MED AD NEWS 2007: Ignite Health profile

Ignite Health

 

WINNER — BEST PATIENT DIGITAL CAMPAIGN

by Med Ad News Staff

Going into its sixth year, Ignite Health is celebrating another year of double-digit growth. Agency revenue for 2006 grew 33%, up from $11 million in 2005 to $15 million in 2006, with a three-fold increase during the past four years. Three new account wins and additional business from existing clients made 2006 another banner year for the agency.

In February 2007, inVentiv Health Inc. (inventivhealth.com) signed a definitive deal to acquire Ignite. Ignite will operate under the inVentiv Communications division, which provides a full suite of integrated health-care marketing and communications solutions.

Most of Ignite’s business in 2006 came from direct-to-patient interactive assignments, reflecting a concerted effort to solidify the agency’s branding initiatives. In early 2006, Ignite strengthened its focus on educating people living with chronic diseases and those that care for them, allowing clients to create messages that link all parties, including those who influence, prescribe, purchase, or use health-care products.

To underscore this focus, Ignite launched a new corporate Website in September, ignitehealth.com. The site spotlights video clips of real patients speaking out on HIV, hepatitis, diabetes, breast cancer, and cataracts, and offers their personal insights and provides educational information about their conditions and treatments. The site has won a number of awards, including the WWW Health Awards Best of Show in the Most Innovative category. "To stress our commitment to this patient-centered strategy, we deliberately put patients up front, allowing information on the agency’s services, clients, awards, and press appearances to take a back seat," says Jackie Herr, CEO.

This year’s accomplishments
2006 brought recognition from all quarters for Ignite’s creativity and innovations, particularly on the digital scene. Ignite garnered 17 honors in five separate competitions. In addition to the WWW Health Awards, Ignite won honors at the MM&M Awards, the Web Awards, the AdWeek Daveys, and the Freddies.

Building on its reputation and success in the fields of ophthalmology, oncology, infectious disease, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, mental illness, and cystic fibrosis, Ignite generated substantial organic growth from some of its long-standing clients, including Amylin Pharmaceuticals Inc. (amylin.com), Bausch & Lomb Inc. (bausch.com), Cephalon Inc. (cephalon.com), Genomic Health Inc. (genomichealth.com), Gilead Sciences Inc. (gilead.com), and Eli Lilly and Co. (lilly.com). Three new business wins came from Bayer Health (bayerhealth.com), Ovation Pharmaceuticals Inc. (ovationpharma.com), and Valeant Pharmaceuticals (valeant.com).

Among Ignite’s major undertakings in 2006 was the creation of Incendia Health Studios, which develops and distributes unbranded disease-education content for millions of people who use the Internet and other digital technologies to seek and share information on chronic diseases. Incendia (incendiahealth.com) uses the power of new and emerging technology to provide engaging health information tailored to the specific needs and interests of vast numbers of people. Incendia’s main objective is to serve patients and caregivers affected by chronic diseases — people who are, in essence, the agency’s "clients." Managers say this mission of serving consumers first and foremost has made Incendia the first and only purpose-driven media company in the field of chronic disease education.

Incendia projects are funded by advertising, sponsorships, and grants but will not promote specific products or services. Among the programs developed by Incendia are Live With It, BannerMoments.com, and HepB.tv.

Winner of the 2007 Best Patient Digital Campaign Manny Award, Live With It (livewithit.com) includes a series of short animations that uses reality-based storylines to follow the lives of fictional characters learning to deal with the fact that they are HIV-positive. The first-of-its-kind series examines the emotional aspects of each character’s journey and uses a mix of nontraditional media — a Website, podcasts, blogs, a message board, partnership agreements, and merchandising — to extend its reach to a broad audience.

BannerMoments.com is an interactive Website designed to create a growing online circle of support for women with breast cancer. The site offers visitors a proprietary tool, developed by Incendia, that allows them to create personal Web banners to express individual messages about their fight against breast cancer. The banners appear on the BannerMoments site permanently and are designed to trigger discussions of breast cancer from many points of view. Incendia will soon be expanding this concept to other disease states.

HepB.tv is an online interactive TV network for hepatitis B patients. Visitors can watch a variety of educational programs, join discussions with other viewers, and obtain critical information on hepatitis B for themselves or to share with others. The site offers video clips, community forums, blogs, chat rooms, and advice from prominent medical specialists in the field.

Structure and services
Building upon last year’s reorganization, the agency has solidified its management structure and enhanced its ability to service accounts. Ignite’s management team includes Ms. Herr; Tim Riley, chief marketing officer; Rich Fair, chief creative officer; and Fabio Gratton, chief innovation officer; all founding partners.

Ms. Herr is responsible for corporate, operational, and financial management. Mr. Riley heads up new business and joint venture development. Mr. Fair is overseeing art and copy for all agency print and electronic projects. Mr. Gratton is in charge of developing new technologies to enhance Ignite’s service offerings. Mr. Gratton is also president, Incendia Health Studios.

With expertise in the fields of oncology, infectious disease, and ophthalmology, Ignite specializes in chronic conditions, including diabetes, cardiovascular disease, central nervous system, and cystic fibrosis. Although continuing to provide clients with traditional ad agency services, Ignite made a deliberate decision in 2006 to focus on Internet-based patient-education initiatives.

"Our foundation is built on in-depth knowledge of disease states and science behind treatments, and we have a comprehensive understanding of Internet innovations that help build brand loyalty and grow disease awareness, education, and compliance," Mr. Riley says.

Beyond traditional e-marketing programs, Ignite reaches out to grassroots groups that help shape and refine the agency’s creative solutions and recommendations. This includes working closely with advocacy groups and thought leaders and monitoring the trends and buzz created by patients, health-care professionals, and legislators, keeping the agency in close contact with trend-setters in health care and the Internet. Ignite creates customized grassroots programs for its clients, including social networking initiatives within branded and unbranded sites, incorporating blogs, message boards, and word-of-mouth marketing efforts.

Ignite points to its West Coast location as a boon to its focus on electronic communications, attracting talent nationwide and from client converts.

Future plans
The agency plans to continue its expansion of patient-focused education. Although growth is a top priority, Ms. Herr says Ignite will continue to maintain the principles that have fueled its growth: the quality of its work, ability to service its accounts and integrate advances in the e-healthcare space, and demonstrated results.

YouTube Expands Demographic Data Reporting

YouTube will significantly expand the amount of demographic data it collects on those viewing videos on the site later this year, reports AdAge. The plans were laid out by YouTube CMO Suzie Reider at the Advertising Research Foundation's Rethink conference in New York. Reider says by the third quarter of this year YouTube will be able to report on video views and other metrics, numbers sure to be of interest to marketers. YouTube does not yet have a chief of research but will be running a user survey in the near future.

 

Mochila Launches Branded Video Player

Media marketplace Mochila has unveiled a media player publishers can brand and put on their site, reports MediaPost. The AdMatch Player allows publishers to display video, text or pictures on their site in a player they brand specifically for that site. Content is fed to the players automatically based on defined interests by the publisher via feeds. Ads - again, based on publisher preference - are then fed to the player. Revenue from those ads is split between the buyer, Mochila and the content owner. Mochila brings video in from a number of partners across the web. Ads are served by 24/7 Real Media, Quigo, Tacoda and Broadband Enterprises.

After Much Speculation, MySpace Launches News Site

Social network MySpace took a plunge into the news business with a new site where users define what qualifies as news, reports the Associated Press. MySpace News uses the same sort of community voting mechanisms that have made Digg, the relaunched Netscape and others so popular. News items are automatically grabbed by the site's spiders but then MySpace users decide what makes the front page of each of the 25 sections. Publishers who do not want their material indexed by the site can opt out of participation. The technology powering the site was developed by Newroo, which News Corp. bought in early 2006 and executives from that company are still with MySpace/News Corp. TechCrunch has screenshots from the site, which just launched in beta form yesterday.

Novo Nordisk behind ACP Web tool to enhance diabetes care

Novo Nordisk behind ACP Web tool to enhance diabetes care

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New diabetes educational tools, including a free portal, are the result of a three-year effort funded by an unrestricted educational grant from Novo Nordisk. The American College of Physicians (ACP) and the American College of Physicians Foundation (ACPF) created the tools for ACP members, other healthcare professionals on clinical practice teams, and their patients. The diabetes portal is a free Web-based resource for physicians and patients that provides tools, resources, and research supporting diabetes care. Clinicians can search for information under the headings of quality improvement, practice issues, and clinical topics. Information and links are updated regularly, providing clinicians and patients with the latest evidence-based guidance.

View the portal. http://diabetes.acponline.org/

Pain foundation, Lilly sponsor site for treating diabetic pain

Pain foundation, Lilly sponsor site for treating diabetic pain

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Results from a Harris Interactive survey of more than 600 physicians who treat diabetic peripheral neuropathic pain, or diabetic nerve pain, reveal that nearly all (97%) believe that the condition is often misdiagnosed. Overall, findings from the survey, sponsored by the National Pain Foundation (NPF) and Eli Lilly, suggest that more effective communication is needed to ensure proper care for diabetic nerve pain. Most physicians surveyed (66%) reported that one of the most commonly cited reasons leading to misdiagnosis is lack of information from their patients. Nearly two-thirds of physicians (62%) believe that tools or guidelines that diabetes patients can use to track diabetic nerve pain would be useful in better diagnosing diabetic nerve pain. The vast majority of physicians (81%) want to find new ways to discuss diabetic nerve pain with their patients. NPF and Lilly have created an educational program to provide patients with the information and vocabulary they need to better communicate with their physicians.

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New Survey Shows Most Physicians Believe Diabetes Patients Are Not Receiving Appropriate Care for Diabetic Nerve Pain

Market Wire via NewsEdge Corporation :

INDIANAPOLIS, IN, April 19 / MARKET WIRE/ --

Results from a new survey of more than 600 physicians(i) who treat diabetic peripheral neuropathic pain, or diabetic nerve pain, reveal that nearly all (97 percent) believe that the condition is often misdiagnosed. Overall, findings from the survey, sponsored by the National Pain Foundation (NPF) and Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE: LLY), suggest that more effective communication is needed to ensure proper care for diabetic nerve pain.

Additional survey findings show that:

--  Most physicians surveyed (66 percent) reported that one of the most     commonly cited reasons leading to misdiagnosis is lack of information from     their patients --  Nearly two-thirds of physicians (62 percent) believe that tools or     guidelines that diabetes patients can use to track diabetic nerve pain     would be useful in better diagnosing diabetic nerve pain --  The vast majority of physicians (81 percent) want to find new ways to     discuss diabetic nerve pain with their patients     

To achieve these goals, the NPF and Lilly are launching a new educational program called "Talk Beyond Pain: Understanding Diabetic Nerve Pain." This program will provide patients who might be suffering from diabetic nerve pain with the information and vocabulary they need to better communicate with their physicians what they are feeling and experiencing. The materials are available for download at www.TalkBeyondPain.com.

Diabetic nerve pain includes painful symptoms, such as burning, stabbing or shooting pain in the feet and legs or hands and arms. The symptoms can make everyday activities like driving and walking challenging, and can cause feelings of frustration, sadness or fatigue.(ii) (iii)

"Unfortunately, there is no single test that can definitively diagnose diabetic nerve pain. Without a comprehensive understanding of what patients are feeling and experiencing, including the painful physical symptoms and their impact on daily living, it can be easy to misdiagnose diabetic nerve pain and prescribe inappropriate or inadequate treatment," explained Dr. Albert Ray, chairman of the board of the National Pain Foundation and medical director of Pain Medicine Solutions in Miami. "The survey findings suggest that these conversations may not be taking place or not occurring frequently enough, and more guidance for achieving better care can make a huge impact on quality of life."

"Talk Beyond Pain: Understanding Diabetic Nerve Pain" offers education and tools to help patients who believe they may have diabetic nerve pain initiate conversations with their doctors. The following materials are available:

--  "Talk Beyond Pain: Understanding Diabetic Nerve Pain" Educational     Guide:  This guide details the symptoms of diabetic nerve pain, how they     may impact everyday life, as well as ways to manage the nerve pain.  It     also includes worksheets and checklists to help people organize their     thinking prior to a doctor visit so they can have productive conversations     and provide healthcare providers with the information necessary for     appropriate diagnosis. --  "Talk Beyond Pain: Understanding Diabetic Nerve Pain" Personal Diary:     This diary helps patients in pain track their symptoms over several weeks,     as well as their overall well-being in connection with their pain.  There     is also a section in the diary dedicated to tracking progress to ensure     people are getting relief from their symptoms with their current treatment     plan.     

"We hope that 'Talk Beyond Pain: Understanding Diabetic Nerve Pain' will help to bridge the communication gap between people living with diabetic nerve pain and their physicians, so they can get help and enjoy life again," said Dr. Ray.

The information provided by this program was developed with guidance from the NPF and a group of leading medical experts across different specialties who have come together to form the Partnership for Helping People in Pain. Their goal is to help open the lines of communication between patients and physicians to aid in the diagnosis and treatment process. This partnership began in July 2006 as an initiative between the NPF and Lilly, with discussion surrounding diabetic nerve pain, the most common form of neuropathic pain. Eli Lilly and Company provided both content and financial support to the NPF for this educational campaign.

About Diabetic Nerve Pain

Approximately 5 million people are affected by diabetic nerve pain, however many people at risk are not aware the condition exists.(iv) While the exact cause of diabetic nerve pain is unknown, many factors may be responsible, including high blood sugar, increased weight, smoking, high blood pressure and age older than 40.(v) Though risk increases with age, people with diabetes can develop nerve damage at any time.(vi)

Currently there are no medications that can reverse nerve damage; however, there are medications that can treat the pain associated with diabetic nerve pain. Diabetic nerve pain is not a normal part of aging, and it can affect many facets of a person's life. With the right treatment, diabetic nerve pain can be relieved and kept under control. It's important for people who think they may have diabetic nerve pain to speak with their healthcare provider to ensure proper diagnosis and treatment.

About the Survey

The survey was conducted online within the United States by Harris Interactive® on behalf of the NPF and Lilly between September 18 and 22, 2006, among 605 physicians of whom 252 are primary care physicians, 253 neurologists and 100 endocrinologists who see at least one adult diabetes patient in a typical week. Figures for gender, years in practice and region were weighted where necessary to bring the figures into line with their actual proportions in the population.

With a pure probability sample of 605, it could be said with a 95 percent probability that the overall results have a sampling error of +/-6 percentage points. Sampling error for data from sub-samples would be higher and would vary. However, that does not take other sources of error into account. The online survey is not based on a probability sample and therefore no theoretical sampling error can be calculated.

About the National Pain Foundation

The National Pain Foundation, a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization, was founded in 1998 for the purposes of providing access to peer-reviewed, unbiased information about pain to the public and increasing public awareness of the inadequate treatment of pain. These goals were based on the premise that trustworthy, credible information would empower persons in pain to seek appropriate and effective treatment and that increasing awareness of the public health problem of inadequately treated pain would improve access to appropriate pain services.

The NPF believes that proper treatment of pain conditions at any stage can restore personal functioning and positively change the direction of a person's life. Pain is a disease that needs to be evaluated and managed as comprehensively as any other disease, as it causes untold suffering for millions and is the leading healthcare cost to businesses and society. The NPF believes that successfully increasing pain awareness and empowering people in pain requires numerous perspectives, countless efforts, and the collaboration of many organizations and individuals.

By providing objective, unbiased information to people in pain, to healthcare providers, to insurers and to employers, the NPF addresses the three primary causes of inadequate treatment for pain -- the lack of credible information, the lack of validation of pain as a significant public health problem and the invisibility of pain. By educating people about pain and by explaining both traditional and alternative approaches to treatment, the NPF empowers patients to take a more active role in their treatment.

About Eli Lilly and Company

Lilly, a leading innovation-driven corporation, is developing a growing portfolio of first-in-class and best-in-class pharmaceutical products by applying the latest research from its own worldwide laboratories and from collaborations with eminent scientific organizations. Headquartered in Indianapolis, Ind., Lilly provides answers -- through medicines and information -- for some of the world's most urgent medical needs. Additional information about Lilly is available at www.lilly.com.

(i) 605 physicians, including 252 primary care physicians, 253 neurologists and 100 endocrinologists, who see at least one adult diabetes patients in a typical week participated in this survey. Survey participants were unaware that this survey was sponsored by the National Pain Foundation and Eli Lilly and Company.

(ii) Neuropathy-Specific Quality of Life tool [Note: Per correspondence with Dr. Vileikyte, the tool's developer, the UK version is exactly the same as the US version with 1 exception: UK version says "novacaine-like sensations" and US version says "pins and needles."

(iii) Vileikyte L, Peyrot M, Bundy C et al. The development and validation of a neuropathy- and foot ulcer-specific quality of life instrument. Diabetes Care; 26:9; 2549-2555, 2003.

(iv) "American Diabetes Association Survey Finds Most People with Diabetes Don't Know About Highly Prevalent, Serious Complication." Available at http://www.diabetes.org/for-media/2005-press-releases/diabeticneuropathy.jsp. Accessed on October 5, 2005.

(v) National Diabetes Information Clearing House. "Diabetic Neuropathies: The Nerve Damage of Diabetes." Available at: http://diabetes.niddk.nih.gov/dm/pubs/neuropathies/. Accessed on July 26, 2006.

(vi) National Diabetes Information Clearing House. "Diabetic Neuropathies: The Nerve Damage of Diabetes." Available at: http://diabetes.niddk.nih.gov/dm/pubs/neuropathies/. Accessed on July 26, 2006.

Lathian Develops Breakthrough Features to Enhance eLearning

Lathian Develops Breakthrough Features to Enhance eLearning

Market Wire via NewsEdge Corporation :

PLYMOUTH MEETING, PA, April 18 / MARKET WIRE/ --

Lathian, a leading provider of online interactive marketing and sales solutions for the life sciences industry, today announced the introduction of its new and innovative user interface design. All features of its next generation design are available now and are just one of the ways that Lathian is making brand messages easy to absorb, remember, and act upon.

Lathian anticipates marketplace changes

Lathian recently conducted a survey of frequent viewers of online programs. These healthcare professionals asked for tools that would make learning more efficient and personalized. Lathian responded and is pleased to announce the integration of "non-linear story lines" that it calls Precise Learning. The unique features of Precise Learning provide healthcare professionals the ability to choose their topics of interest or provide the opportunity for brand managers to segment their audience and offer customized messages relevant and specific to multiple segments. As a consequence, the content adapts dynamically to maximize learning throughout the online program. Other enhancements are: "Save My Place" bookmarks that allow participants to jump back in where they left off; and "Continuous Polling" that allows participants to rate each and every topic. The result: the viewer experiences a personalized and compelling session that effects behavioral change -- resulting in greater market share.

Next generation sample features include

--  Messages are dynamically re-ordered to align with a physician's stated     goals of treatment. The way in which a participant answers an assessment     question determines which topics are presented next, or even if a topic is     added or omitted.  --  Brand managers may specify that additional clinical trial results be     shown to pediatricians, but not to primary care physicians.     

Usability puts the customer at the center of design

Clarify communications. Simplify the experience. Utilize common sense technology to enrich the experience. Lathian makes the eLearning experience as straightforward as possible through a set of usability features in its content design. These enhancements enable the healthcare professional to experience a personalized learning session, which is the most effective way to engage participants, allow learning to occur, and ultimately to change behavior.

"We are pleased to introduce these innovative features," said V. Brewster Jones, CEO of Lathian. "Convenience and ease of use are vital to online communication with all healthcare professionals. Lathian continues to be a pioneer in creating next generation tools to support effective online communication and continuous learning."

About Lathian

Lathian makes medical marketing more effective and more profitable for life sciences companies. The company's innovative online promotional and educational solutions help life sciences companies improve customer relationships, enhance product education, and increase sales. Lathian has led the way in creating effective eLearning and ePromotion campaigns since 2000. The company has worked with over 100 leading life sciences brands across more than 60 therapeutic categories and dozens of specialties, and has a network of healthcare professionals exceeding 500,000.

Please call Barbara Dowling, Senior VP, Sales and Service, at 610.832.2302, or send email to bdowling@lathian.com, to find out about these new features and Lathian's innovative Spectrum of Solutions. You can also learn more about Lathian by visiting www.Lathian.com.

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Media Contact:

Joe DeBelle

Senior Director, Marketing

Lathian Systems, Inc.

Email Contact

610-832-2305

ASK.com Announces Online Initiative for the Black Community

IAC Announces Online Initiative for the Black Community

Appoints Johnny C. Taylor, Jr. CEO

NEW YORK - April 18, 2007 - IAC (Nasdaq: IACI) announced today that it will launch an online destination for the Black community featuring topical content, relevant services and a platform for community interaction. Johnny C. Taylor, Jr. has been appointed CEO of the initiative, which is scheduled to launch in January 2008 and will be based in Charlotte, NC.

The yet-to-be-named site aims to bring the best the Web has to offer to the U.S. Black population, specifically catering to the community‘s distinct needs and interests. It will be part of IAC Programming, created in 2006 to grow branded online content properties that engage passionate communities.

“There exists enormous opportunity in today’s online landscape to provide Blacks with an experience that engages their unique communities through a collective voice,” said Mr. Taylor. “There are 40 million African Americans in the U.S., and we estimate an additional 20 million Blacks from Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean. IAC – with its superior technology, operational expertise and more than 60 brands – is poised to provide exceptional content and services for this growing and underserved population.”

Michael Jackson, President of IAC Programming, said, “Johnny has superb experience in talent acquisition and an exceptional track record in business strategy and execution. He is also a passionate advocate and leader for the Black community. With his intelligence, business acumen, and people skills, Johnny is the best person to launch this important Programming initiative – the first ethnically focused property in the IAC family of brands.”

For the past year, Mr. Taylor has served as IAC’s SVP of Human Resources in New York.  Previously he was SVP of Human Resources at LendingTree, an operating company of IAC.  Before joining LendingTree, Mr. Taylor was President of McGuireWoods HR Strategies LLC, and served as Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary for Compass Group USA, Inc. Mr. Taylor also spent more than eight years in senior executive human resources and legal positions with Viacom subsidiaries Blockbuster Entertainment and Paramount Pictures.

About IAC
IAC is an interactive conglomerate operating more than 60 diversified brands in sectors being transformed by the internet, online and offline... our mission is to harness the power of interactivity to make daily life easier and more productive for people all over the world. To learn more about IAC please visit http://iac.com .