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mhallett

Just because it’s virtual doesn’t mean it’s not real

Published by Maggie Hallett on February 2, 2012.

As a psychotherapist, I’ve generally been of the mindset that a good ol’ face-to-face conversation is the most effective way to connect with another human being on an emotional level.  Like many therapists, I’ve been wary of the way communication has changed throughout the digital era, which is to say I’ve been mindful of what I perceived to be surface-level connections through 140-character text limits, or time taken away from connecting with the people who really matter—those sitting next to you on the couch—as you check out a friend of a friend’s trip to Hawaii on Facebook.  I found myself judging those whose online personas completely outshine their in-person personalities, assuming it’s easier for them to be sparkly, witty, and overly opinionated when they don’t have to see the faces of the people with whom they are communicating.  I thought about how empty their lives must be, not being able to connect in the flesh.  I patted myself on the back for being able to have real conversations with people.  And for not joining Twitter…

Well, I was knocked off my high horse pretty swiftly this week.

I sit on the board of directors for a fantastic non-profit organization called POEM, which helps new mothers suffering from postpartum depression and other perinatal mood disorders.  Our board meetings start and end with a “mission moment,” during which the executive director shares how moms using POEM’s services have been helped since our last meeting.  This week, the mission moment was about the increase in attendance of the monthly support group meetings.  I, of course, felt smug; this is how moms should be seeking help—in a face-to-face setting so they can see, hear, and feel, firsthand, others going through similar difficulties.

Then she shared the reason for the increase in attendance…

Facebook.

The support group leaders have recently created a closed group on Facebook for the moms seeking help from POEM to connect and chat in between meetings.  What they weren’t expecting was for it to be a major catalyst for real relationships.  Women were joining in droves, and they weren’t just writing encouraging posts of support and understanding; they were making lunch and play dates with one another.  Thanks to this online group, they all felt more compelled to go to the actual support group meeting because they had “tested the waters” and felt comfortable with the other women in attendance.  Plus, they were going shopping afterward!

Also, thanks to the online group, there were not only more moms in attendance at the support group, there were more moms being helped by POEM.  Women who were unable to make it to the group because of physical distance, transportation, or babysitter issues were still able to get the support they were seeking through the Facebook conversations.  And the online group has become so popular that the support group leaders now have a bimonthly moderated online chat—a virtual support group in real time.

In an e-mail to the support group leader, one mom noted (paraphrased), “Although I don’t post on the boards, just reading the other posts and knowing others are experiencing what I am experiencing is enough to get me through the day.”

So, a big lesson learned.  It’s time for me to embrace the inevitable and allow myself to see the emotional benefits that can come from connecting virtually.  Though I still believe that online connections cannot fully replace face-to-face connections, they certainly can enhance and enable them.

Categories: Health and wellness marketing and New ideas and approaches
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ceblin

No such thing as bad publicity?

Published by Cendi Eblin on January 31, 2012.

If you aren’t privy to the controversy surrounding celebrity chef Paula Deen’s recent announcement that she not only has type 2 diabetes—but that she is also the new spokesperson for a diabetes medication called Victoza—I am truly surprised as to how you wound up at this blog posting.

Basically, you’ll find both criticism and support all over the Internet from fellow chefs, healthcare providers, and concerned people.

One perspective you won’t find much of is toward the drug company that hired her, prompting her to “come out” with her condition. This is both curious and disappointing.

The pharmaceutical industry has historically been painted as a profit-driven, insensitive villain—a credibility crisis that has, only in recent years, been somewhat softened through the tireless efforts to provide authentic support and advocacy for patients and healthcare providers through funding for research, education, and community development.

I recently read an article that summed the Deen situation up with the words “there’s no such thing as bad publicity,” in terms of her (however slight) change of branding, and promotion for Victoza. Maybe this is true in other categories…is it true in pharma?

I’ll bet that fellow drug marketers are still trying to figure out how this can be interpreted as a good thing—how hiring a celebrity chef who would be attacked for her decision to “sell out” and be a spokesperson (c’mon, who wouldn’t have seen it coming) can cast a light that is anything but negative for the pharmaceutical industry. Perhaps some market conditioning could have prevented all this backlash.

Apparently, when Novo Nordisk contacted Deen, they did not know she was diabetic—they merely asked for lighter recipes for their “Diabetes in a new light” initiative. But when she responded with “how did y’all know I had diabetes?” their choice of partners (or at least their timing with Deen) might have been reassessed.

With several successful diabetes products on the market, Novo Nordisk is already a well-known name in diabetes care. So are they really worried about product awareness?

Or could this be a master plan to stir up awareness for the disease-state itself, which could be prevented with the right lifestyle choices?

Mmmmaybe. But in the midst of such controversy, no one seems to be making that connection—and it isn’t doing any favors for the reputation of the industry as a whole.

As for Paula, she’ll be fine. After all the dust settles and the news is no longer sensational, she will have lost some followers who find her hypocrisy and irresponsibility distasteful, but she will have gained new ones, namely among the millions of Americans with type 2 diabetes who can relate, as well as those who previously dismissed her because of the unhealthy nature of her otherwise delicious comfort-food recipes. For this, the publicity is necessary for awareness.

As drug marketers, we need to create a sense of advocacy and support for patients, healthcare providers, and their respective disease states. Simply put, the pharmaceutical industry has been trying to earn as much good publicity as possible. So we have to wonder, is this one step forward or two steps back?

Categories: Health and wellness marketing
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ggoffe

New Year, New You, New Fave Brand

Published by Gretchen Goffe on January 25, 2012.

January is notorious as the time when people make healthy New Year’s resolutions. Places and times when health is top of mind are opportunities for brands to solve Wellness Dilemmas for consumers. Brands win big by finding a pain point—and providing a way out. The rewards are loyalty and a place as their go-to brand. The dilemma is a straightforward identification of a problem that resonates with consumers and interferes with turning intentions into actions. The brand provides a solution as the counterpoint. And here’s the fun part – it’s not just what your brand says (“We’re healthy!”), but the actions of the brand that matter (“Here’s a plan to make this happen”). Let’s take a look at a few initiatives and the Wellness Dilemmas they solve across categories such as meat, breakfast, weight loss, and workout gear that venture into new venues and programs.

Tyson Grilled and Ready chicken breast strips. Wellness Dilemma – you promised you would eat right but you’re so busy with work, friends and family, it’s hard to stay on track. Tyson introduces a program that solves the dilemma with 30 Days, 30 Ways, and 30 Rewards.

Slimfast. One of the original meal replacement weight loss plans, Slimfast has refreshed the brand with new packaging and formulations to go with their plan of a shake or bar at breakfast and lunch, followed by a 500 calorie dinner. Slimfast continues to solve the same Wellness Dilemma – that weight loss programs require time-consuming preparation of new recipes 3 times a day.

Egg Beaters. Wellness Dilemma – you want to eat more protein to support your healthy lifestyle and build muscles, but worry about too much fat, cholesterol and calories. Egg Beaters muscle supporting protein helps individuals meet fitness goals. It’s interesting to see the print campaign move from magazines to featured posters inside mega-gyms. Why not extend the promotion to trial, including breakfast choices made with Eggbeaters at the gym’s cafes?

Victorias Secret Sport VSX. Wellness Dilemma – Individuals want to look good at the gym even before the results of their new resolutions shows. VSX combines VS figure enhancing designs with performance workout gear, and introduces it via the Get a Runway Body promotion. Promotional posters have a lot less category noise to compete with at mega-gyms and boost visibility as fitness Instructors hand out scratch off  discount cards for VSX stores.

If your brand competes in those categories and you haven’t developed a clear strategy to connect your brand with the health and wellness opportunity, now is a good time to think about the role you can play for consumers looking for help turning healthy intentions into actions. Brands that haven’t developed a clear strategy and plan to execute it risk dropping off consumer’s radar as they discover new brands in the New Year.

*For more information on health and wellness visit thewellatgsw.com.

Categories: Health and wellness marketing
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mnelson

A Wellness Advocate in action: LYSOL Mission for Health

Published by Marcee Nelson on January 17, 2012.

As Advertisers, we’ve been taught to look for the right buyers for our products–intersecting the right individuals at the right time with the right claims to convince them to buy.  In today’s health and wellness marketing landscape, brands become relevant not by simply being different but by making a difference—by behaving as Advocates. That means finding a shared purpose with our consumers, proving it through actions and interactions and connecting stakeholders around the purpose. The goal: to create not just buyers, but ambassadors of the brand who will self-multiply.

Many brands today are saying the right things…telling consumers they have a “higher purpose.” What separates the LYSOL effort is how the brand is backing up the words with actions.  LYSOL’s campaign, Mission for Health, is a great example of applying the principles of an Advocate brand.

Like many health and wellness brands, LYSOL has a science-based differentiation: it kills 99% of bacteria.  But through Mission for Health, the brand truth is laddered up to a greater shared purpose with moms.  The campaign easily allows for new products and product improvements that continue to prove Lysol’s mission for health. It uses mass media as a mass invitation to a more involving online and grassroots experience.

How LYSOL Mission for Health puts Advocate principles into practice:

Shared Purpose: Reducing the spread of flu and colds at home and at school.

Action: Along with education around prevention, LYSOL proves its commitment to the purpose through acts of generosity, such as a $5 rebate on flu shots.

Serving: LYSOL is empowering schools, through a program endorsed by a leading pediatrician, to teach healthy habits to children and increase school attendance through the Lysol Blue Ribbon School Attendance Challenge that rewards schools for low absenteeism.

Connecting: LYSOL brings advocates for health together through its efforts in schools, humanitarian efforts and through online forums and community.

Dialogue: On lysol.com/missionforhealth, consumers can join dialogue around the greater purpose of health (including products) or can ask questions of experts from the healthcare and science community.

Citizenship: LYSOL has partnered with Save the Children, a non-profit humanitarian and disaster relief organization to support the needs of children and their families whose health and safety are affected by disasters. The difference between this effort and adjunct cause marketing is that it is directly linked to Mission for Health, so it is meaningful proof of the purpose, not just general goodwill.

Authenticity: First-time moms are provided with educational resources on keeping themselves and their infants healthy with information available at OBGYN offices, pediatrician offices, on www.lysol.com/missionforhealth and other online communities.

Ambassadors: Joining the Mission for Health cause allows moms to review products and get health tips they can pass on to others. Also, the Mission program includes a Community Heroes Contest, with winners judged on improving the health or happiness of a community, and the possible impact of a community improvement effort.

Without these Advocate principles in action, LYSOL’S Mission for Health campaign would just be another pretty Advertising tagline.  Kudos to the Advocate brand builders behind it.

*For more information on health and wellness visit thewellatgsw.com.

Categories: Health and wellness marketing
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brizzo

Non-physician prescribers–the new marketing frontier

Published by Brenda Rizzo on January 9, 2012.

We seem to forget about this very influential group of prescribers who make independent decisions based on their assessment about how to treat a condition. Across all 50 states nurse practitioners (NP) and physician’s assistants (PA) are able to prescribe. Each state has their own specific rules that can limit or expand those roles, but they are all able to prescribe. So now that you have considered this audience, how do they want to be marketed to?

That depends on their specific specialty. An NP who works in long term care may be more focused on reimbursement channels and routes of administration, given the population they serve. NP’s who work in family practice may be looking for educational support for a busy and varied practice. NP’s who work in women’s health may be looking for assessment tools as they manage health concerns of women in transition to menopause. We don’t know until we have asked.

Here at GSW we have assembled a group of NPs and PAs to consult with a variety of specializations that we can contact to get their opinion. Sometimes it can be as easy as a phone call, or we can survey them as a whole. We can even get them together on a chat room online or do a focus group. This has become a very valuable tool. We have found insight into the way they practice, how they make prescribing decisions and how they would like to get information on new drugs. We have asked them to suggest tools that would be helpful to their practice and evaluate tools along the way as we develop them. We had nurses involved in advising us about an online educational tool that has been valued by several of our clients, and adapted for their use.

Our panel includes NPs and PAs from all across the country with areas of specialization from neonates to geriatrics, from inpatient settings to outpatient clinics, from doctor’s offices to operating rooms. It is a temptation to guess what they need or want from a pharmaceutical company, but when we ask them we are often surprised at what they really value. This has helped us to stay focused on creating value added materials/benefits that help them to serve their patients as well as see the value of what we are trying to sell.

Some overall themes that I have observed in working with NPs and PAs are:
 • They are very passionate about the patients they serve. It is not enough to put a patient on birth control; they also have to talk with her about how to avoid sexually transmitted diseases. It is not enough to put someone on an anti-hypertensive, they also educate on how to change their lifestyle to improve their blood pressure. It is not enough to treat their acne; they want to know how their breakouts are affecting their self-esteem. They tend to consider the whole patient, not just the disease state they are treating.
• Affordability is a big issue. If the benefits of the drug outweigh the additional expense then they will help the patients to understand this. But if their perception is that there is an alternative that is more affordable then they probably will not consider the more expensive option. Giving a patient a more expensive drug that they can’t fill, due to the cost, when there is an alternative that is generic does not fit well with their point of view.
• Patient Education is an aspect of patient care that they “own.” Tools to help them be more effective are an added value to their practice. They don’t mind if it has a brand name on it or is specifically about a particular product as long as it is not trying to tear down or bring a bad light to competing products/points of view. They do not expect all educational tools and support to be unbranded.
• They value being viewed as experts in their area of specialization. Anything that can promote acknowledgement of that expertise is desired. Train the trainer, speaking engagements, certifications, or awards are valued. They feel a lack of recognition in general and when they obtain recognition it elevates their visibility in their community.

Finally each area of specialization utilizes NPs and PAs in a very unique way. You don’t gain insight in asking a NP that works with adults what a NP in pediatrics would need. Asking a PA that works in palliative care would not know what a PA in the operating room needs. So seek out insight from NPs or PAs that actually work in the area where you are interested in influencing.

NPs and PAs are organized; they belong to professional groups, both locally and regionally. Many participate in online chat rooms, or visit educational websites. But ask them, “where do you get your information?” Then you know what they want or need and where they will look for it.
Have you created any programs for non-physician prescribers? How did you develop it? Any insights from your programs that you would be willing to share? This is a rich area that needs to be explored for effective communication.

Categories: Healthcare marketing innovations
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leigh.householder

Slideshare highlights iQ’s 2012 predictions

Published by Leigh Householder on January 5, 2012.

Our crazy-talented innovation team here at GSW (iQ) spends a lot of time looking ahead at the technology and trends that will change our industry. Their work includes analyzing specific categories, emerging technologies, best-in-practice strategies and publishing monthly perspectives that our core teams leverage when creating their next great campaign.

Back in November, iQ collected all our best content and insight and started to formulate what 2012 will look like for the healthcare marketing world.

The result was a presentation highlighting the first moves that healthcare is making to embrace the latest trends and the changes that iQ sees ahead. We were honored when Slideshare recognized the presentation as a Top 12 for 2012 presentation and recently highlighted it on their own blog.

2012 Digital Trends For Healthcare Marketing

We look forward to see if our predictions are correct–to keep up with all the latest in digital healthcare marketing check out www.whatsyourdigitaliq.com.

Categories: Healthcare marketing innovations and New ideas and approaches
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mnelson

Every time an Rx is written, it’s another New Year’s Day.

Published by Marcee Nelson on January 3, 2012.

Right now we’re all thinking about starting a brand new year, ready to put our good intentions into action—you know, our plans to work out more, eat less.  Form new good habits.  Break the bad ones.  It seems to be human nature to need—or at least like—a trigger point for change.  So every January 1, we declare our intentions to make daily wellness choices in the new year.  And we all know what happens next.  By June a few of us are still at it, but many of us are back where we started.

That 6-month mark is a familiar theme for pharmaceutical marketers.  Because that’s the time the average persistence curve takes a dramatic dive south, especially for chronic conditions. If we think like Advertisers, we rely on mass media DTC campaigns to tell people “ask your doctor” and we consider the box checked. But when our consumers walk out of the doctor’s office with a new Rx and some good intentions in hand, it’s like another New Year’s Day.  Six months later, where will they be?

Advocate brand-builders understand that ROI for long term commitment is return on involvement. So they focus more of their time, attention and investment post-script—they ask themselves not “how can we get consumers to adhere?” but “how can we stick with our consumers?”  The Advocate definition of DTC is Do, Teach, Connect.

Here’s why:

1) Because mass media offers no utility to us as consumers except to make us aware, and awareness is the most superficial level of involvement.

Do means taking action vs. sending messages:

  • Adding utility to media –making it somehow useful, not just interruptive
  • Creating tools and personalized support systems
  • Showing up to solve problems where and when it matters most
  • Using mass media instead as a mass invitation to an involving, personalized experience

2) Because, as we learned in Pink Tank’s 2010 She Says Survey of 1300 women, consumers want more transparency from pharma companies when it comes to risks and benefits.

Teach means empowering choice, not preaching information:

  • Improving their “health literacy” about therapies and procedures
  • Tying rewards and risks together in a complete, logical and honest story
  • Giving them ways to visualize what’s happening inside, especially in chronic and preventive conditions where they may feel no cause/effect

3) Because now a physician’s opinion is a lesser part of the equation.  Over 40% of She Says Survey respondents told us that before filling a prescription they gather consensus through their Circle of Influencers both online and off.  Consumers are now taking a bigger role in their own care and self-navigating their way, armed with knowledge and community.

Connect means finding new ways to bridge disconnects and dead-ends healthcare consumers meet as they try to self-navigate:

  • Correcting misalignments or gaps in their Circle of Influencers
  • Helping to start or facilitate conversations between influencers
  • Thinking outside the industry for innovative partnerships to form new continuums of self-care

So how about this:  On January 1, 2012, let’s resolve to involve healthcare consumers more by redefining and redesigning our DTC efforts with the goals of Do, Teach, Connect.  The result could be a happier and more involving New Year for all of us.

*For more information on health and wellness visit thewellatgsw.com

Categories: Health and wellness marketing and New ideas and approaches
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mnelson

Advertiser to Advocate: Does your brand feel like the perfect gift?

Published by Marcee Nelson on December 19, 2011.

It’s the gift-giving season.  Which brings to mind the quest for the perfect gift.  We’ve all received the not-so-perfect gift…it feels generic it doesn’t make us feel special.  We’ve all given not-so-perfect gifts, too…usually when we’ve got to “get it done.”

A perfect gift doesn’t have to be asked for.  It comes from listening, observing, understanding what we value and anticipating our needs. When we receive the perfect gift there is surprise and delight. It makes us feel cared about and cared for.  The perfect gift says, “you are important to me.”  A not-so-perfect gift could be really expensive.  A perfect gift could cost next to nothing.  What gives a perfect gift its value is the thought and time that went into it.

Creating a great brand experience is like giving the perfect gift.  By truly understanding what matters to our consumers and by investing our time and thought to solve it, we can create the kind of brand experiences that surprise, delight and involve them.

Six ways to make a brand feel like a perfect gift:

1) With thoughtful design

 Even the subtlest details in design can make our consumers feel more understood.  GE has put little touches in its appliances like a dishwasher with Smart Dispense that holds up to 6 months of dish soap.  This small time-saving gesture is a thoughtful feature for time-pressed moms.  Similac infant formula listened to new moms before designing the Similac SimplePac® with features like a one-hand grip so they can prepare formula with one arm while holding baby in the other.

2)  With delightful tools

We can offer tools that make our consumer’s life simpler.  Charmin shows its understanding of how hard it can be to find clean public restrooms with global sponsorship of SitOrSquat, an app that helps users find the cleanest restrooms wherever they are.

But tools don’t have to be literal tools.  Tylenol generously uses its media space to give simple tips to help people “Feel Better” that don’t include taking the medication.  The brand spends to pass on tips like eating cereal before bedtime.  Or demonstrating exercises to avoid getting a stiff neck while on long flights. Because they are not self-serving, these suggestions feel thoughtful—and make us feel Tylenol really does want us to feel better.

3) With acknowledgment

The simplest act of kindness a brand can give is attention.  It can be an unexpected thank you like the Starbucks barrista who tells a regular customer, “Today it’s on us.  Just because.”   Or Luna Bars reserving a space on every package to allow women to make tributes to other women they admire.  Or the ongoing support shown to nurses every year by Johnson & Johnson.

4)  With service

As Advertisers, we focus on selling, but ironically we might sell more by thinking about serving.  Especially in commodity categories, thinking like a service company can make a meaningful difference.  Department stores all carry similar merchandise, but Nordstrom’s has always differentiated itself through its customer service.  Pop Secret’s website has a fun movie finding guide that makes film suggestions based on mood, family type and occasion.  Topiaz is the OAB therapy that also comes with a program and a plan.

 

5)  With the gift of giving

By finding a shared purpose with our consumers we can help them to make a difference.  Pampers gives new moms the gift of caring for other new moms by donating 5 cents per pack to buy 45 million tetanus vaccinations for pregnant women in developing countries.  Buying Dawn dishwashing liquid is a way to save animals caught in an unhealthy environment.  From Gardasil moms are given the gift of giving to their daughters and sons, as HPV vaccination becomes protection from cancer.

6)  Most important, without “strings” attached

A perfect gift can’t be created with compromised generosity.  What the brand is giving in the way of support, tools or other value must feel worth more to a consumer than what the brand is asking of her.  If a “gift” feels self-promoting or inauthentic in any way, or if she has to give to get, all credibility is lost.

As Advertisers, we think of offering incentives as a way to get consumers to buy our brands. If that is all we do, we are simply buying buyers. Instead we need to put our efforts, our thinking and our spending into creating surprisingly delightful brand experiences.  Because that has the lasting value to build meaningful long-term brand/consumer relationships.   A value greater than any coupon.

The Advocate brand builder knows that through giving the brand will receive.  Happy gift-giving!

Categories: Health and wellness marketing
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dmarinacci

The Well @GSW named as New Venture to Watch

Published by Dawn Marinacci on December 14, 2011.

Health and wellness is quickly becoming one of the most prevalent and hot topics facing healthcare marketers, DTC/OTC, and consumer packaged goods retailers. Med Ad News (MAN) recently named our health and wellness group, The Well @GSW, one of three pharmaceutical marketing ventures to watch that could change the way pharmaceutical products are marketed and sold. Josh Slatko of MAN asked several of our leaders about the impact health and wellness will have on the future of pharma marketing. Marcee Nelson, Chief Creative/Content Officer for The Well @GSW had this to say:

“Our industry thinks in terms of ‘patients’ versus ‘consumers,’” Ms. Nelson told Med Ad News. “The distinction seems inconsequential, but has huge implications in how we feel and approach our audiences. When we think ‘patient,’ we picture a person in a gown being shepherded through the system by healthcare authority figures. Newsflash: Patients are consumers – more demanding, more informed, more unified than ever before. Today, the physician’s opinion is only part of the decision. Due to knowledge-as-commodity and global community, each consumer has a ‘circle of influence’ she/he consults, a phenomenon we call ‘composite decision making.’ With less authority, we must find new ways to influence.”


To read more, click here.

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dmarinacci

Med Ad News Asks: To iPad or Not to iPad?

Published by Dawn Marinacci on December 7, 2011.

Leigh Householder, the Managing Director of our innovation lab (iQ), recently was asked by Med Ad News editor Chris Truelove about her thoughts on the iPad and the adoption by pharmaceutical industry.

“The teams most intrigued with using the iPad are those wanting to create experiences that could not be produced with paper detail aids, Ms. Householder says. “How can we pull apart and explore a medical device together? How can we go inside the brain to look at how a therapeutic effects those tissues? These are things that they (pharma companies/sales reps) never could have done before.”

To read the entire article, click here

Categories: New ideas and approaches
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