Posts Tagged ‘Digital Strategy’

The “Gamification” of Healthcare

With the diminishing mind share of traditional media among consumers, advertisers are constantly seeking new and innovative ways to reach them with their message. So where have all the consumers gone? How are they spending their free time? The answer might surprise you.

Interactive games keep people fit through healthy competition.

An estimated 72% of all Americans play video games

Today, gaming has surpassed Hollywood as the largest entertainment industry in the world. This meteoric rise in online and console-based video game popularity has become the new Promised Land among marketers.

The trick, it seems, is to create an engaging game that educates while it entertains. Instead of defeating aliens or rescuing the princess, players spend countless hours working toward intangible goals dictated by marketers. This process is known in the industry as “gamification.” Continue reading »

Creative Ways to Integrate Social Media into Traditional Ad Campaigns

BC/BS Minnesota hit the social media jackpot with The Human Doing campaign.

To let your audience know you understand and appreciate social media requires more than just adding unique URLs or Facebook and YouTube icons to your print and broadcast. It’s really more about encouraging users to go online and participate in conversations.

So, how do we really integrate social media into traditional healthcare campaigns so that the two can work together in building your brand?

Check out these innovative examples of how companies have integrated social media into their traditional campaigns. Continue reading »

Does This Look Infected? Self-Diagnosis for iPhone and iPad

Smartphones and tablets are fast becoming our go-to utilities for the many needs of modern life. ePatient activities are now joining eCommerce, banking, location-based services and entertainment as common smartphone and tablet applications. Let’s look at some of the leading self-diagnosis apps for the iPhone- or iPad-enabled ePatient.

iTriage – Free

iTriage was created by emergency room physicians to help people figure out what they might have and where they might be able to go to treat it. While I’m sure it is the bane of many an actual physician, it’s perfect for the curious hypochondriac. With iTriage, you can check symptoms, look up diseases and procedures, track all of your medical info and even look for physicians close to your current location. Continue reading »

Google Grows Digital Ad Share in New Categories

News Flash: Google is huge! Okay, so maybe that isn’t so much a news flash, but the fact that Google continues to grow is definitely something that remains top of mind for advertisers.

In the week of May 23, 2011, it was announced that Google surpassed Yahoo! in digital display advertising after Yahoo!’s 16-year stint on top.¹ IDC’s latest “Worldwide and U.S. Internet Advertising Report” stated that “Google’s net U.S. display advertising revenue share grew to 14.7% in 1Q11 from 13.3% in 4Q10, while Yahoo!’s declined from 13.6% to 12.3%.”² Continue reading »

More Ways to Reach Physicians Online

Doctors dig digital. In a recent article published by the New York Times entitled The Rise of Desktop Medicine, Dr. Pauline W. Chen says she and fellow colleagues are finding themselves in front of their computers more than at their patient’s bedside.

Computers offer what a doctor’s “clinical acumen” may not — syntheses of clinical findings and measurements, complex statistical models and risk factor calculations. According to Dr. Chen, using these tools to help treat patients has taken healthcare from traditional, bedside medicine to desktop medicine.

HCB Health’s own Anne Pratt recently told us of the current mobile boom and its expected growth in coming years. Just as they do desktop medicine, physicians rely on smartphones to help care for their patients, with an estimated 81% of physicians using smartphones in their clinical lives. Continue reading »

Mobile Payments Create Opportunities for U.S. Entrepreneurs

On May 26, Google introduced Google Wallet. On May 23, Square introduced Card Case. Mobile payments seem to be on the up and up, but who cares? Obviously major retailers like Macy’s. But why should you, as a healthcare professional, care?

First, let’s take a quick look at how mobile payments work. Then, we’ll talk about potential. Continue reading »

What Do Consumers Want from a Health Plan Website?

As advertisers, our job is to put ourselves in the minds of consumers and make educated assumptions about how they gather information and make purchasing decisions. In the age of online information, this task is more complex than it’s ever been.

With healthcare reform and Insurance Exchanges set to go into effect in 2014, health insurance marketers are charged with one crucial question: What can I do to provide more value?

The answer? Put your website in line with consumer needs. Continue reading »

Modern Advertisers Invest in Mobile

In a world and industry that are ever-changing, it’s difficult to stay current. You can build a media plan in November for a January launch and by Q2 there might be a whole new technology available that will make your plan outdated. You can rely on trends and prediction reports, but at the end of the day, they are just one person’s opinion versus another’s.

“Time Spent” Research Predicts Mobile Ad Increases

It is typical that consumer time spent with media will help determine an advertiser’s media mix. A recent eMarketer report stated that while 8.1% of US adults’ time spent throughout the day is on their mobile device, only 0.5% of all US ad budgets are supporting mobile ads. Continue reading »