Tech-EM Chats With Susan Campbell, Senior Director Of Marketing At Discovery Health

Susan Campbell, Senior Director of Marketing & Partnerships, Discovery Health

Vital Statistics:
Age: 41
Lives in: Takoma Park, MD
Office based in: Silver Spring, MD
Tenure at Discovery Communications: 13 years
Size of team: Eight

How is your approach to marketing evolving?
Early in the history of Discovery Health, we began doing quite a bit of event marketing. It was a great way to interact one-on-one with our target customer. We exhibited at events sponsored by our key partners, including the March of Dimes, American Cancer Society, American Diabetes Association and others. They were reaching a customer very similar to ours. And it was a great way for people to experience what our brand was all about.

Recently, our priorities have shifted a bit. We moved into more web, air via our own and sister networks and some paid media. We participate in fewer total events in favor of mediums that support our more transactional needs—driving people to our network and our web site.

So what role does experiential play in that mix?
Currently our events are integrated into our biggest initiatives—those with multiple objectives that include branding and partner merchandising. For instance, our National Body Challenge, a national call to shed extra pounds and get healthy which is done across the country, includes live components, as well a customizable web components. [The program] integrates strong branding and it’s been a strong tool with our advertisers, affiliates and non-profit partners. Event marketing works when you make it fun, engaging and steered toward the habits and lifestyle of the consumer.

A huge thing for us is social media marketing, which I look at as virtual event marketing. That’s become a much greater focus for us. It’s a cost effective way to create that kind of experience; it follows the way our consumers are spending their time.

What we try to do is create an experience virtually that mimics what we have done as a traditional event. This works well as a component of the National Body Challenge because for something as personal as weight loss and establishing healthier habits, some people prefer the privacy and convenience of the internet for logging and tracking progress. But with the rise in social media sites and our own Discovery Health online community, the internet can also deliver the ongoing guidance and support people need to stay motivated.

What do your events look like?
Embarking on an eight-week challenge is daunting so our kick-off events for the National Body Challenge are fun and high energy. We have a main stage where our partner Bally Total Fitness does high energy fitness demos —and the crowd jumps right in. We also take their basic measurements to help get them started.

Our partners have booths. We realized years ago that sampling booths are not successful, so all of our partners engage the audience in meaningful interaction. For instance S.C. Johnson’s Ziploc promotes its Zip ‘n Steam bags by sharing basics of good nutrition and portion control with the help of a nutritionist and a guessing game.. It’s fun and benefits the consumer. That kind of experience informs the consumer, but you are not banging them over the head.

You mentioned customizable web components that mesh with your events. What do these look like?
Our content includes e-toolkits that address the needs of specific groups: individuals, families, friend groups, educators, and even work groups. Within each e-toolkit there is further customization. For instance, the work group package, geared towards H.R. personnel, will have content geared more towards the challenges and choices faced at work that might include healthy meeting snacks to choosing wisely from a vending machine to smart dining while on the road (for sales or road warriors) .

What sort of activities and hobbies do you participate in during your free time?
Right now, I’m nearly eight months pregnant, but normally I like to run, ski, bike, and hike—I’m a big outdoor enthusiast. I also love playing with my toddler.