Author Archives: Jenn Riggle

People Are Talking In Press Releases, But Is Anyone Listening?

November 11, 2010 – 7:25 am

By Jenn Riggle
Press releases are an important way for organizations to share information with key audiences, but too often, executive quotes are throwaways.
You know the ones I mean – executives saying “how excited they are about a partnership” or “how pleased they are to be selected for a project.”
Who cares?
The idea behind including an executive [...]

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Can Hospital Quality Data Be Social?

November 4, 2010 – 7:00 am

By Jenn Riggle
What would you do if your doctor handed you the results of a medical test and walked away?
Without a medical degree, the results would be jibberish, forcing you to either find someone else to interpret the information or turn to the Internet and try to make sense of it yourself.
The same is true [...]

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Forget Big Brother, Barbie’s Watching You

October 28, 2010 – 7:00 am

By Jenn Riggle

Watch Video
Barbie dolls don’t normally scare me. But last week, I saw a commercial for the new Barbie Video GirlTM, and to be honest, it gave me the creeps.
The doll looks like a regular Barbie, but has a camera lens hidden in her necklace and a small color LCD screen with controls on [...]

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Orthodontists Need to Brace Themselves for Social Media

October 14, 2010 – 7:00 am

By Jenn Riggle

A new survey of 9,000 orthodontists and dentists reported that most orthodontists and dentists are struggling to incorporate social media and marketing into their practices . While 95 percent of those surveyed reported having a website, only 50 percent had a Facebook fan page.
But when you think about it, social media makes a lot [...]

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What Do Cupcakes Have in Common With Social Media?

October 7, 2010 – 7:00 am

By Jenn Riggle

I read an interesting article the other day about how despite tough economic times, the cupcake industry is booming.
People can’t seem to get enough of these tasty treats. Cupcakeries, or cupcake cafes, are popping up everywhere – even in my hometown of Norfolk, Va. In fact, The Wall Street Journal credits cupcakes for [...]

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What Hospitals Can Learn From Dr. Oz

September 30, 2010 – 7:00 am

By Jenn Riggle

Years ago, the only doctors you saw on TV were Marcus Welby and the docs on shows like Chicago Hope, ER and my favorite, St. Elsewhere. It was truly the case of “I’m not a doctor, but I play one on TV.”
However, Dr. Mehmet Oz, a cardiothoracic surgeon at Columbia University, has changed [...]

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America is Fat and in Denial. What’s Next for Marketers?

September 23, 2010 – 7:00 am

By Jenn Riggle
As marketers, we all know perception is reality. But is the same true when it comes to obesity?
First Lady Michele Obama is leading the most recent charge against childhood obesity, but American adults are ignoring our own weight problem. In fact, we don’t even know we have one.
A new Harris Interactive/HealthDay online poll [...]

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Hospitals Need to Take a ‘Boston Med’ Approach to Marketing

September 9, 2010 – 7:00 am

By Jenn Riggle
Hospitals, once viewed as the heart of the community, are suddenly the bad guys.
In the past month, both Bloomberg BusinessWeek and Forbes have taken a critical look at hospital business practices, calling into question market consolidation and looking into allegations of price-fixing.
This got me to thinking. Hospitals could benefit from taking a Boston [...]

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Why Are Hospitals Turning Their Backs on Blogs?

September 2, 2010 – 7:00 am

By Jenn Riggle

Let’s admit it: Blogs are the ugly stepchild of social media.
Hospitals and brands are going where the action is by embracing Facebook and Twitter. They’re building “apps,” holding Twitter parties and finding ways to integrate video on their website.
But what about blogs, the slow and steady form of social media?
They’re a great way [...]

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Why #FollowFriday is Key to Social Media Engagement

August 26, 2010 – 7:00 am

By Jenn Riggle

Social media is a lot like high school. People striving to prove their popularity by counting fans and followers. But what should you do if you’re sitting at the popular table and no one’s talking to you?
This seems to be a challenge a lot of organizations are facing. It’s hard to have a [...]

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