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Super Bowled

Published by Eric Davis on February 12, 2013.

This post is

criminally late.

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This is a Super Bowl spot article.  Sort of.  A very late Super Bowl spot article.

This isn’t about blowouts, blackouts, comebacks or safeties. That was just the game.  This was about the other spectator sport — watching advertisers endure the joys and agonies of spending three million bucks all at once.

A brief mea culpa for not writing this last Sunday, you know, when it mattered.

But after the game, I began to wonder, what exactly did matter. Has the format gone stale? Has the relevance of what constitutes a Super Bowl spot faded?

Not according to modern media metrics, of course.  People let their fingers do the talking, from Facebook to Twitter to YouTube, the audience was engaged and outspoken.

But what about me?

I sat down and confronted a taunting, blinking cursor and a white pixel wasteland and realized I had nothing to say.

I’m sure I could concoct a somewhat-arbitrary list of winners and losers. But, let’s face it — they’re all winners.  Even when you talk about the losers and their creative idiocy, you’re still talking about them.  Impressions. Hits. Eyeballs. Whatever metric you use, days later, people are still speaking the words Go and Daddy. Does it matter if it’s accompanied by gross, disgusting, stupid or crass?  It’s all buzz now, isn’t it?

There’s no such thing as bad publicity — certainly when all publicity is measured the same way.

The biggest problem is now what we expect to see.  We know what’s coming. We’ve seen herding cats, talking babies, drum-playing gorillas, and why-1984-will-not be-like-1984.  Is the magic gone?  Is it going?

Online leaks have murdered the mystery and subjugated the surprise.  We knew Volkswagen was “racist” prior to kickoff. We were all affecting our own jolly Jamaican patois by happy hour on the first Friday in February.

We knew Kia was trying too hard, and that if you really like our cars, we’ll kick you across the room. Bang! Respect the tech! Now buy our cars! Or else!

Doritos did their DIY thing again. Clydesdales and Stevie Nicks (Tear.) Audi, to their credit, told us a story. Tide told us a story in which we already knew the ending. In a sign of the apocalypse (maybe the Mayans were off a year), Mercedes advertised on price to a youth crowd who had to Google Willem Dafoe.  Oreo was great, but hey, their responsive agency is now expected to work on Sundays.

For the future, the audience has set expectations for what a Super Bowl spot looks like. It’s funny, irreverent, and often times remotely related to the brand.  It’s a winning … formula?

But who wants formulaic advertising?

Like the game featuring lightning kickoff returns and lightless third quarters, there was still, however, room for surprise.

Paul Harvey’s somber-yet-inspiring speech reminded us of how seriousness can stand out in the sea of comedy clutter. But if RAM trucks are so great, why are esteemed farmers overwhelmingly choosing Chevy Silverados and Ford F-series?

Maybe that will change.  Maybe the formula will change, too.

Maybe next year, this article will just be a list of winners and losers.

That would be more expected.

 

photo credit: Catalina Gracia Saavedra via photopin cc

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Health Literacy 2.0: More Than Words

Published by Marcee Nelson on October 18, 2012.

We’ve all seen health illiteracy defined as the lack of reading and math skills among the poor, the unschooled and newly immigrated.  But according to the National Assessment of Adult Literacy, today only 12% of Americans have proficient health literacy skills.  So that leaves 88% of people, probably including you and me.

Add the fact that healthcare is moving to self-care, and we’ve got a problem on a whole new scale, which I think of as Health Literacy 2.0.  This heightened need goes beyond simpler words or traditional education.  But what is the “more?”  I looked at what health literacy experts have been up to lately and found some interesting possibilities.

1) More asking, less telling.

There is so much a patient needs to know, right?  So we tell them.  And tell them. Sandra Smith, PhD, a trainer for a new health literacy study supported by the Missouri Foundation for Health, has observed this:

“The traditional education model, like the clinical model, puts educators and healthcare professionals on the sidelines telling caregivers/patients what to do – giving information, dispensing advice, rescuing them from their conditions, and fixing their behaviors. But patients often ignore expert advice and instructions. This is frequently misinterpreted as a cognitive deficit or disinterest in health.  The more likely explanation is that caregivers/patients recognize intuitively that the dispensers of expert advice consciously or unconsciously consider them a problem to be fixed or an incompetent person in need of rescue.”

Her new project uses an approach called “reflective practice,” which basically means shifting from telling to asking.  In reflective practice, instead of telling parents/patients what to do, educators ask reflective questions.  Reflective questions are designed to stimulate critical thinking and help patients or caregivers think it through themselves.

I think this model is interesting to consider as we look for ways to improve disease state and branded patient communications.

2) More starting at Go.

Today we’re all swimming in information.  The trick is getting the right information at the right time. I saw this firsthand while watching some doctor/patient conversations about gout.  Almost every doctor launched into autopilot about the science and each patient walked away without the critical basic knowledge that gout is a form of arthritis. They completely skipped go.

We know creating common language helps.  And Helen Osbourne, a health literacy consultant, emphasizes that active visualization can help physicians express themselves more simply.

Visual tools are not a new idea, and there are apps now that help patients remember what the doctor said.   But what I took from Osbourne’s suggestion was the value of going low-tech, too.  Either way, the simple act of drawing by a doctor levels the playing field, sets context and almost forces him/her to start at go.

Something to think about when we provide physicians with conversation tools.

3) More feeling.

Can using emotive techniques improve health literacy?  In her abstract, Vivian Day, BSHCA, MA, RN, discusses how experiential learning and storytelling can enhance patient understanding and motivate change.

Of course these engagement techniques involve bringing emotion into the clinical setting—something we know HCPs prefer to avoid.

But if you think about it, the reflective approach being studied in Missouri is experiential learning.  And a doctor sketch is a simplistic form of storytelling.  With some creativity we can help emotive approaches feel more efficient.  And we can bring them in through supportive efforts—like this storytelling website created to tackle the sensitive topic of advanced ED.

These three ideas just skim the surface of possibilities for better Health Literacy 2.0. There is so much more.  Let’s be inspired many the dedicated individuals and institutions out there working on ways to change the system and share their purpose to empower better choices.

 

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An idea…Newtonian Marketing

Published by HCP/Medical Insights on June 28, 2012.

 

Written by Scott Raidel

I am sure that when Sir Isaac Newton presented his three laws of motion over 320 years ago he could not have imagined them being applied to the marketing of pharmaceuticals and medical devices, but I thought I would give it a try.

So what would Newtonian Marketing read like? First let’s start with Newton’s three laws of motion:

  1. Every object will remain at rest or in uniform motion in a straight line unless compelled to change that state by the action of an external force.
  2. Force is equal to the change in momentum per change in time or force=mass*acceleration
  3. For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.

Next, if you break each one of these laws down with marketing in mind, you can begin to develop the basis for the idea of Newtonian Marketing.

Newtonian Marketing’s first law would explain the idea of brand inertia and the constant push to increase a brand’s share in the marketplace. The key to this law is that if there is no force acting on the brand then the brand will maintain its present share. However, if an external force (i.e., marketing) is applied then the share can change because of that force. I think of this force as coming from the development of a great marketing plan; then it takes a great agency to help deliver those forces. A group that understands the data and the marketplace can help deliver the right forces to change the brand’s inertia.

Newtonian Marketing’s second law would explain how the share of a brand changes when it is subjected to the external force of marketing. The law defines marketing to be equal to the change in momentum of the brand per the length of time it is applied. But of course the change in a brand’s share depends on the “mass” of the marketing idea behind it as well. For me, this law comes down to the weight of the data for the brand, the sales channel that it is delivered in, and the time the message is delivered.

Newtonian Marketing’s third law states that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. Another way to explain this is that if brand A exerts a force on brand B, then brand B also exerts an equal force on brand A. For me the best way to think about this law is that for every tactic produced there will be an equal positive and negative reaction. So it becomes very important for the brand to deliver its data in the best way possible, to not overstate or understate the brand’s pivotal data.

So with all that in mind the Newtonian Marketing laws might read as:

  1. Every brand will remain at its current share unless compelled to change by the action of marketing.
  2. Marketing=weight of data*time message is delivered by channel
  3. For every tactic there is going to be an equal positive and negative reaction to the data.

So there is the idea of Newtonian Marketing. If this idea is developed further, it could provide a unique way to explain what only GSW can do for our clients’ brands. When I think about GSW and how these laws of motion relate to the movement we help our clients’ brands achieve, it highlights how great science and the communication of that science has a way of transcending its original purpose.

photo credit: Gemella (uhm) via photo pin cc

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Inspiration with a purpose

Published by Dawn Marinacci on June 25, 2012.

Those of us in advertising know all too well that during the peaks of our work we feel inspired, and during the valleys, we want to quit our jobs. (True story). I’m sure I can walk the halls of any agency and get the same sentiment. But, when we come across things that truly inspire us, repeatedly, that always seems to outweigh the stressful moments (at least for a day or two).

Where do we get inspiration from?  From other humans. Friends, family, coworkers, authors, teachers, mentors, etc.  And if we’re inspired by brands, (i.e. Stand Up to Cancer, Nike, Pepsi, Starbucks), that inspiration comes from the humans who come up with the ideas that make it inspirational. To add to the power of human connection, one of the reasons we become inspired is because that human has a purpose rooted in their idea.

Here’s a real life example: Last week I had the pleasure of meeting two young women who founded Libre Clothing – sweatshirts and pants designed to promote dignity and comfort for people going through chemo or dialysis. Zippered access points make it easy to get treatment without undressing or being cold. It started as a school project at Miami University a few years ago and after their business plan took first place in the competition, the women decided to pursue their plans, no matter what. The idea was originated because one of the women’s family members was undergoing dialysis and because of the needle/ports stuck in his arm he had to wear short sleeves leaving him cold and frankly feeling vulnerable from the exposure of his reality. One person’s empathy for another human’s situation inspired a business so that others can experience the same benefit. Smart idea. Passionate people. You can’t go wrong with that combination.

My second source of inspiration came by way of my colleague, Eric.  He came across a blog called Never Seconds. It was started by a little girl in Scotland who blogs her school lunches, and gets photos and entries from other children from around the world about their school lunches. She rates each one several factors, and has even raised more than £28,000 for Mary’s Meals, a school feeding charity.  An elementary student who is number one, blogging, and two, inspiring others around the world to connect to her cause and serve other people in need. Taking a daily routine (eating lunch) and turning it into something more. Simple idea. One passionate little girl. You can’t go wrong with that combination, either.

Even though digital communication and the acceleration of business innovation today keep us going in a million different directions, we still are inspired by a simple human connection that can reach anyone, anywhere, and touch the lives of millions. There are dreamers around every corner of the world. Only now, you don’t have to be a dreamer to be successful. You just have to be inspired with a purpose.

Tell us, what inspires you?  Post them on our Facebook page or tweet them to us @GSW_Worlwide.

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Don’t miss those teachable moments

Published by HCP/Medical Insights on June 1, 2012.

Written by Brenda Rizzo

What are teachable moments? They are those times when someone realizes that what they are doing is not working and they are looking for another idea. It can be as simple as a child who realizes they shouldn’t touch something that is hot, you have the opportunity right then and there to help them realize how to identify when something is hot, and that you shouldn’t touch it. Or another moment could be a teenager who just got a ticket from speeding too fast and has to fess up to you, the parent. You could get angry and make them feel worse or you could consider it a teachable moment. You can talk about the reasons why you don’t want to get caught again, what it does to your insurance, how to set your cruise control to avoid going over, this is the “moment” where they will be most receptive to your messages. They may argue or display an attitude, but chances are they will hear you.

Or a teachable moment can be when your patient has just been told that their condition is getting worse. For example, the patient with high blood pressure that comes in for a check-up and his/her blood pressure is not any better. This is the moment when someone realizes that what they are doing is not enough. This is the opportunity to share with them the importance of taking their medication as prescribed, or the lifestyle changes that they could make to enhance the benefit of the drug. You may be able to impress upon them the potential consequences of not managing their hypertension in an educational way, that doesn’t scare them or pass judgment. For instance, you could say, “I am concerned about your blood pressure, because if we don’t get this under control it could lead to complications such as a stroke or kidney damage;” You don’t want to say, “if you don’t do what I say you are going to have a stroke or be on dialysis.”

Another example of a teachable moment is when someone with diabetes has a complication that must be dealt with like a foot sore that is not healing or blood work that shows damage to an organ. At this moment they may realize that the amount of attention they have been giving their diabetes was not enough and has consequences. They still have an opportunity to improve their health, to change their compliance to medication, to more closely monitor their blood sugars, or change their lifestyle. This might be the point at which they are most teachable.  As a healthcare provider you may be thinking, I don’t want to wait until they reach this point, but this might be a moment where they are most receptive to making a change.

As healthcare providers we can get frustrated with patients who don’t follow the directions we give them. We could throw up our hands and say “how can I help them if they won’t help themselves?” But if it were that simple we would have a lot less complications in our patient population. It is not as simple as telling them what to do and then they will do it. Perhaps they weren’t receptive to the messages being delivered; perhaps they had other priorities that took precedence; maybe their family view was conflicting with the healthcare provider’s messages, there are a variety of reasons. Instead of passing judgment and getting frustrated as healthcare providers, we need to identify those times where they are forced to think differently about their health as “teachable moments.” These are the times when the patient may be receptive to our direction; may have a relevant experience that makes the disease and treatment options more real. If we are too busy being disappointed in their behavior we may miss that teachable moment.

Having worked with pharma companies, we know the therapies we have to offer that could really make a difference in the progression of a disease, how can we support healthcare providers and capitalize on those teachable moments? How can we create educational pieces that support a tone of being non-judgmental? How can we create educational support so that the disease and its progression become real, and can be avoided? How do we provide realistic expectations in integrating their therapy into their lives? Think of those “teachable moments” when the patient is ready to listen, or learn. When developing an educational piece or support pieces, think of a patient’s journey and then try and make your support pieces relevant.

photo credit: bourgeoisbee via photo pin cc

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Creative people are made, not born

Published by Bob Nasal on May 29, 2012.

There’s no such thing as a “creative type” of person. That’s the thesis of Jonah Lehrer, author of the recently published “Imagine: How Creativity Works.” In an adaptation (appearing in The Wall Street Journal, March 10-11, 2012) from that book, Lehrer says that, contrary to a lot of popular opinion, we’re not born creative. We’re not destined at birth to be divided into the creatives and the creative-nots. Instead, creativity is actually a skill, and therefore it can be nurtured and developed—by virtually anyone.

Lehrer’s conclusions are drawn from a lot of recent research. Creativity has been subjected to much scientific scrutiny in the last few decades, and Lehrer summarizes a number of studies. The results have been both provocative and surprising, and they include the identification of several distinct cognitive tools that can all fit under the “umbrella” of creativity and are often situation-specific. Lehrer also describes a number of real-life examples of creativity at work.  He then lists a number of steps we can take to enhance our creative skills. A partial list of these steps, which he describes in a little more detail, follows below:

  • Get groggy
  • Daydream away
  • Think like a child
  • Laugh it up
  • Keep it generic (not in the pharmaceutical sense)
  • Imagine that you are far away (and use outsider thinking)
  • Work outside the box (distinct from “think” outside the box)

These approaches, combined with others described in the article, constitute a rich and (mostly) practical set of tools that groups and organizations can use to develop the creative skills of their members.

Which leads me to wonder about this creative industry we work in. Can we say that our organizations are set up in creativity-friendly ways? We segregate staff members by job titles and tasks—often “these” people are defined as “creatives”—“those” people, on the other hand, are not.  Could most of us actually become more creative in our work life, given the chance and the guidance? Are we sitting on unused reservoirs of creativity that we’re not tapping into? I’m guessing that the answer is yes. And if that’s the case, what can organizations do about it? Or is this one of those areas that’s very hard for companies to get their arms around and commit to?

As for me, I haven’t thought much about developing my own creativity. My view has been, “Well, whatever creativity I have is all there is.” But now I’m curious. So I’ll start to apply some of the tools listed above (Get groggy sounds like an interesting place to start). There are always questions, issues, and problems that arise—in my department, on my team, and for me personally. I’d like to be more creative in what I do—the prospect feels exciting. After all, there’s no reason why “the creatives” should have all the fun.

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Is Organ Donation just the beginning for Facebook as a healthcare advocate?

Published by Dawn Marinacci on May 21, 2012.

Earlier this month, the announcement that Facebook was adding an organ donor feature caught media attention… and rightfully so. It feels like a big leap of faith into unchartered territory for the world’s largest social network but a move that could have a profound effect. Nearly 7,000 people in the United States die each year while waiting for an organ transplant. It is a number that Facebook hopes to lower with its vast network of 161 million members in this country. As Tyler Durbin wrote in his previous post, the feature allows users to share their decision to be an organ donor on the website, a move that Facebook hopes will create peer pressure and urge more people to add their names to the list of registered organ donors. According to Facebook, in just over 24 hours of the announcement, more than 100,000 people added the feature to their profile.

But now the obvious question is what effect will it have on the 526 million daily users around the world?

To date, the only time the subject of organ donation comes up is when you have to renew your driver’s license every few years. Facebook puts the decision out there 24/7, reaching millions of more people. The difference? According to Donate Life America, by the end of the day (of the official announcement on May 1), 6,000 people had enrolled through 22 state registries. On a normal day, those states together see less than 400 sign up.

As healthcare marketers who want to help change the lives of patients through the power of social networks, this is a big step. And it could be even bigger.

More than 114,000 Americans are currently on waiting lists for transplants of kidneys, livers, hearts and other organs, according to United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS), the organization that runs the nation’s transplant system. More than 6,600 died last year waiting for an organ.

So here’s our invitation to you, Facebook: Let’s work together to see how we can help our pharmaceutical and healthcare clients create a meaningful, enduring brand experience for the Facebook community that can help positively shape the consumerism of healthcare, and ultimately better the lives of consumers around the world.

As a healthcare communications agency, we consistently hear the same sentiments from clients, “We’ve been told we need to be there (on social networks); we know the audience is massive, but we really don’t know what the roadmap to success looks like for pharma/healthcare brands in social media.” As an industry, we need to change that mindset.

Despite waiting on solid FDA guidance for years, several pharma companies are playing in the space. But have they found the Holy Grail on how to make a meaningful, enduring impact on people’s health and wellbeing? Not yet. And maybe that’s where Facebook can step up and engage the key stakeholders who can help make a difference including pharma companies, patients, physicians and caregivers. Let’s tackle this together and instead of simply allowing Facebook users to advertise their status for such a life-changing issue, let’s be advocates for a cause.

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New Prototypes Expanding iPad Detailing Capabilities

Published by Innovative Ideas on May 15, 2012.

Written by Tyler Durbin

Remember this article in The Wall Street Journal in December 2010?

iPad Detailing

In this article, WSJ highlighted Abbott Labrotories, Medtronic, and Boston Scientific as the first major movers in the transition to using iPads in the field. The article goes on to say:

“The tablet computers offer new ways to display product information or surgical-implant techniques, and help eliminate time wasted on issues that don’t drive sales, according to companies. Their quick start-up times mean the salesmen can jump into their presentations before doctors lose interest.”

Boy how far we’ve come in just a few years! Today, detailing from an iPad is the preferred method by most pharma brands and an increasing number of physicians.

Here at GSW and inside of iQ the innovation lab of GSW, we’ve prototyped several ways to expand the capability of the iPad to become a full-arsenal of sales and workflow tools for pharma reps. Below are our 5 favorite prototypes.

We encourage you to share feedback and ideas to make these experiments reality for sales reps in the comments section.

iQ.mercury Powerful SalesForce Assistant

Powerful Salesforce Assistant introduces advances in functionality and efficiency of iQ.mercury, our preferred eDetailing platform, that boost the productivity of a brands salesforce with new integrations for pre- and post-call planning and unparalleled communication across the organization.

iQ.mercury Controller

With the iPad’s current 9.7-inch screen, detailing a physician across a desk or table can often be challenging. For instance, reading small type can be difficult, presenting upside down can be disorienting, and lack of interaction by the physician can be uninteresting.

iQ.Mercury Controller is an app that empowers sales reps to control an iPad held in the physician’s hands from their iPhone. Controller strives to provide a more ideal eDetailing experience that physicians deserve with the crucial control sales reps require.

IVA Reprint

Today, pharma pays journals to reprint articles for use in rep sales. If pharma wanted to add these eReprints to their interactive visual aids, or IVAs, most journals charge a substantial unlimited viewing fee. So we asked, “What if there was an alternative to unlimited viewing fees?”

IVA Reprints takes the guess work out of installs and views to lower costs for pharma and improve efficiency for journals.

iQ.mercury Presenter

When detailing from an iPad that is being projected onto an external display, it can be difficult and cumbersome for the presenter to operate the iPad and engage with the audience, as well. The presenter’s eyes are often focused on their iPad, speech is pointed downwards rather than outwards, and body language is directed towards their iPad rather than towards the conversation. Additionally, interactions lose their WOW factor as audience members are unable to differentiate between animations and interactions.

iQ.mercury Presenter is an enhancement that makes mirrored iPad detailing more engaging.

iQ.mercury Extender

When detailing a brand, pharma companies are required to display select important safety information, or select ISI, on particular pages. This requirement limits the real estate of the 9.7-inch screen of the iPad.

Extender works with the iPod or iPhone to display the corresponding select ISI. Unlike paper, Extender can communicate to each device to ensure that the corresponding select ISI is being displayed in conjunction with the content.

But what if the rep was to hide the iPod or iPhone in their briefcase during a detail?

As a secondary verification, Extender can be used with a branded case. This case verifies that the select ISI is in close proximity to the content by recognizing that each device has been docked. It then runs through its preliminary verification and displays the detail.

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Top ten insights from some of the world’s most innovative companies

Published by Dawn Marinacci on April 20, 2012.

We attended Fast Company’s Innovation Uncensored conference in NYC earlier this week where some of the world’s most insightful minds came together to share their experiences and best practices for how companies can succeed at innovation in a constant state of business chaos. Very inspiring to hear how business leaders are adapting to rapid change.

After listening to several interesting speakers – from the feisty and delightfully honest CEO of J. Crew, Millard Drexler, to the head of fashion mega-brand, Tory Burch – there were several common themes that theses innovators described as helping them to succeed.

As my super-skilled-at-live-blogging colleague Leigh Householder recapped every single session with great detail on www.whatsyourdigitaliq.com, I took away some of the big themes we heard:

1: Content is king and customer is the emperor. This one’s not a shocker but the fact remains that brands are finally starting to get it. It’s not about pushing the messages out that you want your customer to hear, it’s about sharing compelling information that will connect to the customer and impact their lives by adding meaning and value.

2. Most successful companies are grounded in mission, values and a core purpose. More than ever before, this message rose to the top. Leaders inspire and lead great companies based on a solid foundation of what they believe in and what they stand for. Regardless of trials and tribulations, this foundation is never compromised and is championed by everyone in the company.

3. The evolution of advertising is creating meaningful connections that changes lives. The brands who win are the brands that create a rich experience for their customers. For Gatorade, it’s no longer just about creating drinks that enhance athletic performance, it’s about what kind of service can be provided to athletes around the world that will impact every part of their athletic performance. That might mean products such as food and other nutritional items.

4. Corporate social responsibility is what makes good brands great. Brands who believe that value and purpose should go beyond the brands themselves will win. Recognizing that corporate social responsibility should be part of a brand’s foundation and vision allows customers to relate more to the brand. It lets customers know that these brands understand what’s good for the world, not just their company.

5. Failure and risk are part of the new now. Innovation by nature has unknown outcomes. The speed at which business moves today will no doubt increase the chance for error. But if companies don’t take risks and adapt to change, that in itself is failure. Encourage freedom of ideas, have trust in your people and watch what happens.

6. Don’t let process over-rule product. Traditional companies are struggling to respond in this environment. They are looking for new revenue streams to help balance the current model of selling time which inevitably brings more process into the fold. Although process and rigor are needed, it shouldn’t rule all things; delivering value to the customer should be #1. As companies get larger and more stretched with resources, this gets harder to accomplish.

7. Layers of bureaucracy hamper innovation and creativity. This is especially true for big companies. They aren’t built for speed and efficiency but instead have layers of process (see #6) that completely zaps the ability and freedom for creativity.

8. Data is the new black. The new ways data is being leveraged to manage increasing scale and speed as well as build incredible new products is flat out amazing. With the likes of Google and Facebook, marketers can cut data more than ever. And who doesn’t like good, solid numbers to reflect value or ROI?

9. Co-creation can lead to greater innovation. Companies understand that their ability to scale in this environment is more difficult than ever before. Partnerships with like-minded companies will enable greater ability for innovation and big ideas.

10. We spend too much time in meetings. Paul English, Chief Technology Officer and Cofounder, KAYAK, walks by his conference rooms with a “clicker” and if more than ten people are in the room he walks in, sits down and asks what they’re talking about. Once they tell him, he replies, “Aren’t you all smart enough to figure this out with 3 people, instead of 10?” Enough said.

*Image courtesy of http://ny.innovationuncensored.com/

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Electronic Gaming—a Tool to Improve Job Performance?

Published by Bob Nasal on April 9, 2012.

Are you a gamer? If so, you’ve got fun, new challenges, competition, stimulating scenarios, and psychic rewards at your fingertips. Add the convenience and low cost of playing and you get widespread popularity. According to The Entertainment Software Association, 53% of us from ages 18-49 play computer or video games, with about 20% more males than females participating. And according to an article in March 6 issue of The Wall Street Journal, maybe more of us should be playing. The reason? Recent research suggests benefits that go far beyond the experience of the moment.

Results from a number of studies suggest that electronic gaming can:

  • Sharpen decision making
  • Increase creativity
  • Speed thinking
  • Improve focus
  • Boost brain function
  • Enhance motor skills

Far from being the slacking-off, time-wasting activity that many perceive it to be (and which it may in fact be for some people), electronic gaming apparently has the potential to raise all of our games if we give it a chance. It’s probably no coincidence that a number of companies that are seen as “creative” have various games around their workplaces that employees can play.

Early research has shown that, similar to many other activities, computer and video games change our brains, and the combination of the required concentration and the resulting rewards seems to strengthen our neural connections. However, much remains to be learned, so this is still fertile ground for ongoing research. There is a large Canadian study underway with 150,000 participants designed to provide more-detailed understanding of how these games affect us.

At the same time, many of the studies performed so far have been relatively small, of limited duration, and conducted in tightly controlled environments. And the jury is still out with respect to possible negative consequences of many of these games. This is especially true with game violence—and the effect it may have on our brains and our behavior. Some brain scans of young men playing violent video games have shown causes for concern. There’s also a real irony in some of the data—some of the violent action games produced the strongest beneficial effects on the brain. Also, there are the always-lurking dangers of overdoing it—becoming obsessive and compulsive to an unhealthy extreme.

At any rate, the studies point to an intriguing possibility—maybe we can step up our game by stepping up our gaming. Sounds like a lot more fun than many other self-improvement techniques. And if game playing boosts our creativity and our thinking on the job—producing better results for our clients and our company—well, that’s a game where everybody wins.

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