Title: February Big Game Ad Review Luncheon Location: BOMA Link out: Click here Description: Each year, the finest marketing minds in central Ohio converge to review, rate, discuss and laugh at the best and worst commercials from the one big game (that we shall not mention for fear of legal action.) It’s the biggest TV ad day of the year and we promise the commentary and company will be worth the price of admission!
This must-attend luncheon will be moderated by the incomparable Artie Isaac and will feature a panel of industry experts, so come see what the greatest advertising minds have in store for us this year! Start Time: 11:30 Date: 2010-02-09 End Time: 13:00
Chelsea Hamilton, the Field Marketing Communications/PR Manager for Bob Evans, spoke at the Columbus AMA January Luncheon at BoMA held on January 14. The title of her talk was “Digital Marketing Down on the Farm.”
Bob Evans Restaurants core customers are 65+ and it’s “down on the farm” feel doesn’t give it a modern vibe at all. But they’ve embraced the 21st century and are using digital marketing to make it all happen. Chelsea talked about how Bob Evans has gone digital without losing its core values. In fact, its authenticity provides a strong base from which to launch communications using social media. They really want people to get to know the company and digital media speaks to alot of people who are new to Bob Evans. Using social media allows a level of engagement that communicates the qualities of the brand very effectively.
The Columbus AMA’s Community Relations Committee is dedicated to helping non-profit organizations developing winning marketing strategies. If you need our assistance, please contact us for an interview at: communityrelations@columbusama.org.
Fear has played a major role in the current recession and affected many industries. The healthcare industry is not immune to reacting to fear, especially Fortune 500 company, Abbott Nutrition. Columbus AMA President, Nick Iannitto, spoke with Kevin Garleb, Director of the Abbott Nutrition Health Institute at the Columbus AMA November luncheon about how fear plays into marketing health marketing products. What do you think? We’d love to know.
Do you think the biosciences market holds no opportunity for your company’s products or services? You might be surprised.
From the 2008 Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO)-sponsored Battelle Memorial Institute Report, biosciences comprise agricultural feedstock & chemicals, pharmaceuticals, medical devices & equipment and research, testing & medical laboratories. In 2006, employment stood at 1.3 million with the total employment impact of the biosciences sector reaching 7.5 million jobs. Further, these data demonstrated the biosciences sector still outperforms the total private sector in terms of employment (5.7% biosciences employment vs 3.1%.)
BIO reports that publicly traded biotechnology companies’ total value reached $360 billion as of late April 2008 and those companies spent $27.1 billion on research & development in 2006.
Think you need a scientific background to target this market for your goods or services?
You might be surprised. For example, do you sell packaging? Cardboard boxes? Dry ice? Is your business overnight shipping?
Biotechnology laboratories receive near-daily overnight shipments of reagents, consumables, etc. in cardboard boxes with much of their orders packed in dry ice.
With all of those scientists unpacking their orders, there are plenty of co-marketing opportunities.
Further, the scientists themselves are worth closer examination. Again from the Battelle report, the biosciences sector pays their workers an average annual salary of $71,000 compared to the private sector’s $42,000 annual salary.
These workers tend to be highly skilled residents of larger metropolitan areas, often on the east and west coasts of the country.
From a general marketing perspective, the biosciences sector may seem off the beaten path but opportunities exist for the savvy marketing professional.
Wish you could read the minds of your latest market research participants?
Some of the latest research into the human mind may allow you to do just that. By combining brain scans with pattern-detection software neuroscientists now have a window into the human brain.
Called neural decoding, over the last several years, researchers have been able to use patterns in brain activity to successfully predict what pictures subjects are viewing, their location in a virtual environment and what decisions they are poised to make. At the recent Society of Neuroscience meeting in Chicago, scientists Jack Gallant and Shinji Nishimoto demonstrated that they could recreate moving images that volunteers were viewing and make guesses to what they were remembering.
How does neural decoding work? In Gallant and Nishimoto’s research, they mapped different patterns of activity in the visual cortex through brain scanning in study participants while they watched movies. A computer program then mapped different visual aspects of movies, such as shape, color, and movement. The program was fed more than 200 days worth of YouTube video clips to help program predictions for brain activity that each clip would produce in a viewer. When the participants then watched another movie while being scanned, the computer picked YouTube clips it predicted would create similar brain activity (as what was being recorded by participants) and merged these clips. The result: crude, blurry footage of a movie that the person was actually watching.
Other researches presented data showing that neural decoding could be used to read memories, future decisions and even to diagnose eating disorders. In research done by John-Dylan Haynes and colleague Ida Momennejad, they were able to use brain scans to predict intentions in subjects planning and performing simple tasks. While other researcher could predict which nouns, for example ‘celery’ or ‘airplane’, a subject was thinking.
Of course technology that could give such intimate details into information that you only you are thinking and could know is raising ethical concerns. Of specific concern is that advertisers, the government, or our employers might exploit this technology. Fortunately, neural decoding is currently limited in its abilities and applications. It only works if someone’s brain has already been scanned multiple times under very specific and controlled circumstances. However, if practical implications become more than just a figment of our imaginations – or brain activitiy – the ethical concerns should be considered now. We need to carefully consider what the technology can and cannot do and how it can be put to best use. For example, if the technology comes to fruition, we may be able to decode the thoughts of patients with neurodegenerative diseases, but we may also be able to deny employment based on an employee’s thoughts.
So, about mind reading the thoughts and decision process of your likely customer – for now, market research is still the most reliable way to gain information about a product or its newest advertising campaign, but maybe someday, all we will need are a few brain scans and the latest neural decoding software.
Want to know more, please check out these links about neural decoding and brain imaging:
Whether you’re managing the production of videos, events or interactive media, your mission should be the same: to meet communication objectives in inspiring ways, on time and on budget.
According to Mike Yearling, owner of the Yearling Media Group, great creative and outstanding talent are critical, but behind every success there’s typically something deeper at play: the production process itself. Yearling notes, “Show me a project that aligns the warring siblings of quality, cost and speed, and I’ll bet there is a production process behind it loaded with wisdom.”
Through the years, Yearling has come to define ”wisdom” as the ability to avoid the following seven deadly sins of producing:
Not asking the right questions up front. “I’m always struck by how many downstream production issues can be avoided by just asking the right questions before the spending begins,” Yearling noted.
Not squashing creative ambiguities early one. In discussing creative, words are never enough. He advises using images or reviewing past projects as frames of reference.
Basing your budget or timeline on a Utopian dream. “If you know executives will make a lot of changes, plan for it,” said Yearling. “Nice surprise, if it doesn’t happen!”
Not getting work in front of key decision makes early. Better to avoid a complete project reversal days before the project is due.
Spending 80 percent of your budget on the first draft or cut. Rather than build the whole house at once, show rooms along the way.
Not seeing the forest while gazing at the trees. “Approach your communication initiatives as a comprehensive annual program, and not a bunch of separate projects,” noted Yearling.
Not learning from your mistakes. Before rushing off to the next project, take a moment to reflect frankly on this one first. “Your next project will love you for it,” he added.
In a culture engulfed by the Web, it’s no surprise that companies have turned to computer and web-based applications for training and educating their employees. Through the implementation of a learning management system (LMS) and a process called eLearning, you can help your organization recognize the benefits of shared information.
According to Sal Abate, a learning performance expert at Mills James, an LMS can control all aspects of a company’s training initiatives. With an LMS, employers are better able to teach, develop and measure associates’ progress–the results of which drive organizational performance.
Businesses are also quickly finding that associated costs can be far less than anticipated. According to Abate, you can manage and maintain an LMS with an average cost per user of less than $50 annually. The figure is typically smaller than a company’s current training expenditures, and considering the capabilities of an LMS, it can be a more efficient use of often scarce budget dollars.
The cost benefit is not the only appealing attribute of an LMS. Abate claims the right system has the ability to integrate content from various sources and formats without technical obstacles, and can export results into a readable, reusable format that is compatible with the company’s current software. The LMS can immediately and accurately calculate return on investment, and can do so for the lifecycle of the employee.
A learning management system can effectively blend virtual (online) and physical (classroom or instructor-led) learning approaches. With customizable interfaces and branded content, your organization’s image and identity can be reinforced throughout the eLearning experience.
“Our consumers are very loyal to us and they love to send us photos showing the great results they get from using Scotts Miracle-Gro lawn and garden products,” said Ed Billmaier, Sr. Director of Relationship and Interactive Marketing, as he shared how Scotts is examining opportunities to create meaningful engagement with their consumers.
“By creating a sense of community where consumers can connect and share their contentment and loyalty towards our products, everyone benefits,” Ed continued.
