Meet Gelb: Ana Rodarte
September 14th, 2009
We would love to introduce our team by sharing a little bit about each of us!
Title
Strategic Marketing Analyst.
Where are you from originally?
I was born in Santa Ana, El Salvador in the heart of Central America. El Salvador is a small, but beautiful country nestled between Guatemala and Honduras with the Pacific Ocean as its Western border.
Favorite place to go for vacation or a long weekend?
I really don’t like to visit the same places. I hope to see the world so the more variety of places I can visit the better. But, I have to say I enjoy visiting New Orleans and San Francisco. I’ve been to both at least twice. I love the people, culture, history, and cuisine in both cities.
Best class in college?
In undergrad at Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas - I loved going to my Women’s Studies and Spanish Literature Capstone classes. Both consisted of small to medium size groups of students who, in casual conversation, shared their insights and thoughts about the issues at hand. And, in grad school at UH, Bauer College of Business, I will forever praise Professor Steve Koch’s and Dr. Blair’s Business Consulting Lab.
Last good book you read?
I’ve been reading so many and most of them aren’t necessarily considered literary works. They’re my guilty pleasure in place of watching TV. But, I guess the last really good book I read was The Historian. It reads like Dan Brown’s Da Vinci Code, but it’s about Vlad Tepes.
What is something you love about your neighborhood?
The sense of neighborliness. You can drive or walk down the street and my neighbors always wave and greet me with a smile. Sometimes I feel like I live in Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood with a wide array of interesting characters and friendly people.
Consistency inside and out
September 11th, 2009Key issue: Expected job growth reveals health care is a growing. To sustain this growth we think a consistent internal and external experience is vital.
A recent glance at USA Today’s forecasted 2010 job growth highlights health care as an emerging segment of our economy. With new employees entering the work force with established health care providers, maintaining a consistent employee and patient experience will become increasingly critical. We think health care organizations with a successful orientation process and a careful articulation of their patient experience will be most successful. Tenured and new employees alike will need to become aware of the organization’s expected behaviors through processes like experience mapping. In addition, organizational alignment can be achieved through a common orientation toward delivering an exceptional experience and service recovery.
What actions do you think will be critical to health care as the industry grows?
For more information, visit www.gelbconsulting.com or contact John McKeever at jmckeever@gelbconsulting.com, 281.759.3600 x1022.
Source: Jobs May Rebound in 2010 (July 29, 2009). USA Today. Retrieved from http://www.usatoday.com/money/economy/2009-02-06-new-jobs-growth-graphic_N.htm?loc=interstitialskip
Sorry seems to be the hardest word
September 7th, 2009Key issue: As our nation’s debate about health care heats up, we look at one easy and not-so-obvious way to cut costs, communication.
With the discussions regarding reducing the cost of medical care, we can’t help but tune into some of the debate. As a strategic marketing firm serving many of the nation’s leading academic medical centers, we have seen how better management of the patient experience can actually reduce costs.
A recent Associated Press story explained that that while malpractice cases cost $5.8 billion annually, some of those costs can be decreased with heightened sensitivity to patient needs, often including a simple apology.
The University of Michigan Health System, featured in the story and an organization we’ve had the pleasure to work with, clarifies that when a possible error comes to their attention, they conduct a peer review and offer to meet with patients and their families.
Such interactions allow physicians to either explain if “treatment was appropriate and sometimes to admit a mistake [in their patient interactions].” This idea has additional positive ramifications – “lawyers say because Michigan admits mistakes in some can signal a tough fight ahead in those cases where it denies error.”
The story implies that patients who have experienced an apology from their physician are less likely to take legal action.
In his book, Blink, Malcolm Gladwell, explicates that “malpractice has very little to do with how many mistakes a doctors makes.” Instead, he says, it has everything to do with how patients feel they are treated.
Gladwell makes these assertions, in part, based on researcher Wendy Levinson’s work in which she discovered doctors were less likely to see a lawsuit if they spent more than three minutes with patients, gave them a verbal idea of what they could expect in the course of their appointment, and engaged in active listening.
We think Levinson’s points are important as you consider key moments in the patient experience.
Are you sure you’re doing this with every interaction?
For more information, visit www.gelbconsulting.com or contact Alleen Mitchener at amitchener@gelbconsulting.com , 281.759.3600 x1023.
Sources: David N. Goodman (July 20, 2009). Saying ‘sorry’ pays off for U. of Michigan doctors. Associated Press. retrieved from http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090720/ap_on_re_us/us_docs_say_sorry; Malcolm Gladwell (2005). Blink. Little, Brown and Company. New York.
Meet Gelb: Mark Harris
September 5th, 2009
We would love to introduce our team by sharing a little bit about each of us!
Title
Marketing Analyst. I help design the surveys, program the surveys, and analyze the data that comes in.
Where are from originally?
I come from all over. Originally born in Ft. Worth, Texas, then lived abroad in Italy. Lived a few other places then I settled back in Texas.
What is a typical day at Gelb like for you?
I come in and check my e-mail first thing. After managing any crises that occurred, I concentrate on my tasks for the day. Usually that entails programming a survey, creating updates for projects already in the field, or creating presentations detailing the analysis of the data collected.
What is something you love about your neighborhood?
I live in Katy, TX which is great because it’s a young, vibrant neighborhood and the commute to work isn’t too bad.
What did you want to be when you were 10 years old?
At 10 I believe my ambitions were to be a Mongolian warlord in the likeness of Genghis Khan. After looking into the job market for warlords and a little soul searching, I changed my mind and wanted to become a soldier in the U.S. Army like my uncle. I did so as an enlistee after completing high school.
If you won the lottery, what is the first thing you would buy?
The most plush and overstuffed recliner I could find. Nothing beats relaxing after a day’s work in a comfy chair.
Best way to spend a sunny Saturday?
For me, I love to go to the park and play a round of disc golf with my friends. Also, at my house, we customarily have family over to grill some meat and play some kind of game together, whether that’s cards, board games, or Wii.
Why’d they do that?
August 31st, 2009Key Issue: Forget what you think you know. Uncovering how and why your customers make their decisions.
We love our clients and we think they have great ideas. One of our clients, Kathleen Devries, Director of Marketing at Barnes-Jewish Hospital, has some particularly thoughtful insights we’d love to share with you.
“Comprehending why patients choose a specific provider is the Holy Grail when it comes to healthcare marketing,” DeVries writes. She acknowledges that this comprehension is not easily obtained as the players involved – physicians, nurses, and clinicians – are not quick to contemplate, much less understand, their patients’ decision-making process. But as DeVries clearly points out, “It’s not necessarily [their] job to know the answer.” Which is where we people like DeVries and, hopefully, organizations like Gelb come in.
The challenge arises in that every patient is different, which means they each made their healthcare decisions in much different ways as well. DeVries and her team found just that – the reasons staff thought drove patients to their facility proved to be immaterial.
A recent McKinsey Quarterly article blames such misunderstandings on an “explosion of product choices and digital channels, couple with the emergence of an increasingly discerning, well-informed customer.” As a result, marketers must be able to map their customers’ decision journey.
Our work with Barnes-Jewish uncovered that while patients usually either take an active or passive role in the decision-making process, there are different ways in which they can occupy each role. For example, patients who took a very active stance in the process requested an alternate referral from their physician. The degree of their activity in the process ultimately influenced which healthcare facility they visit. Those extremely active patients, for instance, were more likely to select our client as their provider.
In more recent work with M. D. Anderson we again looked at how patients make decisions. Our findings revealed a model that grouped patients by their referring physicians’ involvement in their decision.
The result of this activity was the ability to identify what made these groups unique in terms of decision-making and attitudes, and how best to meet their needs.
And as DeVries admitted, “Forget what you think you know…[and] chat with your patients.”
For more information, visit www.gelbconsulting.com or contact Alleen Mitchener at amitchener@gelbconsulting.com, 281.759.3600 x1023.
Sources: DeVries, Kathleen (Fall 2005). Make Your Choice. Marketing Health Services. Fall 2005; Court, David, Elzinga, Dave, Mulder, Susan, Vetvik, Ole Jorgen (June 2009). The Consumer Decision Journey. McKinsey Quarterly. Retrieved from http://www.mckinseyquarterly.com/The_consumer_decision_journey_2373
Maximizing your shrinking budget
August 24th, 2009Key Issue: We all have fewer resources this year, but here’s how we think you can make the most of what you do have.
Early E&P spending projections in the beginning of the year predicted a “decline by 26% to $79 billion from $106 billion in 2008,” says WorldOil. We are all probably spending less this year and can most likely empathize with these companies regardless of our type of industry. For the E&P industry, this decline signals the end of four years of incline and affects “companies of all sizes.”
The biggest reason these companies offered for budget cuts were natural gas prices, credit market conditions, cash flow, and oil prices. Interestingly, however, “companies on average overspent their original budgets by about 14% in dollar terms. Overspending was most pronounced in the US and Canada, with budgets being overspent by 24% and 27% respectively.”
Given that money troubles, whether budget cuts or overspending, aren’t unique to the E&P world, we realize that such economic difficulties only make all of our jobs harder. We encourage each other and you to look to the practices of companies who are still going strong. How are they investing their money and in what way are they going about it?
For example, we’ve learned that 80% of those who have successfully introduced a new product gathered and used more market information. What kind of information are they gathering?
- Examine your global markets
- Understand your reputation
- Identify risks
- Gain early input from customers
- Plan and resource your market launch early
For more information, visit www.gelbconsulting.com or contact Alleen Mitchener at amitchener@gelbconsulting.com, 281.759.3600 x1023.
Sources: James D. Crandell, James C. West (February 2009). Global E&P expenditures to contract 12%, World Oil.; Commercialization in a Tough Market; Cooper & Edgett, New Product Development Institute
What are you doing here?
August 17th, 2009Key Issue: Uncovering the truth behind why users visit your Web site.
Do you really know how your web site users take advantage of your site? Catherine Arst thinks Everyday Health does. Her recent BusinessWeek article gives good reasons for her case, too.
For starters this health-oriented site sees more visits than WebMD. The key to its success could be that it serves as a “network linking a broad assortment of small, popular brands” like South Beach Diet and Dr. Andrew Weil. The sites founders hypothesized that if each brand already has a strong following then such crowds would naturally come to their site, as well. Their high traffic proves they were right!
We realize how important online traffic is (we just finished revamping our own site!) and have helped clients realize the value in this resource. One such opportunity was with the Duke University Health System. Because the organization consists of a number of hospitals and clinical service lines, they managed a number of different Web sites. They enlisted our help to create a more consistent approach to their Web site design.
Our first step, and our suggestion to you, was to understand how users utilized the sites. We investigated this through Blitz User Testing, a process that involves one-on-one discussion with users as they engage with the site.
We found that users turned to Duke sites for specific health information while referencing sites like WebMD for more general questions. The findings led to a standard design that emphasized easy to understand message, and clearly communicated appointment expectations.
There’s always room for improvement but we think your users hold the key to which direction to take. That being said, tell us how we can improve our website!
For more information, visit www.gelbconsulting.com or contact Alleen Mitchener at amitchener@gelbconsulting.com , 281.759.3600 x1023.
Sources: Catherine Arnst (March 23 & 30, 2009). Why this Web Site Looks So Healthy. BusinessWeek.; John McKeever and Dorothea Bonds, Growing by Interacting.
Doing More with Less: Panel Discussion from Marketing in the Oilfield
August 17th, 2009I had the pleasure of moderating a panel of Marketing All Stars at the Marketing in the Oilfield Conference. Panelists included Ann Mathis of Baker Petrolite, Eric Johnson of SolArc, Denise Patrick of Pierpont, and Citlalli Utrera of FMC Technologies.
Here are some highlights from the Q&A:
1) What is the most significant change, if any, that you have made to your marketing strategy in response to the global economic crisis?
Baker Petrolite has developed a much more robust strategic marketing planning process to ensure that we are focusing on the “best” opportunities. Having a well defined process has enabled the development of a common vocabulary across the organization and increased awareness about the importance of market segmentation and proper positioning. In a booming economy, it is easy for organizations to default to a less focused approach – they are trying to use downturn as an opportunity to regroup and refocus. See Gelb’s Growth PlayBook for more details.
Around a year before the economic crisis arose, FMC Technologies installed a MarComm program to unify the execution of its branding strategy. In a company that operates six different businesses in the same oil and gas sector, a dispersed execution of Marketing initiatives was undermining everyone’s effectiveness. It’s brand was struggling as they learned from Gelb’s Brand Equity Report. Although FMC had a superior market share, it was outperformed by competitors in brand familiarity and trust. When the market turned down, they had an ongoing marketing communications program to establish a unified brand promise and to present all our business segments consistently. The decision was made to reduce our budget and keep the campaign to a “survival” level, in order to protect what they had gained in the first nine months of campaign. They reviewed all planned activities in light of our goal of “increasing recognition as a leading technology solutions provider to the global oil and gas industry,” and focused on the ones that could help us the most in achieving this goal. We sought to maintain a marketing mix, so they didn’t cancel any of the MarComm tools, they just rationalized the amount of each.
2) What specific tactics have you found most effective?
For obvious cost reasons, Baker Petrolite has dramatically increased the use of webinars and online training for product launches and ongoing training for our Sales and Operations groups. Although they had introduced these types of forums in the past, they’re now getting to a point where these methods are an integral part of their culture. Ann expects that it will a sustained part of our programs going forward. They’ve worked to increase the publication of articles in technical journals to increase our presence with technical buyers. A key part of our customer audience gained awareness from technical forums and tradeshows so, as the participation in these events has declined over the last year, we’ve worked to find alternate communication channels.
Exhibitions accounted for the largest part of FMC Technologies‘ budget and were not as effective reaching new markets or increasing awareness, as were advertising and the web, so their number was reduced. They kept the most important global and regional shows only, as well as some targeted conferences about strategic technologies. They increased technical gatherings with customers and maintained our direct communication with them via electronic or printed newsletters. In advertising, we decided to invest in the creativity of our ads, with the aim to ensure higher visibility and impact. This investment paid off because our single-page ads have generated similar to higher readership scores than our competitors’ multiple-page insertions. After 15 months of campaign they have established a unique style that distinguishes their brand, so before one read the ad, they would know it’s FMC Technologies talking. And it’s so difficult not to read them, too!
SolArc has invested significantly more time and resource in the advancement of our online marketing – including the launch of a social networking site on LinkedIn back in December, the release of a new corporate website in April (with stronger SEO, tracking tools, etc.), the launch of a premium customer networking site on NING in May, and the addition of more mobile and integrated communication technologies like Twitter, direct links to SalesForce.com from the web, etc. Their focus has been to build a stronger community within our existing client base as well as within our industry through better connections to analysts, consultants, systems integrators and partners. They have also worked hard to make sure this virtual, online community is tied to SolArc through targeted “Friends of SolArc” events that bring our professionals together with the larger community. This effort is helping SolArc enhance and promote their brand, is building a loyal, engaged community of industry experts, and has enabled them to significantly reduce costs.
SolArc is attending far fewer traditional trade shows in a traditional way (i.e. sales guys in the stand handing out brochures). They still have a presence at major events through sponsorships, pre-event mailings, etc. but then focus more effort on our own side activities, like a Friends of SolArc reception, a demo suite in the hotel, etc. This requires a lot of targeting and advanced communications but it is paying off for us, Eric Johnson believes.
3) What attitudes does senior management have related to marketing expenditures/effort? How have you responded?
In Baker Petrolite’s case, Marketing has been viewed as a long-term investment that has been nurtured during the downturn. As a group, Marketing works towards being as flexible as possible to the organization’s needs, looking for new ways to enable the organization beyond our previous scope.
FMC Technologies‘ top management is very supportive of branding and marketing efforts. However, when the economic downturn started, Citlalli was asked to cut as much as she could “because everyone else has been asked to do so.” Some of her peers were talking about up to 20% reductions. Her drafted advertising plan was 50% higher than the previous year, which had been a record high in the history of the company. This year, FMC Marketing had to cover more months, reach more regions, produce more ads, translate to other languages… So she went back to negotiate with her vendors and decided to prepare a budget presentation that included:
1) a review of our long-term goals; 2) early achievements of the campaign’s first 9 months; 3) next steps required by the plan to be successful; 4) a comparison of the campaign’s first and second year’s budgets. The result was an approved budget increase of 37% for this critical year.
Eric Johnson commented that management typically sees marketing as a necessary expense, but one that they would always rather reduce if they could. His approach has always been to provide very clear plans for all budget allocations, full transparency on future and current activities and expenditures, and focus on efforts where we can demonstrate the greatest possible ROI. Eric also coined the term “Return on Relationship” as a means to reflect their commitment to customers.
4) What have tactics have you seen from others that you have emulated/would like to emulate?
FMC Technologies is putting more emphasis on communicating through the web. Citlalli has found that it’s the most cost-effective MarComm tool. It allows you to reach every corner of the world at a minimal investment, compared to other tools; it can open a two-way dialogue with readers; and it can reach all kinds of audiences interested in your business. We know for a company to succeed in the new business environment, it needs to be globally consistent, but locally relevant to its customers. Citlalli observed that it’s really hard for a U.S.- based company to be relevant for customers in Brazil, in Jakarta or in Russia if it has an “English only” website with “global only” content. Citlalli likes the approach of some operators like StatoilHydro who have different local sites as part of their website system.
FMC Technology also sees that the creation of content around topics or industry trends that are relevant to our customers is important. Utrera states that, “a lot of times we organize our website content based on the seller’s perspective and forget to provide answers to the questions users are likely to have when they decide to make a search on the web. Often times, these questions are more about the problem they have than the solution we want to offer.” She would like to follow the example of several B to C sites that were developed to help and educate the user and states that “every time I get the help needed at one of those sites, their companies get more of my trust and automatically move up in my personal ranking of preferred vendors.” This aligns with Gelb’s approach working with clients to build web-marketing strategies as outlined in our Blitz User Testing article.
Eric Johnson sees that social, viral marketing is growing in importance. He has seen companies who are doing a great job of combining multimedia like video with social media like You Tube to create powerful brand recognition (Apple, Toyota, etc.) and is very interested in doing more of this. “The best sales person we can ever have is a happy customer who is willing to talk on camera about their experience and I am capturing more customer testimonials and will be pushing them out onto You Tube and other sites soon,” Johnson says. He advises that oilfield professionals can’t think about the Internet experience as being only about our own corporate website anymore. Good marketing professionals now know that they have to maintain an online presence that extends far beyond their own URL.
For more information, visit www.gelbconsulting.com or contact John McKeever at jmckeever@gelbconsulting.com, 281.759.3600 x1022.
Highlights from Marketing in the Oilfield Conference
August 17th, 2009As a moderator and participant in this year’s Marketing in the Oilfield Conference by Gulf Publishing Company, I was very impressed with the turnout and quality of speakers. Over 150 attendees were on hand representing organizations from major oilfield service companies like Baker Hughes and Weatherford, to other marketing managers from companies like Pennwell, Alcoa, and Verizon Wireless. Quite an engaged group!
Here are some highlights for those of you who couldn’t attend:
Kjetil Undhjem, VP Brand Management at Statoil Hydro, discussed the use of digital tools for messaging. He highlighted a case study from their sustainability campaign which was intended to build this point of difference into their brand. He further supported the use of digital media and commented, “This is the way forward for us as a company.”
A panel of marketing executives from National Oilwell Varco, Weatherford, Halliburton, and ENVENTURE commented on their approaches to managing their portfolio of product line brands.
Esther Angell from ENVENTURE commented on the importance of their internal brand relaunch to align employee attitudes and behaviors.
Christine McGee described Weatherford‘s approach to acquisition and rolling brands into the Weatherford portfolio. She highlighted support for master branding: clients come to them for a complete solution, technology plays are better leveraged globally, and there are economies of scale promoting one brand.
Becky Byrd of National Oilwell Varco described her complex task of managing 150 acquisitions in the 10 years. NOV has a branded house, “one company, with unlimited solutions.” Of most importance at NOV was speed for transition. Becky commented that they have a transition plan put into place during M&A discussions.
David Greely, Senior Brand Manager at Halliburton, classified Halliburton as an “asymmetric branded house.” David emphasized the need for oilfield marketers to “speak in relevant terms” to C-level executives in language “they would expect” by putting forth brand metrics in financial terms.
The moderator, George Foster of Foster Marketing Communications, opined that building brand equity is the means to increasing company value: “Reputation is the only thing negotiable in a deal.”
Steve Latham, CEO of Spur Interactive, presented an approach to matching audiences with digital media, rather than trying to quickly embrace the latest trends. “It starts with customers…how do they use digital media,” and what they value in websites. Steve has posted his presentation on slideshare.
Jim Proctor at Barrett-Wehlmann introduced the concept of narrowcasting with some statistics: 20% of B2B expenditures go to tradeshows as organizers and increased costs by an average of 4% with a density increase as well.
Our lunch keynote, Don E. Schultz, Professor Emeritus, Northwestern University, enlightened attendees with a novel perspective on ROI being an output, not an input. Schultz provided the case for measuring media consumption and included results from a large consumer study showing audiences are now multi-tasking and traditional media measures are no longer applicable.
One of the best presentations I’ve seen in a while was delivered by Robin Swanger, brand and communications director at Baker Hughes. She provided a candid and compelling view of new opportunities at Baker Hughes to reorganize and focus marketing resources closer to the customer. She described the discipline of reviewing people, process and priorities to determine how best to achieve corporate marketing goals.
A panel of experts on social media from Ward Creative Communications, Chevron Energy Technology Company, and Fulbright & Jaworski commented on the policies companies might consider when utilizing social media. Chevron utilizes these tools for “issues management” and to remain “part of the conversation” through such venues as Facebook, YouTube and LinkedIn. An important note, according to Toby Brown of Fulbright, was that “casual conversations are now published as a book” when things are posted on line. Deborah Buks provided an example of how a blog was used for crisis communications.
The energy in the audience was sparked with Vikas Mittal’s provacative presentation that CMOs were no longer relevant. Once he got our attention, he went on to prescribe the means by which CMOs could retake influence in the board room - linking satisfaction drivers to financial measures like market share, referrals, revenue, etc.
Jennifer Petre of Baker Botts prescribed some “universals for marketing plans.” A very practical presentation, Jen described her transition from oilfield marketing to professional services and how marketing planning is a translatable discipline.
With all the discussion centered around brands – from Statoil’s strides to differentiate their brand, to ENVENTURES‘ internal brand focus, and Murphy’s comments stressing the importance of brand equity – it brings to mind our own efforts surrounding brand management and brand equity and how crucial an activity these are for organizations. And conversations regarding on line media – such as Latham and Schultz’s ideas - are further encouragement that investigating your on line presence, through actions like our Blitz User Testing, are ripe with value.
For more information, visit www.gelbconsulting.com or contact John McKeever at jmckeever@gelbconsulting.com, 281.759.3600 x1022.
Innovation in tough times
August 10th, 2009Key Issue: Noteworthy companies congratulated for their inventive ideas.
BusinessWeek recently compiled a list of “innovative” companies, which “consistently offer inventive products, customer experiences, business models, or processes.” This list is especially compelling now that budgets are tight, an effect seen as organizations focus on “shorter-term, lower-risk projects.”
The list is topped by Apple for its revolutionary iPhone app Store and filled with a few of our clients. Microsoft finds itself at #5 and hailed for its “cloud offerings,” and Tata, ranked at #13, is heralded for its launch of the Nano, a $2,000 minicar.
We are inspired by all the organizations who made the list, but we are especially proud of those we’ve had the pleasure of working with. For more information on our work with Microsoft Tata, follow these links –
- Better Access to High-Performance Computing Could Increase Oil and Gas Production, Reports Microsoft/Gelb Survey
- Ensuring Certainty in an Uncertain World
For more information, visit www.gelbconsulting.com or contact Alleen Mitchener at amitchener@gelbconsulting.com, 281.759.3600 x1023.
Sources: Reena Jana (April 20, 2009). Do Ideas Cost Too Much? BusinessWeek. (March 7, 2009), Better Access to High-Performance Computing Could Increase Oil and Gas Production, Reports Microsoft/Gelb Survey, http://www.gelbconsulting.com/en/rel/17/. Ensuring Certainty in an Uncertain World, http://www.siegelgale.com/pdf/SG_Tata_Case.pdf.