26 March 2009 VIEW on Advertising SOCIAL MEDIA Early in my career, my manager at a pharmaceutical consulting firm offered some sage advice on the way to one of my first client meetings. He told me: “You can ask the client what she wants, but it is your job to tell her what she needs.” During the meeting, it became evident that the two — wants and needs — can be different. But they are both important. It also became clear that knowing what clients want helps discern what they need.With that information, market researchers can create the right messages to spark action. Asking Directly and Indirectly Consider a recent conversation with a client about his brand. “We can’t ask doctors what patients think,” he said, “but want to know what patients think. And we can’t ask patients what they think, because they might not tell us.” This last comment is the reason that market researchers often pre fer to derive attitudes rather than ask direct questions. For example, to find out if patients or doctors are committed to a brand it’s better to ask a series of questions. Through a validated approach, the answers reveal whether they are committed to the brand, the strength of that emotional attachment, and, combined with other data, the drivers behind their commitment. Typically, when creating messages, it is also necessary to look at the derived, rather than stated, importance of key drivers.This information is critical for accurately determining communications priorities and positioning. Social Media Provide a New Alternative Social media provide a new alternative to asking questions directly and indirectly. Marketers now can listen and observe. Instead of asking the direct questions, we can truly be the proverbial “fly on the wall.” Through these observations, we may confirm what we thought — or we may uncover surprising new information. Either way, marketers are better equipped to create the messages audiences want — and need — to hear to take action. Social media provide a firsthand view into the topics that interest audiences and the language they use to express themselves. By “tuning in,” ads can be developed that talk about the right subjects to impact tar get audiences — and use the right words to influence them. Speaking in the audience’s language is key to unleashing a message’s full power.The right message conveyed in the wrong words can fall flat. Social media provide a reservoir of language that resonates with audiences. To find out what audiences think, marketers look at a constellation of information: what they say when asked (i.e., a focus group or a survey); what they do (e.g., secondary data on prescribing or purchasing); and how they behave (e.g., ethnography). Social media offer a new star in that constellation. “Wants” Help Convey “Needs” What audiences want to talk about and how they want to talk about it help uncover what they need. Social media reveal a wealth of insights into attitudes and perceptions of diseases, diagnostics, and therapeutics. Increasingly, patients, caregivers, and providers interact on blogs, discussion boards, or chat rooms.When these settings permit advertising, companies get the best of both worlds: a traditional communications tool in a dynamic new channel. With social media, audiences have new ways of influencing what companies talk about and how they say it. To make the most of social media, companies will benefit by noting the topics on the minds of those talking online and the language used to discuss those topics. Advertising content may be cultivated through online observations and repurposed in conventional and new channels. The discussions that patients, caregivers, or physicians have with each other are a new source of information to support message and graphic development. What does this mean for the ad and message research? Methodologists have debated for decades the relative merits of quantitative and qualitative research. Certainly, there is room for one more approach — the added perspective of online conversations. Social media provide a fuller picture of what audiences want to discuss and the words they use to discuss it, including the context and connotation. Conventional research reveals what a brand’s stakeholders need to know. But to get the message across, marketers also need to know what audiences want to talk about and how they want to talk about it. With these insights, messages can be created that drive action to support brands. TNS HEALTHCARE,A Kantar Healthcare company, provides globally consistent solutions and custom advisory services to support product introductions; brand, treatment, and sales performance optimization; and professional and DTC promotional tracking. For more information, visit tnsglobal.com/healthcare. Conventional research reveals what a brand’s stakeholders need to know. But to get the message across, marketers also need to know what audiences want to talk about and how they want to talk about it. With these insights, messages can be created that drive action to support brands. TNS Healthcare, A Kantar Healthcare Company Creating Effective Messaging Through Social Media What Stakeholders Want May Not Be What They Need Jonathan Kay, Head of Brand Management
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Creating Effective Messaging Through Social Media
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