Small Talk

May 27, 2010 »

A Not So Windy City!

In a recent blog post on Small Talk, I mentioned that I was attending WOMMA’s School of WOM in Chicago this past week. 

I had big expectations for my trip and the conference. I wasn’t let down! However, note to self, check out weather.com before you leave for 90-degree heat with a suitcase full of winter clothes.

HealthTalker was among a small number of companies representing the pharma space. From the expression on the faces of the other attendees that I told about our pharma WOM platform, it was clear that education in this space will rely heavily on how much we as professors can teach! WOM doesn’t just live on consumer packages, it exists in every industry!

There were plenty of conference highlights including: 

• The opening keynote from Kodak’s exiting CMO, Jeffrey Hayzlett, who detailed the 4 E’s (Engage, Educate, Excite & Evangelize). He also noted that conversations will happen whether you like it or not, and when it comes to WOM, what is the ROI on engagement, versus the return on ignoring?”

• Pete Blackshaw and John Stieger from P&G and Nielsen gave an interesting presentation on understanding customer relations, how to nail the basics, and the differences between loyalty & advocacy. 

• Jeanette Bliss and Dan Heath provided great insights into the business and marketing of everyday items, and how this translates into larger spheres. Bliss used the example of a cup, and spoke to the notion that when people are designing a simple product, they often forget about the actual consumer. She questioned, “Do you walk in your customers shoes?  Do you understand them?”

• Rob Morris, co-founder of Love146 played to the crowd’s emotions in his keynote, telling us what prompted the start of this organization, which is devoted to the abolition of child sex slavery and exploitation. He noted that people need to take their good intentions and turn them into action. He used the term “Slacktivist,” a trait of which I am definitely guilty. 

Topping the conference off was a hilarious keynote from Groupon CEO, Andrew Mason and an awesome presentation from Google, where Jim Lecinski discussed his four quadrants of WOM; I was one happy customer! 

What set this conference apart from others I’ve attended was the social connectivity. Everyone was tweeting, logging into foursquare as we are supposed to do, and networking like good WOM professionals. I met some great people on this trip and hope to connect with each person again. Staying in touch with people is tough, only if you want it to be.  There are myriad connectivity tools like twitter and LinkedIn - and don’t forget your trusted Rolodex!

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