Tag: social media

Mhealth technology trends

Consumers in growing numbers are tying their healthcare to internet and mobile devices, bring mhealth and mobile commerce closer and closer together. More often than not, patients have already looked up their symptoms online long before they land in a waiting room or even an emergency room.

Google it first

Google, Bing, and other searches are fast becoming part of medical care for patients. Looking online at sites like WebMD is a lot faster than making an appointment and sitting in a waiting room for an hour waiting to see a real doctor. A study by DC Interactive Group and Demi & Cooper Advertising surveyed 18-24 year-olds about healthcare information. A whopping 90% stated that they believe in information found on web sites and through social media about medical conditions.

Anyone with a computer can post medical advice online, which is hugely dangerous, but there are credible sites out there. WebMD is one of them. Some have real doctors and nurses answering health care concerns for users, some on a paid basis. Other than information about symptoms and what they may mean, users also post reviews of doctors and medical institutions online, all available for anyone searching to find and read.

mhealth and mobile commerce

Doctors and medical facilities have a decent presence on social media. More than half of doctors surveyed believe that this actually helps to improve patient care. The downfall is that doctors have privacy laws that they must follow so they must be careful about how they address concerns and questions on social media. In a way, this can mean revenue through mobile means – mhealth mobile commerce – but can also be very limiting about how specifics are addressed.

Most doctors and nurses would agree that going on the internet to get medical advice is not the best option. An in-person visit is always essential, especially when a condition could be serious. However, some medical advice online can be useful and some mobile commerce tools can also help save likes. Apps that record when a patient takes medication or emails caretakers when medication has been skipped can go a long ways towards saving lives and upgrading quality of life for patients.

Dunkin Donuts is staying with its program for heavy play in both social media marketing and mobile marketing with a new campaign that allows customers a chance to win Dunkin mGifts.

Mobile marketing upswing at DD

Dunkin Donut K-Cup packs were one of the most asked-for products when customers were quizzed via social media about what they would like to see. Due to the popularity of this item, DD is holding a contest for customers to guess which K-Cup pack flavor they will feature next. Upon voting or guessing, customers are eligible to win one of three mGifts worth $50 daily. The Dunkin’ Donuts mGift cards are mobile cards.

Scott Hudler, VP of global consumer engagement at DD Brands, Inc. said, “We’re always communicating with our fans, and through this ongoing dialogue, we know they are extremely passionate about Dunkin’ K-Cup packs.” He goes on to say that an upcoming Twitter campaign will allow users to help promote the new K-Cup packs for a chance to win prizes with #NextDDkcup.

The twitter campaign will encourage guesses from customers with the above mentioned hashtag. The flavor will be revealed and then will be in DD stores starting in February. Throughout the promotion, the coffee beans will be covering the company Twitter header. The beans will disappear in accordance to each tweet. The more guesses there are the faster the image will clear.

Keeping up with mobile marketing

DD is using social media very successfully to drive brand saturation and also to promote new products, but is also not forgetting about mobile media to promote mGifts. DD released a mobile payment app last year and has seen success from that endeavor. Dunkin’ looks to continue seeking new ways to reach costumers both old and new through means of mobile marketing as well as more established social media marketing.

The company hopes to keep mobile as well as social marketing as an important part of their overall advertising and marketing budget on into the future. DD knows that people are more busy than ever and rely heavily on their phones for more and more. Smartphones are becoming more common, which means DD is paying attention to that audience for fast, easy ways to keep them coming back for more.