Now the Risks
Although the concept of personalization is compelling, there are risks to consider. For starters, many of the customized marketing initiatives can force you to dig deeply into your pockets. “It is not cheap,” Kruskopf says. “Some of these personalized Web sites can cost as much as a Super Bowl commercial.”
Inviting your customers to participate in your brand can pose another risk for businesses. Kruskopf cites the example of Chevy Trucks, which let consumers produce their own commercials using various components on the Web site. The plan backfired, however, when consumers made commercials ridiculing the Chevy brand that were played back on that same site.
At the most basic level, you could be setting yourself up for failure without the marketing essentials in place. “Marketers see a ton of potential with all the customization that occurs out there, but I think they’re making a lot of mistakes along the way,” Bendt says. “Companies are trying to do it for creative’s sake without having strong objectives and strategies behind it. You need to start with a solid objective and make sure it’s measurable. If we wanted to generate an interactive campaign, we would make sure there were metrics behind it, versus word of mouth.”
Personalizing the Health Care Experience Health care providers are adopting personalization strategies to improve the patient experience. Patient records are the focus of much of this attention. Dr. Donna Block, founder of Clinic Sofia, an obstetrics and gynecology clinic in Edina, says, “We use electronic medical records so that the medical team has access to the patient’s information at a critical time. Also, we have a system in which the patient can get lab results off of a voicemail system at any time day or night.” UnitedHealthcare, an HMO based in Minnetonka, offers its members personal health records, which are online summaries of an individual’s entire health history, including current and past medications. The system benefits patients by simply gathering all a person’s records in one place, but has the added advantage of making the records available via the Internet. UnitedHealthcare did a study last year and asked parents how often they needed to access their children's health records; on average, it was five times a year. This number included not only records used during doctor’s visits but providing information to schools. The Web-enabled records facilitate access and are also helpful when patients are traveling and need emergency care. Dr. Archelle Georgiou, United-Health’s executive vice president of strategic relations, notes that patients can also review their records prior to appointments. Having health histories in hand may prompt questions for their doctors and help them track the progress of on-going health concerns. |
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