[acb-diabetics] 6 mistake made

[Patricia LaFrance-Wolf]

Dave,

The links come in the article.  I don't know how to take them out.  I agree
that it does make it more difficult to read, but really don't know how to
exclude them.

 

  _____  

From: acb-diabetics-bounces at acb.org [mailto:acb-diabetics-bounces at acb.org]
On Behalf Of Patricia LaFrance-Wolf
Sent: Wednesday, June 20, 2012 7:44 PM
To: 'Discussion list for diabetics and/or ACB issues'
Subject: [acb-diabetics] 6 mistake made

 


Six Mistakes That Marketers Make When Communicating With People With
Diabetes


Dara Mayers, Director, the Diabetes Consulting Group

Jun 15, 2012 



>From the point of view of a person with diabetes, marketers often make the
following mistakes when promoting their products to us. 

This is an open letter to marketers who target people with diabetes
<http://www.diabeteshealth.com/> . From the point of view of a person with
diabetes, marketers often make the following mistakes when promoting their
products to us.

1. Focusing on sugar

Anybody with a blood
<http://www.diabeteshealth.com/browse/monitoring/blood-sugar/>  sugar
monitor can attest to the fact that focusing on sugar alone will get you
nowhere. Sugar is just a carbohydrate
<http://www.diabeteshealth.com/browse/food/low-carb/> , no worse for people
with diabetes than white bread, bananas, rice, or potatoes. We also know
that sugar-free foods with high amounts of carbs in them are not as good,
and no healthier, than the real thing. Focusing on solutions that people
with diabetes can see-in our meters-will build trust and provide us with
real solutions.

2. Thinking shots are the problem

Almost all of the sympathy directed toward people with diabetes focuses on
the shots, yet most people who take insulin
<http://www.diabeteshealth.com/browse/medications/insulin/>  know that shots
are not the problem. They don't hurt. It's the hassle of having to calculate
carbs, exercise <http://www.diabeteshealth.com/browse/fitness/exercise/> ,
and boluses, the fear of low
<http://www.diabeteshealth.com/browse/complications-and-care/low-blood-sugar
/>  blood sugars, and the annoyance of having to constantly think about
these issues that make diabetes difficult to live with. Providing solutions
for living with insulin-after the dose-will give people with
insulin-dependent diabetes answers that actually make our lives better.

3. Believing that size matters

Every meter company is constantly saying that the size of their drop of
blood is the smallest. But once we've pricked our fingers, does the
difference between half a microliter and a whole microliter really matter?
Not really. For meter companies to make an impact, they will have to offer
truly innovative products.

4. Making weight loss
<http://www.diabeteshealth.com/browse/fitness/weight-loss/>  the solution

The vast majority of people with type 2
<http://www.diabeteshealth.com/browse/community/type-2-issues/>  diabetes
have already been on many, many diets. Telling us that we have to lose
weight in order to control diabetes demotivates people who have already
tried and failed diets for decades. Finding ways to motivate people with
diabetes to control our blood sugar and maintain our health-without making
weight loss the goal-is key to gaining our trust and helping us stay
healthy.

5. Thinking we're all the same

Each person with diabetes responds to therapy, exercise, and food
differently. This extends beyond the different types of diabetes. The
condition, and our experience of it, changes over time. Because each person
with diabetes experiences the condition so uniquely, speaking to us as if we
are all the same alienates us from your products and services. While we
share a common diagnosis, our lived experiences do not fit into a textbook
description. Instead of telling us why your brand will solve our problem,
ask us how we experience the condition, and meet us there.

6. Assuming that information is the answer

Most people with diabetes already have all the information we need. In fact,
we have too much information, and giving us more is not going to help us
change our behavior. Instead of information, focus on giving us meaningful
motivation, community, understanding, and a focused way to sift through the
vast and conflicting information that is already out there. Coaching and
partnering with us to help us make and maintain substantive and long-term
changes in our lives will build our trust and improve our health.

  _____  

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