Friday, June 22, 2007

J&J pushing its OTC products via community fundraisers

J&J pushing its OTC products via community fundraisers

The next kid who's fundraising at your door might be selling Tylenol instead of $12 wrapping paper. Johnson & Johnson (J&J) is starting a campaign in which community groups, churches, and charities will sell the company's OTC products, according to Brandweek. In exchange for participating in the program, J&J will donate 8% of sales to the organization. Fundraisers will encourage people to purchase the OTC brands through the Web site Ucareorg.com instead of at the pharmacy. According to Brandweek, J&J says that this approach beats typical fundraising because there's nothing to carry from door to door. The effort will include brands such as Sudafed, Tylenol, and Motrin, as well as the OTC brands it acquired from Pfizer, according to the report. At press time, Ucareorg.com was "temporarily shutdown," and a message asked visitors to try back again later.

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Lilly funds $15 million diabetes peer education program

Lilly funds $15 million diabetes peer education program

A $15 million gift from the Eli Lilly and Company Foundation is funding a peer-support program for people with diabetes. The Peers for Progress program will identify and train diabetic volunteers to become certified "Diabetes Mentors." These laypeople will help other people with diabetes to better manage the emotional, social, and self-care demands of the disease. According to Eli Lilly, the need for the program is great because although the number of people with diabetes is on the rise, the number of healthcare providers to serve them is not. The program aims to empower 1% of the people with diabetes in America, or 200,000 patients, to become Diabetes Mentors and to expand globally to include two million mentors around the world by 2020.

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Marketers drop the ball on e-mail campaigns with landing pages

Marketers drop the ball on e-mail campaigns with landing pages

Although e-mail marketers spend a lot of time perfecting e-mail campaigns, they often overlook a crucial next step: the landing page. A new Silverpop study shows that 50% of viewers who click through an e-mail marketing piece will abandon the landing page after only 8 seconds. Silverpop examined 14 elements of e-mail campaigns, such as ease of navigation and amount of copy, from 150 top online marketing companies. The study showed that landing pages are often cluttered and don't echo the look and feel of the e-mail campaign, leading consumers to leave the site. However, 35% of the landing pages didn't have the same look or tone of the email that generated the click. Also, although the landing page should repeat the e-mail's call to action or offer, 45% of landing pages failed to do so.
 

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Wednesday, June 20, 2007

Easy Syndication Of Online Video

by Ross Fadner, Wednesday, Jun 20, 2007 10:45 AM ET
Easy Syndication Of Online Video
Business 2.0 Blog
Joost, the online TV service that utilizes peer-to-peer technology, is outmoded, says Dmitry Shapiro, CEO of rival video upstart Veoh. Joost is a closed system that only shows video from the producers it has deals with. Shapiro thinks Internet TV should be something more open--like the Web itself--that draws content from both professional producers and the greater online community.

Later this week, Veoh will unveil a competing service called VeohTV, a P2P-based desktop application that allows you to watch any video from anywhere on the Web. What exactly does that mean? VeohTV is RSS-like in the sense that it gathers video from across the Web-NBC.com, YouTube, CNN.com--and brings it in one customizable, controllable location. You can search for and then subscribe to shows, and even download video streams to watch later. And it's controlled by a standard remote, like TV.

VeohTV is version 2.0 of the company's downloadable video player, close to 1 million downloads, compared to Joost's half a million (though Joost is still in beta and requires an invite). But why desktop software? As Shapiro says: "The Web browser is not the right application for consuming video," citing the success of Outlook, the Web browser, and iTunes, so-called "killer apps" that all reside on the desktop.    Read the whole story...
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30s Beat 15s In Online Video Advertising Study

30s Beat 15s In Online Video Advertising Study
by Jack Loechner, Wednesday, Jun 20, 2007 7:16 AM ET

30s Beat 15s In Online Video Advertising Study

A recent study by the Online Publishers Association (OPA), looking at the key factors driving video advertising success, used a variety of ads featuring everything from consumer packaged goods and financial services to airlines and pharmaceuticals, and four ad attributes, testing 96 combinations for how they impact key advertising and brand metrics.

Pam Horan, OPA president, said "With online video firmly entrenched in the mainstream, marketers need to understand what works for driving key advertising metrics. (this study) identifies the most important factors, from ad length to the impact of adjacent content, that can improve video advertising effectiveness... the study is an important step in laying down concrete, high impact techniques for marketers."

The four ad attributes tested were: duration (15 v. 30 sec.); placement (pre-roll and post-roll); companion ad (with/without); and, advertising type (original online v. repurposed TV).

Several of the key findings include:

  • 30s Top 15s. In two of the four advertising and brand metrics measured, ad length was the leading factor driving lift. And with each, 30 second ads outpaced 15s: ad relevance (30% lift using 30s) and brand consideration (23% lift using 30s).
  • The study reinforced the notion of a "halo" effect from website video content affinity. If the consumer had a prior brand affinity toward an advertised brand and they liked the adjacent video content, brand consideration jumped 61%. If the consumer's initial attitude toward the brand was neutral or negative, brand consideration still rose 21% if they liked the video content.
  • The study found that static companion ads can play a valuable complimentary role. To lift brand awareness the combination of a pre-roll and a companion proved to be most effective.
  • The study found that the leading video content category is news/current events (14% watch daily). Weather ranks second (11% watch daily), followed by jokes /funny clips (9% watch daily).

The study found that online video advertising leads to concrete results. Of the 80% of viewers that have watched a video ad online, 52% have taken some sort of action. Importantly, visitors to media sites (magazine, newspaper, cable, broadcast and pure-play) demonstrated they were more inclined to take action upon viewing a video ad than visitors to portals and user generated content sites.

Viewer Behavior on Seeing Online Video Ad (% of respondents, April-May 2007)

Elicited response

45%

Checked Company web site

31

Looked for more information

28

Searched for info about product

22

Clicked on adjacent banner ad

19

Bought something

16

Talked to friends/family about product

16

Gone to store to check product

15

Requested product information

13

Forwarded video ad

9

Signed up for trial

9

Called toll-free number

5

Ordered subscription

4

Source: Online Publishers Association and OTX, June 2007

Of consumers who made a purchase in the last month, 48% said the Internet drove initial awareness, 57% said they learned more using the Internet, 55% used the Internet to decide where to buy, and 56% made the final purchase decision using the Internet.

Horan concluded, "As consumers work their way through the purchase process, the Internet is far and away the most important media they use... "

Details of the Frames of Reference study are being presented on the OPA's annual, eight-city Eyes on the Internet Tour. A copy of the final report will be posted on the OPA website (www.online-publishers.org) at the end of the Tour

For more details included in this preliminary release, please visit here.

 
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Tacoda Adds Women's Vertical

Tacoda Adds Women's Vertical
Wednesday, Jun 20, 2007 6:00 AM ET
TACODA AUDIENCE NETWORKS SAID IT has dedicated a specialized sales team to the women's vertical. The behavioral targeter said it now reaches 28 million women in the vertical with the addition of Atlantic Media, Connecting Moms, Real Girls Media, and Active Interest Media. Tacoda added that it has already run campaigns targeting women this year for more than 40 branded advertisers, including GSK, Johnson & Johnson, P&G, Kraft, Sears and Target.

Other women's sites in Tacoda's network include Oprah, Woman's Day, AllRecipes, HGTV, ClubMom, and Parenting.

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Swarmcast Puts the Accelerator on iTunes

Swarmcast Puts the Accelerator on iTunes

Swarmcast has taken the wraps off of technology that can help you download videos from iTunes faster than usual, reports The Globe & Mail.

The Swarmcast Autobahn Accelerator uses multi-sourcing technology to speed up download times. Instead of pulling files from one server, little chunks of the file are drawn from many servers, automatically compensating for delays. The company says its product makes downloads ten times faster than they currently are.

Swarmcast's multi-sourcing technology has previously been applied to streaming video. The company is funded by a pair of venture capital firms.

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Idelix Launches Map-Based Dynamic Ads

Idelix Launches Map-Based Dynamic Ads

Map technology firm Idelix is testing a way to overlay dynamic ads onto just about any map software, reports ClickZ.

Idelix believes it has identified a shortcoming in the current format for serving ads alongside maps: The ads don't change with the map. Most map-based ads either show an unchanging ad in the body, or a series of unchanging ads along the side.

But Idelix is working on technology to serve ads as people zoom in, out and move around a map. Each section of a map will be owned by an ad that could be placed on the street, city or brand level.

Advertising within online maps is a growing area of interest. Google is also exploring such options.

Idelix's software would be released as an API, which can be customized for the needs of respective sites.

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Daily Online Video Consumption Spikes 56 Percent

Daily Online Video Consumption Spikes 56 Percent

There's been a huge growth in popularity of online video use among Americans in the past year, according to a national online Magid Media Futures survey conducted in the last week of March 2007, reports MarketingCharts.

Daily usage of online video increased 56 percent over the last year: In 2006, 9 percent of 12-64-year-old Americans who used the Internet reported using online video daily; that proportion has now risen to 14 percent, reported the Magid study.

"Clearly the use of online video demonstrates that the Internet has become a mass platform for distributing video content to a wide cross section of Americans," said Mike Vorhaus, SVP and managing director for Frank N. Magid Associates.

Additional findings from the study:

  • Weekly usage of online video has also increased: In 2006, 44 percent of online Americans age 12-64 used online video once a week or more; now that proportion is 52 percent - a growth of 18 percent.
  • Among young adult males 18-24, 35 percent report using online video at least once a day, and 80 percent report watching online video at least once a week.
  • In all age-groups, males are more regular viewers of online video: Among females 18-24, weekly use of online video is 53 percent, versus 80 percent for males.

MarketingCharts provides more info from the study.

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Meredith Adds Healia Health Search Engine to Roster

Meredith Adds Healia Health Search Engine to Roster

Publisher Meredith has purchased consumer health information search engine Healia.com, the latest in a series of online acquisitions, reports MediaPost.

The search engine allows people to drill down into results based on demographic and other factors in order to deliver the best results. That sort of information is likely very attractive to drug and other health companies.

Healia's vertical search will be integrated into other Meredith websites, such as Better Homes and Gardens, Parents and American Baby, among others. Meredith executives believe the interest women have in finding health information online will make this a good fit, increasing site stickiness and consequent vendor interest.

The acquisition puts Meredith in a position to benefit from advertisers drawn to Healia's capabilities.

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Google Public Policy Blog Makes Online Debut

Google Public Policy Blog Makes Online Debut

Perhaps bored with having conquered the online ad market, Google has just launched a blog focused on US government legislation and regulation, a move that betrays its growing interest in overt political affairs, reports Yahoo.

The blog focuses on issues such as privacy and copyright protection. It has existed internally for over two months.

This move marks a more aggressive interest by Google in political affairs at large.

Last year the search conglomo led a number of Web-based companies in demanding Congress pass a series of net neutrality rules prohibiting broadband carriers from blocking or slowing Web content offered by their competitors. This year they lend unsolicited advice on how the FCC should auction the 60MHz of spectrum in the 700MHz band emptied by US television networks.

"We’re seeking to do public policy advocacy in a Googley way," wrote Director Andrew McLaughlin of Google's public policy and government affairs department.

"We want our users to be part of the effort, to know what we’re saying and why, and to help us refine and improve our policy positions and advocacy strategies. With input and ideas from our users, we’ll surely do a better job of fighting for our common interests."

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Gen Y Wears Hearts on Sleeves with Text via Tee

Gen Y Wears Hearts on Sleeves with Text via Tee

T-shirts, long the medium of choice for making a statement, are getting interactive, thanks to a new startup that features unique SMS codes on each shirt, reports Springwise.

Reactee is bringing social networking to the next level by giving the tees it sells unique SMS codes that text those interested with the t-shirt's slogan or the wearer's information.

The wearer sets an automatic response for the person texting the SMS number, and also receives the sender's phone number.

The shirts, potentially great for flirting, could also serve as powerful guerilla marketing devices. Each is priced around $25.

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Glam Upstages iVillage, Becomes #1 Women's Network

Glam Upstages iVillage, Becomes #1 Women's Network

Blog network operator Glam Media has stepped gently over iVillage to become the top women's property online, reports Venture Beat.

The lead isn't great but could signal the beginning of a new world order. In May iVillage had 17.1 million unique visitors but Glam's network of blogs reached just a little bit farther with 17.3 million unique readers.

Glam, in its fourth year of operations, now incorporates about 350 sites, including magazines and blogs. Topics run the gamut from beauty to parenting to fashion.

Glam has significantly expanded what it offers to advertisers, who seek use network to reach a sizable audience of tech-savvy women. The company offers advertisers reporting options that include the age of its readers. It also recently signed to run Google AdSense ads on all its sites.

Glam publicized its triumph, which is based on readership numbers from comScore, in a full-page ad that ran in a number of large newspapers yesterday.

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Europe's 'Digital Mums' at Home on the Web

Europe's 'Digital Mums' at Home on the Web

Some 62 percent of women with children 0-18 years old now regularly access the Internet across Europe - a growth of nine percent since 2005, according to research from the European Interactive Advertising Association, writes MarketingCharts (via NetImperative).
The first "Digital Mums Report," the latest in the EIAA Mediascope Europe series, reveals that 75 percent of the time digital mums spend online is for personal reasons and that online activities are becoming a valuable, everyday part of their busy lives.

Seven of ten digital mums - 70 percent - who use all media say the Internet provides what they want quickly and saves them time, and 46 percent say it helps keep them "ahead of the game," according to the EIAA.

The number of digital mums visiting technology websites has grown almost 50 percent since 2005; they are also using the Web as a resource for family health needs (an increase of 27 percent year over year).

The most popular online activity is researching and catching up via the Web - 59 percent regularly visit news sites, and 53 percent look for local information online.

Some additional findings from the EIAA report:

  • Age: Mums who use the Internet and have babies and/or very young children (0-4 years old) are more likely to visit family and kids websites (61 percent) and banking and finance sites (63 percent).
  • Shopping: Digital mums are more frequent online shoppers than women without children. 79 percent of them have bought items online, spending an average of 644 euros and buying 10 items in just six months.
  • Entertainment: There has been a 63 percent increase since 2005 in the number of mums who regularly download TV programs and films.
  • Keeping in touch: The number of mums making telephone calls via the Internet has increased by 63 percent since 2005, and 38 percent now use instant messaging (up from 30 percent in 2005).
  • Media Multitasking: Once the kids are in bed, mums take to the Web to tackle tasks or enjoy "me-time" - 65 percent access the Internet between 5.30pm-9pm.

"For time-pressed, multi-tasking mums, the Internet is increasingly playing a crucial role in enriching their busy everyday lives. Not only does the Internet help mums maximize time and keep control of family life and demands but it is also proving to be a valuable networking tool," said Alison Fennah, executive director of the EIAA.

MarketingCharts offers up more from the EIAA study.

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Tuesday, June 19, 2007

Study finds staggering cost of treating diabetics

Study finds staggering cost of treating diabetics

Tue Jun 19, 2007 9:12AM EDT

By Bill Berkrot

NEW YORK (Reuters) - One out of every eight U.S. federal health care dollars is spent treating people with diabetes, a study found, and advocates are calling for the creation of a government post to oversee coordination of spending on treatment and prevention among federal agencies.

The study, based on federal spending data from 2005, looked at various government health programs to determine how much was spent on diabetics versus non diabetics. It found it cost the U.S. government $79.7 billion more to treat people with the disease, or some 12 percent of the $645 billion in total federal health care spending projected that year.

The National Changing Diabetes Program (NCDP) study was being released at a briefing with the Congressional Diabetes Caucus on Tuesday. The study, conducted by Mathematica Policy Research for NCDP -- a coalition of diabetes thought leaders, including physician organizations and disease advocacy groups -- included all federally-funded programs that have an impact on diabetes prevention and treatment.

"Often we think about diabetes only residing with the Department of Health and Human Services," said Dana Haza, senior director of NCDP, which is funded by Denmark's Novo Nordisk, one of world's largest sellers of insulin and diabetes products.

"But when you look at the findings of this study, actually 18 of 21 federal agencies have a budgetary influence impact on diabetes," she said, noting agencies that deal with veterans, prisoners, school lunch programs and food stamps as examples.

"The staggering cost of treating diabetes and the number of diabetes-related programs highlight a need for a national diabetes coordinator to ensure results," Haza said. "We are spending as much on diabetes as we are on the entire Department of Education, but no one is leading the effort."

A report by Medco Health Solutions Inc. issued last month found that the growing diabetes epidemic and more aggressive treatment could result in soaring costs to treat the disease over the next three years.

An analysis of Medco's 2007 Drug Trend Report found that, by 2009, spending just on medicines to treat diabetes could soar 60 percent to 68 percent from 2006 levels. The sales of diabetes drugs in the United States reached $9.88 billion in 2005, according to data from IMS Health Inc.

"Coordinating America's response to diabetes should be mandatory," said Lana Vukovljak, CEO of American Association of Diabetes Educators.

"Over the next 30 years, diabetes is expected to claim the lives of 62 million Americans. Surely this health crisis warrants the appointment of a manager charged with aligning budgets and programs for diabetes at the federal level," Vukovljak said in a statement.

Uncontrolled diabetes can result in a wide variety of serious health complications, including heart disease, stroke, vision loss, amputation of extremities and kidney disease.

"Our findings suggest that there are many missed opportunities for the federal government to enhance its impact on diabetes prevention, detection, treatment and management of complications," Marsha Gold, who led Mathematica's research team, said in a statement.

© Reuters 2006. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content, including by caching, framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters. Reuters and the Reuters sphere logo are registered trademarks and trademarks of the Reuters group of companies around the world.

Reuters journalists are subject to the Reuters Editorial Handbook which requires fair presentation and disclosure of relevant interests.

 

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Physicians using online patient sites for medical research

Physicians using online patient sites for medical research

Medical researchers and physicians are hitting up the thousands of online patient groups to recruit for clinical research, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reports. In fact, one group of researchers has started a Web site and blog called www.e-patients.net  to increase collaboration between healthcare professionals and online patient groups. Bloggers on the site include a neurologist at Massachusetts General Hospital, and a researcher at Pew's Internet and American Life Project, according to WSJ. Another new site, http://lo-wiki.acor.org , is a health research wiki. According to the site, the wiki aims to help patients build online patient communities and connect with researchers. Other patient Web sites with ties to researchers include the Association of Cancer Online Resources and LMSarcoma Direct Research Foundation, according to THE WALL STREET JOURNAL [SEE ARTICLE BELOW].

 

 

FULL ARTICLE FROM WALL STREET JOURNAL:

 

The Growing Clout Of Online Patient Groups
June 13, 2007; Page D1

(See Corrections & Amplifications item below.)

When researchers at Harvard University were looking for a gene mutation in a group of rare blood cancers, they turned to Joyce Niblack, who put the word out to an online patient mailing list she manages, spurring more than 300 members to send in mouth swabs and bone-marrow samples.

Later, Ms. Niblack mustered 1,179 participants from 30 countries for a Mayo Clinic-led study of how the cancers, known as myeloproliferative disorders, affect quality of life. The Mayo researchers are now running the clinical-trials page on her foundation's Web site, mpdinfo.org1, to keep participants up to date on developments.

Online patient groups have become an increasingly powerful force for health-care consumers over the past decade, raising funds for research and offering patient information and support. Now, as the cumulative power of their memberships grows, these groups are becoming invaluable partners to researchers and physicians searching for cures.

Patient groups are stepping up their participation in medical and public-health research and entering far-reaching collaborative efforts with researchers, scientists and drug developers. They are raising funds and taking part in studies to evaluate the impact of online patient sites. They are even conducting their own studies on side effects of medications, and working with researchers to recruit clinical-trial participants, provide DNA samples and start tissue banks.

In the case of Ms. Niblack's efforts, the results of collaboration are already apparent. The DNA gathered from the group's mouth swabs and bone-marrow samples helped researchers identify a genetic mutation that could be a target for new therapies. The finding could lead to new drugs or other substances that attack specific cancer cells without harming normal cells.

"Groups like those led by Joyce immensely serve the needs of patients," says Ayalew Tefferi, a Mayo physician and researcher who works with the group. Her foundation's Web site is "one-stop shopping for clinical trials and breaking news in research."

Other online groups are having a similar impact. An online group for patients with a rare cancer known as leiomyosarcoma sent more than 300 tissue samples to researchers at Stanford University for a tissue bank that is being used to study genetic and molecular changes that occur in the disease.

The International Myeloma Foundation conducted an online survey of patients that helped identify jaw bone deformities in some patients taking the Novartis drug Zometa, which is used to reduce or delay bone damage that may occur with the disease. Novartis now advises patients to avoid invasive dental procedures while taking Zometa.

Spreading the Word

To spur more widespread collaboration, a group of experts in patients' use of the Web just launched a new Web site and blog, e-patients.net, originally developed by Tom Ferguson, a physician who received funding from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Pew Charitable Trusts. Following Dr. Ferguson's death last year after his own 15-year battle with multiple myeloma, his cohorts completed his study, "e-Patients: how they can help us heal health care," which is available free on the site.

Co-authors of the blog include Daniel Hoch, a neurologist at Massachusetts General Hospital, and Susannah Fox, a researcher at Pew's Internet and American Life Project.

Another member of the team, Gilles Frydman, founder of the Association of Cancer Online Resources, recently launched a patient-focused "wiki" -- a collaborative Web site that visitors can add to and edit -- called lo-wiki.acor.org. The site helps consumers build and maintain online discussion groups and aid researchers who want to study such online communities or use the online groups to conduct research. Mr. Frydman, who started ACOR more than a decade ago when his wife was diagnosed with breast cancer, is also developing other sites, including one that will provide links to medical research papers for patients.

ACOR, which offers access to 159 mailing lists for cancer and other disorders, including the one managed by Ms. Niblack, had about 110,000 cancer patients and caregivers using the online communities over the past year, according to Mr. Frydman. But there are tens of thousands of such groups on sites such as Yahoo; last year, about 17 million adults, or 12% of Internet users surveyed by Pew, participated in an online discussion or group forum that helps people with personal issues or health problems.

Reaching Patients

"We can bring information about studies, clinical trials and meetings to any patient world-wide who has computer access," says Ms. Niblack, a retired patent attorney who runs both an ACOR mailing site and the MPD Foundation and has been fighting the disease for almost 20 years. "People have told me the information has saved their lives."

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill teamed up with ACOR for the first large-scale scientific analysis of medical online communities, publishing its findings last month in the Journal of Medical Internet Research. Using software that analyzes message content to examine the type of support provided by the groups, the researchers found that the most common topics in messages were about treatment information and how to communicate with health-care providers.

"One of the real values in the mailing lists is their role in getting patients to seek second opinions and ask questions about clinical trials," says Barbara Rimer, dean of North Carolina's School of Public Health and an author of the study.

Patients' Main Concerns

The software programs enabled researchers to study messages without identifying who wrote them. But Deborah Bell, an ovarian-cancer survivor who manages the ovarian-cancer list for ACOR and participated in the North Carolina study, says members of the group are already aware that what they are writing is on a public forum, and privacy is not a major issue. With a potentially deadly cancer diagnosis, she notes, their main concern is finding information and coping with doctors who say snide things like "and where did you go to medical school?" when confronted with questions from a patient.

Raising New Issues

Of course, the rush to link communities and researchers and the move by patient groups to conduct their own research raises some thorny new issues. While the nonprofit, patient-run online groups have no financial interest in research or recruiting for trials, some for-profit health Web sites see their online communities as a way to make money. Such sites, supported by drug-company advertising, may seek to recruit patients for drug-company clinical trials, often without going through physicians who may advise patients about the pros and cons of such trials.

Also, the research organized by online patient communities makes some scientists nervous because such efforts don't use the gold standard of randomized controlled clinical trials.

The Life Raft Group, an organization of patients suffering from rare gastrointestinal tumors known as GIST, conducts its own surveys about the side effects of the Novartis drug Gleevec, commonly used to treat GIST. The group recruits participants from among its members and publishes results on its liferaftgroup.org Web site. Norman Scherzer, a retired public-health official who started the group when his wife was diagnosed with GIST, notes that the study turned up different reactions among men and women to the drug, and was the first to report that side effects decrease over time.

"At minimum it is a surveillance system," says Mr. Scherzer, who says the group isn't trying to pass off its research as pure science. Mr. Scherzer recently persuaded Novartis CEO Dan Vasella to give the group $2 million for a research program that will recruit experts from major cancer institutions to work together to study patients who become resistant to Gleevec.

Working Together

George Demetri, head of sarcoma and bone-cancer research at Dana Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, who treats GIST patients and has worked closely with the Life Rraft Group, says that doctors need to work in partnership with patient groups. Doctors should take the self-administered surveys seriously, to understand the impact of side effects, for example.

But in cancer research, he cautions, "the challenge is keeping the patient voice in, but also staying as rigorous as possible and not being swayed by inaccurate, premature or misleading data."

 

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How Unilever breaks down boomers

How Unilever breaks down boomers

Advertising Age via NewsEdge Corporation :

34%: Savvy Savers Yearly household spend on package goods: $3,510

What they value: Special offers

Shopping traits: Affluent, disciplined

Life traits: Cultural and sporting events, suburban and cosmopolitan

Shopping trips they take: Stock up every seven days, spending $49; quick trips every two days, spending $21

28%: Daily Planners Yearly household spend on package goods: $3,552

What they value: Well-stocked grocery stores, trusted local merchants, convenience, aspirational buying

Shopping traits: Fitted to busy lives

Life traits: Kid-centric, environmentally aware

Trips they take: Stock up every seven days, spending $54; quick trips every three days, spending $22

22%: Plain and Practicals Yearly household spend on package goods: $4,055

What they value: Everyday low prices

Shopping traits: Big-box mass merchandisers (e.g., Wal-Mart)

Life traits: Conservative, religious, outdoorsy, self-sufficient

Trips they take: Stock up every seven days, spending $74; quick trips every seven days, spending $24

16%: No-Frills Independents Yearly household spend on package goods: $4,041

What they value: Convenience

Shopping traits: Indifference to brands, price-insensitive, buy beer and cigarettes

Life traits: Loners, lower income, older

Trips they take: Stock up every seven days, spending, $61; quick trips every four days spending, $24

Source: Unilever

 

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Survey technology got feedback from 100 docs in four hours

Survey technology got feedback from 100 docs in four hours

 

Ask 100 Doctors, Web-based technology that provides feedback from a national panel of board-certified physicians, was able last week to construct, administer, and complete an online pharma market research survey in less than four hours. According to Bobbie Montano, senior director of marketing & research at Ask 100 Doctors, the entire process took three hours and 39 minutes, and the results were viewed in real time. The survey asked participants their thoughts about Acomplia being rejected by the FDA. More than one third of participating physicians provided comments outside of the survey as well. "We have created a one-stop shop for market researchers and amazingly our technology is so easy to use and does not sacrifice quality or speed of results," Montano tells ePharm5.

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RevolutionHealth.com Brings Its First Online Health Fair to Consumers Nationwide

RevolutionHealth.com Brings Its First Online Health Fair to Consumers Nationwide

PR Newswire via NewsEdge Corporation :

WASHINGTON, June 18 /PRNewswire/ -- RevolutionHealth.com, a free online health and medical web site that combines expert content and online tools with the power of social networking, today announced its first online health fair to be held on June 18-30, 2007. Revolution Health is partnering with ten national nonprofit organizations that are participating with an online "booth" at the Health Fair, and for every visitor to their booth Revolution Health will make a donation to that partner for a total of up to $10,000.

Continuing with its mission to bring the focus of health care back onto consumers, RevolutionHealth.com has assembled experts from these nationally- recognized nonprofit organizations to provide engaging information to consumers on specific major illnesses, including the warning signs, prevention information when applicable and steps to take if one is diagnosed - all online, for free and without having to leave the comfort of one's home or office.

"RevolutionHealth.com's online health fair is part of our broader mission to lead the health care industry in a better direction by ensuring consumers have the best tools and reliable information to live healthier," said Steve Case, Revolution Health chairman and CEO. "While everyone has access to a lot of information, we're providing meaningful, actionable information from the best experts for free."

Bringing convenience to the traditional health exposition model, RevolutionHealth.com's online health fair features information you can use from its nationally-known nonprofit partners:

     1.  American Kidney Fund - Diabetes and high blood pressure are the
         leading causes of kidney disease.  Learn the facts about kidney
         disease, determine your risks and take steps to protect your kidney
         health.
 
     2.  Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America - Learn how the 60 million
         Americans suffering from asthma and allergies can better manage their
         disease.
 
     3.  Autism Speaks - A new case of autism is diagnosed in America almost
         every 20 minutes.  In fact, more children will be diagnosed with
         autism this year than with HIV/AIDS, diabetes and cancer combined.
         Learn the warning signs and what to do if you believe your child
         might be affected.
 
     4.  IBS Self Help & Support Group - Learn the symptoms of Irritable Bowel
         Syndrome and join the largest online community for people with IBS.
 
     5.  National Alliance on Mental Illness - With mental illness most often
         striking people in the prime of their lives, learn the warning signs,
         the treatment options and your state's grade for its mental health
         care systems.
 
     6.  National Family Caregivers Association - Approximately 50 million
         people provide care for a chronically ill, disabled or aged family
         member or friend in a given year.  NFCA provides useful information
         and steps to take to empower family caregivers to act on behalf of
         themselves and their loved ones and to remove barriers to health and
         well-being.
 
     7.  National Foundation for Celiac Awareness - 97 percent of people with
         celiac disease don't know they have it.  Learn the facts about this
         autoimmune digestive disease, the signs and symptoms, the causes, the
         risk factors and treatment options if you, a family member or friend
         have the disease.
 
     8.  National Sleep Foundation - At least 40 million Americans suffer from
         sleep disorders, yet more than 60 percent of adults have never been
         asked about the quality of their sleep by a physician.  Test your
         "sleep IQ," learn the top 10 steps everyone can take to get a good
         night's sleep and get the latest sleep news and research.
 
     9.  The Society for Women's Health Research - Learn how women can be
         better advocates for their own health care.  Find out about five key
         health tests for women across the lifespan and access information on
         conditions that affect women exclusively, differently or more
         frequently than men.
 
     10. The Wellness Community - Learn vital skills that enable all people
         affected by cancer to regain control, reduce isolation and restore
         hope when faced with a cancer diagnosis.  Receive free education and
         support resources, available online and at local centers nationwide.

RevolutionHealth.com is also hosting two booths at the online health fair: Mom's Essential, which provides online tools to expectant parents, and KnowYourRisk(TM), which helps people calculate their risk for heart attack, stroke and diabetes, three of the most common diseases.

To visit and experience RevolutionHealth.com's Online Health Fair go to www.revolutionhealth.com/healthfair

About Revolution Health

Revolution Health Group LLC was created by AOL Co-Founder Steve Case to create products and services that empower people by putting them at the center of the health system. The cornerstone of the company is RevolutionHealth.com, a free consumer health and medical web site that marries expert content and online tools with the power of social networking. Revolution Health also offers premium services that enable companies to provide health content and customized online tools to their employees, an insurance marketplace and CarePages (www.carepages.com), the leading service that enables communication among family and friends when someone is receiving care. For more information go to http://www.RevolutionHealth.com.

SOURCE Revolution Health Group LLC

CONTACT: Brad Burns of Revolution Health Group LLC, +1-202-292-2410, brad.burns@revolution.com

 

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Monday, June 18, 2007

IDC: Video Ads Will Take Money from Search

IDC: Video Ads Will Take Money from Search
 
A new report has been released that predicts paid search advertising will shrink as video ads gain prominence, reports ClickZ (via MarketingVOX).
 
The report comes from IDC Internet and predicts internet advertising spending will reach $31.3 billion in 2011, almost double what it is now ($16.9 billion).
 
While search will remain the dominant outlet for online ad spending throughout that period, its share of spending is expected to drop from 40 percent in 2006 to 32 percent in 2011. Actual dollars spent on search will continue to rise, however.
 
The shift away from search could impact the fortunes of Google and Yahoo. For its part, Google seems to be making moves to counter that drop-off with its introduction of video ad unit options for purchase. Its acquisition of YouTube also positions it to reap benefits in increased video ad spending.

 

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Troy Aikman stumps Imitrex, migraine awareness for men

Troy Aikman stumps Imitrex, migraine awareness for men

Former NFL quarterback Troy Aikman is helping GlaxoSmithKline broadcast the message that migraines don't affect only women. Aikman is working with GSK on a campaign to educate men about migraines and dispel the myth that it's a "woman's disease" by speaking publicly about his own experience with the condition. According to GSK, Aikman and the campaign try to send the message that the "tough guy" doesn't need to "tough out migraines anymore." The campaign also encourages men who suffer from frequent, bad headaches to visit the Web site HeadacheQuiz.com. They can take a short eight-question quiz to determine whether or not their headaches may be migraines. GSK makes the migraine medicine Imitrex, for which DTC ads, incidentally, have typically featured women. 

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