When planning ahead for your recruitment – which is something that should be done for all studies – it is important to consider incorporating branding with your studies marketing plans. All businesses understand the importance of branding with marketing and advertising, but it appears to be a concept that may have slipped past many researchers. Here are a couple reasons to consider branding:
- Memorability: A member of your target audience sees an advertisement for your study, reads and editorial, then stumbles across it on-line. A well branded study will trigger recognition each time they see read your advertisement, and each time they are more likely to take action. Without branding, the third time someone sees an advertisement will be no more effective than the first.
- Professionalism: This could technically be broken down to the Appearance of size and Appearance of quality, but for this conversation we will treat them as the same. One of the most widely cited reasons for volunteering for research is for the benefit of future patients. Therefore, a professional appearance will help build confidence that your study is capable of producing significant data, and is less likely to fail, thereby ensuring the participants time is well spent.
So when you are planning your recruitment campaign, it would be worth while to come up with an image and a simple and catchy name, if not a colour scheme. Consider using the branding from your institute or organisation if relevant.
July 2008, Donna Beasley, vice president of operations at Praxis in the US stated that the
development of branded, cohesive study materials that motivate patients to respond is also key to successful subject recruitment. Consistent materials increase brand awareness and recall among potential subjects. The combination of these marketing efforts and site databases will help enroll the study on time. (complete article)
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