mHealth App Review: Medtronic's "Carb Counting with Lenny"

By Ross Fetterolf, SVP of Brand Strategy and Innovation at Ignite Health (@digitalbulldog)

This competitive review focuses on the newly released “Carb Counting with Lenny” mobile application from Medtronic that is advertised as “the app that teaches kids carb counting.” This application seek to teach users to count carbs in a fun and easy way though simple pictures and interactive games, and has a variety of features and best-in-class mobile approaches that should be considered if/when we choose to enter into the application development space.

KEY FEATURES

Terms of use

• Terms must be approved before the first usage and include language that this app is for “entertainment and educational purposes only, not for medical advice, opinion or decision-making,” a number of caveats about the source of the carb data and a recommendation that users consult additional sources as necessary, and a statement that absolves Medtronic of any responsibility for information input into this tool or decisions made based on this information

Food Guide

• Users click through images within a simple food library to learn the number of carbs per serving. They are also provided the ability to add a food item (via picture taken on their phone), input the number of carbs per serving, and access this from their food library when they return to the application

Carb Games

• The current version of the app includes 4 carb games (Carb or no Carb?, Compare the Carbs, Guess the Carbs, and Build a Meal), but the only one available to play is “Carb or no Carb” in which users quickly tap the screen to determine if a food item has carbs or not. The other three games are locked but will likely be unlocked over time

Carb Contest

• They are sponsoring “Lenny Contests” that allow users to complete each week to win prizes ($25 gift card) for registering the top score on the games (fingers crossed that 135 on Carb or No Carb? holds up). You can learn more about this contest via the web by clicking here: http://www.medtronicdiabetes.com/carb-counting-contest/

Registration

• A simple registration feature collects name, e-mail address and referral source and allows users to opt-in for “informative tools and messages for living a healthier life, participation in contests or promotions, recording carb counting game scores, receiving promotional materials that may be of interest, and receiving updates on the application.” Note that they also include language that users under the age of 18 need to get the approval of their parents before registering

Contact Us

• Generates an auto-e-mail to Medtronic with the subject “Lenny App Feedback” utilizing the users preferred mobile e-mail account

IGNITE HEALTH'S APP REVIEW

What Lenny Does Well:

• Best-in-class terms of use, registration and "contact us' approaches that demonstrate a "Pharma friendly" understanding of the mobile phone experience that distills information down to its essence
• Design, functionality and friendly user-experience that make the app engaging and simple for the user
• Creation of a personalized experience that will drive users to return to the application through the "add a food" and carb games with accompanying contest features

Making Lenny Even Better:

• The food guide feature is basic and while educational, doesn't allow the user to interact based on the foods they have consumed. They could add a feature that lets users calculate the number of carbs in a meal that could prove helpful and further contribute to users returning to the app to log their info
• While the game-play portion of this app nails some key aspects (intuitive game play, timed experience), it doesn't provide the ability to share results (through e-mail or social media outlets) which are a staple of mobile game play

FINAL RATING: 4.5 stars (out of 5)

Overall this is a very impressive contribution to the diabetes mobile application space from Medtronic that leaves lots of room for expansion. They have succeeded in delivering on the first rule of mobile app development: Create an application that users will download and continue to find useful

But don't take our word for it - we'd like to hear your thoughts on "Carb Counting with Lenny", especially if you've taken some time to interact with the app or are a patient or carevgiver with diabetes. Drop us a line in the comments - we'd be thrilled to hear your feedback. Stay tuned for more mHealth app reviews as we continue to scour the space for the best (and worst) of what's out there.

Also, check out medGadget's review of the app, which includes screenshots, comments from a company rep, and a video demonstration.

Earned Media Earns More on Social Platforms

by Laura Pfister
VP, Strategic Insight, Ignite Health

The concept of “earned media”, that in which your target audience engages with your brand message and then passes along to their social sphere of friends, family and acquaintances, is far from new; however, new social platforms, such as Facebook, have created a fundamental change in the way earned media is experienced and accepted through this interactive medium.

Social Technologies Facilitate Earned Media

Technological advancements have lead to increased amplification and speed of earned media’s “voice” of the target audience as a single posting possesses the ability to reach hundreds friends in a fraction of a second. Previously brands had little to no control over the earned-media messaging, as an individual passed along a message via traditional word-of-mouth, they now are designed in such a manner to allow for a controlled message to be passed along ensuring message consistency. Additionally, the web-based platforms allow for significantly increased measurability, as well as a further examination of the relationship between a paid impression and the resulting earned media’s impact on brand perception.

Nielsen & Facebook Earned Media Study Overview

Nielsen, in partnership with Facebook, released an April 2010 study entitled “Advertising Effectiveness: Understanding the Value of a Social Media Impression” . [Accessed April 28, 2010 at http://blog.nielsen.com/nielsenwire/online_mobile/nielsenfacebook-ad-report/] that examines just these relationships. The study, conducted over six months with over 800,000 Facebook user surveys and 125 advertising campaigns utilizing Nielson’s proprietary BrandLift research product, reveals findings that are of importance for those currently engaged with or considering the development of social media programs.

Earned Media Makes Major Measurable Impact on Social Platforms

As seen below, this report focuses on the three types of advertisements utilized to drive reach and brand messaging within Facebook: Standard Homepage Ad, Homepage Ad with Social Context, and Organic Impressions





Within the study, it was found that the social advertisements and organic impressions as the result of brand interaction possessed significantly higher recall, awareness and purchase intent rates.





Brand Impact Longevity Increases with Social

Also of interest was the target audiences possessed a higher willingness to absorb the social earned messages over a longer duration of time than seen with traditional advertising formats. With traditional advertising, audiences tune-out after approximately 4 impressions, however, with social there appears to be growth even after 10+ impressions. This provides the opportunity for increased momentum for campaigns within a social sphere, as audiences stay open to message consumption longer with increased impact potential.


Conclusion: Social Investment Offset by Significant Earned Media Potential

The social media platform, specifically Facebook, allows for controlled earned media that has proven increased impact across awareness, recall and intent. All of these have the potential to drive value to our campaigns; however, in order for our audiences to engage our messaging within these platforms, it is first necessary for us to possess a meaningful presence within them. Once this has been established, brands need to get the ball-rolling through paid advertising that is interesting and engaging, thus starting the influx of earned media. Following this initial building phase, brands should measure the growth of new members and ad interaction rates to ensure that they do not stagnate, providing boosts of paid media support to maintain momentum through the course of the campaign as necessary, thus maximizing earned social media potential.

Beware the Ides of March—How to Thrive in the Wake of the Social Media Revolution

by Michael Spitz
Senior Digital Strategist , Ignite Health

Overview

Analysis suggests social media networks will eventually transform the entire digital ecosystem. But data regarding information consumption and influence reveal healthcare is well behind the curve. What can we learn from the powerful features and functionality of social media, and how can we apply these insights to safe and effective solutions we offer our clients today?

Revelation A: Social Media Supersedes Search as the Next Digital Paradigm Shift

On March 15, Hitwise Director of Research Heather Dougherty shared an astonishing metric: Two days earlier the market share of visits to Facebook overtook that of Google.

Weekly Market Share of Visits to Facebook.com and Google.com

Even more astonishing is the social network’s geometric growth: compared to the same week in 2009, market share of visits to Facebook increased by 185%, while visits to Google increased by only 9%. Taken together that week, total visits to Facebook and all Google properties accounted for more than 17% of all Internet traffic—nearly 1 in 5 web visits.

Implication A: Technology Has Finally Caught Up To User Behavior

The web has been continuously evolving since inception, responsive to changes in technology, innovation, and market dynamics. From the birth of email to the earliest websites, from the first portals to the ascendancy of search and multimedia, and from wireless and smart mobile to the skyrocketing popularity of social networks, these trends have all been driving to the same ultimate goal: creation of a user experience that best reflects how human beings naturally communicate.

Primarily visual, instinctively social, always on the move, people now demand their channels be similarly interactive, connected, flexible, and dynamic. According to the Cybercitizen Health 9.0 report from Manhattan Research, more than 39% of consumers make health decisions and actions strongly influenced by the web. As healthcare communications experts it behooves us to acknowledge these revolutionary changes in where and how our audiences choose to find and share health information, and ensure that the tools and resources we provide reflect a comparable level of sophistication.

As even a quick glance at Ignite Chief Innovation Officer Fabio Gratton’s FDASM mash-up attests, the buzz around social media for health-related communications is vibrant and ongoing, spawning a dedicated community to follow its twists and turns. With assurance from the FDA that some form of official guidance can be expected before the end of 2010, the industry is eager for a mandate through which to better and more safely explore this channel. When that enthusiasm will find full expression remains to be seen; nonetheless, the momentum behind making the inevitable possible is a force few deny.

Revelation B: Despite that Trend, Conventional Healthcare Websites Retain More Traction

As additional Manhattan Research suggests, conventional brand.com’s and social media sites currently rank about the same in terms of influence on consumers health actions and decisions:

Percentage of Consumers Whose Health Decisions and Actions Are Strongly Influenced by Various Online Sources

Although overall Internet user behaviors are trending toward the enthusiastic adoption of social media, the data here reveals that the influence of health-related information instead follows a different hierarchy of importance: From specific unbranded disease sources through government-sponsored, advocacy, and insurance company sites, and finally to branded properties and social networks, which score comparably.

Whether the relatively low influence of social media is caused by a lack of health-related social media websites, a lack user engagement, or suspicions about transparency begs the question—unbranded and branded pharma sites get more traction than social media sites. The question then becomes, all things considered: If healthcare/Pharma social media initiatives are more difficult to create, approve, implement, and maintain than conventional brand.com work, then why bother?

Implication B: Keep the Momentum Going, and Learn from What Works

As the web continues to “socialize,” and the ePharma industry continues to work together and with the FDA for the creation of social media guidance, our clients meanwhile demand safe, practical, and effective communication solutions. Knowing how effective social media can be, yet mindful of the current roadblocks, it becomes our responsibility to discover what can be done now to optimally reach, engage, and sustain relationships with our diverse audiences.

Disease education and brand.com websites might be more influential than social networking websites for the time being, but strategic insights and even tactical recommendations can and should be extracted from social media. Although open fields and true user-generated content are either too risky or subject to rigorous filtering and delay for ePharma, the functional qualities that make social media so powerful are nonetheless at our disposal. The only limit is our creativity and ability to understand and even internalize

our audience points of view.

Specifically, the astonishing popularity of social media is fueled by several high-level strategies and numerous tactics, ones that, when possible, should be integrated into our general communications approach. These imperatives include:

· Create an Immersive Experience
The passive display of information is always less compelling than open, two-way communication because interest is directly proportionate to involvement. Flash animation, dynamic content, and focusing attention on the audience benefits instead of the product features are proven strategies for heightening user engagement.

· Get Users Directly Involved
Techniques such as interactive, user segmentation-driven navigation, patient profilers, dynamic therapy guides, survey and rating tools, dosing calendars, treatment algorithms, patient and physician video testimonials, and key opinion leader “Ask the Expert” roundtables are all compelling and help create a resonant user experience.

· Connect Online and Offline Worlds
Facilitating and encouraging physician-patient conversations lies at the heart of most healthcare communication initiatives, and can be stimulated with the same elements that make social media so powerful. For example, interactive dramatizations and dynamically generated “Questions to Ask Your Doctor” tools add resonance and meaning.

Conclusion
Remember the Apple Newton? Compared to today’s iPhone the device was clearly a mobile computer for Neanderthals—the concept itself was spot-on, however, only years ahead of its time. And if Apple hadn’t started there and continued to develop the technology, the iPhone never could have come into existence.

The same can be said of healthcare social media. As the web continues to evolve and social media eventually envelopes all media, people will be digitally conversing as actively and openly about their health as they do now about consumer products, entertainment, and sporting events.

Until that happens, healthcare communications experts can adapt the learnings from social media to create immersive user experiences that achieve optimal results. By evolving to better meet the changing needs of our audience and their unique points of view, we can safely and effectively help fulfill Pharma’s goals of stimulating physician/patient conversations, providing the right information to the right targets at the right time, and demonstrating the level of transparency required to engender trust.