Social Marketing University: March 28-30 / Washington DC

Social Marketing University
March 28-30, 2007
Washington, DC

Including Next Generation Social Marketing Seminar
March 30, 2007, 8:30 am - 12:00 pm
included in registration for SMU
OR register separately for seminar only
Presented by Weinreich Communications
Co-sponsored by Public Health Communication & Marketing Program, GWU School of Public Health and Health Services

Bring about change for good!

How do you help people adopt behaviors that will make them healthier and better off? How can you create positive social change?

At Social Marketing University, you will move beyond the usual educational approach to changing health and social behaviors. Using social marketing, you will learn how to persuade individuals to take action for change by addressing the values, needs and desires that motivate them. It's about understanding and connecting with your audience by applying the same effective marketing tools that companies like Nike and Apple use.

Join social marketing expert Nedra Kline Weinreich for this two and a half-day training in the epicenter of social marketing -- Washington, DC. By the time you leave, you will have an effective social marketing strategy for your own program and the skills to implement it immediately.

You Should Attend if You Are:
* Someone who wants to create health or social change
* A professional at a nonprofit/NGO, public agency or other organization working on health or social issues
* A commercial marketer who wants to apply your skills towards changing the world for the better OR
* A student interested in the field of social marketing (special student rate available!)

You Will Learn:
* How social marketing uses commercial marketing tools to create behavior change
* How to think like a social marketer
* How to segment and understand your audience
* How to develop a strategy using the 8 Ps of the social marketing mix
* How to follow the social marketing process to develop an effective program
* How to use audience research techniques to build and test your strategy, including an in-depth discussion of focus groups
* How to design effective messages and materials
* How to work with the media to get your message out through news and entertainment programming
* How to use cutting-edge technologies to put the new media to work for you
* How to get the most out of your social marketing budget -- even if it's small

Next Generation Social Marketing Seminar
Learn about emerging marketing techniques including:
* Blogs
* Social media like YouTube and Flickr
* Podcasting
* Wikis
* Tagging/social bookmarking
* Social networks like MySpace and Facebook
* Consumer-generated ads
* Virtual worlds like Second Life
* Online communities
* Mobile technology
* and more!

For all the details about the training agenda, registration, fees and hotel accommodations, go to the Social Marketing University information page <http://www.squidoo.com/smu> or email training@social-marketing.com for more information.

AIDS Group Sues Pfizer Over Viagra Ads

AIDS Group Sues Pfizer Over Viagra Ads 
 
AP Online via NewsEdge Corporation :

WASHINGTON_An AIDS organization sued Pfizer Inc. on Monday over ads the group says encourage use of Viagra as a party drug. The group said recreational use of the drug furthers the spread of HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases.

The lawsuit, filed in Los Angeles by the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, calls Pfizer's ads for the impotence drug false and misleading. The suit echoes allegations made in an ad campaign announced by the group last month.

The nonprofit group alleges the marketing of Viagra has fostered an increase in the spread of sexually transmitted diseases. Studies have found the drug is used _ illegally _ in conjunction with crystal methamphetamine to form a party drug "cocktail."

While crystal meth can heighten sexual desire, it also can impair the ability to have an erection, said Michael Weinstein, president of the AIDS Healthcare Foundation. "In order to satisfy that heightened desire, you have to take Viagra," Weinstein told reporters.

Pfizer denied it promotes the recreational use of its blockbuster drug. In 2005, Pfizer had $860 million in U.S. Viagra sales, according to IMS Health Inc.

The suit, filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, seeks to halt the New York company from running ads like those that have promoted the drug's use on New Year's Eve and Super Bowl Sunday, said Tom Myers, the AIDS group's legal counsel. The ads, which included taglines like "Be this Sunday's MVP" encourage recreational use, the group alleges.

The suit also seeks to force Pfizer to undertake a public information campaign on the dangers of misusing and abusing the prescription drug. Furthermore, it seeks an unspecified amount to cover an increase in treatment costs borne by the nonprofit group, which runs free treatment clinics.

Pfizer said it and a company foundation already support AIDS prevention efforts, including a three-year, $6 million project undertaken in 2003 in nine southern states.

The advertisements in question featured younger-looking men than did earlier Viagra ads that used retired Sen. Bob Dole, then in his 70s, as a pitchman. Myers said the newer ads imply the drug is meant to enhance the sexual experience and not to treat a medical condition.

A Pfizer official warned against confusing age with the degree of impotence.

"The age of the personality that's always seen in promotional materials doesn't necessarily depict severity," said Dr. Ivan Levinson, senior medical director for Pfizer Urology and Sexual Health.

The AIDS Healthcare Foundation also wants the Food and Drug Administration to step up its oversight of Viagra ads.

An FDA spokeswoman declined to comment.

In 2004, the FDA warned Pfizer that some television ads for Viagra made it clear the drug was for sex, but failed to note it was to treat impotence. The ads also failed to provide information on its major side effects, according to the letter.

Filing of the suit came as Pfizer announced it would cut 10,000 jobs in seeking to trim its annual costs by $2 billion.

<<AP Online -- 01/23/07>>
 
 

Health 2.0: Industry experts weigh in on Revolution Health

Health 2.0: Industry experts weigh in on Revolution Health

Courtesy of ePharm5^TM
Researching and reporting pharma business and marketing innovation
© 2006, HCPro, Inc.

Click here for your FREE 30-day Trial:
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On the same day that Revolution Health made its big splash, WebMD also announced its next-generation health information portal, which includes free access to the WebMD PHR and expanded sponsorship opportunities. According to Wayne Gattinella, president and CEO of WebMD, the new portal will deliver a more personalized experience that will benefit not only consumers, but also advertisers. Although the site is now in preview mode, Gattinella tells ePharm5 that it will officially launch within 30 days.

Last week’s launch of Revolution Health’s free Web portal and a suite of paid membership telephonic services are just two of the many products expected from Revolution Health Group. Revolution Health Group President and COO Jay Silverstein was typically cryptic when discussing the formal launch with ePharm5, saying only that it is several months from now. Indeed, the Web portal that launched last week, RevolutionHealth.com, is still in preview mode, a fact that Gattinella pointed out when we talked with him. Overall, Gattinella seemed unimpressed.

“It isn’t terribly unique,” Gattinella told ePharm5. He said although Revolution Health has a lot of great positioning, its content isn’t anything consumers can’t find on other Internet sites. He pointed out that WebMD’s strength comes from its more than 200 experts who publish information that consumers can’t get anywhere else.

“We’ve been at this for 10 years,” Gattinella said, adding that WebMD has built its reputation “the old-fashioned way.”

To Gattinella’s point, the site’s health content is similar to that of many others, with information about conditions and treatments and content from partners including Harvard Health Publications, Cleveland Clinic, and MayoClinic.com. However, Revolution Health aims to set itself apart through connectivity. Silverstein calls this "Health 2.0," saying it's an attempt to bring connectivity, transparency, and the ability to take action to healthcare.

Manhattan Research President Mark Bard agrees that the difference between Revolution Health and many other large content sites is the connectivity angle they are pursuing. He tells ePharm5 that as e-health evolves, there will continue to be more investment--and competition--in “Health 2.0.” He says that this connection and focus on community will bring additional value to health content and ultimately bring value back to the consumer using the sites.

Bard also points to the community aspect of sites like Revolution Health as an exciting area to watch, especially the function that allows users to rate their care. “Ratings are a huge opportunity in healthcare,” Bard says, adding that currently, there aren’t many great data sources available for choosing hospitals or doctors based on factors beyond their physical location. He says the challenge has been getting enough data to really facilitate decision making. “That changes when sites can aggregate hundreds of thousands of user experiences and then deliver that information in easy-to-use displays, scales, and interfaces that allow consumers to compare various treatment and therapeutic options.”

“A new site launch on this scale is further confirmation that the world of ‘e’ in health is alive and well,” Bard says. “I think this launch is a very strong statement there is future growth in this market and investors are confident there is more upside with respect to advertising dollars, sponsorship, and consumer-driven services over the long term.”

Silverstein points to tools and technologies that help consumers make decisions and take action as a cornerstone of “Health 2.0.” He said the new site is rich in community and aims to make health information simpler, more engaging, and more approachable, and aims to be “the connective tissue of healthcare.”

From the perspective of Christopher Schroeder, President and CEO of The HealthCentral Network, one of the most exciting things happening in the e-health space is that individuals are in charge of their information needs. However, he said that one-stop shops for health are not what people need.

“I’m not sure people think about health generically,” Schroeder tells ePharm5. He said that people think Google is their number-one health site, and “nobody Googles ‘health.’” Instead, he says, people are moving toward information and resources that cover a specific disease.

Schroeder is also unsure whether people will be willing to pay for e-health services. Although RevolutionHealth.com is a free portal, the other product that launched last week is a suite of paid membership telephonic services that Silverstein is like OnStar for Health." It will provide paid telephonic services such as answering health questions, providing benefits help, and getting assistance finding a doctor and scheduling appointments.

As far as pharmaceutical involvement, Silverstein was more vague, though he did say that there is opportunity for pharmas to be involved with the site, including participating in blogs and community chats to teach people about their product pipelines, the availability of clinical trials, and other information.

According to Bard, “Health 2.0” will give pharmaceutical companies and brand managers more choices to evaluate and consider when it comes to branding initiatives and building awareness. But each site offers a different value proposition. A large site could deliver the audience needed for a major awareness campaign, whereas another site may deliver highly targeted sponsorships.

“Just as there is room for innovation among television networks and major print outlets, there is certainly room for a number of market leaders to push the envelope of innovation in the online health space,” Bard says. “In fact, one could argue that competition, or even the perceived threat of competition, is often a prerequisite for large scale innovation and industry change.”

Courtesy of ePharm5TM
Researching and reporting pharma business and marketing innovation
© 2006, HCPro, Inc.

Click here for your FREE 30-day Trial:
http://www.epharm5.com/aboutepharm.cfm?s=BLOG