Trinity Biotech is a NASDEQ quoted diagnostics company, specialising in the development, manufacture and marketing of clinical diagnostic products.
The organisation is highly acquisitive frequently adding new companies and products to their vast portfolio. Their increase in product lines and business units meant they needed a new digital platform with increased capabilities to accomodate the growing areas within their business.
The new site needed to elevate Trinity Biotech’s leadership status within global diagnostics, maintain a prominent investor relations section, ensure ease of naviagation, and deliver expanded functionality for the integration of future brands and products.
The launch of the new Trinity Biotech Website sees us developing another successful digital platform with our digital partners PointBlank.
The SEAI Sustainable Energy Awards took place last week at The Shelbourne Hotel and what a night it was. Having designed the presentation and communications, we were delighted to form part of an eclectic mix which included Gavin Duffy (quite the photo bomber), a man in a kilt, the minister, a diplomat or two, our agency friends from SEAI and some of Ireland’s most ambitious businesses.
The awards encourage, recognise and reward excellence in energy management and they celebrate individuals, groups and organisations who demonstrate a commitment to include energy management as part of their overall management structure.
We were particularly impressed with the worthy winners of the Ambition category Comharchumann Fuinnimh Oileáin Árainn Teo (CFOAT). The group were set up in 2012 and are on track to develop the Aran Islands as energy independent, energy self-sustaining and carbon neutral by 2022. Surely that’s as high as ambition goes!
The past number of years has seen an unprecedented wave of creativity applied to not for profit digital campaigns and social channels.
As marketers in the online world increasingly recognise that digital and the role of social channels is much more about the company ethos, adding value and working on the peer-level to ‘give back’; it is perhaps easy to understand why not for profit Digital Communications are resonating with audiences and winning awards.
But let’s take a closer look at why (good) digital not for profit communications and strategies often seem more ‘organically effective’ than many of their commercial counterparts targeting the same types of audience:
1. By the very nature of being a not for profit organisation, the ‘societal goal’ is absolutely central
Less need for supplementary and supporting ‘Corporate Social Responsibility’ or ‘Mutual Social Responsibility’ efforts
Not for profit organisations are formed around a social cause – providing power to resonate with audiences on a level beyond capitalism and profit
2. Merely surviving year-on-year highlights the ability of the organisation to connect and engage audiences
It’s a crazy competitive space, not helped by economic downturns and negative attention often tarring entire charitable sectors
Organisations focused on a cause that has little or no societal appeal simply don’t survive. Those that survive, have a ‘social truth’
Similarly, those who don’t have the understanding required to motivate and put people into action will also fail. In many ways, the not for profit sector embodies commercial ‘survival of the fittest’
3. So, with a socially appealing mission, a loyal following willing to involve themselves without physical reward, and understanding what motivates their patrons. Digital. Just. Fits
Digital mediums are being employed to cost-effectively identify audiences and broadcast extremely creative, engaging messages to the masses
Digital channels are being expertly utilised to broaden the reach of not for profit communications, often with viral consequences that are the envy of other sectors
Social media is enabling us to tell more of the brand story, to personalise the experience for individuals (after all – social giving is at least to some degree about the ‘feel good factor’) and create a longer-lasting impact
It is becoming clear that those having the most online success have really begun to master ‘storytelling’ in the not for profit digital communications space
4. All the while working better to reach and involve ‘youth’ audiences – the future of any not for profit organisation
The 2013 Millennial Impact Report highlights just how active a new breed of patrons can be in driving not for profit digital communications:
65% of receive email or newsletters from ONE TO FIVE nonprofits
Donation sums are smaller, but we’re more likely to get active for a good cause (77% have)
Interestingly, 65% of learn about your cause via your website, vs. 55% through social media (18% print
But 75% won’t hang around for a poor website experience, and you must be mobile optimised with penetration high at 77%
Our action on your website looks like this: 51% use it as a platform to connect via social media, 46% to donate and 46% to read a blog post.
Get your website structure right and remember that Content is KING.
70% of Millennials prefer to give online, but it might be surprising to learn that we aren’t that in to text-giving (only 15% have done so). Yet we do like to act immediately – these points combined highlight a preference for ‘giving recognition’. Perhaps text-giving doesn’t adequately promote my good deed?
So, moving on from and otherwise accompanying the TV commercial, the flyer door-drop and the high street coin/direct-debit collection; here is how some forward thinking not for profit organisations are leveraging the data, the reach and all the creativity associated with digital channels:
UNICEF
Last year, UNICEF re-invigorated the hugely successful ‘Tap Project’ whereby restaurants would ask patrons for a $1 donation to help provide clean drinking water in Africa. Now, while the updated campaign does not have the beautiful and direct correlation regards ‘my water, for your water’, it does talk to social behaviours and asks us to question what we’re focusing our time on by challenging us to give up access to something far less vital than water–your cell phone.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wetbh84MGOc
RNLI
To our point about the necessity to engage younger audiences, how about empowering them instead? Really empowering them. After all, it is the younger ‘digital native’ audiences who understand best how this all works. The UK’s RNLI demonstrates how you hit a home run with content marketing, blogger outreach and leveraging online mediums – and it’s a far cry from collecting pennies in boat-shaped boxes at the dry cleaners.
Cancer Research UK
If you don’t already know this, it might give you pause to consider that No Makeup Selfies raised £8m for Cancer Research UK in six days. Despite the fact that Cancer Research UK did not create the #NoMakeupSelfie movement. Here’s how that happened:
First up, the hashtag #nomakeupselfie started to trend on twitter. Why? Because it spoke an organic truth to the demographic.
Ground had already been broken by movements in anti-airbrushing and brand campaigns such as Dove’s ‘Campaign for Real Beauty’, so a level of empowerment and duty was already in place and it’s no surprise that all such examples have powerful imagery and tones of ‘anti-establishment’ or ‘anti-societal-norm’. That’s empowering stuff.
Nobody could identify the source of the hashtag. However, the empowered twitter folk were now already so engaged and so motivated that they themselves began asking ‘how to donate’.
Step up Cancer Research UK to put themselves forward.
Following a barrage of retweets, PR coverage and consumer donations, the organisation expertly followed up with celebrity stories and local activations all documented online via the existing hashtag and the new conduit: #NoMakeupSelfieForCancer – whether initiated or not, the pace at which the organisation joined in is to be admired and respected, as too are their sincere (now viral) ‘thank you’ messages.
Girls not Brides
I came across the movement a while ago and recently, it has been getting more and more attention and started to pick up awards. Aside from the primary point that this is of course a mission worthy of everyone’s attention, I’m raising the point that a really well-honed content strategy. The simple, informative information that often gets missed.
At www.girlsnotbrides.org, the mission is clear and the stories are real. Add to this tools for visitors, students and teachers to get involved and you’re well on the way to a long-lasting platform that can truly be the daily catalyst to changing something that needs changing.
In Summary…
We’re all aware of the reach and engagement uniquely presented by digital and online channels. The challenge now is to:
Be creative, draw on the social truth at the core of your organisation
Allow room for audience personalisation, but be careful not to demand too much or add unnecessary complexities (‘Keep It Simple Silly’)
Uncover who are most likely your key influencers online
Identify how you’ll engage these and future campaign participants
Be prepared to keep fuelling and to follow-up in an agile manner
Leverage EVERY touch point (and that includes offline and PR)
The role of product a website has long been the debate of commercial directors, advertising agencies and SEO professionals alike. From the commercial focus on (or isolation of) a hero product, through to issues of duplicate content and competing for search results – we’ve seen it all over the years. As a commercial design and branding agency, we’re going to attempt to cut through some of the clutter and technicalities surrounding the overriding question:
Do we need a product website?
If you have more than one product in your suite, you should consider it. If one of your products has ‘hero’ status, you should really consider it. If your range of products is varied and a specific product or product range focuses on the needs of a particular ‘type’ of end-user or user-requirement; you’re product website should already be in planning. And here are 3 good reasons why the world is heading this way:
1. People have specific agendas, and limited attention spans
We’re easily distracted by too many options. For any given unique proposition, we’re going to need to cover off: Why this product is awesome, and what does it say aboutme. What it will really mean to me (the benefits). What it will actually do for me (the features). What it costs me (including any pricing options). How to buy it (and what happens next).
That’s a lot of information, comprehension and persuasion. The point is that it’s not always wise to blur the lines with “oh… and we also have another set of products you just might be interested in”, and hence the consideration of a product website. From a communications point of view; simple, singular propositions result in more effective customer engagement and acquisition.
2. More than ever, we really do understand our audience
So there’s no reason not to focus on the customer first and foremost. Let’s take a look at a leading car brand: Volkswagen. If you’re looking for a job, have a gripe about their environmental responsibility, need to find a dealer who might help you decide which model to purchase, or otherwise want the general company overview, you’re best bet is www.volkswagen.com, or if you own a small business, www.volkswagen-vans.co.uk.
Volkswagen & The Beetle
And then, Volkswagen build this little number called ‘The Beetle’. Most importantly regards this discussion is that the car is designed for a very specific type of consumer. We know who they are. Volkswagen know who they are, there’s science in there from the shape of the bodywork through to the way its personality is communicated.
Enter the need for a product website that understands the buying motivations of the target consumer, tells the product story in a way that resonates with them, and keeps them engaged with all that lifestyle ideology: www.beetle.com.
3. Everybody’s doing it
We’re not talking about building mobile apps on a whim or hours spent spluttering on social media with no clear objectives in mind here. There are a wealth of credible examples of product websites having strategic, creative and commercial objectives.
Sony Playstation
An example of when a product in a company’s set is specifically designed for a type of user is the product website for Sony Playstation. No cross-selling at all, the ‘SONY’ name is there for branding purposes only. Even the brand logo does not link to their core website. This is somewhat different to…
iPhone
The iPhone section on apple.com looks like a product website. Acts like one too. However, if you’re in the market for an iPhone, you’re likely somewhat religious and on some level willing to buy into a MacBook Air and and an iPad to boot. In essence, Apple has created micro-sites within their core site that focus our attention on the product (together with all associated options and accessories) while allowing easy access to other products. This mirrors the universal appeal of their product set. There’s a clear distinction between the way Sony and Apple present their products to us online.
Verizon Wireless
The USA communications giant Verizon has separated its mobile business from the core website housing residential and commercial TV and fixed-broadband services. Regards the mobile offering, it needs to appeal to a youth and NetGen audience who will be ‘mobile first’ brand entrants. More importantly, perhaps, is the vast array of options available to a consumer as a mobile customer; think prepay vs. postpay, devices (phones/tablets et al), services such as mobile broadband, accessories, customer support, account log-in and payment/top-up. Suddenly, attempting to contain this within a core website with other products fighting for attention throws up comprehension issues.
From a branding perspective, little changes on what is in essence a product website; with the exception of the URL itself. In fact, the website is integrated (as per Apple) into the wider experience, again suggesting that Verizon fixed broadband customers are likely to be open to mobile products too. However, all ‘support’ channels, for example, are focused on the mobile offering. Better user experience, better brand control.
Skype & Microsoft
For a likely number of reasons, Microsoft-owned Skype is actually a product website. OK, so it started off as a totally separate entity, but interesting to view how it now sits within the wider Microsoft offering. In fact, you might consider that Skype acts to give credibility to other Microsoft products in it’s footer; for those who care to scroll that far. The point is that the Microsoft logo isn’t up there in flashing lights for a reason, and that again comes down to understanding the audience.
WorldPay Zinc
And then there’s the strategic use of product websites in a B2B context. WorldPay is a leading provider of electronic and online payment facilities. Their product range covers all sizes of customer from SME through to leading multinational organisations, including airlines.
Big business. Too big for me and my company? Probably. And that is why there is a ‘separate’ product. WorldPay Zinc allows anyone from the local plumber to a 3-chain restaurant to take mobile payments easily with simple set-up. It’s a proposition for a unique type of smaller business user so the product website has none of the scary stuff associated with large-scale industry ecommerce, and with the main (very corporate) website removed from all mention.
tdsvisitor
We developed a product website for ‘tdsvisitor’, a visitor management solution that now has a global reach, with companies such as Google using the platform in 52 countries. Other multinational organisations are now showing interest. Our role as their design and branding agency was give ‘tdsvisitor’ it’s own hero brand that would better represent the tdsvisitor solution as a stand-alone product.
Accordingly, our strategy involved developing a focused product website (tdsvisitor.com) that presents only the absolute information required for facilities to understand and consider the product without the distraction of other products in the tds armoury.
Like with Sony and WorldPay, we only reference the tds core brand because, regards the end-user’s agenda, understanding the company’s rich foundation and heritage in the facilities security industry is actually secondary to “what is this specific product and what will it do for me”. That’s the hook. The rest is a process of due diligence through which the history of tds may or may not be an influential factor for the purchaser.
So what about technical issues related to product websites?
Frankly, all issues surrounding the number of web properties any one organisation should have is a matter of strategy from both branding and commercial perspectives.
There is no denying that things changed and end-users now demand relevancy and far more engaging experiences online. In a world where competing for customer attention and time are arguably the key barriers, gone are the days when a ‘microsite’ would confuse the wider brand proposition in the digital space. For many organisations with diversifying portfolios, product websites are now a prerequisite.
Once carefully considered and constructed with the end-user in mind, it’s actually relatively straight forward to understand how multiple website properties are positioned in the wider digital footprint, how they communicate with target consumer groups, and what relationship they have with one another – and that includes technical aspects such as search engine optimisation and multiple marketing/data touch-points.
What the #icebucketchallenge can teach us about the power of belonging
Greta Garbo may have famously said “I want to be alone” but in the human psyche nothing could be further from the truth. We all want to belong – to our families, our group of friends, our teams, society at large.
The ALS/ MND campaign is a perfect illustration of this. I have watched with interest over the last few weeks, as the campaign continues to snowball, to a point where people are now starting to criticise the campaign’s high profile takeover of their Facebook and Twitter feeds.
Whilst no-one is denying how great the ice bucket challenge has been to raise awareness of a lesser known disease area, it seems there are now calls for people to donate in humility without the accompanied social media post.
But cynicism aside, these people are overlooking the fundamental reality that we humans are social animals. In the hierarchy of needs, we search for community; we need to fulfil our urge to belong, so to donate without pouring the obligatory bucket of water over our heads and recording the jest for all to see disconnects us from the cause. It’s about being part of something.
So, what lessons from the ice bucket challenge can be applied to branding?
Wise brands tap into that universal desire for community by inviting people to participate in a larger story that in turn gives them a sense of shared identity. Feelings are the catalyst for action, and storytelling is the perfect vehicle to engage people’s emotions. Wise brands use the power of storytelling to make their customers care about them – give them a reason to want them, love them and champion their cause – something we’ve discussed before in relation to creating compelling fundraising campaigns and not for profit digital communications.
Apple is often held up as the gold standard in branding for many reasons, but which other phone manufacturer has people queuing around the block, in multiple countries, even camping out the night before to get their hands on the latest handset? The desire to be part of the Apple community is a strong one.
P&G’s “Thank You Mom” 2012 Olympic campaign was a defining moment in emotional connection. From the early morning wake-up calls to the training sessions in subzero temperatures, years of steadfast devotion were jam-packed into 30 seconds. In that half-minute, P&G went from being a faceless multinational to winning the hearts of countless parents across the globe, turning them into customers for life.
From advertising campaigns that demonstrate that nobody understands you better, to NikeiD putting you in the driving seat of product design and Coca-Cola’s product-led ‘Share a Coke’ campaign, the ways in which you can involve your target audience with your brand are many and varied. They all have one thing in common though: they celebrate individuality as part of a wider community.
To find out how RichardsDee can help you build a deep connection with your target audience, click here…
