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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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When it comes down to it, word of mouth marketing influences the vast majority of our day-to-day decisions.
Think about it. Why did you decide to go out to eat at that new place in the next town over last week? Chances are someone you know suggested it, or perhaps you went to Yelp and read a few glowing reviews by people with your similar tastes. That same logic holds true for the last place you went on vacation, how you chose your interior decorator, and where you decided to send your kids to summer camp.
Welcome to the fast lane of the Digital Age! We’re all currently involved in the most advanced collection, sharing and application of data and information that this civilization has ever seen.
These are heady times, ripe for innovation ...
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Today is World Diabetes Day and November is Diabetes Awareness Month, and we want to do our part to raise awareness for this epidemic.
Would it surprise you to learn that 1 in 13 people on this planet suffer from diabetes? It certainly shocked me to learn that statistic. And unfortunately, the outlook is even worse. It is predicted that 1 in 10 people - over 500 million adults!! - will have diabetes by the year 2030. What’s worse, most cases of diabetes are Type 2, the kind that mainly hits people in middle age, and is linked to weight gain and a sedentary lifestyle, not hereditary factors that aren’t preventable.
At HealthTalker, we believe in the value of conversations about health as a way to increase the understanding and awareness ...
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On a recent trip to California, I was researching about the power of a movement, and found this great video on YouTube. I remember seeing it for the first time a couple of years ago, but watched it with a new lens last week. The video shows a young man, dancing by himself at a festival with blithe disregard for anything else around him. Curious onlookers took note, and in time, the first brave soul decided to join the original dancer and participate alongside him. Then there were three, four, ten, twenty .... and before long, the entire crowd started to dance with the first set of followers. They were all joining the movement. They were apart of something bigger than themselves. And they felt good about what they were doing. It’s ...
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Sunday marked the 10th anniversary of a day that forever changed our lives. I was very proud to be joined by a co-worker and three friends as we rode our bikes for 25 miles for a great organization called Beyond the 11th. Team HealthTalker contributed more than $5,000 to show our support.
My sister-in-law, Susan Retik-Ger, founded the organization in 2003 and sparked a new movement to change the way people think. Rather than focusing on the differences, Susan emphasizes the importance of focusing on the similarities - people are people, and we are all interconnected. She deserves all the credit in the world for what she has accomplished, turning hatred into optimism, sorrow into positivity, and hopelessness into prosperity.
As I ...
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This evening, the news broke that Steve Jobs is stepping down from his position as CEO of Apple. In a classy move, Steve sent a letter to the Apple board of directors - and to the Apple community at large - and communicated the news, saying “unfortunately, that day has come.”
I think we can learn a lot from Jobs, and what he has accomplished during his tenure at Apple:
- He built the world’s most valuable technology company through strong leadership, creativity and innovation. In late July 2011, his company had even more cash than the U.S. Government!
- He attracted employees, he impressed investors, and he thrilled his fans.
- He transformed the way people view Apple: it was once just a computer company; he evolved it into a company that ...
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Observations, commentary and perspectives on word of mouth, life in a start-up, and the challenges of the pharma industry.
