Small Talk

June 28, 2011 »

Eat Those Cookies

Our 2-year old son Oliver loves cookies.  These tasty treats have become a daily request from him.  My wife and I usually give in to these demands, and do our best to provide the cookie as a reward for his good behavior.  This is standard parenting 101. 

Oliver actually learned about cookies from getting his haircut.  At the end of those traumatic experiences, the woman who cuts his hair gives him a little bag of cookies to make it worth his while to come back the next time.  And that little trick works wonders.

In fact, this morning, Oliver proactively told me that he wants to get his haircut.  I had to laugh.  This wasn’t about grooming or improving his style; it was about the cookies, of course.  But chances are, he’d prefer to skip the cut and go right for the treat.  Who wouldn’t?

I think consumer marketers have a similar mentality.  They want the cookies, and they want them right now.  A lack of planning, a sense of urgency, financial pressures from management - these factors can all contribute to that frenetic rush for a short-term solution, a quick fix, to make a market impact. 

From our perspective, the “cookies” for pharma marketers are engaged consumers who love their brand… who take their medication as prescribed, and who refill those prescriptions each month… who spread the word to others because the product has made such an impact in their lives… and who rave about the customer support they get from the manufacturer who treats them as an individual patient (not as a “customer target” that fits nicely into a demographic segment).

These outcomes are all quite possible.  But it takes time and effort and commitment from marketers who believe in the potential that can come from a dedicated focus on customer engagement.  Yes, it can be difficult to move beyond the MLR hurdles and the complexities of doing something new and different.  But the result will be the creation of a tribe of customers who love your brand, and who will reward you with their loyalty. 

My friend Geno Church recently said, “Marketers don’t determine what people talk about. People decide what they want to share.”

So take the time now to engage your customers.  And before you know it, they’ll be spreading the word for you.

And for a marketer, that is the equivalent of having a bottomless bag of cookies.

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