We are in that time of the year when we conduct a fun-filled gamified PAN India ISMS Awareness Program. This year also we pondered and came up with the below ideas for in-person floor games and remote online activities to spread Information Security awareness:
The “Be one day information security officers” quiz teams were provided with different information security incident scenarios and the teams had to respond with immediate actions and relevant point of contacts. To thrill the audience, they were allowed a wild card entry into the quiz competition, and they could also answer and win special prizes.
The Cyber-Pictionary unleashed the child in many a participant. This event combined creativity, enthusiasm, knowledge and fun in correct proportion and welcomed great responses across all locations.
The fun didn’t end there, it got even bigger when we announced the photobooth and group pic contest. Teams could design photobooths themed on information security policies or take group pictures depicting any of the information security policies.
Crossword puzzles on security policies and HR policies, ended up as a successful idea to maximize remote colleagues’ participation in the ISMS awareness program.
Thus, ended this year’s gamified ISMS Awareness program making all colleagues wanting for more such events, and making us think about more and more better ideas to spread awareness in fun way!
Click to view slideshow. ]]>Let me set the stage first. Arun and I (Gayathri) are part of the global compliance partners team that supports InfoSec (information security) initiatives at Perficient India.
One fine morning in early-July:
Gayathri: So, Arun, we have completed providing our data evidences for the global ISO 27001 audit, what next?
Arun: Gayathri, now that we have a little breather, we can do our annual InfoSec – Know Your Company refresher. I was wondering if we can do something different and fun this time instead of the usual Q&A sort.
Gayathri: I too feel we must do something more interesting…mind you we need to ensure maximum participation from this hybrid lot. Let’s brainstorm!
The next day:
Arun: I have an idea!
Gayathri: Me too!
Arun: I am planning to have creative virtual game-like contests based on InfoSec policy topics. People are so familiar with reels now; they can develop videos and posters based on policies. Just now a thought popped, why not some cool tee-shirt designs based on policies!
Gayathri: Wow! The ideas are too good! We can have all the three contests: video reels, posters and tee-shirt designs. This is my idea: I want colleagues to know what an incident is and how they should be proactive in reporting them to the authorized persons. So, I conceived this idea where a volunteer would enact some incidents and those must be identified by the other colleagues. We can name this as “Be PRFT’s Whistleblower.”
Arun: That is a nice one Gayathri. You got a name also for the activity. Any more ideas?
Gayathri: I thought of one more lottery activity. There will be multiple paper chits in a bowl, many will have policy information, some of it will be questions that need to be answered. If you are lucky, you get the question chit and if you answer correctly, you can win a prize.
Arun: This also seems very feasible. If we can get some instant prizes for these ground activities, it will receive more participation.
Gayathri: Let’s discuss the ideas and the prizes with the leadership then.
Gayathri and Arun put forth their ideas to India TDC (Training and Development) director and India AVP.
Guess what…they got a “yes” from both and a special “yes” for the instant prizes for the ground activities.
Yipee!
The contests and activities of the Gamified ISMS Awareness Program were conducted in the last week of August with over-whelming responses from colleagues of all locations across India.
Gamifying InfoSec awareness program was a new and different idea.
Putting forth such a new thought to the leadership directly showcases the transparent work culture of Perficient. The willingness of the leadership to encourage new and different idea, sets Perficient a cut above the rest and makes this program and Perficient different.
This is Gayathri and Arun, signing off for now, after a different, fun-filled, full-blast InfoSec Awareness Program. See you soon with newer and more different ideas!
]]>In today’s digital age, customers are looking for unique experiences when it comes to shopping and retailers are finding it challenging to offer experiences that differentiate them from their competitors. This is where immersive experiences come in. Sure, technologies like Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) have been around for some time, but their applications in retail have only started gaining traction.
AR and VR are immersive technologies that allow customers to interact with products and brands in a virtual environment. They have the potential to enhance the shopping experience by providing an engaging and interactive experience. By leveraging these technologies, brands can create unique and memorable experiences that set them apart from their competitors.
According to a report from Mobile Marketer, retailers are slowly adopting AR in the buying process. Only 1% of retailers are currently using AR or VR in their customer buying experience, yet 71% of consumers say they would be more likely to shop with brands that incorporate these experiences (ThinkMobile). Here are some examples of ways your brand can integrate immersive technologies into your shopping experience.
Product visualization and customization have become increasingly popular as businesses seek to provide customers with more engaging and personalized experiences.
With VR, customers can enter a virtual environment and see the product in a simulated setting, giving customers the opportunity to better understand the product and its features and give them a more engaging experience.
As for product customization, retailers can create a 3D product visualization tool via their website to allow users to hone in on specific elements of the product, or even customize the various elements.
Utilizing AR technology, customers can see how different designs or colors would look before making a purchase, i.e., paint colors on their walls, custom car designs, or customizable shoes, all within the context of their specific physical environment. With VR, customers can enter a virtual environment where they can design and customize their products in a more immersive way. Again, both help develop that customer experience and boost satisfaction and loyalty.
Gamification is the process of adding game-like elements to non-game contexts. This can be a powerful tool for brands looking to create an engaging and interactive shopping experience. By leveraging AR and VR, brands can create immersive games that are related to their products. For example, a sports brand could create an AR game that allows customers to practice their golf swing.
Retailers can also incorporate prizes into these experiences further incentivizing customers to engage, offering discounts or coupons upon completion of specific tasks.
Interactive displays are an excellent way to engage customers and provide them with additional information about products. By leveraging AR, brands can create interactive displays that allow customers to explore the product in more detail. For example, a car brand could create an interactive display that allows customers to explore the car’s features, such as the engine and interior.
Virtual showrooms are an excellent way to showcase products in a virtual environment. Customers can explore the products in 3D, customize them, and even try them on virtually. This can be particularly useful for brands that sell products that are difficult to display in a physical store. For example, a furniture brand could create a virtual showroom that allows customers to see how a particular piece of furniture would look in their home.
Another application is virtual try-on. Virtual fitting rooms allow customers to try on clothes virtually, without the need to physically change into them. This can be particularly useful for online retailers, as it allows customers to see how a particular outfit would look on them before making a purchase. By leveraging AR and machine vision, retailers can map products to the customer’s figure so the customer can see themselves in the outfit, and even customize it to fit their preferences.
AR-enabled product catalogs can be an effective way to showcase products and their features. Customers can scan the product using their mobile device, and an AR overlay will appear on the screen, providing additional information about the product. For example, a fashion brand could create an AR-enabled product catalog that allows customers to see how a particular outfit would look on them.
Brands are always looking for ways to reach new markers and clientele. By co-branding a virtual experience in a place like the Metaverse, multiple retailers can target the same audiences and leverage each other’s reach across different channels. Events could include product announcements, collaboration efforts, educational sessions and conferences, product showrooms, and even networking events.
AR and VR can enhance the retail industry by providing customers with an immersive and interactive shopping experience and brands can differentiate themselves from their competitors by creating a unique and memorable experience for their customers.
]]>Financial services organizations such as banks, insurance organizations, and credit card issuers, are creating mobile applications that are not just focused on the products or services they’re selling. Instead, they’re using mobile as a way to get in front of customers and non-customers alike. At the end of the day, their belief, and rightly so, is that everyone is a potential customer…someday.
In an American Banker article, Oliwia Berdak, senior analyst at Forrester, said, “Maybe, if you can create a more frequent, deeper engagement with [a] noncustomer, then it might be a more cost-effective way of marketing.” The idea is to generate new customers over time. A company’s mainstay mobile application isn’t going to do that. That’s simply a supportive offering for existing customers.
In addition to Capital One’s CreditWise and Ally Financial’s Splurge Alert, which are mentioned in American Banker, there are many more examples of mobile applications, from the likes of Citibank, State Farm Insurance, T. Rowe Price, Visa, and Zurich Insurance Group, that have been developed over the years to draw more attention to their brands.
While some companies will develop mobile applications for branding purposes in 2017, many financial services firms will seek to specifically deploy a variety of gamification techniques that focus on educating users and encouraging them to save money and invest.
Barclays’ Financial Wings, an online personal finance hub designed to give people the knowledge and confidence to take control of their money and build the skills required to bolster their financial health, is a good example of what we can expect. Barclaycard Ring, which gives cardmembers the opportunity to discuss financial strategies, track their financial health, and vote on product enhancements, is another example of a financial institution leveraging gamification features to build stronger relationships with customers as well as to educate them about better managing their finances.
The financial services industry will continue using gamification techniques to win over existing customers, cultivate new ones, and become more efficient in its business operations.
To read about the 14 other trends that we believe will take place in the financial services industry in 2017, click here or simply fill out the form below to download our newest guide.
]]>While we can’t always be certain which trends the new year will bring, we can offer predictions based on our conversations with industry executives and our customers, looking at what companies have accomplished in the past year, and the initiatives they already have in place for the future. In fact, that’s exactly how we compiled this list of trends that we believe will take place in the financial services industry in 2017.
At the end of the day, no concept shared is new; chances are you’ve heard of them before. Instead, the level of importance and the level of innovation are increasing. Each day brings better technology, more use cases, and a clearer picture of what a better customer experience looks like.
Companies that have already embarked on related initiatives are likely leaders in the field. Those who haven’t yet put together strategies to attack these specific areas of growth will need to evaluate these tactics to understand what’s at stake. The industry is highly competitive and it’s one in which customers aren’t easy (or cheap) to come by.
It’s worth noting that all the trends listed share a focus on three common themes: customer experience, trust, and efficiency. In one way or another, each prediction touches on all three.
Customer experience is about making it easy and enjoyable to do business with you. Trust is about a customer’s ability to feel comfortable doing business with you. And efficiency is about getting rid of the road blocks that have the potential to challenge your ability to provide great service and that instead encourage customers to look for another company with which to do business. While these are customer-facing benefits, you as a company also realize tremendous gains, which can be boiled down to reduced operating costs and more customers.
How companies approach initiatives that relate to these trends varies. However, it’s safe to say that ideas are often generated and conceptualized in an innovation center or within teams that are dedicated to helping drive a seamless, integrated customer experience that enables customers to do business where, when, and how they want. Ideas can also be derived from contests, customers themselves, or even partnerships with other companies, such as those in the FinTech space that have solutions to meet the unique needs of your customers. Once ideas are generated, it’s time to truly begin understanding their viability. Hackathon-type initiatives or proof-of-concepts are examples of ways in which some companies start turning ideas into reality.
Whether it’s idea generation or prototyping, collaboration is critical to success. Working with other teams and divisions in your company, as well as externally, can help you improve the end product or service. After all, operating in silos limits your ability to develop thriving programs and great products. The more collaboration you take part in early on, the better your chance of achieving greater adoption of your products and services.
With that in mind, we’d like to share our top 15 trends in financial services in 2017. Download the guide here or simply fill out the form below.
]]>A while back, I wrote a blog post that shared ways in which the financial services industry can leverage social tools to win over existing customers, cultivate new ones, and become more efficient in their business operations. One example was how Barclays created a new product called Barclaycard Ring, which gives cardmembers the opportunity to discuss financial strategies, track their financial health, and vote on product enhancements.
While online product features and gamification methods like this can help generate new customers and keep them engaged, a growing trend continues to emerge. Financial services organizations, such as banks, insurance organizations, and credit card issuers, are creating mobile applications that are not just focused on the products or services they’re selling. Instead, they’re using mobile as a way to get in front of customers and non-customers alike. At the end of the day, their belief, and rightly so, is that everyone is a potential customer…someday.
In a recent American Banker article, Oliwia Berdak, senior analyst at Forrester, said, “Maybe, if you can create a more frequent, deeper engagement with [a] noncustomer, then it might be a more cost-effective way of marketing.” The idea is to generate new customers over time. A company’s mainstay mobile application isn’t going to do that. That’s simply a supportive offering for existing customers.
In addition to Capital One’s CreditWise and Ally Financial’s Splurge Alert, which are mentioned in the American Banker, below are a few more examples of mobile applications, along with their partial Google Play descriptions, that some companies have developed over the years to draw more attention to their brands.
My colleague, Elizabeth Dias, recently pointed me to a white paper from Akamai, the global leader in content delivery network (CDN) services, which discussed eight considerations for enabling digital transformation in financial services.
For those not familiar with digital transformation, the trend revolves around using newer technology to improve the overall customer experience. It’s about giving customers what they want, when they want it, wherever they are. Financial services companies can no longer expect customers to stick by their side, without upgrading their engagement methods. It’s simply too easy for customers to switch to a competitor. The need to adapt to the digital world is more important than ever.
Digital is one of the top six priorities financial services organizations must have in mind in order to spur and sustain growth. To read about the other five, fill out the form below or click here.
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Medication non-adherence continues to be a big issue in the pharma industry, affecting clinical outcomes for both approved and unapproved drugs. And naturally, it increases overall healthcare costs.
HealthPrize, a maker of medication adherence and patient engagement software, recently published statistics that further suggest gamification improves patient adherence to medication protocols, as well as their overall interest in their health.
Specifically, their studies indicate that prescription refills increased and the time in between refills decreased. When it came to engagement, patients interacted with the websites and mobile applications frequently and spent a significant amount of time logged in – in some cases, more than social media sites.
How does it work? HealthPrize works with its clients to customize the app to fit with a specific medication and patient population. The customized app then combines education, prompts, games (including quizzes and surveys), and rewards designed to keep patients on track and engaged. As a bonus, pharma companies are able to collect invaluable feedback about their products directly from end users.
The gamification trend doesn’t seem to be slowing down and it shouldn’t, considering the success companies are experiencing. To read HealthPrize’s press release, click here. They also have several case studies you can review.
]]>Breathometer is at it again. After the highly successful launch of the world’s first smartphone breathalyzer, the first company that got all Shark Tank investors to put in a total of $1 million has just created another Indiegogo campaign for a new product, Mint. Mint will be a tiny Bluetooth LE medical device (Class I) that’s designed to improve your overall health through the analysis of your breath. It’ll be capable of letting you know if you have odor causing compounds in your breath and whether or not you’re hydrated. That’s right, it’ll do both.
While halitosis and hydration devices exist, Mint will be different. It’ll be portable, sexy, and meant for everyone. It’ll leverage the same Breathometer mobile app as the company’s other devices and offer a multitude of data tracking and exporting features. Breathometer will also introduce several gamification aspects with Mint, such as rewarding users for good breath and hydration. There’s even an opt-in Leader Board for those wanting to showcase their stellar hygiene. Who knows what’s next – maybe Match.com profiles will carry Mint badges for those wishing to woo their prospects. We’ll just have to wait and see.
For now, check out Breathometer’s new campaign for Mint at http://igg.me/at/mint/x/26456.
Eugene Sefanov has a post out on our Life Sciences blog. He includes a video from a TV commercial but I want to focus on the web site for the drug JUBLIA.
Just as their TV commercial was spot on, their product website was just as superb. It ties into the video very well by using the image of, no other than, big toe boxer. There’s a “watch our TV spot” button strategically placed on the homepage. The site contains real “before and after” photos of patients that used JUBLIA, clinical trial results (that are actually easy to digest), and simple instructions on how to use the topical solution. The one recommendation I’d have for Valeant, if they’re listening, is to develop a free mobile game that revolves around the same boxing theme. Gamification can be a fun, simple, and relatively inexpensive way to strengthen the JUBLIA brand in the marketplace for years to come.
It’s another example that everyone is getting in on the “game” where a tv spot is important but the web site has high production value and it’s assumed that it must be a key part of the marketing strategy.
Head to Eugene’s post for the video.
]]>Quit with the boring pharma TV ads. I can’t remember the last time I saw one – well – that I remembered. Until now, out of the red corner…Valeant.
Just imagine the jubilation Valeant is feeling right now. Alright, I’ll stop with the wordplay – at least until the middle and maybe the very end! But, seriously, have you seen the pharma company’s TV ad for their latest approved drug JUBLIA? It’s everything that it should be (from a branding standpoint) – cute, catchy, and smart.
The FDA approved JUBLIA in June 2014 for toenail fungus (i.e., onychomycosis), a disease with 35 million sufferers and only 5 to 6 million being treated annually. Think about it – 35 million people. That’s more than the population of 150 countries, including those of the likes of Australia. In other words, this is a product for the people, and Valeant is milking it as much as it can.
With a big toe sporting boxing gloves and headgear, the main character in Valeant’s “Don’t Hide It, Fight It” commercial, fights toenail fungus throughout the 30-second TV spot. The ad even manages to convey the side effects in a clever way. During the FDA-mandated “major statement,” the big toe boxer takes a breather, wipes the sweat of his or her head (a toe, really), and at the very end delivers a hard punch. And like any solid direct marketing ad, there are a couple of call-to-actions. For one, viewers are encouraged to ask their doctors if JUBLIA is right for them. Two, they can visit the website JubliaRx.com. Lastly, they can call 1-844-7JUBLIA.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ERlyKDvW1U
Just as their TV commercial was spot on, their product website was just as superb. It ties into the video very well by using the image of, no other than, big toe boxer. There’s a “watch our TV spot” button strategically placed on the homepage. The site contains real “before and after” photos of patients that used JUBLIA, clinical trial results (that are actually easy to digest), and simple instructions on how to use the topical solution. The one recommendation I’d have for Valeant, if they’re listening, is to develop a free mobile game that revolves around the same boxing theme. Gamification can be a fun, simple, and relatively inexpensive way to strengthen the JUBLIA brand in the marketplace for years to come.
In an era of mundane pharmaceutical advertising, I’m happy to finally see something that sticks out like a sore toe (I told you I had one more in me!). I appreciate the efforts that went into this integrated marketing campaign and hope Valeant gets rewarded for their branding efforts, all while helping millions on their way to healthier toenails.
]]>When launching a product into the consumer marketplace, you want to have a solid strategy to achieve the greatest success possible. It’s no different when pushing a new drug or device to market, regardless of how big your market is.
One of the most important pillars in your strategy should be patient support. For those that use your product, it’s crucial to guide them in the management of their medical issues with a variety of tools and resources. This helps promote successful outcomes and facilitates the correct and safe use of products.
An effective way to provide patient support is through a portal that is specific to a particular drug or medical device. A good case study revolves around a patient portal that Eisai, a pharmaceutical company with a focus on Alzheimer’s disease, epilepsy and metabolic disorders, implemented for their weight-loss medication called BELVIQ. The portal is designed to help patients reach their weight loss goals, sustain their efforts, as well as provide safety-related information.
Users of BELVIQ can access Eisai’s portal for free and leverage a variety of educational resources and tools including:
The features above are just a sample of what a patient portal can offer customers of pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and medical device companies, in order to help manage a medical condition. A few other components that life sciences companies can implement in a portal are:
The benefits of a portal to patients are endless. But, they’re just as beneficial to product manufactures, too. Through the delivery of targeted content, portals help sponsors promote their products, cultivate their customers, achieve transparency, and most importantly, enable patients to stay safe by minimizing adverse events.
If you’re a life sciences company seeking to implement a portal, please fill out this contact form – we’d love to hear from you.
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