Abstract
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Overview
Lights, camera, ACTION. Twenty-first century life science suppliers have
stumbled into the movie business, and are seeking ways to maximize outreach
through the use of online marketing videos. Marketing departments in major
corporations - and mom and pop shops - are scrambling to identify smart,
creative and contagious ways to “go viral” with this social media
tool. From six-figure, slick three-minute clips to the entrepreneur on a
laptop Webcam, companies are investing millions of dollars to create online
videos that engage the scientific community and call the scientific consumer
to action.
What' s clear is that this new advertising model places the consumer in the
driver' s seat. A scientist will only watch your video if - and when - he or
she wants to, and will only remember it (and forward it) if the content has
captured their interest. In BioInformatics LLC' s upcoming report, New Media
Marketing Channels: Creating Effective Online Life Science Promotional
Videos, we surveyed nearly 1,300 scientists for their opinions on
marketing videos produced by life science suppliers to find out how videos are
discovered, used and shared, and to understand impact on brand awareness and
purchasing behavior. In this era of personal branding - where brands are
shaped by the power of online communities - companies must figure out what
makes a scientist choose to watch their concept, product demonstration or PR
spin, and subsequently buy into the message and share it with
colleagues.
Regardless of how effective videos are (some are and some aren' t - find out
why in this report), what we did find is that 65% of scientists believe that
life science suppliers should circulate videos to promote a brand or a
product. We also asked the respondents in this study what types of content
were accessed online in the past 12 months - to benchmark current behavior -
and we found that three quarters of scientists have accessed short videos in
the past 12 months - just about equal to the use of news portals (CNN, etc.)
and information-related Web sites (i.e., weather, stock data, etc.). Plus, of
the nearly 1,000 respondents who viewed short online videos in the past 12
months, 88% did something as a result of viewing an online video; more than
two-thirds forwarded the video to a friend or colleague and more than half
clicked on a related link, or used a search engine for more information
related to the video.
New Media Marketing Channels: Creating Effective Online Life Science
Promotional Videos addresses the key elements involved in deploying this
alternative marketing channel, and reveals what your boss is probably asking -
what works, and what doesn' t? Find out how scientists discover marketing
videos, and what actions respondents are likely to take after watching them
(and why). Learn what type of content - and length - your viewing audience
prefers, and find out what makes a video memorable - or forgettable.
Significantly, learn which companies have made the most memorable videos, and
how frequently scientists watch a product video to assist with the buying
decision. In the final section of this report, scientists evaluate 16
marketing videos produced by the following major suppliers:
- Affymetrix
- Agilent Technologies
- Applied Biosystems (Life Technologies)
- Bio-Rad Laboratories
- BioTek Instruments
- BioTrove
- Eppendorf
- Helicos
- Invitrogen (Life Technologies)
- NanoDrop (Thermo Fisher Scientific)
- Roche Applied Science
- Tecan
- Thermo Fisher Scientific
- Waters
We' ve asked scientists to evaluate videos from these companies for
preferences, relevance to their research, memorability, effectiveness, and
what actions they would take after viewing it.
New Media Marketing Channels: Creating Effective Online Life Science
Promotional Videos is designed to provide insight as to how to create a
favorable impression using video, inspire scientists to share your content,
and ultimately position this marketing channel as a way to create relationship
between your company and the scientists you serve. Use this guide to apply
metrics to your online video marketing campaign, validate or re-direct a
current video strategy, or invest in a smart way if you are considering using
video to get your message across - even if you' re the one sitting in front of
that laptop Webcam.
Report Objectives
This report explores researchers' receptivity and responsiveness to online
video advertising. Its major goal is to help life science suppliers leverage
online video for their Internet advertising campaigns.
Specifically, this report will address the following key objectives:
- Clarify respondents' level of Internet use and familiarity with different
content types
- Discover how respondents learn about online videos and how frequently they
watch different types of videos
- Determine what actions respondents are likely to take after watching an
online video and their likelihood to take part in the viral promotion of the
online videos
- Ascertain the reasons why respondents watch online videos
- Capture respondents' opinions about the ideal length and content of a
typical online video
- Assess the likelihood to purchase or recommend the purchase of a life
science product as a result of viewing an online video
- Identify life science suppliers who have produced the most memorable
online videos
- Reveal what incentives life science suppliers can provide to scientists in
order to encourage them to watch their online videos
- Pinpoint components of an online video that are necessary for it to be
considered both memorable and effective
- Evaluate 16 online videos that promote the products from 14 different life
science suppliers for their memorability, effectiveness, and other evaluative
criteria
Methodology
New Media Marketing Channels: Creating Effective Online Life Science
Promotional Videos is based on responses to a 59-question online survey
conducted by BioInformatics, LLC. The questionnaire was completed by 1,298
life scientists worldwide between August 4 and 17, 2009. The questionnaire
consisted of 41 closed or partially close-ended questions and 18 open-ended
questions designed to encourage participation and to meet objectives of the
study..
The electronic questionnaire was fielded to registered members of The
Science Advisory Board. BioInformatics sponsors The Science Advisory
Board, an online community of more than 44,000 scientists, physicians and
healthcare professionals from around the world. The Science Advisory Board is
divided into two panels (Research and Clinical) and “convenes”
regularly via the World Wide Web to voice their
opinions on a wide variety of issues relating to biomedical research and
clinical technologies. These experts - representing all aspects of the life
sciences and medicine - have agreed to make themselves available to
participate in our online research activities. The Science Advisory Board
members who participated in this study were drawn from the Board' s Research
Panel.
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