Well−versed in what’s now,
ever–ready for what’s next.
NOW & NEXT
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Hatch This
Posted by Sam Meers on Saturday | March 2nd, 2013
Innovation is the lifeblood of business. Connecting the dots between disparate ideas to create something new. Something that adds value to a product or service. Some industries are naturally innovative, like technology. Tech companies live on a narcotic dose of “new.” Without new, they lose relevance fast.Other industries have migrated to innovation kicking and screaming. Take banking, for example. It has taken 30 years for banks to embrace innovation as a way of life. Airlines are not far behind. Nor is telecommunications. Big industries move slowly.
Then there’s healthcare. We do a lot of work in the healthcare industry. And if there’s ever been a category that is going through change, it is healthcare. And not of their own accord. No, these guys were legislated into change. The ugliest way to make the move.
Four years ago we saw the change coming. While we didn’t know exactly what the Obama administration had in mind when it came to healthcare reform, we knew it was going to require significant change on the part of all parties involved in the category.
Over the past four years, we, as an agency, have developed a number of products to assist our healthcare clients engage with new and existing audiences. SMS products, email products, fully integrated digital campaigns — all designed to help move what have been operationally focused companies toward becoming consumer-focused marketers.
We even created our own digital marketing conference — the Hatch Digital Forum. We saw a knowledge and perception gap in digital marketing among health insurance marketers and reached out to fill it.
So how is this relevant to advertising agencies? Six years ago we changed our name to Meers Advertising. Some have questioned why we moved away from Meers Marketing to Meers Advertising. We believe we are working to redefine the role of an advertising agency. We connect data to great creative. We solve problems. We focus on what’s now and what’s next.
Advertising agencies that ignore product and service innovation within their own walls on behalf of their clients are doomed. The only way to grow and prosper is to innovate and take risks.
Feel free to live old school. But don’t be surprised when you find the windows have been boarded up.
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March 4, 2013 | 11:33 am
So try this innovation: get Spoken Keywords for your clients — that eliminate barriers to consumers responding to your advertising. No more random 800#s or unfamiliar SMS shortcodes to have to remember.