HealthCareVox

Saying Goodbye & Hello

2009-08-05T18:43:46Z

Early last month, I announced that I had launched a new initiative called the Path of the Blue Eye project. It is designed to foster greater collaboration and knowledge sharing among people in the health marketing communications field. It was a risky move, but it appears to be paying off.

We are still in the early days of the project, but I’m very pleased that nearly 200 people from companies and organizations like Johnson & Johnson, AIDS.gov, Novartis, Shire, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, OrganizedWisdom and Digitas have joined the movement via Facebook, Twitter and e-mail.

In addition, we launched a blog, titled Walking the Path, and invited people from across the health industry to contribute. Once again, I have been delighted by the response. In addition to myself, five well-regarded experts, including Jane Sarasohn-Kahn, David Harlow and Nedra Kline Weinreich, have agreed to develop content for the Weblog.

What does all of this activity suggest? Well, it means that the Path of the Blue Eye project is getting stronger each day. It’s real, serious and here to stay.

However, as I expected, it is taking a lot of work. In addition to fulfilling my client responsibilities, we are building a collaboration hub and forging partnerships with a range of organizations. Something’s got to give. Today I’m announcing that as of this post I will no longer be writing HealthCareVox.

As you can imagine this was a difficult decision. I started writing this blog in January 2006 when the health blogging world was a lot smaller than it is today. I have been (and remain) hugely appreciative of all those who have diligently read, commented on and shared my content over the years. You all played a big role in helping make HealthCareVox what it is today.

kmmad

]]> However, even though I am saying goodbye, this is also a hello. Consider this an invitation to follow me over to Walking the Path. Here are some of the reasons I think you will benefit from reading this new Weblog:

• New Perspectives: My co-authors and I will write about health marketing communications and related topics from a variety of perspectives. I will no longer be the lone voice.
• A Similar Focus, But More Diversity: I will continue to write about some of the topics I covered on this blog. In addition, I’m looking forward to having co-authors who will help challenge and broaden my thinking.
• New Voices: When the Path of the Blue Eye collaboration hub launches we will feature active contributors to the community on a regular basis via profiles and guest posts.
• Case Studies: We also plan to regularly feature case studies focusing on health marketing communications campaigns using social technologies and other tools on a regular basis. In fact, you can read some recently published case studies here and here. If you enjoy learning from others, you’ll love Walking the Path.

I hope to see many of you at Walking the Path. And, if this is the end of our journey together, thank you for supporting me and this blog for all of these years.

Following are a few notes about the future administration of this blog.

1. This blog will remain live for the foreseeable future, so you will be able to benefit from the archive.
2. I am deactivating the contact e-mail address for this blog (healthcarevox [at] . . .). If you send e-mails to this address they will bounce.
3. I will not be accepting public relations pitches at Walking the Path. The blog’s editorial calendar is currently full and will get fuller when the collaboration hub launches.

Going for Broke With the Path of the Blue Eye

2009-07-09T16:36:33Z

A few months ago, I mentioned an initiative that I've been working on that's been stretching me to the limit and beyond. Today, I'm pleased to announce that the Path of the Blue Eye project has been officially launched.

The goal of this initiative is to bring people working in health marketing communications together. I'm trying to help to break down the silos that exist between industry sub-segments (e.g., PR, advertising, digital marketing) and geographic regions.

I've decided to launch the project a bit differently. Once you go to the Website you'll understand what I mean. Some may react negatively to the approach, while others will think it's interesting. Whatever your reaction, know that I believe so strongly in what I'm doing that I don't mind literally going for broke in order to grab people's attention and interest them in working together toward a common cause.

Together, we are stronger. Not only will we be better prepared to serve our clients and others, but the general public will benefit as well.

I hope you decide to join me on this journey. Learn more about my thinking on this project by visiting the official blog.

kmmad

Lisa: Where’s the Second Half of Your eyeforpharma Blog Post?

2009-07-01T16:31:56Z

Regular readers of this blog may have noticed that I have been posting less often recently. This is because I’m only trying to post when I feel I have something to say. Despite this, I’ve been doing a lot of reading and soaking in Tweets and blog posts. This content has helped to shape my thinking about a number of issues.

This morning, I came across an e-mail from eyeforpharma, which caught my eye. It was titled: “Roche buck the trend, is it time marketers do the same?” The blog post it referenced was written by Lisa Roner and focused on Roche’s decision to leave the industry trade group PhRMA (and its sister organization the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry. It seems that since Roche purchased Genentech, it has moved its orientation from pharma into biotech. Roner painted the move as an attempt by Roche to be different – ala Southwest Airlines.

Roche’s move into BIO, the biotech industry organization, is certainly interesting. However, it will take more for me to consider Roche Big Pharma’s (or Big Bio's) version of the trailblazing airline.

However, I was most interested in reading Roner’s thoughts on how marketers can become less rigid and more creative. Unfortunately, the post left me hanging, which led me to write this post. I’d love to hear Roner’s thoughts on how marketers can become mavericks.

While we’re waiting for Lisa’s response, please see this excellent post from Copyblogger focusing on why we should all have the courage to be “wrong” more often.

kmmad

Support I Know. I Took the Test Day

2009-06-23T15:51:30Z

The Department of Health and Human Services and a number of its partner organizations are promoting National HIV Testing Day on June 27. The day is designed to encourage Americans to get tested for HIV and encourage others to do so. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 1 out of 5 people living with HIV in the U.S. are unaware they have the disease. That number needs to come down.

Among other activities, HHS’s AIDs.gov and its partners are encouraging people to:

1. Share your story about what taking the HIV test mean to you.
2. Encourage others to get tested. You can send a text message with your ZIP code to KNOWIT or visiting HIVtest.org to find a local testing center

Support the cause by spreading the word. And, if you don’t know your HIV status get tested.

kmmad

Must Read: Pew Releases The Social Life Of Health Information

2009-06-11T15:59:52Z

Update: I just read Susannah Fox's summary of the data on e-patients.net. She quoted an interesting stat from the study:

"Facebook/MySpace/Twitter fans: You’re the big loser in this survey. There is very little evidence that social networks have become e-patient hang-outs. Health orgs may want to spend their resources elsewhere for now: just 6% of e-patients who use social network sites started or joined a health-related group."

This brings up an interesting point regarding media consumption habits -- a key area I've been focusing on with clients for the past year. Before you take the plunge into social technologies you've got to understand whether your core audience is using them. While in general, the bulk of e-patients may not be utilizing these sites, you may find -- with research -- that the people you care about are. Do the research, it's worth the time, effort and money.

----

Today the Pew Internet and American Life Project released another must-read report for those interested in the Internet is influencing the exchange of health information. Titled "The Social Life of Health Information," the report focuses on how online health seekers or "e-patients" are using traditional and social online technologies.

Pew's report reveals that while many people are consuming health information on line, fewer are creating it. According to Pew:

But few are actively writing or creating new health content:

6% of e-patients have tagged or categorized online content about health or medical issues.
6% of e-patients report that they have posted comments, queries, or information about health or medical matters in an online discussion, listserv, or other online group forum.
5% of e-patients say they have posted comments about health on a blog.
5% of e-patients have posted a review online of a doctor.
4% of e-patients have posted a review online of a hospital.
4% have shared photos, videos or audio files online about health or medical issues.

In sum, 37% of adults, or 60% of e-patients, have done at least one of the above activities.

You can read the full report by clicking here.

kmmad

A Counterproposal: Four Digital Activities Pharma Companies MUST Engage In Now Or Next Year

2009-06-04T16:42:51Z

This morning, I came across a tweet by Jonathan Richman, who writes the blog Dose of Digital, focusing on "10 digital marketing ideas pharmaceutical companies will never try (but should).” Richman said that he created the list because he has “grown bored with all the debates on why these industries should use social media.”

As I looked through his list, I kept wanting to him really get into a discussion about social strategies rather than tactics. I wanted to see him challenge pharma use these tools to achieve concrete business objectives such as:

-Improving corporate or brand reputation
-Gaining greater competitive insights
-Forging deeper and more fruitful customer relationships
-Powering and improving research and development efforts

In my mind, these are some of the key things companies should be looking to achieve when they decide to integrate social into their marketing and communications mix. In general, most people tend to focus on specific technologies or tools rather than high-level business strategy. Richman has operated at a much higher strategic level in the past so I was disappointed to see he didn’t do so in this blog post.

kmmad

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1. Develop solid social media monitoring policies and procedures that:

-Enable executives in marketing, analytics, competitive intelligence and research and development to:

**Understand unmet patient needs and (potentially) shift R&D efforts to take advantage of these learnings.
**Determine when “noise” about adverse events might merit a full-fledged clinical trial to determine the extent of the problem -- an initial step might be to adapt procedures used in call center management to social so that people feel comfortable looking for this information.
**Figure out when and how stakeholder responses to competitor or company-initiated marketing efforts should shape decisions about short-and long-term corporate or brand strategy.

2. Decide whether using a specific social technology is worth the effort – i.e., is it truly a good fit for the company? And, if the answer is yes, commit to building relationships with stakeholders using these tools over the long term rather than on a year-to-year basis.

3. Determine how and why social should be integrated with other digital and traditional marketing tools, including mobile, public relations, advertising and corporate communications.

4. Finally, if company leadership is truly interested in convincing management that social technologies are important, develop immersion programs designed to ensure they are familiar with and understand how and why these technologies are critical – for themselves, the company and key stakeholder groups.

I should say that I wouldn’t be writing this post if Richman hadn’t gotten my creative juices flowing. However, if we’re going to have a debate about whether and how pharma should be using social technologies, let’s get the strategic stuff right first rather than focusing on tactics or specific tools.

Silence is the Enemy: Stop Sexual Abuse

2009-06-02T15:43:31Z

Recently, I received a note via my Facebook account asking me to consider joining a movement dedicated to ending the sexual abuse of men women and children living in Liberia. "Silence Is The Enemy," focuses on assaults taking place in Liberia, it is also designed to raise awareness of sexual abuse around the world.

Silence Is The Enemy started on June first on the Intersection blog, which is published by Discover. The founder of the movement Sheril Kirshenbaum wrote:

"Today begins a very important initiative called Silence Is The Enemy to help a generation of young women half a world away.Why? Because they are our sisters and children–the victims of sexual abuse who don’t have the means to ask for help. We have power in our words and influence. Along with our audience, we’re able to speak for them. I’m asking all of you–bloggers, writers, teachers, and concerned citizens–to use whatever platform you have to call for an end to the rape and abuse of women and girls in Liberia and around the world."

Please join me in supporting this very important movement by blogging about it, joining the Facebook group or participating in other ways.

kmmad

Does New Yorker Article About “Neuroenhancing” Drugs Offer Glimpse Into Coming Post-Human Age?

2009-05-20T04:25:32Z

If you’re a fan of high-tech science fiction, you will be very familiar with the concept of post-humanity. Like the theory of parallel universes, used to great effect in the recent Star Trek movie and the television series Fringe, the idea of a post-human society has its roots in the non-fiction world. According to Wikipedia: “In critical theory, the posthuman is a speculative being that represents or seeks to enact a re-writing of what is generally conceived of as human . . . the posthuman is not a singular, defined individual, but rather one who can ‘become’ or embody different identities and understand the world from multiple, heterogeneous perspectives.”

In popular science fiction movies and novels, the post-human is generally someone who (with the aid of medications and computer technology), is able to achieve superhuman status. (See John C. Wright’s excellent Golden Age trilogy for a broad examination of a fictional post-human society.)

An essay published late last month in the New Yorker got me thinking about this concept. The article, written by Margaret Talbot, focuses on the growing number of students who are using (and abusing) prescription medicines to achieve greater focus and multitask successfully. Talbot writes:

“Last April, the scientific journal Nature published the results of an informal online poll asking whether readers attempted to sharpen “their focus, concentration, or memory” by taking drugs such as Ritalin and Provigil—a newer kind of stimulant, known generically as modafinil, which was developed to treat narcolepsy. One out of five respondents said that they did. A majority of the fourteen hundred readers who responded said that healthy adults should be permitted to take brain boosters for nonmedical reasons, and sixty-nine per cent said that mild side effects were an acceptable risk.”

This is a very interesting study that no-doubt worries people at the Partnership for a Drug-Free America. However, Talbot is not at all nervous about the potential harmful effects of neuroenhancing drugs. In fact, she seems to embrace their use, writing: : “It makes no sense to ban the use of neuroenhancers. Too many people are already taking them, and the users tend to be educated and privileged people who proceed with just enough caution to avoid getting into trouble.”

So, if you’re privileged and educated, abusing prescription drugs is okay – if it provides you with a needed boost? I’m not so sure people using social marketing and other techniques to prevent prescription drug abuse, would view articles like Talbot’s in a favorable light.

I think those interested in building companies designed to help usher in the post-human age, are likely to share Talbot’s view. After all, once we can routinely and efficiently manipulate the basic building blocks of the human machine, who knows what will be possible? Clearly, the future is going to be very interesting.

kmmad

Understanding the U.S. African Market

2009-05-14T18:02:05Z

Recently, the U.S. African Chamber of Commerce released an important and groundbreaking study examining the U.S. African population. This group, which sees itself as distinctly African and different from the African American population represents $50 billion in largely untapped purchasing power. Those intersted in learning more about this growing market, should take time to read this important study. Click here to access it.

kmmad

Social Media “Experts”: You’ve Got To Know Your Stuff

2009-05-12T17:05:58Z

Thanks to Silja Choquet (whydotpharma on Twitter), I learned about a post on Sally Church’s blog, Pharma Strategy Blog, focusing on social media “experts” who are providing incoherent or inappropriate advice to pharmaceutical companies about social media marketing strategy. She wrote:

“The other day I was talking to someone who described themselves (and their company) as a 'social media expert' and was looking to sell their services to Pharma companies wishing to use this channel for marketing their brands. Except that on asking for more information, their world was mostly confined to blogging, Twitter, Facebook and Google Analytics. Their response to which social bookmarks did they use got an airy, 'oh I don't bother with those, too time consuming.' What about showing them trend data about their brands? 'Twistori is way cool!' I couldn't even find them in LinkedIn. Their Pharma experience was virtually non-existent, judging by the blank look they gave me on being asked how they would address adverse event concerns with review teams.”

Wow.

The post has generated a significant amount of discussion around the blogosphere and Twitter. A lot of what she discusses makes sense and the comments are very insightful.

Speaking of people who know what they are talking about, I’ve been enjoying Jonathan Richman’s blog, Dose of Digital. His posts are spot on and very thought provoking. If you’re not reading his blog, you should. You’re guaranteed not to be disappointed.

kmmad

Tweeting Today, Gone Tomorrow

2009-05-07T17:04:44Z

According to data released by eMarketer recently, 12 million Americans will be using Twitter by the end of 2009. This certainly points to Twitter’s popularity. However, will all of these new Twitter users stick around?

Perhaps not. Nielsen Online estimates that nearly 60% of people who try Twitter don’t return the following month. This is clearly sobering news. With Twitter’s user base evolving so rapidly, it’s more important than ever to understand whether or not your target audience:

-Is utilizing Twitter
-Are transient or dedicated users
-Is using Twitter for informational, personal, or business purposes

(After significant critisism from Twitter users, Nielsen updated its study and got the same results when accounting for the various software packages and platforms that feature Twitter, including TweetDeck and Hootsuite.)

It’s important to remember that new technologies tend to undergo huge shifts in use until they stabilize. After all, in the early days of blogging there was a good amount of research suggesting that many bloggers quickly abandon their Weblogs. Today, blogging has peaked, but many, many people are still actively managing their sites.

Overall, the Nielsen data underscores why understanding the media consumption habits of your target audiences before launching a campaign using a specific media channel is so important.

kmmad

Briefly Noted: What Are Intellectuals Good For?

2009-05-05T21:07:40Z

Please note: This post is very much off-topic. But, as something I heard on NPR’s Fresh Air piqued my curiosity, I thought I’d share it with you. Enjoy!

In college and graduate school I spent many hours, days and nights working on two theses focusing on two highly speculative and relevant topics: jazz ethnomusicology and health care reform. (15 brownie points will be awarded to anyone who can define jazz ethnomusicology.) During those heady days of academic bliss, I sometimes thought about what life would be like if I could spend the rest of my days as a free-ranging intellectual. I wasn’t sure if I was smart enough to do so, but the idea certaintly sounded nice.

But, every time I went down that path, something pulled me up short. It was a question Maureen Corrigan, in her review of a new paperback by George Scialabba, “What Are Intellectuals Good For?,” was asked when she got her PhD: “So are you making any money now?” Yes, thinking deep thoughts is really nice, but if I wanted to put food on the table, I’d have to figure out someway to make my very expensive education pay for itself.

I regularly listen to NPR’s Fresh Air podcast, but normally skip Corrigan’s reviews of new books. After all, the books Corrigan normally reviews are usually not my cup of tea. However, I took time to listen to her review of “What Are Intellectuals Good For?” According to Corrigan, Scialabba’s book focuses on the real-world impact of intellectuals like Noam Chomsky, William F. Buckley and others. If they had never put pen to paper, would the world be the same?

This is certainly worth thinking about. In fact, let’s take a modern-day example of a public intellectual, Malcolm Gladwell. His bestsellers Blink and Outliers have influened the thinking of many around the world. And, although some have suggested that Gladwell oversimplifies complex topics and states the obvious, there is no doubt that he has had a tremendous impact on how we think about the world.

So, here’s a question to take you through the rest of the day: “Would the world be better or worse off without intellectuals?” I think we're better off, what's your take?

kmmad

Swine Flu Communications Effort Serves As Live Case Study

2009-04-29T21:24:14Z

Like many Americans (and others around the world) I have been closely watching the swine flu public health crisis unfold with great interest. However, I am also looking at it to see how HHS and CDC have applied the many lessons they have learned about new media/social media communications to work in real time. One of the things I mentioned during my talk at Social Pharmer last week is the importance of starting small so that you have the skills and understanding to launch large-scale social media-related communications efforts in the future. CDC and HHS have clearly learned this lesson.

To better understand how HHS is leveraging social media tools like Twitter and widgets to communicate with the public, please see this post from the AIDS.gov blog.

kmmad

Final Social Pharmer Thoughts: Coming Back To Transparency

2009-04-23T16:36:33Z

Earlier this week, I had the pleasure of speaking at the first Social Pharmer “unconference.” While the event was a bit more structured than most conferences of this type, there was lots of great conversation among the participants and excellent presentations made by the speakers. I especially enjoyed Steve Woodruff’s working session where we were challenged to come up with a social media strategy in 15 minutes. Overall, I think everyone did a very good job.

I thought I’d take a moment to come back to one of the themes I touched on in my presentation – the first of the day. I provided examples of how pharma/health companies are using social media technologies currently. (By the way, I love the fact that someone in the audience disagreed with one of my assertions, which led to a broader conversation in the room and on Twitter about whether the GoInsulin YouTube program was a true example of social media communications.) However, when I discussed the issue of transparency, I put a big question mark on my slide and did not provide a concrete example.

We had a very lively discussion focusing on the following transparency related questions:

-What does it mean for a pharmaceutical company to be transparent?
-Is it possible for a pharmaceutical company to be transparent?
-What does it mean for a drug firm to be transparent in a social media context?

These are tough questions, with few easy answers. I know as much as anyone that one cannot tell the world everything. After all, we all have business secrets, proprietary technologies and competitive advantage to protect. However, despite these restrictions, is it possible for drug companies to be more forthcoming about other issues? And, even if they want to, will regulators and lawyers (internal and external) let them?

I’ll leave these questions for you to ponder. As you do this, please consider joining Shwen Gwee’s Social Pharmer social network. This is fast becoming a gathering place for people interested in pharmaceutical marketing and social media to share ideas and collaborate in other ways. I’m already a member. I hope to see you there.

kmmad

Your Input Needed: Social Pharmer Talk Re: Transparency & Openness In Pharma Social Media Powered Activities

2009-04-14T17:22:27Z

Next week, I will be speaking at a very special “unconference” produced by Shwen Gwee of Vertex, titled “Social Pharmer - Sowing the Seeds of Social Media in Pharma and Healthcare.” I will be joined by some wonderful people and speakers, including Mark Senak, Steve Woodruff, Jack Barrette and Josh Bernoff.

The topic of my talk will be “Achieving Openness - Transparency and Authenticity in Pharma.” My talk will be the first session of the day and will focus on themes I’m sure we’ll be discussing throughout the day.

Most of the talks I’ve given have been pretty standard affairs. Normally, I make some remarks and take questions from the audience afterward. The unconference format is a bit different, as we are focusing on engaging as many people as possible in conversation and dialogue. As a result, I’d like to incorporate your comments and suggestions into my talk. I plan to work on my presentation late this week (and likely over the weekend), so you have a few days to get back to me with your thoughts. There are several issues I’d like to cover in my talk. Your answers will help ensure I’m hitting all of the right angles. They are:

-What should a truly open pharmaceutical company look like?

-How transparent should we expect pharmaceutical companies to be?

-Is it possible for a pharmaceutical company to be agile and flexible enough to truly engage people using social media in an open and transparent way?

-Is waiting for the FDA to develop social media marketing guidance like “Waiting for Godot?” What steps should pharmaceutical companies be taking individually and collectively to move the needle forward on developing standards of behavior and activity using social media? (See John Mack’s recent podcast on this issue for more information).

-What should true believers within pharmaceutical companies be doing to help their peers become psychologically prepared to engage in activities that may not bear fruit for a long period of time?

-How can we move from experimentation to true integration of social media technologies into the DNA of pharmaceutical companies?

-Should pharma marketers be thinking about corporate reputation even if they are engaging in activities on behalf of a particular product?

-What should pharma learn from others in the health industry who have embraced social media technologies about openness, responsiveness and transparency?

That’s all I have for now. I’m eagerly awaiting your comments and suggestions.

kmmad