A Collection of Our Latest Published Works

iAds “combine the emotion of TV with the interactivity of the Web” to create an app within an app. These nested rich media experiences use everything the iPhone has to offer in terms of technology and interactivity to break out of the mold of traditional advertising and deliver a superior experience for consumers. Read more about it in our POV: iAds and the Rise of the Relationship Era.

Deciding whether to integrate a new technology into your marketing and communications efforts can be an exciting proposition filled with potential pitfalls and problems. This point of view aims to provide you with the best potential integration points for the Apple iPad within your pharma marketing efforts and some simple steps you can take to better evaluate its value of those efforts. Read more about them in our primer.

2D codes are similar to barcodes, but they deliver an exponentially greater amount of information and allow for some unique applications. Consumers typically interact with 2D codes on advertising by taking a photo of them with their mobile phone, which links them directly to a mobile or traditional website, allowing marketers to communicate a depth of information. Read more about them in our primer.

Gone are the days of one-sided conversations and pure persuasion. This is the Relationship Era™. To win in it—to consistently beat the competition—brands must create sustainable relationships based on trust and transactions. Authentic, personal relationships built from clear intentions and mutual respect. It’s time for a different model of marketing. ME+YOU. In brand we trust. Read about imc²’s thinking in our first book.

So what’s the significance of social media profile picture overlays? This technology allows social network users on sites like Facebook and Twitter to add images such as logos over their profile pictures. This is often used to support causes or promote something or someone the user cares about. Take a closer look in Social Media Profile Picture Overlays.

It's safe to assume we all know what Facebook is, but there’s a distinct difference between your personal Facebook usage and brand marketing via Facebook. As you can imagine, with 300+ million active users worldwide, the opportunities to connect with and engage consumers can be both exciting and a bit overwhelming. Here’s something that might help.

Augmented Reality (AR) is an exciting, fast-growing technology that is taking engagement to the next level for many marketers. It involves the real-time viewing of actual physical environments whose elements are merged with digital information to enhance the experience. More simply, AR typically uses a camera and screen to bring everyday objects to life. You can familiarize yourself with this cool, new trend by reading Augmented Reality.

Through content originally published in an article Doug Levy authored for iMedia Connection, imc²’s CEO infuses a little fun in the conversation about engagement in the evolving marketplace. In Making a Love Connection: Four Ways to Build Sustainable Relationships Between Brands and People, Doug highlights several approaches that brands can use to move beyond mere flirtation and into something more meaningful and enduring.

Since its initial release in 2007, the iPhone has been the most talked-about piece of handheld technology on the planet. But as we all know, the true genius of the device is the ever-expanding collection of apps that give the owner virtually unlimited personalization capabilities. Smart marketers are creating iPhone apps and finding ways to deliver exceptional value for their consumers through a variety of fun and useful tools. Explore the iPhone app trend in our primer.

Although the pharmaceutical industry typically considers an increase in new prescriptions the benchmark of a successful marketing program, the benefits of adherence sometimes get overlooked. This imc² point of view shares how efforts focused on adherence can positively impact patient health and societal well-being, while also increasing pharmaceutical revenue.

Pharmaceutical marketing and social media may seem irreconcilable—after all, a regulatory environment is not the most inviting landscape for the kind of open, casual and unfiltered dialog that people associate with online social networks. But in this point of view, “Is Social Media Right for Your Healthcare Brand,” imc² presents a straightforward approach for healthcare marketers to effectively use social media to engage specific audiences and achieve measurable results.

Sixty-five percent of American heads of households are playing video games and the average age of today's gamer is 35. It’s easy to see why more marketers are using gaming to connect with consumers. In our on-demand world, effectively communicating complex messages to an easily distracted audience is tricky. Because of its unique ability to provide information to a consumer in an entertaining environment that the individual can control, video game technology can be an important part of the consideration set for marketers today. Read our Gaming Primer to learn how it can help brands make strong connections with their audiences.

Behavioral targeting is a way to use historical data gathered on users’ activities to target specific persons or groups (consumers) for advertisements and messaging. Ads are delivered to consumers based on the sites they visit or what they do on those sites. imc²’s Behavioral Targeting Primer can help marketers plan their strategy and understand best practices.

Behavioral targeting through online social networking is a way to reach specific audiences based on their activities, as well as target those most active in their social networks. If one person is actively involved with a hobby, activity, or product, their connections are more likely to be as well. The practice has gotten a bit of a bad rap because of a few marketers who haven't exactly followed the best practices. Don’t be one of them! For a quick look at this topic, read Behavioral Targeting Through Social Networks.

Is your brand ready to jump on the Twitter bandwagon? Not really sure what the heck a tweet is? This device-agnostic, microblogging platform allows marketers to engage in more direct conversations with consumers. While this kind of direct, two-way conversation has many benefits, it also involves some inherent risks. Whether you’re interested in Twitter for personal or professional reasons, Twitter in 140 Characters or Less provides a quick look at this wildly popular networking/communication platform and can help you determine if it’s a good fit.

The FDA is becoming increasingly vigilant in regulating DTC marketing and has recently offered new guidance to the digital channel. In this point of view, we look at three likely scenarios in pharmaceutical advertising and discuss the best plans of action for pharmaceutical marketers to consider when planning for their brands.

Mobile marketing is not a new concept, but the increasingly sophisticated ability to use location-based technology to improve connections between brands and people is something worth exploring. To find out the high-level ins and outs of this quick moving trend, read imc²'s Mobile Proximity Marketing.

Interactive television (iTV), long a kind of online urban legend, is gaining adoption among more viewers as an engaging way to experience video content. Savvy marketers are also diving in and investing in various formats hoping to be out in front of what promises to be a growing trend. Read our quick take on the trend in Interactive Television (iTV).

As interaction with digital technology moves way beyond the mouse and keyboard, surface computing is playing an increasingly novel and important role in helping designers improve user experience. Get an overview of the trend and key information in imc²'s Surface Computing.

Social networking, in its earliest form, consisted of message boards, which were a simple tool to en¬able communication among individuals with like interests. While message boards remain popular, so¬cial networking now includes a variety of online applications including forums, blogs, wikis, podcasts, photos, bookmarking, shopping and video. Read our Social Networking Primer to learn more about putting it to work for your brand.