Give Dot-Com Another Chance . . . Kind Of

How many of you watched Superbowl XXXIV?  Well, 88.5 million of you, according to Nielsen ratings.  The game was played between the Saint Louis Rams and the Tennessee Titans.  The amazing event came down to the last play, with Titans wide receiver Kevin Dyson was stopped one yard short of the goal line as time expired.  It’s considered by most to be one of the greatest Superbowl games.

It was not just the close game or Disney’s “Tapestry of Nations” halftime show that made a lasting name for that January 2000 event (you may argue the latter really didn’t leave much of an impression at all).  This event also was known at the “dot-com” Superbowl, as multiple internet-based companies rode the wave of the digital boom and paid millions of dollars to advertise that night.  Who remembers the Pets.com sock puppet?

While many of the businesses that aired commercials weren’t even around a few years later, contributor to The Health Care Blog David Shaywitz offers in a recent post that digital health should be considered by those who are nervous about venturing once again into the online world for financial success.  He makes the point that the potential for electronic record keeping to make health care more accessible and communication between patient and practitioner has just begun to be recognized.  In his own words,

I’m overwhelmed by the extent of real, unmet need – by the need for meaningful innovation to impact the lives of people and patients. The fundamental human need is there – and a market for innovative products exists; there’s real money here, and real business opportunities for companies that are able to deliver and demonstrate value.

If you consider yourself an entrepreneur and a leader, as I know many of you who read my posts do, you already know that now is the time and healthcare is the field that is just waiting for you to make your mark.  But when it comes time to develop a television campaign, here is my advice . . . think beyond a sock puppet.  Take advantage of the opportunity to become a real leader of your organizations EHR, MU, ICD-10, HIE, or ACO initiatives and accelerate your career.

About the author

Joe Lavelle

Joe Lavelle is the Co-Founder of intrepidNow. Prior to that Joe was an accomplished healthcare IT executive and career coach with a record of successfully meeting the business and technology challenges of diverse organizations including health plans, health delivery networks, health care companies, and several Fortune 500 companies.

Joe is also the author of Act As If It Were Impossible To Fail, available on Amazon.

   

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