Navigators Blog

anshalpurohit's picture

Breaking Through The Clutter
Wed Aug 10, 2011 9:08am

Even specialty brands are facing the challenge of launching a product into a cluttered, heavily genericized, “me too” market. It’s simply an increasing reality. There are some key strategic misconceptions compounding the market threats for these brands, and at the top of the list: Campaign focus should be on share of voice and samples—strategy and branding have little impact on performance.

The runner up: Cost-effective, targeted campaigns can’t work in highly cluttered markets (ie, you need to spend a lot to get a return on investment).

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monica's picture

Guiding Principles in Brand Color Selection
Thu Jul 14, 2011 9:07am

What is the first thing to influence healthcare professionals when they receive marketing materials?

Chances are they notice color first. In fact, research suggests that:

            90% of a person’s product assessment is based on color.

            80% of a person’s visual information is related to color.

This makes selecting and working with color a critical component of branding – and avoiding common pitfalls even more important.

Here’s a list of common color pitfalls, and some guiding principles we’ve learned in our 26 years of brand navigation:

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Editorial Tip: Um, Could You Say That Again?
Wed Jun 15, 2011 11:06am

This is what happens when you don't have an editorial department - mutilated, misplaced, and missing modifiers.

Following are words, phrases, or clauses that do not clearly relate to the word they are intended to modify. Unfortunately, ALL the examples are actual advertisements or signs.

 

A superb and inexpensive restaurant. Fine food expertly served by waitresses in appetizing forms.

For sale: an antique desk suitable for lady with thick legs and large drawers.

Dinner Special -- Turkey $2.35; Chicken or Beef $2.25; Children $2.00.

Now is your chance to have your ears pierced and get an extra pair to take home, too.

We do not tear your clothing with machinery. We do it carefully by hand

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Editorial Tip: Watch That Split Infinitive!
Sun May 15, 2011 2:05pm

Nothing quite heralds the approach of spring warmth like annual National Grammar Day on March 4. But, instead of serving you legislation on sentence structure that will leave you cold, here is some un-grammar that shines some light on these outdated concepts.

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Editorial Tip: The Apostrophe With Letters, Abbreviations, and Numbers
Fri Apr 15, 2011 2:04pm

Rule: The plurals for capital letters and numbers used as nouns are not formed with apostrophes.

Example: She consulted with three MDs.

BUT

Example: She went to three MDs’ offices. 

The apostrophe is needed here to show plural possessive.

Even better, however, would be to simply say: She went to three MD offices. The possession is implied and this structure is less awkward. 

Example: She learned her ABCs.

Example: the 1990s

NOT

the 1990’s

Example: the ’90s or the mid-’70s

NOT

the ’90’s or the mid-’70’s

Example: She learned her multiplication tables for 6s and 7s.

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Editorial Tip: Majority vs Plurality
Tue Mar 15, 2011 2:03pm

See if you can spot what’s not quite right about this:

An Associated Press poll found that the majority of Americans approve of President Obama’s handling of the oil spill in the Gulf Coast.

According to the poll, 42 percent approve of Obama’s performance with the spill, while 33 percent disapprove and 21 percent say their feelings about his response are neutral.

The problem: majority isn’t the right choice.

Majority is best used to describe a situation in which there are two numbers and the larger is more than half the amount of the total. Majority means more than half of an amount.

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Editorial Tip: Subject/Verb Agreement When the Subject and Verb Are Separated
Wed Jan 26, 2011 12:01pm

In sentences that offer a good bit of detail, the subject and verb are often separated by clauses, phrases, or a single descriptive word. Sometimes these intervening words cause confusion about the choice of verb. In the following sentence, the verb is singular to agree with the singular subject:

The group of boys is planning to form a team, calling themselves the Springfield Cougars.

Group is the subject. The singular verb is must be used. Boys is the object of the preposition of. Objects of prepositions can never be subjects. One way to tell that your subject and verb are in agreement is to remove the preposition and see if the sentence still reads correctly:

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bfillipp's picture

Top Reasons HCPs Don’t Open eBlasts
Wed Jan 26, 2011 11:01am

As nonpersonal promotion continues to be a more critical component of the marketing mix, interactive is playing an even more significant role in reaching our target audiences. As a result, eBlasts can be incredibly valuable, if properly implemented. A well-executed eBlast has the ability to reach audiences and drive them to action.

The first hurdle—they have to open it. How do we ensure that they do? One significant driver of eBlast engagement is the subject line. Through our extensive experience and primary market research, our team has developed several key guidelines to enhance eBlast success.

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Weekly Funny
Thu Nov 18, 2010 11:11am

A turkey farmer was always experimenting with breeding to perfect a better turkey. His family was fond of the leg portion for dinner and there were never enough legs for everyone. After many frustrating attempts, the farmer was relating the results of his efforts to his friends at the general store get together. "Well I finally did it! I bred a turkey that has 6 legs!"
They all asked the farmer how it tasted.
"I don't know" said the farmer. "I never could catch the darn thing!"

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Editorial Tip: farther vs further
Fri Jul 02, 2010 7:07am

Use “farther” if you’re talking about something you can measure, like a real distance. Use “further” if you can’t physically measure something, like an abstract idea or point in time.

Examples of farther:

  • It's rainy and the restaurant you mentioned is farther from the office. Let's just eat taquitos at the 7-Eleven next door.
  • It was much farther to drive to New York for a bagel than to get one at the local Jewel, but Janet had a serious craving for lox.

Examples of further:

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