by Next Wave Team | Jan 2, 2006 | Advertising, Everything You Want to Know About Advertising, Marketing & the Web, Retail, Web strategy
In my parents’ day, doctors didn’t advertise. They didn’t need to. If you just moved into a town, you’d ask your neighbor, the Realtor or a co-worker whom to use for a general practitioner and that was that. If you needed a specialist, the GP would refer you. This was before “Managed care” and specialists for everything. Before direct to the consumer drug ads that told us to “ask our doctor” about problems we didn’t know we had (or could have). And it was before doctors had to invest in new and expensive technology that needed to be paid for by “customers” – instead of patients.
Some doctors have adapted to the new market economy, specializing and differentiating their service, branding it and building a business that proactively positions their business in the minds of consumers so when the time comes- they are likely to get the call. Others have let their affiliated hospitals take over the responsibility of bringing patients to them through negotiated provider status with health insurance companies. What was once a class of independent entrepreneurs who sold their many years of education and considerable skill for a deserved premium have now become mere cogs in a multi-billion dollar machine called the “Health Care Industry.”
What was once a high touch service is now delivered with assembly line style treatment with interchangeable personnel.
As physicians have felt the squeeze placed on them by the insurance industry, the provider groups and of course the threat of considerable legal threats should anything go wrong, they have been forced to become businessmen first and doctors second. Some have given up on high-risk specialties, others have focused on certain profitable segments of the market- doing only elective surgeries that are paid for without the interference of insurers. Others have left the mainstream, creating boutique practices that either self-insure or are just plain old cash on delivery of services.
Some areas that seem to be getting the most attention: plastic surgery, laser hair removal, sports medicine and bariatric (weight loss) surgery.
Already one area has become a wasteland- Lasik eye surgery. With ophthalmologists advertising $299 an eye and spending hundreds of thousands to promote the low price- they have effectively barred others from entering the arena by sucking the margin out.
As someone who already has a phobia about anything touching my eyes, the idea of some low budget operation scares the living daylights out of me, but then again- I can still see without my glasses.
There have been “canned” ad campaigns available from “specialty” agencies that will provide a look and feel in a protected area for each specialization. Chiropractors have been buying into these campaigns for years. Other options include becoming part of yet another network- where ad buys are pooled across many physicians- these are mostly being coordinated by the manufacturers of specialized medical equipment. Buy our laser bone-o-scope and we will advertise for you to drive demand for the bone-o-scopopy that they didn’t know they needed.
Even though doctors are highly educated and mostly computer literate, many have opted for generic templated websites provided by companies who promise to provide a one-size-fits-all portal for their practice. While a doctor may feel good knowing that if someone comes to their practice website and wants to look up what gout is- they will get an answer- this isn’t anything that will drive people to their practice or build a relationship with the physician. It may save the doctor from having to do anything to manage “their” website- but it doesn’t do what a site can do best- which is build a relationship.
In this new day of medical marketing- the patient choices between physicians has become complex and maddening. With the ability to search online- and to access huge databases of doctors that are available through the patients insurance coverage- the question becomes who is right for me? Who can I feel comfortable with- and this is where most medical marketing solutions have gone terribly wrong. Instead of focusing on presenting the physician as a person- they’ve been relegated to bystander by these generic template sites or campaigns from the “specialists.”
To break out of the mold- and to truly reap the benefits of medical office marketing what is needed is more personal, informal one-to-one plain talk that gives the patient confidence that not only do you know your medicine, but that you have the people skills that make the difference between you and your competition.
What do you think?
by Next Wave Team | Dec 29, 2005 | Advertising, Everything You Want to Know About Advertising, Guerrilla Campaigns, Marketing & the Web, Web strategy
Mid-summer we got a call from a young, bright, PhD candidate who was looking for how to differentiate himself from his classmates when he graduates.
While most ad agencies would send most students on their way- we appreciated his gumption- and sat down to plan a strategy.
In our first bit of research we did a simple google of his name: 9800 results- all for a movie actor from the 50’s. Our first suggestion was to change your name and the second was to start a blog using WordPress- and build a site with his thoughts and ideas- to build a body of work for prospective employers to read and become acquainted with this ambitious young man. See awilum.com.
Just 4 months later, Charles Halton, biblical scholar and PhD candidate is now in the top five of the search results on google. This showcases how search engines value fresh content over static unchanging content. If your website has no active or freshly generated content, it doesn’t matter how many keywords you have, you can slip to the more agile upstart who has adopted the new force on the web.
Congratulation Charles Halton.
If you are interested in how to build your online presence, consider taking one of our blogosopher.com sessions to learn how to do the same for your business.
What do you think?
by Next Wave Team | Dec 26, 2005 | Advertising, Design, Everything You Want to Know About Advertising, Marketing & the Web, Retail
When was the last time you tasted $90 pound cake?
When I googled for “recipe for pound cake” I came up with over 2 million hits. There’s a lot of people making pound cake out there- and you could probably whip one yourself- the ingredient list isn’t exactly exotic- some eggs, flour, sugar, butter etc… nothing you can’t get together for under $10 and make more than one.
So- it just so happens that someone gave me one. Now, I don’t know what I did to deserve a $90 pound cake- so I thought I’d take it to a party to share.
And without telling anyone it was a $90 pound cake- it just sat there. I even took a slice out of it and told a few people-, which encouraged some sampling-, but when I left the party- it was still there- with only a quarter gone.
Now- I admit, when you get the $90 version normally- it’s packed in a beautiful hat box, with fresh flowers, a nice card and, most importantly the endorsement of one very big TV star who shall remain nameless. I took mine naked- minus the trappings of the packaging and the marketing hoo-haw- and hence, it was just another pound cake.
The same goes for soap. I can buy a dozen bars of that famous soap that floats for $7 at Sam’s- or I can walk into Bath & Body and pay that much for one bar. Both get me clean- just one cleans my wallet out a lot quicker. But, my friend, $7 is not yet enough for the super duper soap. Not satisfied with making a $7 bar, there are even more expensive soap places that charge more. How much more you ask? Well if the store is named after some turn of the century apothecary (a old fangled name for a pharmacy- now commonly known as a drug store) it’s $35 for that sliver of soap.
Now, not all pound cakes or soaps are equal, but there is an x-factor at work that lets someone sell something for 10x or more what a similar product goes for- and that’s called marketing, and more precisely branding.
In the days of global markets- with the ability to buy anything, anytime and compare prices- the way you differentiate your product or service has become at least 10x more important than it used to be. Building your brand, your reputation, your voice and your level of quality has to be foremost on your list.
People will buy from people they trust, who deliver products that they love (or are made to believe they love). I don’t recommend running out and buying a $90 pound cake or a $35 bar of soap, but, think about what you buy and why- and then start thinking about how your customers feel about your product and service – have you built the right persona around your business? If not, it’s time to start.
by Next Wave Team | Dec 21, 2005 | Advertising, Everything You Want to Know About Advertising, Future of TV, Marketing & the Web, Web strategy
In the Dec 20th issue of USA today, technology writer Kevin Maney predicts that “2006 could be year that CEO Jobs falls off pedestal” in his “Cyberspeak” column. He also predicts that 2006 will be the year of RSS and that cell phone cameras will actually become useful. He also thinks that Google will inspire Microsoft to become better- which is like talking about Ford inspiring buggy whip manufacturers to greatness.
More than likely, 2006 will see an even bigger decline in newspaper print runs, and the beginning of the end for USA Today with it’s bite sized info-chunks. Really- an RSS summary of a quality news paper like the New York Times delivered to your web enabled cell phone- will be more likely to pick up monetized subscribers.
As to the fall of Steve Jobs- highly unlikely. Has Pixar made a dud yet? And even if they did- they set the bar, even if it lowered, it would still beat their nearest competition. The real fear here is a new generation of budding filmmakers (Machinima) using super realistic video games to render their visuals and editing the films on their pc. They can distribute their films through bit-torrent- or maybe- the iTunes video store (another Jobs creation). Which is where Steve and company may have hit the home run that even Google will covet.
With the new Intel based Mac’s coming in ’06, Jobs could open the floodgates by allowing dual system boots- giving PC people a way to own a Mac, but still run their PC software until they can afford the sizeable expense of switching licenses from PC to Mac. Adobe and Macromedia (before it was bought by Adobe) wouldn’t allow cross-platform transfers, and Microsoft would be crazy to allow it for Office. Abandoning all PC licenses adds several thousand dollars to a purchase price of a Mac for a PC owner.
Besides the Intel switch, Jobs is still riding an iPod high with no end in sight. Even elementary school kids now want iPods, and with the cost of flash RAM decreasing, the idea of Nano’s for your iKid aren’t so far fetched.
USA today, has nothing to look forward to. There has been no brand integration with other media, it hasn’t generated credibility with any community in particular, and it certainly hasn’t introduced any revolutionary ideas.
My bets stay on Steve Jobs and company.
What do you think?
by Next Wave Team | Dec 10, 2005 | Advertising, BMW Advertising, Crispin Porter + Bogusky, Design, Everything You Want to Know About Advertising, Guerrilla Campaigns, How To Select An Ad Agency, Marketing & the Web, Retail, VW advertising, Web strategy
Of late there has been a lot of major account changes noted in the advertising press. Every move by Crispin Porter + Bogusky in Miami is documented in the same style as paparazzi chasing movie stars. What was once a relatively small agency, with small clients, who got bought by a small “network” is now becoming a BIG AGENCY with BIG CLIENTS still owned by a small network. How well agencies scale should not be measured by CP+B because it is an anomaly: it’s reputation is so huge, they are able to get the pick of talent, steam roll over clients (since they have been crowned by the media as having the Midas touch) and have adopted a “media agnostic” throw as many ideas on the wall and see what sticks approach.
In case you aren’t aware of their storied life in the fast lane, they made their first appearance on the hot shop radar with their “Truth” campaign for Florida’s anti-smoking campaign. They won a Cannes Gold Lion for their spot for IKEA where a desk lamp gets kicked to the curb- but IKEA seems to be unable to stick with an agency having parted ways with the successor agency as well (IKEA should call us), then came the dream account (only because the car is so damn cute and already branded) the new BMW Mini account. Here CP+P showed off how to get the maximum muscle out of the minimal moola to an exponential effect. Putting Mini’s on top of Ford Expeditions, putting the whole car on a billboard in a Slingshot, even the tagline “Let’s Motor” was so fitting, you couldn’t help but be enchanted with the idea of “driving satisfaction” without having it screamed at you. It was the ultimate in talking with the customer- not at the customer- and it worked. BMW sold cars, CP+B made their client manager look so good, she got hired away from BMW to fix VW- that’s making your client more money than they pay you if I ever saw it. Her reward to her friends who got her there- the VW account, a prize beyond their wildest dreams when they were working on bike helmet campaigns and local business.
So impressive was the mini campaign that success breeds success and on comes Burger King- a traditionally “difficult” client who had been through agencies and “campaigns” faster than they sell whoppers. Along came CP+B throwing new stuff at the masses faster than they could say “Yes” to the “would you like fries with that” question. The first execution was a takeoff on the British TV show “The Office” and the return of the “have it your way tag line.”
For such creative geniuses to settle on someone else’s tagline is typically unheard of- typically agencies want to make their own mark- but that takes time. CP+B was smart enough to realize that a brand in trouble needs help now, not when their creativity kicks in. The campaign was outside the norm for the industry- with double-entendre’s and un-pretty people. But, it was easier to fly the old tagline back through the barriers of corporate CYA and it bought them time- time for an agency to find a brand voice. Great campaigns don’t happen overnight. “Think Small” wasn’t the first thing Bernbach did for VW, nor was “Just do it” the first shot by Wieden + Kennedy for Nike.
Next came Dr. Angus and his big burger diet, and my personal favorite- Ugoff- the fashion designer creating a “pouch” for hot chicken and shrimp” for BK’s new salads. All of these had Internet components- something many “big” agencies still do as an afterthought. Then came the viral “Subservient Chicken” which every fast feeder now wants to copy and then the King mask- of which I won’t comment. But, this huge out burst of creative work has all been in a span of less than 2 years- totally unheard of in the ad world- and…
This is NOT how most clients get the most out of their marketing budget.
Most clients don’t have 300 million to spend. They depend on consistency of message on target. This is why an Apple ad today for the most part looks like an Apple ad of yesterday (please don’t remind me that they only have 2% of the PC market- and that if it wasn’t for the iPod the stock would still be hurting) or that Wal-Mart ads look like Wal-Mart ads. The idea is that if you can’t get enough frequency at least get repetition working for you. With small budgets like BMW motorcycles, the idea of staying on brand message is considered key. If you only have so much money, keep it consistent. This is why brands are so careful about staying in voice, on target with the right trade dress (look and feel). It is also why when you have a great tagline like “have it your way” or “the ultimate driving machine” or “just do it” it never goes out of style.
So- the question we posed at the beginning is do you have the right agency? No matter what you spend, your agency will tell you it’s not enough (except our agency) because their compensation is probably tied back to media billings – the stupidest way to pay an agency ever devised. The second question is, does your brand voice do what it’s supposed to (differentiate you from your competition and connect you like no other to your market)? Lastly, is your agency looking at every avenue they can to make you highly visible to your target market through every channel possible- including the Internet, guerrilla advertising, PR and your trade dress down to the way your stores look, your salespeople communicate and your company ethics? If not, you aren’t using the right agency- or getting the right return on your dollar. There is more to this- but it could be a whole book. You can call us to discuss how you can build your business using these ideas. One of the first things we’ll do is ask to look at your website statistics- and analyze where your customers are coming from. When was the last time your agency did that?
What do you think?
by Next Wave Team | Dec 5, 2005 | Advertising, Design, Everything You Want to Know About Advertising, Guerrilla Campaigns, Marketing & the Web, Web strategy
Today- a good friend called me and asked me to take a line of commentary off my list of ad agencies in Dayton because I was hurting someone’s feelings- a “good guy”- who took what I said about his agency “website” personally. There was nothing personal about it- it was purely a professional warning that what someone clicking on the link expecting something professional, was going to find something, well, plain and simple, terrible.
It’s not a site- it’s an “under construction” Flash animation- something that obviously took some time, and a bit of thought. I’ve never understood “under construction” sites- either put up something real, or don’t do it at all. The thing about this “site” is that it’s been this way for at least five years- and the punch line is “Butt check back soon” with an animated construction worker showing his backside.
We take what we do here pretty seriously- advertising isn’t something for the meek, the scared or the gutless- it’s about working hard- taking calculated risks and figuring out how to work smarter instead of harder, and- it’s competitive- very competitive.
So, when the call came from my friend- and he asked me what I was doing- I told him: I’m probably driving more traffic to this guys site than he could have gotten any other way, and that I was hoping this might get him to actually put a real site up, one that wouldn’t be an embarrassment to the profession that I love. My friend said that I wasn’t being nice, wasn’t being fair- and that I’d attacked someone personally (to me, a personal attack is when I say “you’re ugly and your mother dresses you funny”). So, I’ve relented and removed the comment- the link is still there for you to find, but it’s up to you.
It’s been said that “good advertising will kill a bad product faster than bad advertising will kill a good product” and this site should have killed this agency long ago- except no one could find it since it was all in Flash- which doesn’t index in Google worth a spit unless the coders really work hard to tag everything. Our list of agencies in Dayton was probably the only way anyone would find it- and, to be honest, we’ve had that comment up for over a year before this guy figured it out.
He can blame me for pointing out how bad his site is- or he can fix it.
He could even come take our Blogosopher seminar and learn how all this stuff works, so he doesn’t have to have an embarrassing site.
Or- he could say, thanks, because like it or not, that little line of text- “this could possibly be the worst ad agency site ever” probably got him more hits than he deserved.
What do you think?
And- if you are wondering why I don’t link to the site- well, I’m being “nice”- you can either start at the top of the list and start clicking- or write me an e-mail and I’ll tell you which one it is.
Note: 21 Dec 2005- the offendsive Flash annimation is now history- so we’ve done our part to improve the world for the moment.
