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Today’s Best PR and Marketing Executives Employ “Creatalitics”

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“How do fevers in the human brain produce the dreams and visions that become transformed into blazes of insight?” The Creative Brain

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When I was in college, I was proud to be studying at a University that had its PR program in the School of Business, resulting in a Bachelor of Science in Business degree. This was – and stills seems to be – a rarity in the field. Most PR and Marketing degrees are housed in the School of Communications and/or result in a Bachelor of Arts. In the past, this seemed to make sense for PR – it reflected the creative arts side of the field – writing, event planning, branding, messaging, etc. But today, with the explosion of analytics and data in the field, PR and Marketing executives have to think differently. They need to use both sides of their brain – the right, creative side and the left, analytical side. (Luckily, my degree prepared me for both before the market turned that direction.)

The creative side of the brain is still crucial to coming up with marketing strategies, branding and messages that appeal to people. We have to understand how to entice strong emotions that lead to action. Once that action is taken, we now have to use the right side of our brain to determine if that action resulted in value to our organization (or our clients’ organizations). Our creativity is crucial when it comes to content – we are in fact content creators and publishers in the day and age of social media. It takes fun, whimsy and innovative risk taking to create content that’s really going to stand out. But in order to truly create the best content, we need to use the right side of our brain to analyze how that content – if that content is working.

It’s not enough anymore to say “That was a really catchy headline” or “The logo is awesome” – or even to just write a creative pitch that gets a reporter’s attention. We now need to drill down and, after the reporter writes his or her article, analyze if the messages within drove the right interest. Was the article placed in the right outlet? Did the messages appeal to the right audience? What did they do as a result? Did they click through to our site? Did they buy? Why or why not?

This movement is also reflected in the banter about CIOs and CMOs battling for budget and suddenly sharing some tech responsibilities. CMOs are responsible for more data-driven decisions than in the past, and that includes managing the website’s content (which CIOs also need to make sure doesn’t then result in slower performance or other issues), and purchasing analytical software. As Dell chief information officer Andi Karaboutis recently told ZDNet, “Things for which I work together with Karen [the CMO]? Analytics, big data.”

And thus, today’s best PR and Marketing executives are what I’ve dubbed “Creatalitics” thinkers. They combine really creative and innovative ideas – those “dreams and visions” with data and analysis – the “blazes of insight” that tells them if their creations go beyond initial appeal and into the world of actionable value to the company’s bottom line. How are you using “creatalitics” in your PR or marketing position? If we can help you better undersatnd and merge this new way of thinking into your organization, let me know.

“Influencers Who Inspire” Our Latest Interview with Kate Gamble, Managing Editor, healthsystemCIO.com

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KG_LinkedIn (3)This week’s interview is with Kate Gamble, Managing Editor of healthsystemCIO.com.  Gamble has copious experience covering the healthcare IT field, and prior to her role at healthsystemCIO.com, Gamble worked as senior editor of Pharmacy Times. And, earlier, worked with healthsystemCIO.com Editor-in-Chief Anthony Guerra at Healthcare Informatics magazine, ultimately attaining the title of associate managing editor. Gamble has interviewed dozens of CIOs and attended numerous annual conferences such as HIMSS and MGMA, as well as local HIMSS events. We caught up with Gamble and asked her what is currently on top of mind for healthcare CIOs, her background in healthcare and sports journalism and what is next for her for the remainder of 2013.

 

What is the best part of your job/career?

There are so many things I love about my job. First, I work for someone I truly respect. Anthony Guerra and I are a great team — not just because we see eye-to-eye on many key issues, but also because I know I can speak up when I don’t agree with something. I realize how lucky I am to have a job where I’m given complete latitude regarding editorial decisions. The fact that Anthony trusts me to make decisions motivates me to work that much harder. Second, I love being part of the healthcare IT industry during such a transformative and interesting time period. And third, I think it’s such a unique privilege to spend so much time speaking to CIOs, the people who are guiding the industry through this evolution.

 

With the boom in healthcare technology, is it easier or harder to source quality content for healthsystemCIO?

I would say that it’s easier to source content — the field of healthcare IT is growing so rapidly. There are always new technologies and new players entering the game and raising the bar. What can be tricky, however, is finding quality content. healthsystemCIO.com adheres to all standard journalistic practices, and we are vigilant about maintaining separation between editorial and advertising. As a result, we’ve had to decline interviews and contributed pieces on several occasions, but I think it’s imperative that we maintain a high standard.

 

What is one healthcare tech product you think can have a real impact on our healthcare system?

One topic that often comes up in our interviews with CIOs is mobile device management in the hospital and physician practice settings. iPhones have absolutely changed the game. The demand from clinicians became so overwhelming that CIOs had to find a way to enable them to view electronic records on these devices, while ensuring data is protected. Mobile device management now plays a key role in the CIO’s strategy. To me, that shows the impact that iPhones have had, and it’s only going to grow as more patient-focused apps become available. These devices could also have a significant role in the growing field of telemedicine. It’ll be interesting to watch.

 

In a recent article, you mentioned you’re a fan of the Food Network. What other TV captures your attention and why?

My husband and I like to watch HGTV — it’s amazing to see how a home can be transformed. It shows what a difference it can make when you use your imagination and think out of the box (of course, it helps to have a crew of designers and builders at your disposal). I also love to watch baseball and football. I’ve been a big sports fan my whole life and I’ve found that a lot of the inspiration for my blog posts has come from sports. One piece I’m really proud of compared the leadership styles of NY Giants coach Tom Coughlin and NY Jets coach Rex Ryan.

 

You interview dozens of healthcare CIOs – what is the single biggest concern they’re facing today?

The recurring theme in many of the interviews I’ve conducted is that CIOs simply have too much on their plates. With deadlines looming for federal incentive programs, organizations are being asked to accomplish so much, and in such a short timeframe — all while staying under budget. Specifically, one of the biggest challenges for CIOs is being able to recruit and retain top IT talent. The demand far outweighs the supply.

 

 

Have you always worked in healthcare media? Why? 

No – I actually worked in the newspaper industry for several years, mostly as a sports writer, and the experience I gained was invaluable. In the newspaper environment, there is no room for error. Editors are tough, deadlines are extremely tight, and if you make a mistake, there’s no erasing it (and no hiding from an angry coach or parent). I loved the energy in the newsroom, but I wanted to explore other areas of writing. I kind of “fell into” healthcare writing and I’ve never looked back. I feel so privileged to be part of such a rapidly evolving industry. The digitization of health records is changing the way care is delivered, and to have a front-row seat is amazing.

 

It seems nearly every publication these days is moving toward a contributed content model at least to some degree. Do you view this as a good thing for the industry or not?

I view it as a positive; however, I think it’s critical that publications hold themselves to high standards and ensure that all content — whether it comes from an outside source or a staff-writer — is useful and interesting to the reader, contains accurate information, and is free of any conflicts of interest.

 

What is next for you for the remainder of 2013?

Our goals at healthsystemCIO.com are to further expand our CIO audience and continue to produce quality interviews, publish solid contributed pieces, and grow our webinar program. I truly believe that we offer a unique product that serves as a resource to key decision-makers. On a personal level, I hope to work toward being a better mom (to my 1-year-old twins) and wife (to my husband Dan), and hopefully, watch the Giants make another run at it.

Persuasive Picks for the week of 08/23/10

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Do You Want To Succeed At Social Media Or Social Media Marketing?
Do you know the difference between social media and social media marketing? This post from Forrester‘s Augie Ray separates one from the other by providing real-world examples of each.

How To Integrate Social Media, Marketing and Business Intelligence
This CIO.com post focuses on the various ways Social Media affects a businesses marketing efforts and can lead to “increasingly powerful, actionable and immediate access to consumer sentiment” when paired with business intelligence.

The Problem With Empowering The Customer
SocialMediaExplorer.com‘s Jason Falls provides this thought provoking (and entertaining) post on how encouraging customers to use social media platforms to provide feedback might not always be the ideal channel for collecting such feedback.

Are You Using Social Media as Social Proof?
Corbett Barr visits the long standing concept of “social proof” and explains how effective social media can be when used as social proof in this post on SocialMediaExplorer.com.

What’s Next: After Social Media
This MediaBullseye post from Wayne Kurtzman explains that the next evolution of “social” just might be all about gaming and influence.

Photo Credit: popculturegeek.com

Persuasive Picks for the week of 03/29/10

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Artwork: Chip Taylor10 Signs You’re a Social Media Addict
CIO.com’s Kristin Burnham shares the results of a recent Retrevo Gadgetology survey that shows how addicted people are to their online social communities. She also provides some additional survey questions of her own to help determine how addicted you are.

9 social media topics that need to die
This Ragan.com guest post by Amber Naslund from Radian6 debunks nine  ideas in social media that we’ve all heard repeated – and that at one time were practically touted as gospel. The post provides a nice wake-up call for those still new to the social media space.

Attacks Exploit Growing Use of Social Media
Michael Cheek highlights findings from the “Blue Coat Web Security Report for 2009” which shows that cyber criminals are migrating to social networks as fast as the rest of us.

Dating Advice for PR Pros
This post on Jeremy Porter’s Journalistics blog provides an entertaining read that compares media relations to the process of dating. Don’t miss this one!

What Makes Videos Go Viral – And Should Marketers Even Care?
While there’s no magic formula for creating a successful viral video, the most popular ones do share a few common characteristics. This MarketingVox post shares some of those as well as the success that Coca-Cola had with their recent vending machine viral campaign.

– Artwork: Chip Taylor

Persuasive Picks for the week of 03/01/10

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Measuring Social Media with Web Analytics, Part 1
You’ve implemented a perfectly planned social media strategy and now that you’re humming along you’ve got an equally well planned way to measure your success right? That’s what I thought. There are many ways to measure, and Nathan Linnell walks readers through using web analytics as one option in this first entry of a multi-part series.

Online News Overtakes Print Media. The Future Has Arrived.
Kristen Nicole shares her take on the recent survey results from the Pew Internet and American Life Project that online news sources have surpassed print as they primary way people get their daily news fix.

CIOs: Stop Ignoring Social Media
In this Forbes.com post, Mike Schaffner provides commentary on IT’s slow adoption of social media, both internally and allowing access to it throughout the rest of the company.

Employees as an Overlooked Resource: 5 Ways to Equip Employees to Help with Marketing
Shel Holtz his thoughts on how some companies are missing the boat when it comes to leveraging employees to assist in marketing efforts and shares several helpful tips for enabling them to do so.

Women dominate mobile social networking scene
While most of us think that today’s kids are the ones who are obsessed about all things in the mobile device scene, BizReport’s Helen Leggatt shares the results from a recent Nielsen Interactive report that found women are the real group who are mobile obsessed.

Persuasive Picks for the week of 01/04/10

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group hug by massdistraction.What Is Engagement And How Do We Measure It?
Jason Falls helps readers maximize their social media success by understanding the importance of defining “engagement” before applying it to their social strategies.

Women Warm Up to Brands on Social Sites
EMarketer.com highlights some very interesting statistics from the recent SheSpeaks “Annual Social Media Study” – showing a large increase in brand activity among females across online social networks.

SEO tips for smarter social media
Geary Interactive CEO, Andreas Roell, explains how social media efforts and SEO go hand-in-hand, while providing some tips to make sure you are maximizing your efforts.

Is 2010 Your Year for a Mobile App?
Interactive Media Strategist, Tessa Wegert, shares statistics and examples of why 2010 just might usher in a trend of mobile-focused marketing campaigns.

Seven Tools to Better Manage Your Social Networks
CIO Staff Writer, Kristin Burnham, shares this list of seven tools to help you streamline your social media interactions. This post gets my vote for introducing me to five new tools I wasn’t aware of yet!