New Web site, campaign educates Hispanics about Rx assistance

BRIEF:

 

New Web site, campaign educates Hispanics about Rx assistance

A new Web site and educational campaign from the Partnership for Prescription Assistance (PPA) aims to educate the Hispanic community about drug assistance programs, reports PPA. However, the site is mostly a translation of the English version, a PPA spokesperson tells ePharm5. Experts say Hispanic marketers should avoid simply translating and should incorporate culturally relevant content. Other portions of the campaign will include ad buys on Hispanic media such as Univision and Telemundo, as well as on local print, radio, and television, according to PPA. The campaign's Spanish-language Web site has information about finding an appropriate assistance plan and a streaming video of a Spanish-language TV commercial which features PPA talking head Montel Williams. The site and the ad tells consumers about the "Help is Here Express," two buses that will travel around the country to promote the program. The events will take place at local community centers, according to the PPA spokesperson.

 

FULL STORY

PPA Launches National Campaign to Help Educate Hispanic Americans About Drug Assistance Programs

PR Newswire via NewsEdge Corporation :

WASHINGTON, Feb. 10 /PRNewswire/ -- In an effort to increase access to affordable prescription medicines for all Americans, the Partnership for Prescription Assistance (PPA) today unveiled a national advertising campaign targeting America's growing Hispanic community to help draw attention to the free or nearly free medicines available to millions of Americans in need.

Since April, the PPA, a patient assistance program clearinghouse, has matched more than 1.4 million Americans to public and private patient assistance programs that may provide them with free or nearly free medicines.

Montel Williams, an Emmy-winning syndicated talk show host, author and motivational speaker, is the official national PPA spokesman as America's pharmaceutical research companies expand their efforts to raise public awareness of the more than 475 public and private patient assistance programs available to people in need. Williams is well-known for his work with charitable and patient organizations.

A prominent feature of the PPA's nationwide effort is the "Help is Here Express" -- two buses that crisscross the country, stopping in hundreds of towns and cities to educate uninsured and under-insured patients about drug assistance programs. Efforts are made to match patients with programs that appear to meet their needs.

In addition, a major national advertising campaign was launched last month to draw attention to the free or nearly free medicines available to millions of Americans.

"The goal of the Partnership for Prescription Assistance is to reach as many people in need as possible," said Billy Tauzin, President and CEO of the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America. "Part of that effort includes educating America's Hispanic community about the hundreds of public and private patient assistance programs available to them and helping to match them with a program that best meets their needs."

The Partnership for Prescription Assistance (toll-free, 1-888-4PPANOW; http://www.pparx.org) is the only source that provides a single point of access to the more than 475 patient assistance programs, which include more than 180 programs offered by the pharmaceutical industry. The PPA educational effort is supported by America's pharmaceutical research companies working with doctors, pharmacists, health care providers, patient advocacy organizations and community groups.

To view the ad, go to https://espanol.pparx.org/hispanic_outreach.php

To view the PhRMA Web site in Spanish, go to http://www.phrma.org/espanol/

SOURCE Partnership for Prescription Assistance

CONTACT: Telly Lovelace, +1-202-835-3460, for the Partnership for Prescription Assistance

 

Prilosec OTC Web site combines branded game and fundraiser

Prilosec OTC Web site combines branded game and fundraiser

Prilosec OTC has a new Web site that aims to fight breast cancer with a dice game called Bunco, the actress Marg Helgenberger, and a partnership with the Oxygen Network. The Bunco Central site is promoting the Prilosec OTC Bunco World Championship at the Paris Hotel in Las Vegas later this month. The event will air on the Oxygen Network and Prilosec OTC will make a donation to the National Breast Cancer Foundation every time one of the players rolls a "Bunco." Marg Helgenberger will also appear at the event. Prilosec OTC's Bunco Web site also sells branded Bunco kits to raise money for the cause and features tips for hosting a Bunco party. The site teaches users how to play the game, and includes recipes, Web invitations, and printable score cards. http://prilosecotc.com/buncocentral/index.jsp

 

Marketers Talk About Word of Mouth

Marketers Talk About Word of Mouth

FEBRUARY 08, 2006

A new study from Osterman Research and BoldMouth.com reports the responses of over 100 online marketers on the state of word of mouth marketing in the US.

It appears that there is significant interest in this type of viral marketing. Fully one-half of US marketers surveyed are using word-of-mouth marketing at the present time, while 21% are planning to use it and 14% might use it.

They also see it as important. Almost two-thirds of respondents rate word-of mouth marketing as "extremely" or "very" important.

 

It seems that their confidence is merited, at least on the consumer side. According to a BIGresearch study from December 2005, word of mouth marketing is the most influential media when it comes to making purchases.

 

Those marketers who have resisted a word-of-mouth campaign are mostly likely to cite lack of metrics as a reason, though quite a few also have difficulty figuring out how to integrate it into their marketing plan, or don't have the staff to do word-of-mouth effectively.

 

Clearly, those who use word of mouth marketing expect results quick. Over 44% say they anticipate the benefits to come in anywhere from a few weeks to a few days, while a bit under 20% feel it will take 6 months or longer.

 

You can learn more about word-of-mouth marketing by reading eMarketer's report, Word of Mouth Marketing: The Stats, Surveys and Substance Behind the Buzz.

Online guide walks users through Part D benefit

Online guide walks users through Part D benefit

Medicare Access for Patients-Rx, a nonprofit group of patient and health organizations, is offering a comprehensive guide to Medicare Part D on its Web site, maprx.com, it reports. The guide, RxCompare, is available for download in PDF form and gives consumers a step-by-step guide to understanding Part D, choosing a plan, and enrolling in the benefit. The guide has easy-to-follow instructions for filling out worksheets and comparison charts, and includes guidance for decision-making and a glossary of terms. According to Medicare Access for Patients-Rx, the tool will be especially helpful for dual-eligibles because it will help them decide whether they should stay with the plan in which they were auto-enrolled or switch to one that has better coverage. You can see the tool on the group's Web site. http://www.maprx.info/

 

Search Engines, Blogs Lead Top E-Health Trends for 200

Search Engines, Blogs Lead Top E-Health Trends for 2006

By Neil Versel, contributing editor

January 17, 2006 |

People and organizations marketing e-health products and services would do well by paying close attention to search engines and formerly "alternative" media such as blogs and online video in 2006, a top healthcare information firm says.

Consumers and physicians alike increasingly are turning to search engines to find health information on the Internet, rather than pointing their browsers toward specific, known Web sites. This, according to Manhattan Research, is the No. 1 trend in e-health marketing for 2006. The New York-based company today released its annual list of top trends for e-health marketing professionals to consider.

"Search engines are essential to physicians," as well as to consumers, says Manhattan Research president Mark Bard. "It's your gateway to the world." Adds Bard, "Indexes of search engines essentially control what you read on the Internet."

This observation builds on an editorial in the British Medical Journal last month that called for Google and other major search engines to develop medical portals. (See http://www.health-itworld.com/newsletters/2006/01/04/17378.)

"It's a decision-support tool now," Bard says of search engines. Search portals like Google, Yahoo! and MSN ought to -- and likely are working to -- refine their services to filter the most relevant health information. "That's incredibly difficult," Bard says. "If this was easy, it would have been done two years ago."

Meanwhile, consumers and physicians are flocking to Web sites for a small number of high-profile prescription drugs, according to Manhattan Research. "The amount of dollars spent on these [sites] is increasing four- or fivefold in some cases," Bard says. Lipitor, Allegra, Zoloft, Nexium, Viagra, and Ambien are among the handful of drugs pulling in more than 2 million annual visitors to their Web sites, making their pages ripe for marketing opportunities.

"It's not just consumers that go to these," Bard says. He reports that physicians increasingly are searching the sites for prescribing information, clinical trial data, and presentations made at scientific conferences.

Another trend that Manhattan Research observes is the growth of broadband technology, which is changing Internet use patterns and opening the door for innovation in interactive, multimedia applications.

At the same time, "alternative" media such as blogs, podcasts, and online video are quickly becoming mainstream. The addition of video capabilities to Apple's iPod embodies this trend, says Bard.

The research firm also says that Europe remains a lucrative but largely untapped market. "Despite the fact that the vast majority of European physicians are online for more than five hours per week, they have yet to adopt more advanced professional activities that have become commonplace among U.S. physicians," the company reports. This is more a consequence of a lack of applications than lack of interest among doctors.

Asian Americans "Invisible" To Marketers

Asian Americans "Invisible" To Marketers
Brandweek

Marketers are missing the boat when it comes to targeting Asian Americans because they don't know how to speak to them, according to multicultural marketing firm InterTrend Communications. And by doing so, they risk ignoring a demo that boasts higher education and considerable spending power. "There is still a dearth of secondary research on the product and brand usage behavior of Asian Americans in many categories," said Saul Gitlin, executive vice president of strategic marketing services at Kang & Lee, New York, a consultancy that specializes in the Asian market whose clients include the NBA, Western Union and The New York Times.

 

"Many marketers therefore may be waiting for the advent of more research to validate their emerging interest in [the demo]."  InterTrend's goal is to fill that void with reliable research conducted by its KnowledgeCenter research arm, which is embarking on an intensive study to obtain qualitative and quantitative data on the Asian market, which it hopes to tailor to the packaged goods industry.  At 4 percent of the U.S. population, or 11.6 million, Asian Americans are one-third the size of the Hispanic population, which is growing at a faster rate. Still, their combined buying clout of $397 billion is well over half that of Hispanics ($686.3 billion) and is projected to rise to $579 billion by 2010.

StopDrugAds.com

DTC foes launch StopDrugAds.com

02-03-06 Commercial Alert, the anti-advertising watchdog group that signed up 211 medical professors against DTC advertising in October, is extending its anti-DTC campaign with a Web site. Stopdrugads.org asks visitors to write the FDA via an editable form letter asking the agency to “Please stop prescription drug ads before they create another Vioxx catastrophe.”   Gary Ruskin, executive director of the group, said the site will be promoted virally and to the group’s 8,000-name listserve.   “The FDA is asking for comment on DTC, and we want to make sure that thousands tell them to shut it down,” said Ruskin.

Science blogs as a vehicle for upscale advertising

Science blogs as a vehicle for upscale advertising

Financial Express via NewsEdge Corporation : If great oaks from little acorns grow, a company called the Seed Media Group is hoping that its efforts in a fledgling field, blogs, will yield a forest. Seed Media, which produces science publications in print and online, is seeking to broaden its audience-and its appeal to advertisers by introducing a network of blogs, or Web journals, devoted to science and science-related subjects. The network is to be made available on a Web site, www.scienceblogs.com , that is now operating in beta, or test, mode. The Web site will initially bring together 15 blogs bearing names like Adventures in Ethics and Science, Cognitive Daily, Living the Scientific Life and Stranger Fruit. One of the blogs, scienceg8 (pronounced "science gate"), is part of Seed Media, and the rest are independent. In coming weeks, Seed Media is hoping to have as many as 30 blogs on the network. Seed Media will sell advertising on scienceblogs.com as it does in its magazine, Seed, which is published every other month, and on its Web site (seedmagazine.com). The idea is to not so much to carry ads for beakers, test tubes and centrifuges as to attract ads from marketers wanting to reach bright, curious consumers who buy products like automobiles, books, cell phones, computers, liquor, music and watches. The blog network is a sign of the growing interest among media companies and advertisers in using new media for an old purpose: selling. Blogs in particular are popular, as companies advertise on them, post comments on them and even sponsor their own. Recently, Budget Rent A Car bought ads on 177 blogs, Audi of America on 286 blogs and MSNBC on 800 blogs. "Blogs are starting to play a pivotal role in science, both in exchanging ideas within the science community and enabling a conversation between the science community and the general community," said Adam Bly, president and chief executive at Seed Media in New York. The goal of the blog network is to offer readers and advertisers "the largest Web-based discussion about science and the role science is playing in our culture today," said Bly, who is also editor in chief at Seed magazine, which published its first issue last September. " Expanding into digital media is an important part of our business plan, whether online, podcasting or blogs," Bly said. "It's an opportunity to surround our consumers whether at home, on the subway or at the office." In addition to the magazine Web site and the blog network, Seed Media also operates Phylotaxis (phylotaxis.com), a news aggregator devoted to what it calls "the space where science meets culture," which searches and browses continuously updated articles on science subjects. "This intersection between science and culture is something we've been very interested in for clients at our New York office such as Pfizer, Unilever and Estee Lauder," said Pilar Cortizo, planning director at JWT New York, part of the JWT unit of the WPP Group. -NY Times <<Financial Express -- 01/30/06>>

 

Amex Fights AIDS With New Red Card

Amex Fights AIDS With New Red Card
Amex Partners with Product RED to Fight AIDS

 

January 26, 2006

NEW YORK -- American Express announced a new partnership today with the UK's Product RED to help fund the fight against AIDS and malaria on the African continent.

As part of the program, the financing giant has launched a new product, American Express Red, a credit card that will contribute 1% of everything spent with the card toward the humanitarian group the Global Fund. (Product RED is an initiative whose primary objective is to engage the private sector in the fight against AIDS in Africa by channelling funds from the sale of RED products directly to the Global Fund To Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.)

“American Express is proud to be the founding partner of RED,” John Hayes, CMO of American Express, said in a statement. “It has encouraged us to think about our own products in new and innovative ways. And, it has the potential to improve the lives of women and children affected by AIDS in Africa”.

Amex says American Express RED will be the first credit card to meet the payment needs of a new and growing group of individuals it calls 'Conscience Consumers.' These are consumers who make decisions about the brands they purchase based on their social, ethical and environmental values.

Companies whose products take on the RED mark have made a commitment to contribute a portion of profits from the sale of that product to the Global Fund to finance AIDS programs in Africa. Besides Amex, current partners are Converse, Gap and Giorgio Armani.

--Staff Report

Obesity, Diabetes Becoming Very Common

Obesity, Diabetes Becoming Very Common

 

POSTED: 4:48 pm EST January 26, 2006

 

MILWAUKEE -- A connection between obesity and diabetes is so common today that researchers have coined a new word to describe it: "diabesity."

 

WTMJ-TV in Milwaukee reported the United States' growing ranks of "diabese" are overweight and developing Type 2 diabetes at a shocking rate.

 

"What's happening is sugars are going up because the body can not keep up with the weight," said Dr. Kate Glasenapp, of the Diabetes Center for Healthy Living in Wauwatosa, Wis.

 

Glasenapp said "diabesity" is now the go-to term to describe this problem. She said the word has appeared in books, articles and conferences.

 

The endocrinologist said "diabesity" can lead to "heart disease and joint disease. Some lung problems are related to obesity. In and of itself, it's a chronic illness."

 

Diabetes-focused programs work with patients to revamp eating habits, start exercise and lose weight. Some doctors have also started trying new medications.

 

WTMJ reported that patients can expect inhaled insulin to get federal approval this year, and injected hormones byetta and symlin enhance blood sugar control and help patients shed pounds.

 

Almost 90 percent of all Type 2 diabetics in the United States are overweight and obese. Experts said that losing just 10 percent of their body weight can ease their symptoms if they have diabetes.

Study: Healthcare is third-most shared content via e-mail

BRIEF:

 

Study: Healthcare is third-most shared content via e-mail

A vast majority (89%) of U.S. adult Internet users share content with each other via e-mail and healthcare is the third-most popular content category that people share, according to a study from interactive marketing firm Sharpe Partners. The study showed that 32% of Internet users forward e-mail containing health and medical information. Women aged 45 and older were the most likely to forward health-related content, and in the healthcare category branding of the message did not affect whether consumers would share it. In other categories, however, a branded e-mail was less likely to be forwarded. More than half (56%) of respondents said they are less or slightly less likely to share branded content and 5% said they refuse to share content that has a clear brand message.

FULL STORY:

 

Nearly 90% of Internet Users Share Content via Email According to Sharpe Partners' Study on Viral Marketing; Humorous Marketing Messages Are Shared the Most

Business Wire via NewsEdge Corporation :

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 25, 2006--A study by Sharpe Partners, an award-winning interactive marketing agency, revealed that 89% of adult Internet users in America share content with others via email.

Sharpe Partners' study on viral marketing also found that 63% of the respondents share content at least once a week, with 25% sharing daily or almost daily, and as many as 75% of the respondents forward this content to up to six other recipients.

These results are good news for proponents of viral marketing, a self-propelling "word-of-email" technique in which a company sponsors - often with subtlety - entertaining or informational content that is forwarded from one email recipient to another, especially when living in an era when digital video recorders make it easy for consumers to skip traditional paid advertising.

Humor is Hot for Viral Marketers

In addition to highlighting the rampant frequency of content sharing, the study generated some interesting results regarding the type of content that is sent. The most popular content is humorous material, with 88% forwarding jokes or cartoons. The second most popular category is news (56%), followed by healthcare and medical information (32%), religious and spiritual material (30%), games (25%), business and personal finance information (24%), and sports/hobbies (24%).

For companies looking to employ a viral marketing program, the study found that adding overt brand messages only slightly reduces the likelihood that the content will be shared. 56% of the respondents are less or slightly less likely to forward such content, whereas 43% said they are more or slightly more likely to send marketing-related messages. Only 5% refuse to share content that contains a clear brand message.

As for the impressions branded content leaves on the respondents, it is clear that viral marketing is a low-risk approach. While the vast majority (75%) says that brand sponsorship has no impact on whether or not they will forward a message, 19% say that it actually has a positive impact whereas only 7% say that it is negative.

Profiling the Catalysts

The study found that the most likely person to share content - and share it widely - is a woman in her late 30's/early 40's who resides in the South or Midwest. Sixty-four percent of the female respondents share content at least once a week versus 58% of the males. Residents of the South (68%) and Midwest (66%) are likely to be more frequent forwarders than their counterparts in the West (58%) and East (55%).

Ethnicity is a factor as well. Blacks/African-Americans and Whites/Caucasians share content most frequently, with 63% sharing at least once a week, followed by Hispanic/Latin-Americans at 56%, and Asian-Americans at 46%.

The study also found that education is only a slight influence, with 64% of those without a college degree sharing weekly versus 61% with a college degree. Marital status, the presence of children, and household income did not prove to be factors, similar to the length of time someone has been using the Internet.

Methodology

Sharpe Partners' Viral Marketing Survey was conducted online by Greenfield Omnibus from September 23-26, 2005. The respondents were 1,071 adults residing in the U.S. In addition to standardized demographic information, they were asked about the incidence and frequency of sharing content via email, the type of content shared, and attitudes regarding brand-sponsored content.

 

Web site gives pharma access to targeted consumers

Web site gives pharma access to targeted consumers     

A new Web site from online marketing firm Prospectiv will help pharmaceutical brand managers target self-profiled customers, Prospectiv says. The site, Healthier.com, already has featured brands on its home page, including Crestor, Lunesta, and McNeil, all offering free samples or information. According to Prospectiv, marketers will be able to identify consumers interested in specific health and wellness offerings and acquire permission-based data about their personal health interests and preferences. When consumers register on the site, they can receive health offers, such as samples and coupons, product information, health tips, and recipes. Other brands featured on the site include Pepsid AC and Nexium, according to Healthier.com.

WebMD Announces Acquisition of eMedicine.com, Inc.

WebMD Announces Acquisition of eMedicine.com, Inc. 
 
PR Newswire via NewsEdge Corporation :

NEW YORK, Jan. 18 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- WebMD Health Corp. (Nasdaq: WBMD), a leading provider of health information services to consumers and physicians, today announced that it has completed the acquisition of eMedicine.com, Inc. (www.emedicine.com), an online publisher of medical reference information for physicians and other healthcare professionals. The purchase price was $25.5 million.

 

With in-depth coverage of approximately 6,000 topics, eMedicine.com provides physicians and healthcare professionals detailed clinical information relevant to the diagnosis and treatment of a broad range of medical conditions. The acquisition of eMedicine.com further enhances WebMD's ability to deliver diversified promotional and educational programs on behalf of pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, who spend more than $8 billion annually for promotional and educational programs for physicians and healthcare professionals.

 

"The acquisition of eMedicine.com complements WebMD's current offerings for physicians and health care professionals," said Wayne Gattinella, CEO, WebMD. "In combination with Medscape, eMedicine.com will strengthen our reach and expand the breadth and depth of our online clinical reference information."

The Company expects to realize the full benefits of the acquisition after the integration of sales, technology and editorial infrastructure is completed in the latter part of 2006. For 2005, eMedicine.com estimated revenues were approximately $6 million with a break even net income. The Company believes that eMedicine.com will have a small positive contribution to earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, amortization and other non-cash charges for 2006 as a result of eMedicine.com's anticipated level of profitability, offset by integration related expenses expected to be incurred during the first half of 2006.

About WebMD

 

WebMD Health Corp. (Nasdaq: WBMD) is a leading provider of health information services to consumers, physicians, healthcare professionals, employers and health plans. Through our public online portals, WebMD enables health-involved consumers and clinically active physicians to readily access healthcare information relevant to their specific areas of interest and specialty. Through our private online portals, WebMD provides an integrated platform for employers and health plans to enable their employees and plan members to make more informed benefit, treatment and provider decisions. WebMD Health Corp. is a subsidiary of Emdeon Corporation (Nasdaq: HLTH).

 

All statements contained in this press release, other than statements of historical fact, are forward-looking statements, including those regarding: the amount and timing of the benefits expected from the transactions referred to in this press release; future deployment of applications; and other potential sources of additional revenue. These statements are based on WebMD's current plans and expectations and involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual future events or results to be different than those described in or implied by such forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include those relating to: market acceptance of WebMD's products and services; WebMD's ability to form and maintain mutually beneficial relationships with customers and strategic partners; and changes in economic, political or regulatory conditions or other trends affecting the healthcare, Internet and information technology industries. Further information about these matters can be found in WebMD's Securities and Exchange Commission filings. WebMD expressly disclaims any intent or obligation to update these forward-looking statements.

SOURCE WebMD Health Corp.
 
 

Report: Search Engines Often Used For Navigation

Report: Search Engines Often Used For Navigation  
TechwebNews.com via NewsEdge Corporation :

 

When Internet surfers want to go to common Web sites, they often rely on search engines to get them there rather then typing the desired URL directly into the address bar, according to a report issued Wednesday by research firm Niesen//NetRatings.

 

In its monthly survey of Web users, the Internet media and research firm said "ebay" and "google" led in the most popular search category.

 

"Five of the top 10 search terms were for sites with search engines themselves, supporting the argument that Web visitors are not likely to be loyal to a single search engine," the Nielsen announcement stated.

 

The three top search terms have remained steady in recent months with "ebay" the search term recording the most frequent number of requests with 13,871,000 followed closely by "google" with 13,301,000. Yahoo was third with 7,997,000.

 

Others, in order, were: "mapquest" with 7,431,000, "yahoo.com", 6,528,000; "pogo.com", 4,062,000; "walmart", 3,688,000, "ask jeeves", 3,389,000; "msn", 3,155,000; and "ebay.com", 3,125,000.

 

Nielsen noted that "weather" was the first topical search term. It ranked 23rd. Other popular search terms were for retail and auction sites.

 

"There are two types of online searchers that type a Web site's URL into a search engine rather than into the browser's address bar," said Ken Cassar, chief analyst, Nielsen//NetRatings, in a statement. "Those inexperienced enough not to appreciate the difference between the two, and those that are so experienced they have become habituated to using the search engine as their portal to the Internet."
 
 

Study shows pharma using Internet more as awareness-raising tool

Study shows pharma using Internet more as awareness-raising tool 
 
Research firm Best Practices conducted a recent study that shows that more pharmas--87% of those surveyed--are using online sites to raise awareness of physicians and patients as opposed to raising market share, the firm reports. Studying 17 top-selling oncology drugs from nine drug companies, the study identified trends and best practices in using the Internet as a marketing and value-added service tool for patients, physicians, and thought leaders in the oncology marketplace, says Best Practices. With doctors and patients increasingly searching the Internet for information, pharma has started to shift its efforts to more online targeting.
 
 

Study: Simple disease management programs work as well as complex ones

A simplified education program improves knowledge, self-care behavior, and disease severity in heart failure patients in rural settings.

Am Heart J.  2005; 150(5):983 (ISSN: 1097-6744)

Caldwell MA ; Peters KJ ; Dracup KA
University of California, San Francisco, California, USA. mary.caldwell@nursing.ucsf.edu

BACKGROUND: Self-monitoring by heart failure (HF) patients of worsening symptoms caused by fluid overload is a cornerstone of HF care. Disease management has improved outcomes in HF; however, these resource-intensive programs are limited to urban centers and are generally unavailable in rural or limited health care access areas. This pilot study sought to determine whether a simplified education program focused on a single component of disease management (symptom recognition and management of fluid weight) could improve knowledge, patient-reported self-care behavior, and HF severity in a rural setting.

METHODS: This randomized clinical trial enrolled 36 rural HF patients into an intervention or control group. The intervention group received a simplified education program with a follow-up phone call focusing on symptom management delivered by a non-cardiac-trained nurse. Patient knowledge, self-care behaviors, and HF severity (B-natriuretic peptide [BNP]) were measured at enrollment and at 3 months.

RESULTS: The sample was primarily white men and married with a mean age of 71 years and ejection fraction of 47%. There were no differences between groups in knowledge, self-care behaviors and BNP at baseline; however, knowledge and self-care behavior related to daily weights improved significantly at 3 months in the intervention group (P = .01 and .03, respectively). Although the changes in mean BNP at 3 months were in the hypothesized direction, the difference between the 2 groups was not significant.

CONCLUSIONS: A simplified education program designed for use in resource scarce settings improves knowledge and patient-reported self-care behaviors. These findings are important in providing care to patients with HF in limited access settings but should be studied for longer periods in more heterogeneous populations.

• PreMedline Identifier: 16290977

 

AtomFilms Plans Studio to Finance 'Snack-Sized Content' for Web Users

From Associated Press

SAN JOSE — As the Internet becomes the people's stage and online video takes off, AtomFilms today will launch what could be one of the first of many new studios dedicated to the production of video for the Web.

The Internet video pioneer, which already runs a website for preproduced video shorts or clips from independent creators, said it would continue to bank on what it calls "atomized" pieces. But with AtomFilms Studio, it will finance select projects, investing upfront in the production of original content designed for Internet-based delivery.

The development house has six projects that are under production already — due for release in the spring — and as many as three dozen others planned for the studio's first year. The initial round ranges from a Craigslist-inspired online dating reality series to a short film about a man who finds himself fighting for his life after a successful date.

Parent company Atom Entertainment Inc. plans to invest "hundreds of thousands of dollars" in the initiative in 2006, with budgets per project expected to vary widely, said AtomFilms founder and Chief Executive Mika Salmi, declining to be more specific.

Atom hopes its roots dating back to 1999 will give it a jump in the latest online video rush, which has attracted deep-pocketed rivals such as Yahoo Inc. and CBS Corp.

In the early days of AtomFilms, the San Francisco-based start-up and other websites such as Icebox.com and Pop.com struggled to gain niche viewers with poor-quality, mostly amateur video played over slow Internet connections. The dot-com bust then dashed a number of grand ambitions to produce original content for the Web.

But times have changed. Video quality and computers have improved. More people have faster Internet connections and are turning to the Web as a source of entertainment.

AtomFilms Studio intends to fund projects that are preferably less than five minutes long.

"We believe in snack-sized content across all our brands," Salmi said. "We think this is what consumers want for broadband entertainment across various screens."

Atom will not have a physical studio like Paramount Pictures Corp. or Warner Bros. in Hollywood because it plans to leave film production up to the creators.

Podtrac, Kiptronic Launch Podcast Ad Networks

Podtrac, Kiptronic Launch Podcast Ad Networks

With Podtrac, advertisers can opt to upload pre-recorded 10-second spots, or a script for a host-read spot, which will appear within the first 90 seconds of the podcast; a 30-second spot could be inserted at the end of the podcast. For video podcasts, Podtrac is also offering some product-placement opportunities.

Advertising positions for three top-ranked iTunes podcasts will be auctioned by Podtrac. They include a leading technology podcast, This Week in Technology, and leading entertainment podcasts MuggleCast and Josh & Japan, writes MediaBuyerPlanner. The online auction will end on March 31, 2006.

Kiptronic's ad-insertion technology allows podcasters to add sponsorships to their content while providing advertisers a central exchange where they can connect with the topical podcasts that they are interested in, allowing podcasters to retain control over the type of advertising that runs on their podcasts.

"Podcast sponsorship doesn't mean you've sold out, it means your podcast just might be popular enough to become more than a hobby," reassures the Kiptronic homepage.

The smaller podcast players might just have to contend with Google, according to InformationWeek, which points to Google's acquisition of dMarc Broadcasting.

"I doubt Google is getting into radio advertising," Tim Bourquin, chief executive officer at TNC New Media, the creator of the Podcast & Portable Media Expo, is quoted as saying. "I would bet they will use this technology to somehow deliver podcast advertising."
 

 

Amateur Video Sharing Grows Online

Amateur Video Sharing Grows Online

By ANICK JESDANUN, AP Internet Writer2 hours, 21 minutes ago

Over the past year, Janelle Gunther occasionally captured video with her Canon PowerShot digital camera: An elephant parading through city streets to the Ringling Bros. circus, her friends on stage during an improv dance show.

But the clips simply sat on her computer unwatched — until last weekend, when she began adding them to Vimeo, one of several sites to emerge for sharing amateur footage.

There's no shortage of sites willing to accept such video, and once issues of revenues, copyright and ease of use get sorted out, the sharing of personal video promises to become as commonplace as photo-sharing is today.

"For the past six months or so, a lot of these sites have been popping up," said Jakob Lodwick, Vimeo's founder. "It went from being none to there being new ones every couple of weeks."

Credit the digital video revolution.

Most digital cameras sold since 2004 can shoot video, and so can newer models of cellular phones, said Jill Aldort, an InfoTrends consultant who specializes in Internet imaging trends. CVS Corp. even sells disposable video cameras.

"People have video all over the place, coming out of their ears," said Cynthia Francis, chief executive of Reality Digital Inc., which runs the ClipShack sharing site. "People are looking for a way to share that."

Now they needn't necessarily burn DVDs or carry around cameras to show friends their latest video oeuvre. Thanks to faster Internet connections and better online video technology, even search engine leader Google Inc. is getting into the game.

Now that it's easier to reach her audience, Gunther expects to shoot even more video, just as she shot 10 times as many photos once she started sharing them on Yahoo Inc. (Nasdaq:YHOO - news)'s Flickr.

"I finally had a place to put them," the 30-year-old architect said of her photos.

YouTube.com, a leading site, had more than 3 million visitors in December, nearly tripling its visitation in November, according to Nielsen/NetRatings. YouTube Inc. says its users have been sharing 20,000 new videos a day and watching some 10 million daily.

One clip on YouTube is of a 12-year-old scoring a touchdown, another is of a woman burping in front of a mirror. One young man captured himself skateboarding on a treadmill.

Others are more carefully produced and edited, even set to music.

Steve Silvestri, a local television news cameraman in Bates City, Mo., began sharing his library of personal videos on Christmas Eve, many featuring his travels on Amtrak. One clip got more than 10,000 views within two weeks — gaining a wider audience than he did from burning 50 DVDs for family and friends.

"It's the greatest thing since the Internet," Silvestri said. "Everybody wants to have an audience for their stuff."

Budding filmmakers and musicians can promote themselves, too, but people generally capture everyday moments without ever thinking they'd become Internet sensations, said Chad Hurley, YouTube's co-founder.

Despite the growth, video-sharing remains largely a province of the tech-savvy.

Many people don't know their digital cameras can shoot video or can't be bothered transferring or trimming it.

Though video-sharing is available to higher-end paying subscribers of Smugmug Inc.'s photo service, it's not the main driver, said Chris MacAskill, the company's co-founder.

Photos, on the other hand, can be shared as is and many photo-sharing sites even let users crop, remove "red eye" and perform other minor editing.

The early video sites differ in another key aspect.

With the exception of Flickr, the popular photo-sharing sites tend to promote sharing within a circle of friends and family, generally by sending links. Most of the video sites, however, encourage sharing with the world. They make the task easy by grouping video by most watched or highest rated, and they let users tag clips with keywords so others can search for all clips on bowling, for instance.

And while photo-sharing sites typically sell prints and photo-imprinted mugs, there's no commerce counterpart for video, which can consume 10 times as much storage and bandwidth — even after compressing files and reducing resolution.

So video sites are exploring a range of revenue models, including advertisements, which rely on huge audiences. After all, video ads already precede segments at news Web sites like CBS.

"But the question is, `Are those same strategies going to work when users are viewing user-generated content?'" ClipShack's Francis said.

A few services, particularly newer ones aimed at moms reluctant to share family footage with strangers, are relying entirely on subscriptions.

Hewlett-Packard Co.'s Snapfish, for instance, charges $25 a year for the video-sharing service it unveiled this month, even though its photo service is entirely free. Both emphasize closed communities — one must already have the link to watch.

And then there's Revver Inc., which relies on ads but shares revenues with users who submit video.

"It is a new frontier," said Steven Starr, Revver's chief executive. "The migration of video onto the network is upon us, and the rules of that migration are being worked out as we speak."

Intellectual property owners also must grapple with these services, some of which are littered with skits from "Saturday Night Live" and music video segments.

As studios and networks expand online sales of already-aired shows through services like Apple Computer Inc.'s iTunes, look for them to more aggressively pursue violations.

"This is an evolving landscape," said Rick Cotton, general counsel for NBC Universal. "As we get into partnerships ... to make material legitimately available, we are increasing and escalating our efforts to police against the unauthorized and extensive infringing of materials."

The video-sharing sites promise to remove copyright materials — as well as pornography — when requested, but they also say that some such clips are actually authorized or tolerated for their promotional value.

Another gray area involves music playing in the background.

"If you are lip-synching a Prince song, do you owe Prince royalties to that?" asked Trevor Wright, chief executive of the Sharkle Inc. video site. "The industry needs to and will begin to figure these things out."

Entertainment lawyer Mark Litvack said copyright owners may not go after every use in amateur movies, but video that becomes an overnight sensation likely will attract attention. Fair use, he said, does not always protect even home movies.

But there's no doubt content providers see value in sharing. Just this month, CBS Corp. began offering some shows through Google, which lets amateurs and professionals alike charge viewers for video, with Google getting a cut.

There's also great interest among advertisers.

A news site can produce only so much video on its own, Wright said, but user-generated content is limitless, driven by personal ego: "People want to share things they've done, places they've been, creations they've made and so forth."

___

On the Net:

Gunther's video: http://www.vimeo.com/userjanelle

Silvestri's video: http://www.youtube.com/profile?userSrovets

 

Manhattan Research: The Top Physician and Consumer eHealth Marketing Trends of 2006

Manhattan Research: The Top Physician and Consumer eHealth Marketing Trends of 2006

The Top Physician and Consumer eHealth Marketing Trends of 2006 Manhattan Research to Host Webinar on February 1, Revealing Insights into the Year Ahead

NEW YORK, January 17, 2006-- Manhattan Research, a healthcare marketing information and services firm, today revealed the top trends for ehealth marketers to consider in 2006. The insights are based on comprehensive research studies conducted in the U.S. and in Europe over the past ten years. These market trends will be discussed in a free webinar on February 1st at 2:00pm (EST), and attendees will receive The Year Ahead: eHealth Marketing Trends in 2006 (details below).

1. Search Engines Essential for Physicians and Gateway for Consumers One of the most dramatic shifts in online behavior of consumers and physicians is the increasing reliance on search engines as a primary means of locating health information online. On a trended basis, consumers were 30% more likely to begin their online health session with a search engine than by going directly to a known website.

2. Broadband Explosion Revolutionizes the Way Consumers and Physicians Use the Internet For the first time, the number of consumers with a broadband connection exceeds those with a dial-up connection -- a trend which has paved the way for interactive applications such as games and online video to become a mainstream part of the online experience. The increase in broadband connections -- 31% over the past year -- also had far-reaching effects on the amount of time consumers spend online, as well as the frequency of Internet use.

3. "Alternative" Media Is No Longer Alternative With online video, blogs and podcasts gaining popularity at an exponential rate, information sources previously considered "alternative" are quickly becoming mainstream, with more than 61 million U.S. adults participating in one of these activities today. The number of consumers relying on these information sources is expected to experience double-digit growth in 2006, making them part of the "everyday" media consumption of the average consumer.

4. Prescription Product Websites Become Viable Destinations A select group of product sites, including those for Lipitor, Allegra, Zoloft, Nexium, Wellbutrin, Ambien and Viagra, are generating annual traffic of at least 2 million visitors. In fact, many of these high-profile products now generate several times the traffic on their websites as in their 800-number call centers. Product sites are emerging as robust information sources for patients and physicians alike -- often in response to advertisements seen offline.

5. Europe Untapped -- Above Average Growth Potential for Engaging European Physicians Despite the fact that the vast majority of European physicians are online for more than five hours per week, they have yet to adopt more advanced professional activities that have become commonplace among U.S. physicians. However, this lagging adoption is not necessarily a function of lack of interest, but rather a lack of offerings.

# # #

MEDIA CONTACT: Erica Alexander Manhattan Research, LLC 212.255.7799 ealexander@manhattanresearch.com

Hispanic network TV, Internet strongest growing media in 2006

Hispanic network TV, Internet strongest growing media in 2006  

According to TNS Media Intelligence estimates, Hispanic network television will grow 10.4% in 2006, faster than any other media. Spanish networks have received more attention in recent weeks since the Nielsen Television Index showed Telemundo and Univision's strong performance against mainstream media, especially with telenovelas (ePharm5, 1/13/06). TNS predicts that Internet will grow 9.1%, an estimate that may be misleading since it does not include paid search. However, industry ad forecaster Bob Coen from Universal McCann predicts that Internet will be the fastest growing media in 2006 at 10%, according to Media Post. Cable network television will grow 8.4% in 2006 and outdoor advertising will grow 7.2%, predicts TNS. Finally, grabbing the fifth spot on the list is spot television, which TNS predicts will grow 7% in 2006.

Digital Bridges

Digital Bridges

Kathleen M. Joyce; Apr 1, 2005 12:00 PM

Web-based games and sweeps? Done that. Online loyalty fulfillment? Natch. Downloadable coupons? Oh, please — years ago! To be on the real cutting edge of interactive, marketers are looking to online video, multi-media messaging via cell phone and beyond.

As a result, brands are backing interactive initiatives with healthy doses of cash. While 19.4% of marketers polled for PROMO's 2004 Industry Trends Report said interactive was among their top three spending tactics, that number increased to 24.4% of those surveyed for 2005.

Nearly 70% (68.5%) of brand marketers said they will assign some portion of their budget this year to interactive promotions; the average was 7.6% of the total marketing budget, an increase over the 5.4% average allocation in 2004.

Where does the money come from? Primarily the advertising budget. Nearly 24% of brand respondents said they had shifted money from their ad silo to the interactive marketing side.

Don't feel too sorry for those old media types — many are finding ways to work with the new tools. Agency creatives love the “almost-TV” flavor they can get online, while marketers and their CFOs prize the data tracking of Web and cell-phone programs. And consumers prize instant gratification and fun from their favorite brands.

Fun and fast are key: Chevy launched a sweeps in March, using text messaging. The program, co-sponsored by regional entertainment magazine Quick, drove entries for a chance on a 2005 Chevy Cobalt. Of the 5,541 total entries, 3,568 came from local consumers who used texted “COBALT” to sweeps operators.

“Our young, professional readers lead extremely busy lives,” Quick General Manager Dave Schmall says. “We must be able to reach our audience while they are on the go. This [sweeps] reaffirmed our strategy and its impact.”

According to In-Stat/MDR, a research firm in Scottsdale, AZ, there were 165 million mobile phone subscribers in the U.S. last year, 90% of whom can both send and receive text. These subscribers sent 30.2 billion messages in 2004, compared to 11.9 billion in 2003, the firm says.

While short message (SMS) texting by marketers is less pervasive in the U.S. than in Europe or Asia, several brands are testing its impact — especially with audiences under 30.

Frito-Lay used both the Internet and texting to support its Doritos Black Pepper Jack rollout last September. “Texting is the language of Millennials [16- to 24-year-olds] and we wanted to reach them through their language,” says Frito-Lay's Jared Dougherty.

In addition to SMS trivia games, the Doritos' Web site featured an instant messaging (IM) interface that let teens unlock hundreds of video and audio clips and games. HipCricket, Essex, CT, designed the texting piece. Tribal DDB Dallas, created the Web site.

Neither SMS nor Web programs happen in a vacuum. Both the Chevy and Doritos campaigns drew heavy support from TV, radio and outdoor spots, that drove key audiences online or to their phones.

Sometimes that support is sitting on the breakfast table. Kellogg's, for example, pushes kids and parents via on-pack promos to its EET and ERN site for games, product news and downloadable loyalty rewards. The four-year old site won a 2004 Gold PRO Award for its loyalty impact.

It's about relevance. As marketers make the interactive experience more valuable to the audience, participation rates will go up, and brand equity will increase.

SNAPSHOT 2004

More than 50% of Americans online use high-speed connections

Over 90% of cell phones in the U.S can send and receive text messages

Online marketing spend expected to grow 25% in U.S. in 2005

 

Internet becomes "go to" source for health information for more consumers in 2005

Internet becomes “go to” source for health information for more consumers in 2005

(1/11/2006; EyeforPharma.com)

In 2005, 31.6 million US consumers reported using the Internet as their primary learning channel for health information, up nearly 50% since 2004. And according to Manhattan Research (MR), a total of 99 million US adults report using the Internet at least once in 2005 to look for health information.

According to the group, with the shift away from traditional health promotion and patient education to more targeted approaches promoting informed patient care, the Internet has become the “go to” source for health information for many Americans.

And the group says there is a new market segment that pharma must embrace in the years ahead – the “on demand” health consumer. Manhattan Research finds that these consumers are significantly more likely than the average health consumer to engage in a wide range of interactive activities and “embrace the ability to access and control health content on their terms.”

The group says these consumers are twice as likely as other health consumers to watch video clips online, four times as likely to subscribe to podcasts and nearly three times as likely to read blogs online. They are also twice as likely to carry a PDA, listen to satellite radio and use a digital video recorder.

And although relatively healthy, MR says this group is more likely than the average consumer to suffer from ADHD, acid reflux, allergies, anxiety or social phobias, rheumatoid arthritis, cancer, migraine and/or obesity.

Search engines, the group reports, continue to be a critical gateway to content for online healthcare consumers. Ninety-five percent (95%) of consumers say they used search engines in 2005 to access health and pharmaceutical information online.

Although most report creating links directly to their favorite health sites and portals, most view search engines as “essential guides to the latest and most diverse health content and resources available online today, MR says. And the group says consumers have very high expectations about the future capabilities of searches specific to health-related information.

Some of the biggest users of the Internet for health information are a group MR calls “health influencers.” This small group of health consumers (approximately 20 million) has a significant impact on those in their “zone of influence,” including spouses, children and elderly parents.

According to MR, other health consumers are very likely to seek advice from this group of influential health consumers – who are more likely than the average consumer to rely on interactive media, including the Internet, to secure healthcare knowledge and education.

Despite some negative news on the effectiveness of DTC advertising in the wake of a rash of pharma product safety concerns, according to MR, the population of consumers sourcing the Internet to learn about pharma products in response to DTC ads has grown significantly over the past year. 2005, the group says, represents a critical point in the shifting landscape, with more than 22 million consumers actively going online in response to DTC ads.

And those “on demand” health consumers , the group reports, are significantly more likely to seek additional information online in response to advertisements, but also to request a prescription drug from their personal physicians.

“The health industry is adjusting to a world where the promises of 10 years ago, at the launch of the Internet generation, are finally becoming a market reality,” says Mark Bard, president of Manhattan Research. “The intersection of broadband, consumer-driven health, community and content, has created the perfect storm for the next generation of e-health.

“Consumers are in control,” he adds, “ and are increasingly seeking timely and efficient access to the information and tools that will help them manage their personal health and that of their friends and family.”

To learn more about the Manhattan Research Cybercitizen Health studies, visit the group on the Web at www.manhattanresearch.com .

 

Comedy Central Is Serious About Internet

Comedy Central Is Serious About Internet
The cable channel adds eight Web-only shows, betting the online audience will grow.

By Chris Gaither, Times staff writer

 

For those who find humor in the plague, there's the Internet.  At least that's what Comedy Central hopes as it introduces its 2006 slate of new shows today for its online channel MotherLoad.  The eight Web-only shows are another sign that big media companies increasingly see the Internet as a viable way not only to promote their on-air shows but also to launch shorter programs ill-suited for TV.

 

The MotherLoad lineup includes such series as "All Access: Middle Ages," billed as the inside story behind the coolest crusades and "most awesomely bad plagues," and "Golden Age," which finds out what happened to retired cartoon characters. (For Jerome, a gumdrop from the concession-stand ads before movies, it's substance abuse.)

 

MTV Networks, Comedy Central's parent, has been hunting for filmed and animated shorts. After failing to capture viewers with online video offerings during the dot-com boom, big media are jumping back in.

 

"This side of the business has been dormant for six, seven years," International Creative Management agent Michael Rizzo said. "Now the studios have come into it with a much more mature eye."

 

The numbers are still small. During its best week, in early December, MotherLoad attracted 109,000 viewers. "The economics are different because TV is a very mature business, and the dollars are bigger," said Jason Hirschhorn, chief digital officer for MTV Networks. "But online is becoming … lucrative."  Comedy group Littleman Creative is developing its second MotherLoad show, the Middle Ages parody. Possible episodes include "Worst Breakups: Henry VIII & Anne Boleyn." One thing member Nick Kroll discovered: People like online comedy.

 

"People seem to be desperate for content," he said, "because they're terribly sad at work."

LivesinFocus.org

Lives in Focus

Using video, audio and photographs, this website presents the voices of those who are rarely given space or time in traditional news media.  Lives in Focus has gathered nearly 2,000 photographs and 13 hours of video interviews. Look for new video and photographs on the site weekly.

 

Fascinating project...

http://www.livesinfocus.org/

 

-------------

About the current Project: Documenting the lives of India 's HIV+ population

In March 2005, India passed a new patent law that is likely to have global ramifications in the treatment of AIDS patients—especially those in the developing world—who depend on India's generic drug industry to provide drugs well below the prices charged by multinational pharmaceutical companies.

In order to join the World Trade Organization, India had to fulfill the obligation to recognize and protect global patents. The bill that was passed in March 2005 meets this requirement. Much of the mainstream press has emphasized a business perspective when reporting this development, focusing on India's opportunity to tap the Western generic drug market while only briefly acknowledging the potentially devastating impact of the new rule on vulnerable populations.

We are documenting how India's HIV-infected populations depend on the Indian versions of Western patented Anti-retro Viral (ARV) drugs to survive. The baseline will also establish how they think they will manage as drug prices surge and any stockpiled drugs are depleted.

Using audio recorders, photographs and video, we plan to document the lives of families struggling to buy ARV drugs to keep a family member healthy; the challenges that stigmatized AIDS patients face in trying to earn enough money to buy the lifesaving treatment; activists desperately searching for new sources of inexpensive ARV drugs or lobbying the Indian government to grant compulsory licenses to continue producing cheap drugs.

We visited AIDS shelters and hospices in and around Mumbai, Bangalore, and Hyderabad. The project will harness the Internet to showcase an issue with global ramifications—not just as information but as a way to involve viewers. A multimedia grassroots expose can completely bypass the traditional media gatekeepers to help people gain awareness of a pressing issue. We hope the project will not only inform people around the world that India's new patent law is likely to have a global impact, further aggravating the AIDS health crisis, but also allow them to spread the information widely using built-in Internet technologies.

We also hope the multimedia slide presentations, photographs and videos moves people become involved in this vital issue.

iPods and Healthcare: Where's the Connection?

iPods and Healthcare: Where’s the Connection?

December 30th, 2005
This post was written by Melanie Matthews

Like most Americans, we too here at the Healthcare Intelligence Network have been caught up in the iPod frenzy. We watched our children blaze the path with the technology, but are now seeing the possibilities beyond just downloading music.

A study by the nonprofit Pew Internet & American Life Project found that as many as 22 million American adults, or about 11 percent of the U.S. population, own iPods or other MP3 players.

At Duke University, the number of students using iPods in the classroom has quadrupled and the number of courses incorporating the devices has doubled in the second year of an effort to mesh digital technology with academics. Last spring, 280 students in 19 courses used iPods as part of the Duke iPod First-Year Experience.

In a Spanish for Health Communications class at the University, students are required to work as volunteers in the Latino community. During this service work, students use iPods with microphone attachments to record interviews with community partners and audio postcards recounting their experiences in their service placement. Students will also expand their knowledge of immigration and health issues in the Latino community by listening to audio programming obtained from the bilingual radio program “Que Pasa.”

The Arizona Heart Institute and Hospital is offering a podcast on how to recognize risk factors for heart disease and how to modify those risk factors to better health.

Is the iPod the next business training tool? Or a new way to deliver health education to customers?

I think it’s just a natural extension of both. As a business training tool or a means to provide health education to patients and members it really is just another way to deliver the message.

 

Boutique Agency Focus of National Attention

Boutique Agency Focus of National Attention

Is Butler, Shine, Stern & Partners in Sausalito, California, the next Crispin, Porter & Bogusky? The latter is the Miami-based ad agency that has reigned as the industry's hottest creative shop for the past few years. But the former is a relatively unknown agency that may be on the verge of receiving nationwide attention after capturing the coveted BMW Mini ad account. The agency is one of a new generation of boutique shops poised to make a splash in 2006 as major marketers increasingly hire smaller shops. Companies like as Coca-Cola, Unilever and Procter & Gamble have shown they are no longer beholden to hiring global ad firms with dozens and dozens of offices around the world.

 

"This may actually be the era of independent agencies," says Jim McDowell, vice president of Mini USA. A growing number of marketers believe small independents can offer ad approaches that don't depend so heavily on TV ads. Some see smaller firms as being better equipped to react to a rapidly changing media landscape because bureaucracy and the potential conflicts that abound in conglomerates don't bog them down.