World Autism Day

April 2^nd has been designated as World Autism Day and the occasion designates April as Autism Awareness Month. An awareness-building campaign called, Light It Up Blue, will find many prominent landmarks, hotels, museums, bridges, and retail stores featuring distinctive blue lighting in solidarity with this important cause. Even the Empire State Building will be lit-up in blue on the night of April 2^nd.

If any developmental disability deserves our immediate attention it is autism. At present, it is estimated that 1.5 million Americans are affected personally. It is the most rapidly growing developmental disability in the nation, with an astounding 10-17% annual growth rate.

Aside from the impact autism has on individuals and families, it also has a tremendous financial impact. It has been projected that the costs of housing and treating individuals with autism will exceed 60-billion dollars in 2013 alone, with costs guaranteed to escalate in the coming years. The costs of lifelong care can be significantly reduced, however, with early diagnosis.

SIS International Market Research is conducting a nationwide survey aimed at pinpointing the housing needs of adolescents and adults with autism. If you are an expert in the field, or a family-member of someone with autism and would like to participate in this important survey, email us at: research@sisinternational.com. 

Ambulance Transportation

Many people may visualize an ambulance as a vehicle that goes “lights and sirens” through a busy street in order to respond to an emergency.  Over the past couple of decades an industry known as medical transportation has been emerging.  Here, an ambulance may not necessarily be used for 911 calls, but rather to transport individuals to and from medical procedures and doctor’s appointments.  

Patients can be transported via various modes.  There is the traditional “box-car” ambulance.  Then, there is the “vanbulance”, or a van-style ambulance.  Another vehicle is the MAVT, or “coach”, van, which is used to transport wheelchair-bound patients.  Many medical transportation companies have a fleet of all three.

An ambulance may be used to transport patients between their residences and dialysis centers.  It may also be used to transport bed-bound patients from nursing homes to dialysis centers and doctors’ offices.  Ambulance transportation may be utilized for inter-facility transfers of psychiatric patients.  Many nursing homes enter contracts with medical transportation companies.  If a nursing home calls 911, this call gets logged into a public call log and may negatively affect the facility’s rating.  If a nursing calls a private company for such an emergency, such a call does not go into public records.

Nonemergency medical transportation makes up about 31.5% of the $13 billion ambulance services industry.  The ambulance industry is projected to grow. One factor that may help it grow is the rise in the United States’ elderly population.  One-third of Emergency Room admissions arrive via ambulance.  The occurrence of Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) has more than doubled among the elderly population between 2000 and 2008.  Kidney disease, especially End-Stage Kidney Disease (ESRD), may result in an increase in the number of dialysis patients.  Dialysis, with its ability to wreak havoc on the human body, may result in the need for a patient to use ambulance transportation, in which he or she is monitored by an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) for any major changes in condition.

One of the major causes of renal disease includes diabetes.  The incidence of diabetes among adults aged eighteen to seventy-nine has risen over the past two decades.   As medical advances have progressed over the past thirty years, the number of elderly people with diabetes dying from hyperglycemic crises has decreased.  Such a statistic indicates that people with diabetes are living longer.  As the disease progresses with age, the need for dialysis may increase.  The progression of diabetes may also result in neuropathy, which may lead to amputation of the lower extremities.  As these conditions render a person less mobile, the need for stretcher transportation may arise.

The nursing home industry is projected to experience high growth rates as the baby boomers age.  The number of Americans aged sixty-five and older is expected to increase to about 72,000,000 people between 2015 and 2030.  Major clients of ambulance transportation are nursing facilities, and the growth of the ambulance services industry may be concomitant with the growth of residential care units.

Sources:

http://www.ibisworld.com/industry/default.aspx?indid=1581

http://www.anythingresearch.com/industry/Ambulance-Services.htm

http://kidney.niddk.nih.gov/kudiseases/pubs/kustats/#1

http://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/pubs/pdf/DiabetesReportCard.pdf

http://www.firstresearch.com/Industry-Research/Nursing-Homes-and-Long-Term-Care-Facilities.html

http://www.123rf.com/photo_9302657_ambulance-car-vector-illustration-isolated-on-white-background.html (image)

Guerrilla Marketing

Guerrilla marketing is a marketing strategy that applies unconventional low-cost strategies to promote products, services and ideas.  These advertising strategies may involve sticker bombing, flash mobs, and extensively promoting a brand in order to reach the target market. The namesake of guerrilla marketing can be traced back to guerrilla warfare in which unusual tactics were used to accomplish goals and objectives.  This advertising strategy may be successful because it is easily understood, easily implemented, and inexpensive.

Guerrilla marketing relies on time, frequency, energy, and imagination.  Oftentimes, heavy budgets may not be part of guerrilla marketing campaigns.  It involves gathering customers’ attention in unusual ways in highly competitive environments. These types of campaigns are usually very interactive in nature and target their customers in unexpected styles. 

A major objective of guerrilla marketing is to create a “buzz” in the market through unique, eye-catching, thought-provoking and engaging advertisements.  These initiatives may transform into viral, or frequent, cycles of marketing campaigns. Guerrilla marketing may involve public relations (PR) stunts, street giveaways, dropping off pamphlets, and mock stalls.  The adoption of emerging technologies may affect guerrilla marketing as well.  Digital technologies may be employed extensively to reach target consumers.  Text messages spaced at regular intervals can catch customers’ attention.  Frequent Facebook posts and Twitter tweets may also reach consumers.            

Guerrilla marketing focuses more on the use of cost-effective and creative strategies of marketing rather than the utilization of burgeoning budgets.  Its basic requisite is “creativity on time” rather than “creativity on money.”  Profits on sales may provide a good measure of the success of a marketing campaign.  Repeat customers may assist companies by extolling their products to their families and friends, a form of word-of-mouth marketing.

Guerrilla marketing strategies may be referred to as “guerrilla marketing weapons.” Guerrilla marketing may encourage companies to “be creative” and may motivate them to “be unconventional” in their products promotion strategies.  Guerrilla marketers employ public relations stunts extensively.  Marketers may also analyze the promotional strategies of other companies in order to improve their own.        

Small businesses or SMEs (small- and medium-sized entrepreneurs) may benefit from guerrilla marketing.  Small size may be an advantage for them, as their proximity to their end-user customers may allow them to capture their consumers’ needs and demands.

Guerrilla marketing is based on the following principles:

•     Specially tailored for SMEs
•     Focus on human psychology rather than judgement and guesswork
•     The creation of a competitive edge via product specialization
•     More focus on business cooperation with other companies rather than competition
•     Adoption and usage of new technologies for strategy execution
•     Customizing market campaigns for target consumer groups 
•     Understanding the needs of customers rather than trying to persuade them to buy     
•     Frequent cycles of campaign to target more and more customers

Image Source:  http://changethis.com/manifesto/show/4.GuerrillaMarketing

Neuromarketing for Small Businesses

Neuromarketing is an emerging field within the marketing and advertising sectors.  Blending neuroscience and marketing psychology, the growth of neuromarketing may have implications for small businesses.  

The amygdale is a part of the brain that controls humans’ emotional responses to the stimuli they encounter.  It plays an integral role in the “fight-or-flight” response to stress, in which humans have to decide how to react.  The amygdale is activated when a person has to decide to “buy or fly” when faced with a bombardment of products and advertisements. 

The nascent field of neuromarketing has the potential to help advertisers succeed in their marketing campaigns.  One researcher has suggested that small businesses not use the term “we” nor commence their pitch with a long company overview.  This researcher is capitalizing on humans’ primitive survival instinct. 

Throughout the ages, Homo sapiens have retained the instinct to survive.  This instinct can be seen in its primitive manifestation as the will to survive in dangerous physical circumstances, such as in a land full of animal predators.  This instinct can be seen in its more sophisticated form as the will to survive financially by devoting a lot of time to one’s job or fervently trying to close a business deal.  Economics and psychological research has shown humans to be self-centered (in the survival sense) and risk-averse. 

Before purchasing a product or service, a consumer subconsciously considers how the product may benefit her.  If the product costs a lot, she then takes into account the possibility of its not benefitting her and the financial loss she may incur as a result.  So the advertiser may need to allay these concerns and appeal to the consumer’s instincts of self-interest and self-preservation.        

Small businesses may not have the same financial resources that large corporations may draw upon in certain marketing initiatives such as purchasing expensive TV ads.  Neuromarketing, with its potential to delve into the deepest caverns of the human subconscious, may furnish these small businesses with some alternatives.  Changing the wording of a presentation, as in the example above, does not come with the same high costs concomitant with TV ads but may help a business capture the attention and subsequently the buying potential of a consumer. 

A small business may not be able to fall back on widespread consumer awareness of and loyalty to its brand.  A consumer, especially one deciding to embark on the purchase of an expensive product, may look for well-known suppliers.  For a small business, well-executed marketing initiatives may be crucial in grabbing the attention of a consumer and helping to convince him that its product is of high quality.   

www.sismarketresearch.com - SIS Neuro Market Research

IT and Telecommunications Foster Globalization

Rapid advancements in the Information Technology (IT) and telecommunication industries may have revolutionized the process of conducting business in the last two decades.  These two industries have helped business connect globally.

The IT industry comprises entities that develop and manage computer-based systems for handling data. The telecommunication industry comprises industries that manage and develop the transmission of information via electromagnetic means. The combination of these two industries may have made the communication process more convenient and affordable, making information accessible to everyone all around the world.

The advancement of telecommunication tools and IT systems may be major factors in the trend toward rapid globalization. Today’s businesses may share vast amounts of information all over the world in just a few minutes, enabling them to keep up with their global operations.

The business telecommunication industry has evolved through the ages, gradually at first and rapidly in the last two decades. Initially, the telephone and fax machine were mostly advertised for business purposes. The social use of the telephone became popular much later. While these devices made communications easier, it was still not as convenient to conduct global business as it is now.

The telecommunications industry, along with the invention of mobile phones, has enabled businesses to communicate with each other at any time of the day.  The use of VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) services had made it possible for businesses to communicate at lower costs. Video conferencing is another popular practice for global businesses, decreasing the need to travel to different locations in order to conduct meetings.

The start of globalization may have been marked by the commercial use of computers and the Internet. The Internet provided a common platform for people to share information from anywhere around the world.  Advancement and integration in IT and the telecommunication industry has been rapid since.

A major advancement in the IT industry was the development and use of cloud computing and management software on pay-per-use plans. While there were several software programs available in the market, they were expensive.  Cloud computing services have enabled small businesses to access a variety of software in a more affordable way.  Since cloud computing involves outside management of software programs, a small business does not have to develop and maintain an IT department.  Allowing businesses to utilize cloud computing on pay-per-use structures rather than a flat fee for unlimited use may help them cut costs.   

The IT industry has also enabled businesses to avail themselves of the virtual marketplace to the world of business. Electronic commerce (e-commerce), a practice that is growing in popularity, offers convenience to both buyers and sellers.  The integration of both the IT and the telecommunication industries has presented businesses with many opportunities. The combination of mobile phones with the Internet and computer operating systems has resulted in the invention of smartphones, which have made businesses remote and portable. Important business information can now be stored, accessed, and carried around in a mobile phone.  The 4G LTE system enables the high-speed transmission of data across mobile devices, such as smartphones, iPads, and Tablets.  Allowing mass amounts of information to be stored and transmitted at any time on mobile devices may allow business operations to run more efficiently. 

The IT and telecommunications industries are now facing some strategic issues. Product development is becoming more difficult due to the rising competition and copyright and patent issues. The cost of research and development is on the rise, resulting in high prices for these products. However, both the IT and the telecommunication industries are expected to grow in the coming years and may become a substantial contributor to the world’s economy.

Image Sources:

http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/shop_ipad

http://www.smallbiztechnology.com/archive/2011/09/wait-what-is-cloud-computing.html/

TV and Print Advertising Give Way to Viral Videos and Emerging Social Media

Only the weather changes faster than advertising methods. Marketers today must constantly change and adapt to an advertising landscape that is ever-evolving. Advents in technology and ad-delivery formats force businesses to continually re-appraise and advance their advertising methods.

Today’s consumers spend less time watching conventional television and reading print ads than ever before. Rather, they are watching YouTube and TiVo and are logged-on to Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, and other constantly emerging social media platforms. Advertisers are literally required to adapt or perish in such an environment. The good news, with a little research and effective application of these contemporary communication mediums, the smart company can incorporate them and thrive in doing so.

Research indicates that online videos are playing an increasingly crucial role in reaching desired consumers in all categories. The big players are already deeply immersed in utilizing online video Facebook Adsadvertising to stay relevant and prosperous. Where once a targeted customer might be predictably in front of their TV, today they more likely online and their attention span is shorter. This occurs day and night, too, with workers escaping tedium online for a quick respite from their arduous workday.

Woven in and around these viral online videos and webisodes are logos, promotional text, and ‘pre-rolls,’ short introductions one must view mandatorily before the wanted content can be viewed. It’s a captive and attentive audience willing and ready to digest advertising, and the smart-money is shifting increasingly away from conventional TV and print advertising towards these new and effective means of reaching targeted clientele.

Clever companies have even found ways to integrate themselves into comedic videos or popular web-programming through product placement or being scripted-in to a show’s dialogue. In this way, the commercial-skipping abilities of TiVo are thwarted and advertising and art intersect in a way even Warhol didn’t envision.

It’s impossible to ignore these new avenues of advertising and it can be daunting to those not fond of changing ways which were once successful. However, to those who do adapt and utilize the many new conduits of commerce, the possibilities for growth and increased business are infinite. Better to embrace the new than be left behind. 

Image Source:  http://www.globalmarketexposure.com/blog/tag/facebook-banner-ads/

Marketing and Advertising in the Digital Age

Marketing is an ongoing process that evolves with time.  A core function of marketing is to create awareness, demand, and value for the product. Traditional mass marketing methods are intensively challenged by new media and technology.  Amid these new challenges and changes, marketers are finding creative and effective ways to reach customers.

The Smartphone and Personalized Marketing

The fragmentation of media and high competition may render most traditional electronic and print media ineffective.  The use of the Internet as a means of communication has given rise to several new marketing tools that may be much more effective and cost-efficient.is making customization easier for customers.  

Internet marketing tools supported by smartphones may make it easier for marketers to create a highly customized message for their consumers.  Customization, speed to market and access to market makes Internet-marketing a preferred method for companies and customers alike.

The digital age leveled the field for businesses, big and small.  Businesses can access these customizable tools at nominal prices and sometimes even for free.  These changes have the potential to make business more competitive and responsive, enabling companies to engage consumers and create value.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is one of the most prevalent marketing practices today.  SEO helps a company increase its website rank in any search engine query that mentions its industry-specific keyword.  SEO may increase a website’s traffic rate.

Viral campaigns, reviews and social media campaigns have the potential to rapidly boost or detract from brands and companies.  It can provide further benefits in the customer experience by enabling a company to interact with customers and helps profile them based on their information.  Social media could be more effective than traditional advertising, since it can enhance consumer experience and can potentially enable two-way communication between consumer and producer.

It can be an optimal way to enhance personalized marketing and keep overhead costs to a minimum.  One-to-one marketing can potentially be effective in reaching a company’s target audience with unique message tailored for each individual consumer.

SIS International Research