P&G launching new product with social media
According to Ad Age, P&G began sending the product to bloggers earlier this month, some of whom also have Twittered their interest in Weekly Clean. And Crest is using P&G's Vocalpoint buzz-marketing program for moms to spread the word too. It sent a survey about the product's marketing to the more than 600,000 moms in the program last week.
But the product's TV advertising will be relatively light, said spokeswoman Allison Yang, consisting mainly of five-second tags on ads for other Crest products.
The product "is not necessarily intuitive," making TV ads relatively less effective at explaining Weekly Clean, she said.
"What we've seen with research with consumers is that once they've seen it, they tell everybody," Ms. Yang said, another reason for the emphasis on buzz marketing vs. conventional media.
"The feeling you get is so unique, and women especially love it," she said. "A lot of times you come out with a new toothpaste flavor, and it's not something people talk about."
The product uses silica-based crystals similar to those found in Crest Pro-Health but in higher concentrations, leaving "that incredibly smooth feeling you get when you take your tongue and slide it along the front of your teeth after visiting the dentist," Ms. Yang said.
Weekly Clean is used like regular toothpaste, though it comes in smaller tubes. Ms. Yang said P&G isn't concerned any consumers will believe they can now get away with only brushing once a week. "We're emphasizing that the product doesn't have any fluoride in it," she said. "This should not substitute for brushing in any sense."
Imagine that..DTC marketers everywhere are cringing now and some are saying “sure they can do that but we’re a regulated industry” but in reality that is a bullshit excuse. People are talking about your product NOW on social media sites. Just look at the buzz around Byetta’s pancreatitis or Gardasil’s potential side effects.
As this author sees it there are a number of problems with pharmaceutical companies taking the deep dive into social media.
1. Lack of analytics - No, I don’t mean that there is a lack of analytics, what I am suggesting is that there is a lack of online marketing analytic people and software to help marketers understand the dynamic impact of online programs. Omniture for example has a great analytic software suite that can provide brands with a wealth of information but companies don’t want to spend the money or add people to manage website analytics. While top consumer companies have been adding Web analytic people and departments pharma is still stuck in a model that would be better suited for the TV show Mad Men.
Omniture Web Analytics can measure a variety of
programs online
2. We’re afraid-
Too many DTC marketers hide behind the “we’re a
regulated industry” excuse and that is a load of
manure. There are ways to reach out to customers and
patients if you are willing to take a risk and be a
leader.
3.
Don’t cut my TV budget
! Ah-ha now we get into the meat and potatoes of the
problem. DTC marketers want their TV dollars and
don’t want to risk losing them to Web programs that
maybe more effective.
Once again P&G is leading the way into the dark
night of marketing in a new era. At least THEY are
doing something with social media and acknowledge
that TV is NOT providing the ROI it should. Will DTC
marketers listen or will they have their iPods on
loud?