Outsource Marketing Solutions blog

From the Chairman of Starwood Hotels

For my Midwest Chapter of the American Association of Orthotists and Prosthetists peeps.  After I presented my "Greening Your Bottom Line" presentation at the meeting last week - and specifically talked about priority parking for hybrid cars...I found this on Frits van Paasschen's blog. (Fris being the CEO of Starwood Hotels.)

"...I am very passionate about being environmentally responsible, and that extends from our hotels, to our corporate offices, to my home. At our offices we recently bid farewell to Styrofoam, said hello to reusable coffee mugs. We reward employees who drive hybrid cars with priority parking, and we have shuttles we use for our growing pool of employees who take public transportation to work. On a personal note, I try hard to be green myself, and my kids do a good job keeping our family honest. We only have one car, and my kids bike to school. We also installed solar panels on our house and have a compost pile in the backyard, in addition to regular recycling. These are all, admittedly, small steps…but they are steps in the right direction..."

Hand Transplants and Certified Orthotists

If you're a certified orthotist, here's your chance to piggyback for PR on a global news story.
There have been only 4 hand transplants in the U.S. so it's still pretty high on the buzz meter.

What kind of orthosis would YOU provide for a hand transplant patient?
Pitch it to your local news media.

"...Armstrong's bandages were changed for the first time this morning and an orthotist and hand therapist began bracing immediately after. Hand therapy will begin tomorrow. Lead hand transplant surgeon Warren C. Breidenbach, III, M.D., Kleinert Kutz & Associates and assistant clinical professor of surgery at the University of Louisville, reported, 'Dave's new hand looks excellent with no evidence of infection or rejection."..."

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Reaching Your Target Market via Internet Real Estate

The Central Massachusetts Limb Loss Support Group meets the second Tuesday of every month at Clinton Hospital. Lancaster resident Rose Bissonnette, who herself had her left leg amputated below the left knee, runs the program, which features guest speakers from around central Massachusetts.

The Central Massachusetts Limb Loss Support Group knows that without a piece of "internet real estate" they would have a much harder time reaching their target market - amputees, friends, family members and speakers.

www.centralmalimbloss.org.

Mastectomy Marketing Tips

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Alberta man plans to sell ad space on his prosthetic leg

A Fort McMurray, Alta., man says he plans to turn his prosthetic leg into a walking billboard to raise money for an upgraded prosthesis that will make it easier to maintain an active lifestyle.

Nate Smids, 23, has had a couple of years to develop his unusual concept. A snowboarding accident in 2006 left him with a difficult decision to make — spending three years in and out of surgery with a slim chance of full recovery, or amputation. Smids chose amputation.

"The biggest thing was I couldn't wait another three years to try and maybe learn how to walk again. I just had so many hopes and dreams of things to do," he told CBC News. Seven months after his surgery, Smids was guiding sea-kayaking trips in Canada, and then in locales around the world, including Norway, New Zealand and Thailand.

Right now he uses two different prosthetic legs, one for while he's in the water and another that's more flexible and comfortable on land. The water leg set him back about $6,000 and the walking leg about $13,000.

But Smids would like to buy a leg he can use both in water and on land, avoiding the need to haul around an extra leg and the worry that it could be stolen while travelling for work. He estimates a good dual-purpose leg would cost roughly $15,000.

No one has taken him up on his offer of advertising space, but he's confident his word-of-mouth campaign will eventually draw clients.

Smids said he came up with his plan to sell advertising space on his prosthetic leg after he realized how much attention the device drew, especially when he wears shorts. "I don't know the exact number, but probably 80 per cent of people, I can see them looking at the leg before they even look me in the eyes," he said.

By wearing removable, laminated logos, Smids said he could rotate ads on a regular basis.

Upgrading his prosthetic leg will make it easier for Smids to reach his next goal. He starts training to become a recreational therapist this fall.

Source

Spellcheck Is For Sissies (or... got typos?)

Okay, maybe not sissies, but it's not for O&P and by O&P, I mean (anything to do with) orthotics and prosthetics.

Right now, my spell checker is underlining orthotics.  And I know how to spell it correctly.

What if I didn't?

I might use:

orthodics
orthotiks
orthotist
orthoticist
orththoses
orothoses

or

prosthetiks
prosthetik
prostheticist
prosthetocist
prostetist

None of these words are spelled correctly. 
So what?

People don't always know how to spell what they are searching for.
They don't always pay attention to their typing either.

Think about it.
When was the last time you typed something incorrectly into a search engine?

Dunkin' Donuts Has an Email Newsletter and You STILL Don't???

Dunkin' Donuts has launched an online loyalty program that offers perks, including cash back offers and company news.

Under the Dunkin' Perks program, members receive e-mails twice a month with product news, store locations and special in-store and online offers. Members get offers throughout the year specific to their local market.

"We want to continue building relationships with our customers by sending them targeted communications and offers," said David Tryder, Dunkin' Donuts manager of interactive and relationship marketing. "We want to make sure that customers have the 'inside scoop' on what's happening at Dunkin' Donuts, and take advantage of special offers."

O&P-ers that want their customers/clients/patients/referral sources to have the "inside scoop?"
These companies/associations all communicate using email newsletters.  Where's yours?
You need a "Horn Tooter" too.
Grace Prosthetic Fabrication
U.S. Orthotics, Inc.
OrthoPro Associates
Tidwell's Orthotics
Orthotic & Prosthetic Assistance Fund
Alabama Prosthetic & Orthotic Association
PAL Health Technologies

Global Warming, Otto Bock and Turkey

Wenice Kids, Turkey's largest children's wear manufacturer, has dramatically increased its turnover with a campaign that aims to create awareness for Turkish made articles.

 The aim of the campaign is to encourage production in Turkey and to strengthen the image of Made, said Wenice Kids Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Oktay Özdemir. Those benefiting from the campaign abroad bring mostly Turkish made textiles and chocolate, said Özdemir. Thanks to this campaign, the turnover of all of our stores increased five times.

There are 220 Wenice stores worldwide, said Özdemir.

Wenice, which currently has an annual capacity to produce 1,200 million articles, has made YTL 70 million in turnover this year, Özdemir said. The company, expecting 100 percent growth at minimum this year, aims to increase the number of its stores from 220 to 1,000 by 2010, said Özdemir.

Otto Bock, which has 132 stores worldwide of products for the handicapped, will negotiate with Wenice in March to sell Wenice products at its stores, said Özdemir. Wenice also established the world's first global warming laboratory in textiles to develop thinner fabrics that can be washed with less water, Özdemir said.

Source

Piggyback on Brady

Bloomberg.com had this to say about Tom Brady.

"...Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, the NFL's Most Valuable Player, was in New York yesterday wearing a orthopedic brace on his right foot, the New York Post reported. He told Boston radio station WEEI that he'd be ready to face the Giants, the newspaper said...."

The Super Bowl.  HUGE publicity potential.

As the O&P expert in your area, are you pitching your local paper on  a story about orthopedic braces that superstar athletes (like Tom Brady!) might wear? 

More Tom Brady.

Cody on Ellen

One of the eighty gazillion email newsletters I subscribe to is the one for the Ellen DeGeneres Show (marketing is marketing and Ellen, et al, know how to market!)
Anyway, here's a blurb promoting her show for this Friday, January 11th.

"I wrap up my week of favorite kids with 6 year-old CODY McCASLAND from Dallas Texas. Cody is a double amputee who recently finished a marathon to benefit the hospital he's been attending since birth. Just wait till you meet this incredibly brave little kid and hear his amazing story."

Now, if I were Cody's prosthetist I would be marketing the heck out of his visit to Ellen.  But, that's just me.

At the very least, I'd be taping that segment and have it playing in the waiting room.

Source