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Archive for May, 2010
Profiles in Cool – “Doing the Things I Love”
By Paul Dumouchelle, Management Consultant, ADVISA
Neal Roberts’ eyes light up when he advocates for more bicycle riding. He speaks from the heart when he describes how “micro-entrepreneurs” are creating new economic momentum in Central Ohio. What is cool in his life today is the way he has integrated these two passions, his professional skills and personal life into a balanced whole.
The SIG Chronicles, III – My First Healthcare SIG Event
By Paul Dumouchelle, Management Consultant, ADVISA
Earlier in “The SIG Chronicles” I described how I got involved in the Columbus AMA and wound up chairing the Healthcare SIG. This edition records my impressions upon attending my first-ever Healthcare SIG event.
Part of the fun in taking on any new challenge is the little bit of thrill one gets in experiencing the unknown. Admittedly, the thrill of finding an office in the predawn darkness of Powell, Ohio, on March 25, 2010 isn’t going to rank high on anyone’s list of lifetime memories, but, first impressions do stick with you for awhile. So as I pulled into this new (to me) parking lot it was good to see other marketing professionals arrive at 7 in the morning in preparation for our program that day.
The presentation, “The Day Marketing Saved a Life” by Laura McCoy, VP of Marketing and Communications for OhioHealth, was quite excellent. It focused on a comprehensive OhioHealth marketing campaign whose crowning achievement was the video advertisement of their patient from Ireland who had some vascular surgery on his leg which avoided possible amputation.
The line that stuck with me the first time I saw the ad – and in Laura’s presentation I learned was the result of almost two complete days of filming in Ireland with the patient – went along the lines of “Doctor’s told me I might lose my leg, which was really bad news because I wasn’t done using it.”
Like most creative breakthroughs, that line came about because of outstanding marketing work in framing the strategy and pursuing stellar execution.
What I also spent time doing that day, though, was paying attention to the logistics and teamwork necessary to pull the event off. The registration table at the event is the culmination of advance work involving a web communication team and event administrator, plus leadership coordination of materials and site requirements, plus volunteer commitments to pull the whole thing together at the event itself. Refreshments involve leadership preparation, planning and finally execution in getting up early enough to have stuff ready at the site by 7AM – no mean feat.
Laura’s involvement and presentation, I learned, was the result of months of pre-planning and content preparation. To the casual attendee all this advance work is not visible – all you see is a smooth-running program and thought-provoking communication in an environment conducive to networking with other Central Ohio marketing professionals.
Next in “The SIG Chronicles” – “Planning the Work”
About “The SIG Chronicles:” This blog series records Paul Dumouchelle’s experiences, impressions and insights gained as Chair of the Healthcare Marketing Special Interest Group for the Columbus branch of the American Marketing Association.
The SIG Chronicles, II – What Did I Get Myself Into?
By Paul Dumouchelle, Management Consultant, ADVISA
Earlier in “The SIG Chronicles” I described how I got involved in the Columbus AMA and wound up chairing the Healthcare SIG. This edition describes some of my fears and doubts as I embarked on that adventure.
When the VP of SIGs asked me whether I’d be willing to chair the Healthcare SIG I responded positively. After all, I was looking for an opportunity to deepen my involvement in the Columbus AMA and, I suppose, I have a bit of an altruistic streak. Probably, P.T. Barnum would have called me a “sucker.”
There are three primary sources of the second thoughts I had after making this commitment – prior volunteer experiences, lack of SIG experience and the “job” requirements.
Being of an altruistic bent I’ve volunteered for many things over the years. I would call some of those experiences successes, some, well, not so much.
One of the worst ones was the impulse that led me to become President of my Junior Class at Gabriel Richard High School in Downriver Detroit. The impulse to run for Class President originated in anger – when I saw the Sophomore Class President expend student funds to purchase flowers for the teachers, well, this was too much for my teen-rebel soul. My “No Flowers for Teachers” platform was a winner, and led to a real rabble-rousing speech before the class assembly, but I now realize this was a pretty crummy leadership proposition.
On the opposite end of the success spectrum is my record working to preserve, protect and restore the Darby Creek watershed in Central Ohio. Much of this work has been as a volunteer leader in the Darby Creek Association. The high point was leading two petition drives in the City of Columbus that lead to a development moratorium and establishment of the Big Darby Accord to oversee new initiatives in environmentally benign development in Western Franklin County. My role led to an “Ohioan of the Year” award from the Cleveland Plain Dealer.
As for my lack of SIG experience, all I had done was attend a couple of the events. I really had no idea what the behind the scenes work involved. Finally, when I asked, I was given a 21 page SIG Handbook with all the details – which are actually fairly daunting.
I’m not overly worried about being able to fulfill my role as the Chair for the SIG. I did spend sleepless nights stressing about the overwhelming work involved with the Darby petition campaigns. In the end, my time commitment to that volunteer effort proved unsustainable once those campaigns were won. I learned, though, that when you lead a volunteer effort you have to go “all in” to make it a success. Chairing a SIG doesn’t look like it will prove impossible – at least right now it doesn’t.
Next in “The SIG Chronicles” – “My First Healthcare SIG Event”
About “The SIG Chronicles:” This blog series records Paul Dumouchelle’s experiences, impressions and insights gained as Chair of the Healthcare Marketing Special Interest Group for the Columbus branch of the American Marketing Association.
The SIG Chronicles – What’s a SIG, Anyway, & How Did I Wind Up Chairing One?
By Paul Dumouchelle, Management Consultant, ADVISA
“The SIG Chronicles” blog series records my experiences, impressions and insights gained as Chair of the Healthcare Marketing Special Interest Group for the Columbus branch of the American Marketing Association.
In 2009 I ramped up my presence on LinkedIn, probably an indicator this technology had peaked since I tend to be a laggard when it comes to technology adoption. Using LinkedIn as a networking tool I noticed something called a “SIG” on Social Media was being organized by Sandy Blanquera and held at the Dublin Entrepreneurial Center (DEC). Since I’d met Sandy before, social media was of interest to me and the DEC is only 10 minutes from my home I decided to check out this thing called a “SIG.” It turned out to be an interesting gathering where I learned some tips on social media use and got a couple business leads. I also had to shell out $15 since I wasn’t a member of the American Marketing Association at the time (members pay $5).
This experience caused me to evaluate AMA membership and led to my joining the organization – that $10 discount on a SIG is SO COOL! My current work has to do more with general management initiatives rather than purely marketing but my early career was in brand management and I’ve always loved the creative challenge marketing represents.
The next time a SIG caught my eye it was for the Internet/eCommerce group – this time it was a panel discussion held at Mills James. At this point I decided to figure out what “SIG” stood for and invested the time into the two or three mouse clicks it took to learn it meant “Special Interest Group.” A curious name, since in politics a “special interest group” is just about everyone’s bogeyman, regardless of political ideology – no wonder SIG is always used, instead. This time I got to enjoy the special privilege of the members-only $5 entrance fee and the event was even more stimulating than my earlier experience.
After these positive SIG exposures I decided to investigate joining one of the committees that runs these programs. I saw there was an opening on the Internet/eCommerce group and “technology laggard” though I may be, I had run the consumer division of CheckFree and managed the launch of the first-ever web-based billpay product, so I had some credentials in this marketplace. Speaking with the VP in charge of SIGs I offered my services and he advised the Internet/eCommerce opening was filled but they did need someone to Chair the Healthcare SIG, was I interested in that?
Next in “The SIG Chronicles” – “What Did I Get Myself Into?”
