Todd LaRoche, EVP, Managing Director of Creative, Palio

There’s no denying it: Video games are addictive. The question for us to answer as an advertising agency that’s revolutionizing pharmaceutical and healthcare marketing, is “How can we leverage the high engagement potential of gaming to help (and healthfully) promote our clients’ brands?”

Parenting articles are rife with information on how to wean kids off games and fanzines are chock full of cheat codes, Easter eggs and behind the scenes stories. Nielsen reports that 10% of U.S. Internet time is spent playing games, which has now overtaken email as the second most popular online activity. Last year on Pixels and Pills, I wrote about how video games have changed our culture and influence the way we live and play, learn and communicate, and how we are entertained.

The Pew Research Center reports that more than half of American adults age 18 and older (53%) play video games, with the computer being the most popular gaming device. Games are not passively consumed like television; they require interaction and proactive thinking. And, they can be used to improve health and health care. Here’s how:

Extend messages to the offline world – Getting people to move more, think about what they’re eating and make smart choices has received prominent focus even from the White House. Washington-based Cascadian Farm provided a branded crop – blueberries – for Farmville players. More than fun, organizations striving to combat obesity can use games to deliver education and positively influence health whether on the farm or on the field.

Create new modes for learning – For medical students, poor test results can be more than just personal failure – they can mean life or death for patients down the road. Learning via simulation provides the opportunity for nurses, doctors and other medical professionals to develop and refine skills without compromising the safety of real patients. Games can also be fun, educational and helpful for patients, enabling them to test and deepen their understanding of health issues or contribute to better health outcomes. For example, video games can be effective therapy for stroke survivors. Using a Wii can improve patient motor functions, according to research presented at the American Stroke Association’s International Stroke Conference last year. Research projects at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation include alternate reality games that teach substance abusers tactics to prevent real-world relapses and computer-based programs that use Wii technology to help Parkinson’s patients with balance.

Foster a sense of community – Social networks provide group support for difficult tasks or emotional situations. While some individuals are comfortable attending Alcoholics Anonymous meetings or caregiver support groups, others miss out on these valuable connections due to fear being exposed or unsuccessful. Social interaction in health care games may be useful in encouraging healthy behaviors like healthy eating or reinforcing the importance of following a prescription regime or in connecting people in similar situations.

The world of health-focused games is growing, covering a wide range of activities from rehab and physical therapy, disease management, health and behavior change, bio-feedback, epidemiology, cognitive exercise and nutrition and health education. Patient-centric health games can go far in advancing many health care goals: reversing the epidemic of obesity, driving down tobacco and alcohol use, improving the quality of health care delivery or enhancing the performance of public health system.

While achieving good health is serious business, it doesn’t mean that it can’t be fun.

Palio is an advertising agency revolutionizing pharmaceutical and healthcare marketing to create experiences that will Never Be Forgotten.

Gillian Slattery, Interactive Producer, Palio

Everyone seems enamored with Google’s foray into social media, Google+, a social platform that enables users to segment followers and friends in circles and promises a richer social media experience. Unlike current online social models such as Facebook and Twitter, users can easily tailor messages for specific segments, resulting in greater control of their social networking participation. Google+ also incorporates video conference technology, enabling people to create “hangouts” using their webcam to chat with up to 10 members of their circles. And, it integrates a variety of online resources – RSS feeds, blogs, Google Reader, email, etc. – into a single interface.

Online enthusiasts and techno-geeks have embraced the new service in droves – Google+ has about 4.5 million users so far – and the service is still in beta. While I can respect that a beta version of anything needs to work through the kinks, I’m not yet sold on the value of this new platform.

Sure, people are snatching up invites as quickly as they’re made available, but that may be indicative of human nature’s need to access and try anything new. If it doesn’t deliver a better experience, users are going to stick with what they know. Tech writer Robert Scoble has praised Google+, yet he admits that it’s not likely to gain widespread adoption and doubts your mom will move from Facebook to Google+.

Several prominent technology pundits have professed their abandonment of other social platforms, but that may not be the smartest move for most people. Here’s why:

Your friends are not yet on it. Unless you work in or have friends with a deep love of technology, chances are they haven’t heard of this new service or they don’t see the reason to try it. Not everyone jumps to the next new shiny object. And, if your friends and colleagues aren’t on it, what’s the point? Even if they are, you may already be using LinkedIn for work, Facebook for friends and Twitter to blend the two. Do you really need another social network?

Control is subjective. Yes, you can control who you share content with, but you can’t edit the title and comments of videos and links that you post on Google+. On Facebook, you get much more control of how content is presented.

Video chat isn’t for everyone. If you work at home or “socialize” online in the evenings, you may not be camera-ready. Does your boss really need to see you in your bunny pajamas at two in the afternoon? While Google is pushing this as a revolutionary advantage, group chat is a bit reminiscent of 1992 and the option of adding a video component doesn’t make it more appealing.

Having everything in one place isn’t always a good idea. Sure, it’s convenient to have centralized access to all your information, but do you really want a single service knowing who you chat with, what you’re searching for and everything you deem sharable? Plus, in the event of a disaster, is it prudent to keep everything in one place?

You give up your right to ownership. Facebook has gotten a bad rap for using user-generated content, but if you’ve read Google+’s fine print, you know you’re selling your soul. Google owns the right to everything you post and has the ability to redistribute it as it sees fit. So, if you’re a budding photographer, you may not want to post your original images because once you do, they belong to Google, violating any copyright hold you may have on them (and thus limiting your ability to profit from content you share).

Maybe I don’t like Google+ because it’s the new kid or maybe because I’m not suffering from Facebook fatigue. While I’m dabbling around and still learning the nuances of Google+, I’m not yet ready to abandon the investment I’ve made in other social platforms.

Have you tried Google+? Will it be a category killer or go the way of Google Wave?

Palio is an advertising agency revolutionizing pharmaceutical and healthcare marketing to create experiences that will Never Be Forgotten.

From Christina Brodie, Interactive Producer, Palio

You know you’ve done it at the office –– we all have! A quick glance here, a post there, even a photo or video upload every once in a while if there’s time. Facebook is taking over. The social community giant is, in fact, taking over a huge chunk of your workday and personal productivity. We’ve read the Twitter jokes:

• @OPB – BREAKING NEWS: Facebook is down. Worker productivity rises. U.S. climbs out of recession
• @mikeluna its true, Facebook is down. in other news: productivity around the globe is up 85%
• @crackberrykevin – This just in: workplace productivity at a 6 year all time high now that Facebook is down

In 2009, Nielsen Online reported that the average Facebook user spends approximately 4 hours, 39 minutes, and 33 seconds a month on the social network. How much of that time are you viewing your account at work?

It doesn’t matter whether you use your phone to view your friend’s status or the “two windows open at work” trick – in most work environments, this type of practice is frowned upon. If you are not doing productive work, well, you are not making money.

Luckily for me, it’s part of my job to know how people are interacting on the World Wide Web: what information they seek, where they seek it, and who they are listening to. This information allows me to provide key insights to my team, helping them create campaigns, messages, and advertisements that will catch your eye while surfing the Web and, yes, Facebook.

Just last month (September 2010), Nielsen released its new Nielsen Online Campaign Ratings tool that will, for the first time, provide online audience data comparable to their television ratings. This new tracking system, combined with the existing online metrics data, allows advertisers to know a user’s age range, gender, educational background, even salary range. With this detailed information, companies can hone their advertising efforts even more than they can with television and print. They can pinpoint what site you visited, how you got there, what you viewed, and how long you stayed. You may think this data collection is an invasion of privacy, maybe even a little creepy, but from this marketer’s mind, it is simply brilliant!

So the next time you read your friend’s post on Facebook or visit a Web site and notice the cool banner advertisement playing to your right, just think this ad was most likely developed using information gathered to catch the interest of a person with demographics and interests just like yours.

And, for some eye-opening Facebook facts, check out this post from Todd LaRoche.

Palio is a full-spectrum global pharmaceutical and consumer advertising, marketing, and communications agency that excels in brand creation and specializes in brand strategy, product launches, global marketing, and digital and integrated media.

From Todd LaRoche, EVP, Managing Director of Creative, Palio

By now, most everyone who goes online either has a Facebook account or has heard about Facebook. But here are 11 very interesting facts about Facebook that you should know, especially if you have an interest in leveraging social media channels like Facebook to market a brand.

Check it out. Brought to you by your pals at Palio, where we’re always creating Never be forgotten brands. And after you’ve checked out the facts, check out this post from Christina Brodie about how Facebook and Nielsen Online probably know a lot more about you than you’d like.

[slideshare id=4817225&doc=11thingsaboutfacebook-100722112701-phpapp02]

From Todd LaRoche, EVP, Managing Director of Creative, Palio

It’s an age-old debate: Just because an ad is acknowledged with awards for creativity does that mean it’s effective? Many would say that creative ads are great to look at but often fall flat when it comes to moving product. Making sure the target stops, watches/listens and takes away a clear message that leads to brand consumption is, of course, fundamental to the success of any advertisement. But do a lot of what we would call “creative” ads ensure that that happens? A recent survey suggests that the answer is, in fact, a resounding “yes.”

A study carried out by the U.K.’s Institute of Practitioners in Advertising claims to prove a direct link between creativity and effectiveness that it’s touting as a good argument for quality over cost.

The report from IPA, a trade organization representing agencies, examined 213 case studies of advertising over the last eight years, including campaigns by marketers such as Cadbury, Volkswagen, Budweiser, Honda, Audi and Orange. It claims to demonstrate objectively that creatively awarded campaigns are 11 times more effective than campaigns that do not win creative awards.

“Creatively awarded campaigns are a more reliable investment — they achieve greater effectiveness levels,” said Peter Field, the marketing consultant who authored the report, which looked at a number of business metrics in the study to determine effectiveness, including market-share growth, sales, profits, return on investment, likability and emotional appeal.

The report concludes that the link between creativity and effectiveness is driven by two important factors: the emotional communication model favored by the most creative campaigns, and the much greater “buzz” effect that creativity engenders.

“Creativity and effectiveness are inseparable. This is a good first step, but there’s still a lot of work to do to show the exponential value of great creative ideas,” said Bert Moore, chief strategy officer of Lowe Worldwide. “It’s bizarre to believe that there’s a creative answer and a business answer. In other creative industries, like architecture, film and music, the creative solution is always the answer to the problem.”

Continue reading more about this in this Ad Age article.

From Todd LaRoche, EVP, Managing Director of Creative, Palio

I’ve worked in advertising on the creative side for over 30 years now; originally as a copywriter and lately as the Managing Director of the creative staff at one of today’s most creative advertising agencies. It’s been in my best interest over all these years to promote the idea that great creative is key to building a strong bond between a brand and its consumer. Of course I still believe that to be the case. But now I’m going to say something that might sound heretical, coming from a ‘creative’:

A brand’s draw is becoming less about how creatively it expresses itself (in such a self-absorbed way such as an advertisement), and more about how satisfying an experience it can provide to its consumer – even before a purchase is made.

Don’t get me wrong: I love creative advertising… anything that entertains seems to be appreciated by most all of us. And good old awareness advertising will always have its place. But thanks to the digisphere (the digital atmosphere which is now blanketing humanity with its addictive connectivity), people today expect so much more in terms of what a brand should be offering them.

We all want to be given something that brings ‘value,’ pleasure, learning, growth, discovery, a deeper appreciation of our time, (insert your desire here), and not to simply be ‘sold’ on why brand X is better than the rest. And, at the same time, we’re all getting used to getting what we want, fast. In short, if I’m not getting something from you that I want – immediately – then I’m going to move on to find it elsewhere… because time is short and I’ve got a lot of living to do.

So how does the digisphere suddenly change the rules (for marketers)? Before we answer that question, it needs to be understood that if you’re looking at digital communications as simply another medium to ‘execute’ your brand’s campaign, you’re in trouble; you’re not seeing the bigger picture. Digital communications have allowed us to engage our brands’ targets in ways that traditional (interruptive) marketing never has. Think of the digital medium as contexts – arenas of technologically-enabled activity – and the pieces start falling into place.

When you see digital that way, the line between advertising and content (or experience) becomes indistinct. And with that, a brand is suddenly enabled to insinuate its presence while its target is dazed in the satisfying ether of connectivity – connectivity with information, people, visual and aural stimulation.

I could give you some examples of exactly what I’m talking about. But first I’d like to ask if you’d even care to hear more before I do.

By the way, if you want to get a little further out than the usual, visit  www.flixxy.com. And if you feel that your time there was worth it, think of Palio… we’re all about going beyond the usual and expanding one’s reach.

From Todd LaRoche, EVP, Managing Director of Creative, Palio

With the recent merging of United and Continental Airlines, an event that happened a while back came to mind that I thought would be worth sharing if you didn’t already know about it. A musician named Dave Carroll had some difficulty with United Airlines – United apparently damaged his treasured Taylor custom guitar during a flight.

For over 9 months, Dave tried to get United to pay for damages caused by baggage handlers to his guitar. During his final exchange with the United Customer Relations Manager, Carroll said that he was being left with no choice other than to create a music video for YouTube exposing United’s lack of cooperation. The Manager responded: “Good luck with that one, pal.”

So Carroll posted a retaliatory video on YouTube. The video has since received over 8.4 million hits. United Airlines contacted the musician and attempted to arrive at a settlement in exchange for pulling the video. Naturally, Dave’s response was: “Good luck with that one, pal.”

Taylor Guitars sent the musician 2 new custom guitars in appreciation for the product recognition from the video that has lead to a sharp increase in orders. Here’s the video, if you didn’t already play it above.

Pretty amazing: 8.4 million hits (and rising) that United Airlines could definitely have lived without, (and that Taylor Guitars has benefitted by hugely), all because of a poorly-handled customer service issue. Goes to show you just how much power the world of digital communications has brought to the consumer. Now, instead of buyer beware, seller beware – your consumer has more power than ever to shape your brand’s image.

Palio is a full-spectrum global pharmaceutical and consumer advertising, marketing, and communications agency that excels in brand creation and specializes in brand strategy, product launches, global marketing, and digital and integrated media.

From Todd LaRoche, EVP, Managing Director of Creative, Palio

Here’s a real simple thought that we’ve all heard over and over again: If you’re not having fun at your work (at least some of the time), you need to change something. Why? Because you’re going to make yourself unhealthy, and your work – and the people you work with – will suffer.

No big revelation here. Just stating the obvious: Make something of your every day at work fun. Even if it’s something as enforced as a little break from the ordinary that happens to come along on wheels, with balloons and flashing lights – it picks everyone up and, even if for a brief moment, it let’s you take your mind off the challenge you’re wrestling with, which may just provide you with a new perspective when you get back to it. I guess that’s one reason why Fun is one of our five core values at Palio.

Thanks Donna, Jody and Rich and the entire Environment Team for making our lives at Palio a little more fun every day… in all of the unexpected ways that you do.

From Todd LaRoche, EVP, Managaing Director of Creative, Palio

In the March issue of Pharmaceutical Executive, you’ll find this article, which highlights the “trend setters, the image makers, the creative geniuses” who have architected some of this year’s most memorable and innovative pharmaceutical ads. It’s a great display of work, completely worth looking through.

As the introduction asserts, “The pharmaceutical industry spends billions of dollars every year marketing treatments that they spent billions to create, but more often than not, no one knows who the ads’ creators are. Much like the Wizard of Oz, drug ads are heard and seen, but the teams get little credit for their ingenuity. For years, pharma companies have kept the agencies behind their products a secret, and few of their stories have ever been told.”

So take a look at the article to see some great examples of compelling creative and to find out a little about the people behind the work… “the unsung heroes behind a large portion of the advertising you see every single day on television, on the radio and Web, and in magazines and journals.”

And when you do, let’s not forget about the unsung heroes behind the unsung heroes. No article such as this can truly recognize all of the people that it takes to create Great Work. Sure, the creative leads are the “front men” of the band when it comes to recognizing creativity. But Great Work, creative work that achieves its purpose, takes Brand Planners who capture the insight that drives the strategy behind the work, it takes dedicated Editors who make sure every detail is correct in the presentation, it takes Designers (at Palio we engage our Design Lab on most every creative project) to bring the work to a finer finish, it takes skilled Production folks who ensure the work will appear right in the various media being employed, it takes Medical Writers and Strategists who keep the work credible, it takes dedicated Project Managers who keep the development of the work moving ahead on schedule, and it takes talented Account people who are adept at keeping relationships strong and the business on course. In fact, it takes a whole lot more people than those I just mentioned — it takes an entire agency.

So here’s to the cast of 2010 All Star creatives behind the work, and also to the people behind them who had major roles in making the work Great!

From Todd LaRoche, EVP, Managing Director of Creative, Palio

Just the other day, a small incident I happened to observe crystallized for me a basic branding principle that seems so often overlooked by many in the marketing business.

I was having lunch in a small Chinese restaurant with tray service. As a friend and I were enjoying our dim sum at a table, a patron brought his tray up to the register to pay for his food. The cashier was tasked not only with ringing up customers but with filling their drink orders as well. The restaurant was busy, the cashier was rushed, and he obviously wasn’t in the mood for pleasantries. So, instead of taking just a little bit more of his time to ask the patron, in a friendly tone, if he would like a drink with his food, the cashier hurriedly blurted out, “Is that all?” A reasonable question to ask, you would think, given the context of the moment. But it was one that actually lost the sale.

The terse phrasing of the question, combined with a delivery sounding something like incredulousness, led the customer to believe that the cashier was chiding him for not having more on his tray. At this, the patron replied, “What do you mean, ‘Is that all?’… it’s all I want.” The cashier responded with a retort thinking that he was now being attacked, which led to another response from the customer quickly followed by his irate exit.

At the moment it seemed pretty funny. But when I see the same thing happen in the marketing world it’s tragic, because we’re talking about losing a lot more than an $8 lunch order over simple laziness or neglect.

This is Marketing 101 – make sure you understand the difference between “the how” and “the what” a brand says to its customer, and the importance of addressing both well.  Then drive your marketing communications around both of these elements to appropriately motivate customers. One of the golden rules to remember, as demonstrated by the above referenced event: Don’t rely on your message to be communicated correctly and compellingly (ie, to close the deal) if you’re only looking at “the what” you say, or the literal message of your communication.

Seems pretty basic, and yet it’s something many marketers don’t follow through on, often because, like the cashier above, they are pressed for time or don’t have the wherewithal to get above the corporate-management issues they’re dealing with minute to minute, day to day.

The next time you’re discussing a creative platform for your brand, don’t think just about the key thought… make sure the delivery of that thought – the brand personality – will be in keeping with the experience you want to deliver to your brand’s target.

Palio is an advertising agency revolutionizing pharmaceutical and healthcare marketing to create experiences that will Never Be Forgotten.