ART + science: the PARTNERS+simons Blog

The Convergence of TV & Video

Kristen Cuttone — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 11:34:25 -0500

Yesterday afternoon, there was some office chatter regarding the success of Hulu, the popular online video hosting site, and whether such sites are a viable alternative to television. Is the traditional TV set is on its way out? What does this mean for viewers…and for advertisers?

These questions and more were addressed at last night’s MITX event, The Convergence of TV & Video: Digital Marketing & the New Video Ecosystem. The event was hosted by Microsoft in their new Cambridge offices, the latest of 5 Microsoft R&D labs in the world (bonus: we got to play around with Microsoft Surface, and it’s as cool as it looks in the videos).

To answer the big question, traditional television is not dead, nor is it likely to die in the near future. These days, we are seeing record video-consumption levels, on a variety of screens with which television must now share our attention. Much of that content is still viewed in the living room - on big, beautiful screens – but increasingly it’s shifting to other, smaller devices like desktops, laptops and mobile phones. But guess what? A lot of that content viewed on the newer devices is television content (i.e., the latest episode of LOST or a funny South Park clip). So perhaps we just need to redefine what TV is, rather than declaring it dead.

The truth is, both TV and online video have their pluses and minuses; the MITX panel spent a good deal of time reviewing these, and discussing how the two media can work together for optimal viewer experience. The highlights:

Television offers a beautiful, HD experience. It also offers advertisers a level of scale that online currently cannot. Despite its rapid viewership growth, online video still struggles to provide scale for advertisers. Sites like Youtube have tons of video content, but much of it is user generated (with potentially questionable content) or uncategorized (from a viewer demographic standpoint), making it difficult to monetize through advertising. And while television footage may be repurposed online, it doesn’t work the other way around (blowing thumbnail images up to fill your 42” screen will just not provide the viewing experience you’re used to).

In contrast, online video can be highly targeted – and tracked – and allows for significant engagement beyond just passive viewing. Online viewers can tag, comment on, share, or even transact via an online video. By way of example, panelists discussed the recent Michael Jackson funeral, which was broadcast online. Not only did viewership approximate cable-sized audiences, but also there were 21,000 comments made that day on Youtube alone. With online, it’s more than just consumption, it’s also about creation and community.

The industry still struggles to define common metrics across media. TV relies on GRPs, online on impressions & interactions. How do you compare/contrast the two without having a common currency in place? And what do clients value? Do they care just about how many eyeballs are seeing their ad, if it’s tied to a popular video? Do they prefer quality content attached to their brand, or do they care more about the actual audience they are reaching? And how do we measure all of this?

So how does the future look? As previously stated, the TV set probably will not go away, but it may operate differently in the future. As technologies advance, we may shift to Web delivery of TV ads, which will provide all of the targeting and measurement we’ve grown accustomed to online. Perhaps then, interactive TV solutions like Navic (who we were hoping to hear from last night!) will be more common, providing what so many love about online video viewing (the sharing/community aspects), to the traditional set. Perhaps Xbox will replace the cable box- it is already the largest source for HD content. As the event title implies, we are likely headed towards convergence between the television set and online video player.

In the meantime, the key for marketers and content developers is to know your audience, and make your content available for the various screens that they use, so that viewers can choose where and when to view it.

See details of the event on Twitter.

P+s Featured in Medical Marketing & Media Top 75

Stephanie Rogers — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 15:22:14 -0500

I'm excited to report that PARTNERS+simons has been featured in the July issue of Medical Marketing & Media as part of its annual ranking of the country’s top 75 healthcare marketing agencies.

The article highlights our continued focus on multiple healthcare industry segments, and dedication to generating quantifiable business outcomes for clients including Proventys, Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield, Capital District Physicians' Health Plan, Agilent Technologies, Tufts Medical Center, and Genzyme.

We also recently celebrated our 20th year in business, and are grateful for all of the clients, partners, and employees who have contributed to our success. Thank you.

Read the full article here.

Five insights for better marketing in China

Steve Lynch — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 15:17:16 -0500

I just returned from a business trip to China with a few of my colleagues. The trip was exciting, exhausting but most of all educational.

At the risk of grossly understating its significance, China is one of the most important players in the global economy right now. But for many advertisers, China represents a new marketing frontier.

If there is one thing that was made abundantly clear to us during our visit it’s this: marketing in China is not like marketing in other parts of the world.

If you are a global brand with a need to market in China, here are a few insights to keep in mind.

Media Roundup: 06/19/09

Stephanie Rogers — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 12:55:12 -0500

Three quick hits this week: augmented reality, online video, and social media in healthcare. Enjoy!

If you haven’t yet heard of augmented reality, then read up on it now, as it’s sure to be the Next Big Thing. In short, AR involves blending live video imagery with computer-generated data or graphics. A simple example is the first-down line shown in NFL television broadcasts. Another is the new app IBM rolled out as part of its Wimbledon sponsorship. Besides the cool factor, AR will create many opportunities - and implications - for advertisers, including the ability to deliver hyper-local information in an innovative way, and the threat of obsolescence if your brand doesn’t have a strong, location-aware Web presence that will work with these new applications.

While no longer on the bleeding edge, online video is still a popular channel for businesses and consumers alike. Youtube continues to dominate the online video viewing landscape, with Nielsen reporting year-over-year increases in the site’s unique viewers, total streams, streams per viewer and time per viewer. It will be interesting to see if/how the landscape changes when Wikipedia integrates video later this year. While Wikipedia videos will be factual & straightforward, in keeping with the editorial mission of the site, Youtube and other video sharing sites will remain a popular outlet for brands to distribute both marketing & educational video assets to their communities, and serve as a relatively low-risk way to dip a toe in the social media waters.

And in other social media news, a new report from the Pew Internet & American Life Project underscores the importance of social media in consumer access to health information. We touched on this in our recent webinar on healthcare consumerism and Pew confirms the trend with data showing how Americans' pursuit of health takes place within a widening network of both online and offline sources.

Media Roundup: 06/12/09

Stephanie Rogers — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 09:58:10 -0500

Hot topics this week: Bing's launch, Twitter's growth plateau, analog TV's departure, and Facebook's personalized URLs. Read on for the details...

Big changes for pharmaceutical advertising or more of the same?

Ed Feather — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 08:54:47 -0500

Over the past two months the FDA's DDMAC has taken some big steps to further enforce the rules of Pharmaceutical Advertising. A major blow to the industry came in what Elizabeth Gardner of ClickZ called an "unheard-of 14 warning letters to pharmaceutical companies regarding their use of search ads on behalf of more than 40 drugs." A second blow came in late May with a new guidance document from the agency that is meant to further clarify how pharmaceutical companies should interpret certain FDA guidelines for the use of "fair and balanced" information in an ad. Both of these actions has had many in the industry crying foul and stating that the FDA needs to bring people on board who understand the advertising industry and the internet space.

Get inside information. Literally.

Bruce Patteson — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 09:52:14 -0500

I've written before about data visualization as one of the intriguing, new ways we can consume information.

Now, here's Chapter Two. Fasten your seatbelt.

You're about to take an incredible ride through a researcher's brain and on to a place with atoms that sing. Ready?

What you see is in a format at the edge of art and science (an intersection we're quite fond of at P+s, from a very different perspective). It's a whole new way to experience and interact with data. You're actually inside the information because it physically surrounds you, instead of just looking at it on a flat computer screen.

Hospital Marketing & the Healthcare Consumer

Stephanie Rogers — Thu, 28 May 2009 14:30:41 -0500

There was an article in the New York Times earlier this week about hospitals "using unconventional, even audacious, ways of connecting directly with the public." It highlights an initiative from Methodist University Hospital in Memphis, which recently produced a live, video webcast of a patient's brain surgery in hopes of furthering the hospital's reputation as well as educating the community. It also includes a quote from PARTNERS+simons President, Tony Cotrupi, who attributed these outreach techniques to the rise in healthcare consumerism.

You see, Methodist is not alone: beyond webcasts, hospitals are increasingly turning to Twitter, YouTube, and various blogging platforms in an effort to connect with patients, donors, and perspective employees.

And why not? Besides offering more real-time and engaging formats for communication than traditional methods, this is where the people are.

PARTNERS+simons hosted a webcast about a week ago, called Power to the People: Healthcare Goes Consumer. In it, we discussed how (and why) leading health brands are turning to new media to educate and inform. We also cited numerous examples of health marketers that have adopted new methods of engagement with consumer audiences, including PARTNERS+simons clients Tufts Medical Center and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts, both of whom have seen success with video marketing. We've also seen increased demand for video-based health condition information, which led to the launch of DrZ.tv, an online, consumer-focused healthcare program hosted by Dr. Stephen Zinner, Chair of the Department of Medicine at Mount Auburn Hospital.

The Times article raises issues around transparency and privacy, citing Methodist's decision to use a professional model in their brain surgery promotional pieces, rather than the actual patient. It goes on to quote a bioethicist who claims such medical marketing “creates an aura of sophistication and high-tech ability that may not represent quality of care at a hospital,” and asks, “Do we really want to treat health care like other consumer goods?”

All interesting questions, but let's remember this:

Healthcare marketing is subject to rather stringent regulatory & legal review before it goes live, thereby avoiding misleading/erroneous claims. Hospitals generally take pride in their quality of care, but are not allowed to float unsubstantiated claims in the public domain. Good hospital/healthcare marketing is designed to educate its audience, as well as foster trust and familiarity between patients and its staff/services. With patients actively seeking out this information, it's more important than ever to provide them with accurate, trusted information so that they may make more informed decisions.

Consumers want to research, evaluate, compare and contrast all aspects of health plans, products, and providers. They have grown accustomed to 24/7 availability, immediate access to information, comparison shopping, user reviews/peer recommendations, and multi-channel service & convenience.

Health brands must follow suit if they wish to remain relevant.

We believe that new media channels can absolutely make sense for hospitals and other health brands, provided that creative executions are done in a tasteful manner, are HIPAA compliant, and educational in nature. As with any other communication plan, it is important to keep the target audience in mind: if your audience is actively seeking out your category information in these channels, then perhaps you should join them there.

AICE Best of Boston Award

Stephanie Rogers — Fri, 22 May 2009 13:12:34 -0500

The eighth annual Association of Independent Creative Editors (AICE) Awards Show gala was held earlier this week at The Beverly Hills Hotel. Each year, the competition honors the art and craft of editing, and awards entries in 12 categories: Comedy, Dialogue, Montage, Music/Sound, Music Video, New Media/Emerging Media/Alternative Media, National Campaign, Public Service, Spec Spot, Storytelling, Under $50,000 and Visual Effects.

We are happy to report that Editor Peter Barstis of Editbar, Boston, took Best of Boston honors for a spot we recently developed for Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Massachusetts, directed by Jonathan Bekemeier of Picture Park, Boston.

Watch the video and see the full list of winners on the AICE site.

Congrats, Peter!

BtoB Magazine all a-Twitter over our Agilent work

Chris Demakis — Thu, 21 May 2009 16:17:07 -0500

We knew the Virtual Metabolomics Lab created for and with our Agilent Technologies client would get the attention of scientific researchers around the globe. These prospects were desperate for an interactive site where they could access research, view videos, learn about new data and dive into the ever-evolving dialogue around metabolomics. All in a new and engaging way.

Now our Virtual Lab has received attention from BtoB Magazine as well. Earlier this week, they posted a link on Twitter about the site and its successes, including the fact that the online lab was “responsible for achieving 96% of all the marketing-generated metabolomics sales for the first six months of 2008 in North America.”

We’re proud of this site and excited about how well it’s doing. But we’re even more excited about the next step: A sleeker, more sophisticated Virtual Lab arrives May 31st. Kudos to the Agilent team.

Media Roundup: 05/15/09

Stephanie Rogers — Fri, 15 May 2009 13:48:17 -0500

This week’s Roundup includes news you can use related to organic search results, C-level Exec insights, cost per engagement deals, online marketing operations, new tech-focused media outlets, and the dreaded click fraud issue. Read on!

19th-century copywriter for hire

Matt Fishbein — Mon, 11 May 2009 10:30:52 -0500

I recently started and stopped reading The Last of the Mohicans by James Fenimore Cooper. While I consider myself a fairly avid reader, I couldn’t get through 10 pages of this "American classic." Why? Because it’s written in another language: early 1800s English.

As I struggled to focus on one 65-word sentence, it struck me how different our language is today. Not just from 1826, but from 1996. Or even 2006. Everything is getting whittled down and news-tickered and Twitterized. Especially when it comes to web writing. Attention spans have shifted—and writing has followed. Cooper’s exhausting verbosity has long gone the way of the horse-drawn carriage. Now Jakob Nielsen’s theories on writing for the web rule the roost. One biggie: cutting content to half the number of words found in conventional writing.

Obviously fiction requires a different writing style than web copy, but it’s important to recognize how our language has shifted and where it may be headed. A recent Copyblogger post suggested that Tweeting can actually improve writing skills. I tend to agree. The more concise you are, the better.

Media Roundup: 05/08/09

Stephanie Rogers — Fri, 08 May 2009 17:31:05 -0500

There were lots of interesting items in the news this past week that I want to bring to your attention – all of which provide potential opportunities for technology, health care, and financial services marketers. Read on for the highlights, our check out our full list of bookmarks for the full articles.

Building the bridge with social media

Jennifer O'Connell — Mon, 04 May 2009 14:03:25 -0500

Still scratching your head about social media? Wondering how a B2B organization leverages a platform used by teen girls to let their friends know they just painted their nails? You're not alone.

We’re talking to so many clients about how to effectively incorporate social media into their marketing strategy, that it’s no surprise that technology organizations are leveraging social media platforms to think differently – not just about how they interact with customers but also how they deliver value to, and support, channel partners.

- Lenovo recently included Facebook, Twitter and YouTube in its channel outreach program to promote its offerings for SMB customers

- IBM has added social media tools, education programs and technologies for its SOA community, which consists of architects, developers and higher ed.

- IBM is also encouraging channel partners to incorporate social media into their market plans and is introducing tools to help partners generate leads, build marketing initiatives and nurture sales opportunities (ex. virtual trade shows, updates to its Innov8 test scenario game, social networks for its SOA community)

20 years today

Tom Simons — Fri, 01 May 2009 08:25:16 -0500

On the occasion of our 20th anniversary, we asked some of the staff with tenure to cast their minds back in time...

WHEN DID YOU START AT PARTNERS+SIMONS?

The beginning, but that's what a lot of people say.

March, 1997

Long ago, back when the earth was round and dogs came when you called.

July, 1999

June 7, 1997

February, 2000

June, 1994

Started in 10/92. Left in 9/93. Came back in 7/94.

I started freelancing with Tom 4 days a week in June, 1991, and went full-time January 1, 1992. On my first day, I sat at the front desk. I had no clue how to use a phone system and disconnected people several times. On the second day, Tom asked me if I brought my ruling pens. I laughed and said "I can draw a sqare on the computer."

WHAT IS ONE OF YOUR MOST VIVID MEMORIES OF PARTNERS+SIMONS FROM THE EARLY YEARS?

Nancy flipping out and banging her phone like Robert DeNiro in Goodfellas. Spray booth located in the fire exit hallway and made up of a couple cardboard boxes. Breaking EVERYTHING down for the holiday party the first couple years, then rebuilding it all the next morning while hung over.

Doing a John Travolta (Saturday Night Fever) slide across the floor at one of the early holiday parties.

Chris and Evan Saks getting into a fight in the car on the way to a new business pitch. They were pulled over by a police officer and had to explain that they worked for the same company and were on their way to a meeting.

Addressing a new biz prospect by the wrong name in a meeting -- we didn't get the biz and I got ribbed for about two weeks by Tom and Ray Welch.

Everyone taking turns at answering the phone.

The ginormous roaches that roamed the office on South Street -- especially the one that was found steamed in the coffee grinds one morning.