360DigitalInfluence

A prominent trend over the past few years has been the massive growth of the online video sharing platform YouTube. Consumers have been turning to YouTube more and more, which is demonstrated by its becoming the second most popular search engine in April, behind its parent, Google.[i] What I find most interesting is how consumers are using YouTube.

YouTube has shed its reputation of being strictly an entertainment site. Sure, people still tune in  to see popular videos such as David after the dentist, the wedding entrance dance to Chris Brown’s Forever, and the most recent Lady Gaga video (who still has the most viewed videos on YouTube as of this posting), but recent data shows consumers are also turning to YouTube for health information, providing new opportunities for healthcare providers and pharmaceutical companies to engage patients, caregivers and even prescribers.

I had a chance to sit down with the healthcare team at YouTube and learn more about the trends in video watching.

• Of YouTube’s 180 million viewers, 32% watch health videos - more than food or celebrity (take that, Lady Gaga!)[ii]
• Of those viewers 79% of health consumers have watched videos about their specific health conditionⁱⁱ
• 93% take action after viewing health information[iii]
• 69% conduct further online research as a result of the video they watchedⁱⁱⁱ
• And 60% interact with their doctorⁱⁱⁱ

So what does this mean for healthcare providers and pharmaceutical companies?

It means YouTube, and online video sources provide an avenue to reach patients with condition specific information, which could include treatment options, and drive them to speak with their healthcare provider. And, opportunities exist on YouTube to provide patients with branded messages in advance of the patient-doctor conversation. Providers and pharmaceutical companies have another opportunity to reach consumers who are actively interested in receiving information on their conditions and actively searching for information.

Several companies have already ventured into this space with corporate and condition specific information.  Johnson & Johnson was the first to take a step into the YouTube world, developing a corporate site and channels for their major brands. Recently Novartis followed suit, and Ortho-McNeil-Janssen Pharmaceuticals launched a condition-specific page around ADHD.[iv] Based on the YouTube health data, I expect to see more healthcare companies joining YouTube’s roster soon, looking to capitalize on the opportunity.

[i] Comscore, May 2010

[ii] Google & OTX, December 2009

[iii] Google & OTX, March 2008

[iv] Disclaimer: Ogilvy works with Ortho-McNeil-Jassen to support their ADHD franchise

For PR Week Labs a few weeks ago I recorded a 15 minute presentation on 5 Steps to Conversation Management. Conversation Management is an 360 Digital Influence program for helping our clients establish or manage social network presence with the dual goals of grassroots engagement and business impact. Based on a dual theory of influence, our team uses Conversation Management to promote advocacy on social networks like Facebook and Twitter. The steps are included below and you can watch the video here (for more videos check out our YouTube channel- this one was too long to be included).

360 Digital Influence- PR Week Labs- Conversation Management from Ogilvy 360DI on Vimeo.

continue reading

The World Cup, the biggest sporting event in the world, is quickly approaching. Starting June 11^th, 32 teams representing different countries from around the world will compete for the soccer title that has been given every four years since 1930 (with an exception of 1942 and 1946 due to WWII). But 2010 is a particularly special and relevant year. Why, you ask? Because of social media!

Social Media as we know it did not exist during the 2006 World Cup in Germany. Twitter did not launch until July 2006. Facebook didn’t become public until September 2006. YouTube existed but videos looked like this #6 most popular YouTube video of 2006. Now, only 4 years later, Facebook has over 400 million members and more than 50 million tweets are sent each day. These platforms, which were infants during the last World Cup, are now globally available and hugely popular.

continue reading

Want to earn a three month fellowship at Ogilvy and go to the Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival in France? Well, then, simply sell us a brick.

That’s the pitch from our colleagues over at OglivyOne. They’ve recently launched a search for the World Greatest Salesperson. The call for entries is simple: send in a video selling a brick and you’re entered to win. Head over to Ogilvy’s Youtube Channel to submit. “If you can sell a red brick, maybe you can sell anything,” said Mat Zucker, of OgilvyOne in a recent interview about the contest with the New York Times.

The contest is in response to what many perceive as the industry’s wandering away from the discipline of sales. Sure, social media has brought about major changes in the way that businesses communicate with consumers. But, for many of our clients, the way they make money has not. Selling is still critical to success. Our founder and former door to door salesman, David Ogilvy, is often quoted as saying “we sell, or else.”

The spirit of this contest is akin to renewing your wedding vows; many years have passed and the environment is radically different, but the commitment remains the same: we sell, or else. So check out the video, and sell us your brick. You could find yourself working at Ogilvy.

Check out our Facebook page or head over to the Ogilvy Youtube Channel to enter.

Jeremy Ames from the EPA just wrapped up giving a really interesting presentation recapping how his agency used social media to crowdsource the production of a video Public Service Announcement encouraging people to test their homes for radon gas.

The EPA launched a contest and asked film makers to submit their concepts, with the winning entry receiving $2,500. Getting this off the ground was not easy, according to Ames who was faced with the prefect storm of social media barriers: legal, technical, and budgetary. Let’s watch the winning entry and then we’ll look at how they did it..

continue reading

Flickr’s premium members have enjoyed video uploads for some time and now all users will be able to upload video content.

Flickr’s General Manager, Kakul Srivastava, announced the move on Yahoo!’s Yodel Anecdotal, calling the new medium “long photos” (one of NY Times 2008 Buzzwords).

Right off the bat, there seem to be two potentially deal breaking caveats:

continue reading