Posts Tagged ‘Research’

Brand Research Debate: To Validate or Not to Validate?

A client recently approached us seeking advice on validation research for his brand and the importance of testing. He wanted our opinion on the following:

How important is testing the positioning/messaging and eventual creative concepts among my key targets? What are the risks if I decide not to validate?

As a Senior Account Executive at HCB Health, this is a question I hear fairly often from clients. Some of our clients won’t make a move without testing, while others see it as a luxury if they have the time and budget. This specific client request really got my wheels spinning. Not necessarily about the risks of not testing, but more about the considerations to keep in mind when deciding if validation research is right for your brand. Continue reading »

iPhone Leads Mobile Advertising Push

Last April, we reported on the rise of mobile ad spending. Since then, new data on mobile ad spend has put the iPhone’s iOS operating system at the top of mobile ad venues.

87% of agencies surveyed recommend driving ads to the iPhone according to STRATA

Media buying solutions provider STRATA conducted a survey of ad agencies, finding that 87% recommend driving ads to the iPhone, compared with 62% recommending Android.

These results are interesting, considering that Android accounts for 56% of smartphone share while iPhone racks up only 28%. Let’s see why agencies are recommending iPhone. Continue reading »

Ford Brings Healthcare on the Road

Ford is giving the modern car a healthy spin. They recently announced the addition of health and wellness in-car connectivity solutions via the existing Ford SYNC system. Ford has teamed up with WellDoc, Medtronic and SDI Health in order to give consumers a well rounded technology that will help drivers and passengers keep up with their health while on the road.

Ford SYNC uses speech-to-text interactions to provide in-the-moment messages. It has the ability to monitor a diabetic’s glucose levels, monitor other chronic illnesses, detect unhealthy air conditions and offer wellness advice. The use cases are eye-opening. According to Auto Evolution: Continue reading »

How to Analyze the Success of a Media Campaign

When it comes to media buys, “how do we measure campaign success?” is the million-dollar question. It’s also a fair question, considering that media campaigns represent the bulk of a client’s marketing budget. These days, there’s a critical need to demonstrate return on investment.

My response is always the same: We measure and analyze the key metrics that matter the most to each client. We need to understand how our client defines success before we can even think about analyzing it: Continue reading »

Foie Gras and Femtosecond Lasers: Client Immersion at ESCRS Paris

I recently had the opportunity to fly to Paris for the annual European Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons (ESCRS) conference. The juxtaposition of the majestic “City of Lights” with a conference about eye surgery — the thought of which makes most squeamish — didn’t seem so strange to me. In fact, it reminded me why immersion is such an important aspect of being a successful healthcare marketer.

Account Director Amy Smith and CMO Nancy Beesley enjoy the good life in Paris.

Paris and the Perks of Account Service
Before we talk about immersion, let’s talk about Account Service. Our job is rarely glamorized. We manage the fine details of complex projects, which isn’t exactly riveting. We have to worry about invoicing and purchase orders (boring). We handle a lot of the heavy work: We break bad news to clients (if there is any) and take the licks if the work isn’t great.

But Account Service people do get perks. Our job has the allure of travel (A trip to France?! Sign me up!), and the pleasure of problem-solving: Strategy is what we do best, and it offers pleasures all its own.

The perks were on full display during our trip to Paris. These included (in no particular order): Continue reading »

Over Half Of Companies Are Using Social Media With No Strategy

As we at HC&B Healthcare Communications expand our social media presence, this recent study from Digital Brand Expressions is especially pertinent. According to the study, 78% of corporate respondents are using social media, but only 41% say they have a strategy for guiding such activity.

While it’s comforting that many companies realize social media is a resource that must be utilized, the lack of strategy is troubling (though not too surprising). Continue reading »