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This weekend marked the 100th anniversary of Fenway Park, home to the Boston Red Sox and considered America’s Favorite Ballpark. The fact that The Titanic sank within just five days of the park’s opening a century ago has not been lost on many Sox fans, though we try not to think about that close association with disaster.
Unfortunately for us here in Boston, things haven’t started off so well for Red Sox Nation. The local nine dropped five of the first six games they’ve played this season, their clubhouse is full of new faces and absent strong leadership, and team ownership is under scrutiny.
In fact, things have become so bad that the strength and loyalty of the Red Sox rabid fan base has come into question as the team’s ...
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Every year on April 1st, tricksters revel in their annual opportunity to play jokes on other people. In fact, just this morning, I told my wife that I was ready to get a vasectomy (even though we’ve had plenty of conversations about having a third child someday). The surprise on her face when I mentioned this - and the laughter that ensued when I answered her question of “Why are you telling me this now?” - was priceless.
From a business perspective, the influential nature of word of mouth conversations is nothing to laugh at. For years, I’ve been following the good work of Ed Keller and Brad Fay, co-founders of the The Keller-Fay Group who provides research insights into word of mouth dynamics. Next month, their new book, The ...
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Everyone should be back at their desks now after thousands of lucky folks escaped to Austin for this year’s annual South by Southwest conference. Over the last 25 years, SXSW has defined itself as the event of the year for those in the music, film and (recently) interactive industries. What began as a small gathering of 700 back in 1987 has now swelled to over 25,000 attendees with every major corporate sponsor you can think of on-site. Over 1.3 million posts and countless discussions (great infographic!) filled the social airwaves about food, music, big events and local news.
SXSW provides an amazing forum for bands, film makers and artists to come together to showcase their work. From what I can tell, there appears to be an ...
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Today, February 20th, 2012 marks the 5th year anniversary since I started HealthTalker, and I think it warrants a moment of reflection on what I’ve learned along the way.
I remember sitting at a Starbucks in January of 2007, reading Guy Kawasaki’s Art of The Start, at the recommendation of a good friend. Guy is a big fan of Top Ten lists, so in homage to him and his brilliance, I’ll offer up my own Top Ten List of the insights I’ve gained on the journey thus far.
1. Things will take longer than you originally expect. When I wrote my first business plan, I assumed a certain level of market penetration over the first three years, supported by a requisite amount of support staff; I’m sure I was off by a factor of three. When estimating how ...
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In the digital era, the phrase “content is king” has been a guiding principle for web developers. But now more than ever, in a world of declining trust and increased skepticism, it is context that is growing in its importance.
As an example, recent news reports confirm that Matt Lauer, the iconic co-host of NBC’s The Today Show, is asking for a substantial increase in pay to motivate him to remain on the morning news show. While his $17 million a year salary seems like a king’s ransom to most, Matt wants upwards of $30 million each year or else he’ll seek alternative employment.
Why would NBC even entertain such a request? Because we trust what Matt says, and the network execs know that we have developed a relationship with him over ...
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For pharma marketers, 2012 needs to be the year when they figure out how to stimulate positive conversation about their brand, both online and offline. The recent FDA Draft Guidelines didn’t provide much to go on, but at least it’s a start - and perhaps can offer some level of ammunition for marketers to educate their MLR teams on where the lines really are.
I can hear pharma marketers now, ringing their hands in frustration, expressing annoyance about their perceived inability to engage with consumers in a more authentic and compelling fashion. Some might even be wishing they could run an ad this weekend during the Super Bowl and all of their problems would be solved.
Think again. And take note of two really important findings ...
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I was honored to be contacted recently by the good folks at WOMMA to solicit my perspective on the draft guidelines issued by the FDA last month. For those of you not familiar with WOMMA, it is the premier non-profit organization dedicated to advancing and advocating the discipline of credible word of mouth marketing, founded in 2004 by my friends Jonathan Carson, Dave Balter and Pete Blackshaw. WOMMA represents more than 350 member companies including brands, marketers, researchers, service providers, agencies, non-profits, and academic institutions - and the pharma sector is beginning to take note, more and more each year.
This blog post was featured in today’s WOMMA’s newsletter that goes out to its membership. Enjoy.
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Many people ...
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As the value of social marketing begins to mature in our industry and companies get more comfortable with the incorporation of social media channels into their business, questions still persist about the right way to utilize all that these social tools have to offer.
Today, two studies were released that provide somewhat conflicting messages about the role of social marketing, and are well worth a review.
The first study, featured by eMarketer, challenges the widely-held belief that consumers mention and learn about brands through Facebook and Twitter. In fact, only 42% mention brands in their updates on these channels, perhaps much to the chagrin of brand managers who are hoping for influential digitally savvy consumers to spread the ...
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It’s the first week of January, and that means that it’s time for all of our new year’s resolutions to take hold. Most of us focus on getting into shape and losing some of that extra holiday weight. In fact, gym membership enrollments hit their annual peak over the next three weeks. Weight Watchers and Jenny Craig increase their media buys in the first quarter to tap into this human desire to lose weight and be around to enjoy all that life has to offer. Marketers add to the weight loss craze with plenty of get-rich-quick schemes as people want to believe that “this will be the year” to achieve their financial independence.
For me, like many others, I’m hoping to stay in shape and feel a bit younger. In fact, I just bought the ...
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As we enter the last few days of the holiday shopping bonanza, stores in the area are swamped with last-minute buyers who are desperate to find that perfect gift. And while these crowds should give most store owners a sense of satisfaction, the registers might not be ringing in direct proportion to the crowd volume.
A recent article in the Boston Globe highlighted the influence of various smart phone apps on shoppers’ behavior. Price transparency coupled with incredibly intelligent software have empowered consumers to browse their local stores and then use their iPhone or Android to find that same item elsewhere - either at another nearby store, or from any number of online merchants.
This new era of shopping behavior represents ...
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Observations, commentary and perspectives on word of mouth, life in a start-up, and the challenges of the pharma industry.
