance past early adopters and techies. Now it is - almost anyone can do it, or read how to, or purchase a kit to do so. This excitement also brings challenges in that it is not only easy but commonplace to ignore advertising. Indeed, ads are still here, but they are not relevant or embedded contextually.

This is the challenge and opportunity, to relinquish control enough to be "generous", inviting people in to understand what relevance and value is to them, and remaining honest to this. Anytime you engage with your audience to in a value-driven way, even in the absence of branding, this is more meaningful. In fact, delivering content in a commercial-neutral way may be even more meaningful. It becomes engagement, not advertising. For pharma, this is still intimidating if not inviting risk. If you execute on this consistently your customer will associate the quality of content with your brand and your company. Social media has proven this out for us. Today, there is no shortage of pharma and health company presence in social media. Yet, ad spending on these channels is at the bottom of the investment priority. What tops the list is creating content and applications that actually help audiences, either by giving them a place to find support or information, or enabling them to make more informed decisions. It takes longer to show ROI, but the ROI promises to be greater, with more longevity. In the end, the mantra, "if you build it they will come", rings truer than ever, it just has to be welcomed.

Right now, Convergence via TVs is in the "make it easier" stage - such as with Netflix. I am watching out for the proliferation of what the now nearly-dead, WebTV promised - true engagement and relationship.

Starbucks has jumped the shark

2008-04-10T06:40:00.000-07:00

Starbucks seems in flail-mode now. Visions of big internal brainstorm and "what if" sessions abound the imagination. First, there was there half-hearted, corporate seeming social networking site - http://mystarbucksidea.force.com/ideas/ideaList.apexp . As the blog trade are claiming, it seems like a brainstorm idea executed in a vacuum, without the right context - customers. It comes at you from an angle of - "this is what we think you want", not "you shape how we give value back to you". Translation - transparency, relevancy and user centric-ness (if that's a word) are lacking. I posted an idea "how about you lower your outrageous prices?" which got taken down on day 2, yet, similar postings abound and are still findable through search (although mine was still not there) http://mystarbucksidea.force.com/search/SearchResults?searchType=1&sen=087&setLast=1&sbstr=prices . They need to embrace transparency and live it, not filter it. I once heard Mohawn Swami state "transparency is like being naked, it's all about what you have to show". Starbucks seems a little out of shape for the nude beach scene, they are covering up certain "bulges", like pricing and increasing corporate pressure.

And now, their latest epiphany is "pioneering" a new advertising space in magazines with Bon Appetit: the masthead. The May issue masthead page has individual publishing executives making comments about Starbucks coffee next to their names. This brings down both Starbucks street cred and Bon Appetit's integrity. Why not instead be relevant, say talk about infused tea cooking (Tazo/Starbucks) or coffee drinks/cocktails? About about readers send in their ideas for drinks at RealSimple using Starbucks products? Something that has value and is welcomed. Do we really care what the masthead people think of Starbucks? Only in a corporate brainstorm....

Even the Queen is doing it...

2007-12-27T08:18:00.000-08:00

Just saw that even the Queen of England is posting on YouTube now. Queen Elizabeth hearkens back to 50 years ago, when she first broadcast her Christmas message on another (fairly) new medium, TV. Buckingham Palace has recently orchestrated a "Royal Channel" on YouTube, with the first Christmas message now posted for 2007.

If the Queen can take this on, and use the medium in a relevant and (in theory) welcomed way, it's curious, if not remarkable, that Pharma companies have such an opinion of themselves to not fully participate in this medium. In a study by TWI Surveys, Inc., the primary obstacles currently preventing marketers from investing more in conversational marketing include: manpower restraints (51.1%), fear of loss of control (46.9%), inadequate metrics (45.4%), culture of their organizations (43.5%), and difficulty with internal sell-through (35.8%). Manpower and metrics are easy obstacles to tackle. The others are not. Nearly 80% of consumers trust recommendations from family, friends, and influential persons over all forms of advertising and marketing (source: Keller Fay Group). Yet, the fear over loss of control defeats the beauty of social media. I once heard a speaker at a conference say that it's not about being naked, it's about what you have to show. Meaning, if you are honest, transparent, and listen to your audience, you should be fine. If you have something to hide - that's a different matter. This was OK before, now it is not - it will only catch up with you and be your nemesis if you don't get ahead of it. Rather than constant band-aid management, you can use this as a marketing tool, by listing and inviting conversation inward. Now, culture and internal sell through are one and the same thing, but this can change one person at a time. All in favor?