ePharma News from Today

Health search gets easier with new condition-specific sites 
Six new mini sites have been added to the health search engine Health Site Guide, providing another opportunity for pharmas to link their own Web sites to deeper content and a targeted audience. For example, Health Site Guide launched less than two months ago and since then, Merck has requested that the site add a link to MerckSource. The mini sites are available under a section called Health Spotlight, which links users to sites dedicated to six diseases: autism, breast cancer, colon cancer, diabetes, heart disease, and prostate cancer. Like the Health Site Guide itself, the mini sites contain "pre-searched" links that provide direct access to sections of other health Web sites that contain information about the condition. In addition to links to outside sources such as Mayo Clinic and WebMD, the sites include information about the particular condition and links to videos, animations, support groups, and interactive tools.  
 

 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
Pilot uses iPods to prepare patients for bariatric surgery 
In another example of how iPods can be used in healthcare, a pilot program in Indianapolis is teaching patients about their upcoming bariatric surgery through podcasts. Patients participating in the "HealthPod" program can review audio and video clips about the surgical procedure, pre- and post-operative care, and other information, reports FortWayne.com. The first iPods were distributed on July 11 and contain patient testimonials, Q&As from surgeons, and a virtual tour of the facility where their surgery will take place. Patients also have access to diet and exercise tips, motivational messages, and recipes. Doctors at a physicians' office in Wales are also using podcasts to educate their patients about using their asthma inhalers correctly (ePharm5, 6/23/06). iPods can be used to store medical information and act as medication reminders, said Grant Winter, president of The Manhattan Bureau, during Pharmaceutical Executive's Marketing and Sales Summit in Philadelphia.  
 

 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
Pharma-sponsored Spanish site provides infertility information
Organon and Akzo Nobel are sponsoring www.FertilityJourneySpanish.com, a Spanish-language Web site to help couples deal with infertility. The site offers information about topics such as testing for and diagnosing infertility, treatment options, and finding a clinic. Tools for financial planning, coverage of medical treatments, and coping with infertility-related anxiety are also available. Site visitors can register to receive a free monthly e-newsletter about infertility and information about medical developments. The new site is a Spanish-language version of one that launched last year, the companies report. Organon makes the fertility treatments Orgalutran, Pregnyl, and Puregon/Follistim.  
 

 

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

Sen. Frist launches blog, Web site to discuss healthcare issues
There is another Web site and blog dedicated to healthcare issues, this time from Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, who is also a physician. Currently, the bloggers on the site, www.MedicalMatters.org, are anonymous, posting entries about drug importation and health costs. Although the site says its mission is to connect physicians, nurses, patients, and other stakeholders in discussions about healthcare and how it will change in the 21st century, some postings are political rants. For example, one post about WalMart's health coverage is entitled, "Elect a bunch of liberals, get bonehead laws." Frist will frequently blog, and according to the Miami Herald, future bloggers will include about a dozen other healthcare professionals. The site is run through Frist's Volunteer Political Action Committee.  
   

 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
Pharma ties to FDA committee members will get greater scrutiny 
The FDA is taking a closer look at its process for letting people with drug industry ties serve on its advisory committees. Under its new plan, the FDA says it will draft guidance to identify more clearly how waivers are granted and when they will be disclosed to the public. The FDA also plans to make the entire advisory committee process more transparent. For example, it plans to issue guidance about when certain materials used during committee meetings will be made publicly available and more widely publicize committee schedules. The FDA's move to add transparency to its advisory committee process comes just weeks after the Journal of the American Medical Association tightened its conflict of interest policy because a group of study authors didn't disclose all financial ties to the drug industry.  
 

Surf TV

http://www.deepwaterchannel.com/

For all mommies... (and perhaps some daddies)

http://www.mommetv.com/

CMT Unveils Broadband Video Site

CMT Unveils Broadband Video Site

by Mark Walsh, Tuesday, Jul 25, 2006 6:00 AM ET

MTV NETWORKS' COUNTRY MUSIC TELEVISION channel, CMT, joined the broadband stampede Monday, kicking off a new entertainment Web site that combines unaired TV footage, original material and music videos in hopes of becoming a virtual Nashville for country music fans. The new site, CMT Loaded, offers five main video-heavy channels: news, music, TV, movies, and highlights from across the network. Loaded will draw heavily on new or additional material from CMT Network shows to provide behind-the-scenes clips, exclusive performance footage and artist interviews. One program, for instance, features unaired auditions from CMT's "Coyote Ugly: I Wanna Be a Coyote" reality TV show. Exploiting the demand for user-generated content, the site will also offer access to unseen videos from the network's "Country Fried Home Videos" show. "It's that whole YouTube situation--we definitely want to get in on that," said Lewis Bogach, vice president of programming and production at CMT, referring to the wildly popular video-sharing site. In starting a broadband video site to complement its cable network, CMT is also following the model of sister Viacom-owned networks MTV, with Overdrive, and VH-1's Vspot. Some CMT video is already available through Urge, MTV's download site. Bogach said that Loaded is also creating original shows such as "B Sides," that rely on new and existing material to produce short-form videos ranging from "Video Babes" to "Skynyrd: The Beginnings." "It's a new, branded show that's totally unique to Loaded," said Bogach. More original programming is expected to be introduced in the coming months. To help cross-promote the new site and the cable network, the new vehicle of CMT star Jeff Foxworthy, "Foxworthy's Night Out," will premier exclusively on Loaded on Sept. 1. And with a free, ad-based model, Loaded is hoping to lasso new and existing CMT advertisers. Signed on as charter sponsor for the site in the first month is AT&T Blue Room, the music video site the phone giant started in 2005. The AT&T ads precede video streams throughout the site and AT&T exclusively sponsors Studio 333 Sessions, which features "un-plugged" performances by upcoming and established country artists. Other initial advertisers include Nationwide, Pfizer and Fruit-of-the Loom. "Were wrapping Loaded into all our upfront pitches so it's a real integrated effort to sell on-air and online like never before," said Martin Clayton, vice president of digital media for CMT. Because of the tight connection between Loaded and its network parent, he expects CMT advertisers such as Chevrolet and Procter & Gamble to buy space on the new site. Prior to the launch of Loaded, CMT.com drew 2.3 million unique visitors in June--up from 1.6 million a year ago, according to comScore Networks. Clayton said CMT's online users skew slightly younger than its TV audience, which has a median age of 40--but both are split about evenly between men and women. When it comes to any advertiser skittishness about the Wild West of broadband media, Clayton isn't overly concerned. "Our user-generated stuff isn't going to be that edgy," he said.

 

Patients use iPods to get information on surgery

Patients use iPods to get information on surgery
By Michael Schroeder
The Journal Gazette

What’s on your iPod?

The latest from rapper 50 Cent, rocker John Mellencamp’s greatest hits or maybe – just maybe – information about your upcoming surgery.

A pilot program through Indianapolis-based Clarian Health Partners is providing iPods to bariatric patients as part of its ongoing efforts in education. “HealthPod” is the first program in the nation to use the popular pint-sized devices as support mechanisms for bariatric patients, Clarian said when it announced the program this month.

It’s the latest wrinkle in the effort to keep patients informed about all aspects of their care – a far cry from yesteryear, when it was assumed it was better that only the doctor knew what was going on. Medical officials say keeping patients in-the-know helps to allay fears – even if some details may be difficult to bear at first – and increases the likelihood that they will take initiative in their care.

If all goes well with the pilot program, Clarian hopes to use iPod technology to support patients going through cancer, transplant and women’s health programs.

No immediate plans have been announced locally for iPod patient education, although health care providers use Internet and video tools to help educate their patients.

Technological advances like the iPod are a complement to ongoing education but not a replacement for one-on-one interaction, health care officials say. In the same way, many people turn to the Internet to research their options before setting foot in a doctor’s office or hospital.

“Having all that (information) real time is a huge benefit,” said Terri Hohlt, administrator for the Clarian Bariatric Program.

HealthPod allows patients to review audio and video clips about the bariatric program, their procedure, the pre-operative preparation and post operation follow-up at their own pace and review the information as often as needed. The first iPod was dispatched July 11.

Bariatric surgery is a weight-loss procedure for patients who are morbidly obese – typically 100 pounds or more above their ideal weight. Several procedures exist that either reduce stomach size, decrease the body’s ability to absorb calories and nutrients or both – as is the case with the most common bariatric procedure, Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery.

Like all weight-loss measures, success requires a personal commitment to be made to eat properly and exercise.

Patients who participate in the HealthPod program get ready access to patient testimonials, surgeons answering frequently asked questions, a virtual tour of the facilities and specifics about their surgical procedure. They also get access to diet and grocery shopping tips, recipes, exercise routines, motivational messages and, after it’s all said and done, an iPod that is theirs to keep.

Clarian invested about $120,000 in a studio, video equipment, IT infrastructure development, program maintenance and distribution of the iPods, each of which costs $299, minus the health system’s 10 percent corporate discount. Clarian spent about $8,000 on the iPods and set aside $30,000 more for program expansion.

Hohlt stressed that HealthPod is just one component of an educational effort that includes regular face-to-face consultation. Still, the pilot program affords patients an opportunity to share health information with family members at home, she said.

Hohlt knows how hard it can be for patients to swallow the realities of surgery, especially in a sterile environment. She’s had patients walk out of bariatric program classes crying, saying they are scared, after hearing about the particulars of surgery.

“You need your family support to make it through,” Hohlt said.

A colleague at Clarian concurred.

“For increased chances of a successful preparation for and recovery from bariatric surgery … patients need to be steadfast,” Cindy DeBord, registered nurse and clinical resource manager of technology solutions and education for Clarian, said in a statement. “In order to be steadfast, bariatric surgery patients need to be educated with accurate information and motivated by the emotional support of loved ones. An informed patient is less likely to have return visits.”

That sentiment is echoed by others in the medical community.

Like numerous other local health care facilities, Parkview Regional Cancer Center provides patients with on-site Internet access. Staff members provide guidance on useful Web sites – such as the American Cancer Society’s site – and patients can surf on their own. A small one-room library also provides pertinent books, videos, pamphlets and other materials.

But the crux of patient education revolves around personal consultation. Nurses typically spend about 45 minutes to an hour talking with newly diagnosed patients, discussing their condition, laying out treatment options and answering questions. Patients are encouraged to ask as many questions as they wish – even if they have already been answered, said Lynn Gerig, cancer center care coordinator.

“They’re going to know much more about cancer than they ever wanted to know,” Gerig said.

It can be overwhelming given the gravity of the situation and technical nature of the information, she said.

But ultimately education decreases patients’ fear by illuminating the unknown, decreases their potential for side effects (as patients learn how to properly prepare for treatment and what steps to take – such as rest – to recover) and improves their follow-through, said Gerig, who is a registered nurse.

When patients know all their options, “it gives them control … in a very frightening situation,” she said.

The more patients know about their cancer and treatment, the more equipped they are to monitor their health and take necessary precautions. After treatment, that could mean the difference between making a preventive visit to the doctor’s office when symptoms first arise and landing in the emergency room in dire condition, she said.

Like others in her profession, Gerig couldn’t think of any good reason to withhold information from patients, even if some details are sometimes hard to stomach. She joked that she knows enough is enough when a patients’ eyes glaze over, but she expressed serious concern about the well-being of those who prefer to remain in the dark.

“There always are individuals who say, you know, ‘I don’t want this (information) … just do what you have to do,’?” Gerig said. She accepts that this is how some patients cope but worries that it inhibits optimal care.

Many of these patients experience a high level of anxiety about treatment – even to the point where some may not be able to hold still during a procedure – and they may find it hard to trust their doctors, leave out useful personal medical information and lack proper follow through, she said.

Luckily, Gerig said most people don’t defer education on their condition and treatment options.

Kim Harris, director of clinic services at Fort Wayne Orthopedics, agreed. She said the average patient is more knowledgeable – in large part – because of the Internet.

Harris points patients to the company’s own Web site and partner WANE-TV, Channel 15’s Web site. The latter includes a tool called “Interactive Human Atlas” which provides 3-D video clips on topics such as ACL (or anterior cruciate ligament) tears.

Once in the office, a patient’s education entails personal consultation and literature, mainstays in the field. Whether patients just want the basics or want more in-depth information – as most seem to – that’s what they get, she said.

“We try to tailor the education to what they are looking for,” Harris said. She’s quick to add that there’s a pay-off for patients who take advantage of Internet resources, like the Web sites, before they come in. “I think they get more out of their visit.”

Podcasts Lure Big Advertisers

Podcasts Lure Big Advertisers

Monday, Jul 24, 2006 7:00 AM ET

BIG ADVERTISERS ARE PAYING ATTENTION to podcasts. According to The Economics of Podcasting, a report released Thursday by Nielsen Analytics, the most successful podcasts get as many as 2 million downloads a month. Podcast advertisers include Sony Pictures, Shell Oil, EarthLink, Warner Bros., HP, HBO, and GoDaddy. More than 6 percent of U.S. adults--about 9 million Web users--have downloaded podcasts in the past 30 days, the report concluded, echoing estimates released last week by Nielsen//NetRatings. Most podcast users are male--more than 75 percent. To reach consumers, advertisers are putting their messages within the program or using endorsements from podcast hosts.

 

WebMD, Medsite merge to create greatest doctor reach in industry

WebMD, Medsite merge to create greatest doctor reach in industry       

WebMD significantly expanded its physician reach and offerings by acquiring medical education and physician recruitment giant Medsite, the company said yesterday. The $41 million acquisition marries Medsite's database of more than 400,000 physicians with the WebMD Health Network, which includes Medscape and MedicineNet. According to WebMD, the combined companies will deliver the greatest reach in the industry to physicians in every major specialty. For pharma and biotech companies, the acquisition also provides expanded online tools for sales and marketing efforts. Medsite works with more than 60 pharma, device, and healthcare companies, according to WebMD. The acquisition is expected to close during the third quarter of 2006.

Fox Atomic Unveils Broadband Site

Fox Atomic Unveils Broadband Site

by Mark Walsh, Thursday, Jul 20, 2006 8:14 AM ET

FOX ATOMIC, THE YOUTH-ORIENTED DIVISION of Fox Filmed Entertainment, Wednesday unveiled a new broadband Web site that it hopes will serve as a magnet for its core audience of 17- to-24-year-olds. To keep young users coming back, www.foxatomic.com will offer interactive features, humorous video clips, and other content as well as promotions for the unit's upcoming movie releases. "What we're really doing is trying to create an entertainment destination for our audience," said John Hegeman, chief operating officer of Fox Atomic. By enticing teens and young adults with "fun things to do," the studio seeks to build a closer relationship with its users, which in turn will help create an eager audience for its films. Hegeman, who developed the groundbreaking Internet marketing campaign for "The Blair Witch Project" in 1999, recalled how the 25 million weekly visitors to the movie's site dwindled away over the course of a year. "That we built up to that level and it just went away is something that always bothered me," he said. Since then, marketing movies on the Internet has become a standard part of Hollywood promotional campaigns. Lately, big studios have capitalized on the popularity of social networking sites to reach young moviegoers. Walt Disney Co., for example, recently launched a campaign on YouTube.com for "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest," marking the first time a national marketer has advertised on the video-sharing site. To tap into the appeal of social-networking sites, foxatomic.com partnered with Jumpcut.com to develop a feature called The Blender that will allow users to make and edit their own video shorts. The site will also carry material from Stupidvideos.com and clips from Fox TV shows. Hegeman said that he also expects the site will develop cross-promotional initiatives with other News Corp.-owned sites that draw young users such as MySpace.com and IGN. In addition to any cross-promotional content deals foxatomic.com strikes, the site will also be ad-supported. Foxatomic.com is looking to build an audience of 500,000 unique visitors over the summer, to grow ultimately to about 2 million, said Hegeman. Fox Atomic, formed late last year, will debut its first theatrical release "Turistas," a horror flick set in a remote Brazilian beach town, in December. That will be followed by in 2007 by a slate of films including a pair of horror sequels: "The Hills Have Eyes 2," and "28 Days Later."

New health search tool helps users refine search results

New health search tool helps users refine search results

A new health search engine not only produces Web search results; it also helps users refine their searches. The site, www.Medstory.com, uses a "dashboard" of information to help direct users toward more in-depth searches by presenting results that are sorted by topics such as drugs, procedures, or clinical studies. For example, a search for the word "depression" produces results for different drug treatments, personal health information, and conditions such as anxiety. Rolling a mouse over a result produces a pop-up box with more information about the term and links for the user to conduct a more in-depth search about that topic. According to Medstory, the site weeds through search results to provide a wide range of information in an easy-to-digest manner. A study out this week from JupiterResearch shows that although 71% of online consumers use search engines to look for health-related information, only 16% find what they're looking for.   ----   Medstory Provides Breakthrough Search Technology for Consumers and Professionals Seeking in-Depth Health and Medical Information; New Online Service Aims to Simplify the Search for Health and Medical Information Business Wire via NewsEdge Corporation : FOSTER CITY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 19, 2006--Medstory, Inc., a provider of leading edge intelligent search technologies for consumers, professionals and organizations, today officially unveiled its newest service focused on health and medicine. The online service can be found at www.medstory.com. Medstory provides users who are performing health-related searches with an instant dashboard of information, summarized from Medstory's real-time analysis of their search. For example, a user searching for information on "lowering cholesterol" is instantly presented with highly relevant information such as drugs (e.g., simvastatin and atorvastatin), nutrition (e.g., olive oil and soybeans) and other interests spanning personal health to clinical research. This dashboard allows users to easily discover relevant information and is also used to locate the most pertinent resources. This is different from other search services that mainly offer lists of web pages ranked largely by link popularity. "Medstory is introducing a breakthrough way to search, driven by knowledge of the field," said Alain Rappaport, founder and CEO of Medstory. "Our search results are a comprehensive and interactive dashboard of information that instantly summarizes the information that matters. Without this, you are left with the very difficult task of doing it yourself." In a complex area like health and medicine, searchers need technology that leverages knowledge of the field to assist them in rapidly discovering high-value information. Medstory addresses this need by helping users weed through the often-confusing volume of health and medical information online and provides them with in-depth and relevant information. "We power intelligent search across a broad spectrum of information, for both consumers and professionals," continued Dr. Rappaport. About Medstory: Medstory's mission is to enable users to search complex fields on the Web intelligently, starting with health and medicine. Medstory's intelligent search technology was developed while delivering highly specialized search platforms for the biotechnology and healthcare sectors. Medstory's goal is to provide highly efficient search solutions for all types of motivated users, consumers and professionals. The company was founded by Dr. Alain Rappaport, who also co-founded Neuron Data (later Blaze Software), a leading global provider of artificial intelligence and business process software. Headquartered in Foster City, California, Medstory is backed by a group of eminent angel investors and advisors from the high-technology, health care and financial industries and academia. For more information, visit www.medstory.com.

KickApps Unveils User-Generated Video Tool

KickApps Unveils User-Generated Video Tool

Friday, Jul 14, 2006 10:52 AM ET

IN HOPES OF CAPITALIZING ON the buzz surrounding social networking as a tool for marketing and customer loyalty, the company KickApps has unveiled a product that allows Web publishers to deploy user-generated video and social networking functionality directly on their sites.   www.kickapps.com

Amgen, Bayer among firms involved in life sciences Web showcase

Amgen, Bayer among firms involved in life sciences Web showcase

Amgen, Bayer, and Genentech are among the companies behind a new Web site showcasing California's life sciences industry. The site, www.chi.org, is from the California Healthcare Institute (CHI) and aims to provide a single online clearinghouse for innovators in the life sciences. The site also aims to build awareness and educate the public about how the industry contributes to the economy and public health. The site will feature information about the member companies, academic research, events, and the public policies that affect medical innovation. According to the Institute, the site is the ideal venue for fostering cooperation between companies through technology, ideas, and information. Other CHI members include Johnson & Johnson, Novartis, and Pfizer. 

Relaunched ophthalmology site holds customized advertising opps

Relaunched ophthalmology site holds customized advertising opps

Ad opportunities, a CME learning center, and weekly podcasts are some of the features of a relaunched Web site for ophthalmologists. According to OSNSuperSite.com, advertising and custom sponsorships are available for marketers. For example, the site now offers users wireless access, which features the day's top stories, meeting coverage, and other features, and advertisers get a free PDA ad with their site sponsorship. The site has more than 43,000 registered users and provides more than 12,000 searchable full-text news stories, peer-reviewed articles, and other educational resources. Some of the site's new features include more advanced search tools, weekly podcasts of news stories and interviews with leading ophthalmologists, coverage of ophthalmic meetings, and improved site functionality. OSNSuperSite.com is produced by healthcare information provider SLACK Publishing. 

Verispan: Most docs tell patients to go online for health info

BRIEF

 

Verispan: Most docs tell patients to go online for health info

The majority of doctors--79%--encourage their patients to use the Web for medical information, according to a Verispan study of physicians and patients. WebMD was the most popular site among the patients surveyed, with 31% saying it is the site they visit most often for health information. Google (7%), Yahoo! (4%), and the Mayo Clinic (3%) were also cited by patients. Only 19% of patients said they had actually ordered prescriptions over the Internet, but older patients were more likely to have done so than younger ones. Twenty-six percent of respondents age 55 or older said they had ordered prescriptions online, compared to only 17% of consumers younger than 55. When asked where they order their prescriptions online, 26% said Medco.com, 11% said ExpressScripts.com, and 9% reported Walgreens.com.

 

----

 

FULL STORY

 

Verispan Reports: 79% of Physicians Encourage Patients to Use the Internet for Medical Information

 

Business Wire via NewsEdge Corporation :
YARDLEY, Pa.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 13, 2006--According to Verispan's Pharmaceutical Company Image 2006, 79% of physicians reported that they encourage patients to use the Internet for medical information.

 

When asked what Web site they frequent most often for medical information, 31% of consumers reported utilizing WebMD. Search engines Google and Yahoo! earned 7% and 4% of mentions, respectively, followed by the Mayo Clinic with 3% of mentions.

 

Nineteen percent of consumers surveyed indicated that they had ordered prescription products over the Internet. Notably, older consumers were significantly more likely to order prescriptions over the Web; 26% of respondents age 55 or older reported that they had ordered prescriptions online, compared with 17% of consumers younger than 55.

 

Medco.com received the largest share of consumer responses for the Web site visited to order prescription products online (26%). ExpressScripts.com ranked second with 11% of all consumer mentions, followed by Walgreens.com with 9%.

 

About Pharmaceutical Company Image

 

Pharmaceutical Company Image is a comprehensive biennial analysis of pharmaceutical company and industry image as perceived by key healthcare professionals. The 2006 version represents the eighth edition of this landmark study and enables market researchers and brand management to:

 

-- Evaluate a company's overall image relative to market success and increases in prescribing.

 

-- Validate corporate initiatives to promote overall company image.

 

-- Understand the importance of company attributes among key customer groups.

 

-- Identify whether direct-to-consumer advertising drives consumer perceptions of pharmaceutical manufacturers.

 

For more information about Pharmaceutical Company Image or other studies in Verispan's Strategic Studies suite, please contact Tara Hamm at (267) 685-4423.

 

About Verispan

 

Verispan, a healthcare informatics joint venture of Quintiles Transnational Corp. and McKesson Corp., provides a broad array of information products and services to the healthcare industry, including sales targeting and compensation products; market research audits; healthcare profiles; comprehensive managed care offerings; primary market research; data integration, warehousing and mining; data analysis and consulting; direct mail; list services; disease management studies; clinical trial investigator targeting and protocol recruitment evaluation; healthcare outcomes; and cost/benefit analyses, among many others. Verispan is also the nation's leading provider of patient-centric longitudinal data, with dozens of products used by clients spanning the industry.

 

Headquartered in Yardley, Pa., Verispan employs over 500 dedicated healthcare information professionals. The company's Web site is www.verispan.com.
 

HP Breaks Video Ads Online

HP Breaks Video Ads Online

by Wendy Davis, Thursday, Jul 13, 2006 6:00 AM ET

COMPUTER GIANT HEWLETT-PACKARD WEDNESDAY LAUNCHED new video ads online as part of the company's continuing branding campaign for its personal computers. The 30- and 60-second ads, featuring reality TV producer Mark Burnett and Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, are available on a variety of video sites, including YouTube, iFilm, and Google, as well as HP's own microsite for the campaign. A third clip starring producer and singer Pharrell Williams will debut online shortly. All three ads will break later this year on national and cable TV, with the Mark Burnett spot slated to appear on his new show "Gold Rush." The video clips represent the latest phase of the online portion of HP's current branding initiative, which carries the slogan "The Computer Is Personal Again," and aims to promote computers as expressions of users' individuality. Other components of the online campaign include a Facebook "profile" for the HP notebook and an online personal ad on MySpace, among other initiatives, said Tracey Trachta, director worldwide consumer advertising at HP. The Web ads reflect HP's attempt to experiment with unusual online ad units, Trachta said. "We could put out 200 banner ads or five things that are cool and make a difference," she said, adding that the Web campaign is designed to build buzz about the ads before they appear on TV. "Online is incredibly powerful in terms of word-of-mouth and is a really effective engine for distributing and engaging with our target audience." In the spots, the stars' images are truncated at the neck so that their faces aren't on screen. Users who click through are taken to a microsite which has more in-depth information (an image of one of the star's desktops, for instance) as well as outtakes and other extras. The new clips mark an extension of a campaign that launched on TV this May. The ads that broke this spring starred snowboarder Sean White and hip-hop artist Jay-Z. Those clips also are available online on YouTube and other sites. Goodby, Silverstein & Partners created the units and designed the microsite, which was built by Agency.com. ZenithOptimedia handled media buying duties.

Atlas Creates VOD Ad Network

Atlas Creates VOD Ad Network

by Erik Sass, Thursday, Jul 13, 2006 6:00 AM ET

DIGITAL MARKETING TECHNOLOGY COMPANY ATLAS has forged a deal with Concurrent Technology, a digital video tech firm, and Everstream, a digital ratings data service owned by Concurrent, to create a network for buying, executing, and tracking the results of digital video ads. By coordinating the efforts of the three companies, Atlas hopes to gain a competitive edge by achieving economies of scale and greater efficiency for customers. The alliance will allow advertisers to deliver addressable TV ads via both broadband and cable connections for insertion in video-on-demand programming. Atlas' portion of the alliance will provide automated campaign management, Concurrent will supply the VOD itself, and Everstream will track the results. Gary Trimm, CEO of Concurrent, pointed to precise targeting and increased accountability as the big payoff for advertisers and media execs: "Targeted ad insertion and quantitative reporting of this data are critical to ensuring the prolonged success of VOD's evolving advertising revenue model." But many advertisers have indicated they think VOD services are a lackluster ad platform, for a variety of reasons. In part, VOD itself doesn't seem to have generated as much consumer demand as some expected, because audiences think much of the programming isn't of interest. According to the E-Poll study "Video on Demand: Attitudes and Opportunities," many viewers feel it's a "last resort for television." Another consumer complaint was the cost of VOD programming, often charged on a per-item basis. What's more, 83 percent of E-Poll respondents said they would accept a 60-second commercial "for a product they are interested in" in return for free VOD. Scott Ferris, senior vice president and general manager for Atlas, acknowledged that the industry was "still in the early stages of establishing the infrastructure for the next-generation VOD advertising model."

Podcast Users Outnumber Bloggers

Podcast Users Outnumber Bloggers

by Wendy Davis, Thursday, Jul 13, 2006 6:00 AM ET

U.S. ADULTS WHO DOWNLOAD PODCASTS now outnumber those who publish blogs, according to new data by Nielsen//NetRatings. More than 9.2 million Web users, or 6.6 percent of U.S. adult Web users, have downloaded an audio podcast in the last 30 days, compared to 6.7 million users (4.8 percent) who published blogs in that time, according to the research company. Nielsen//NetRatings also reported that around 5.6 million online adults (4 percent) have downloaded a video podcast in the last 30 days. Podcast downloaders tend to be younger than the online population at large. Web users between the ages 18 and 24 are 72 percent more likely than the average Web user to listen to audio podcasts and 47 percent more likely to view video podcasts. Users older than 45 were less likely than average to listen or view podcasts. Web users who use podcasts are far more likely to visit certain content sites than the average Web user, according to Nielsen//NetRatings. Those who use audio podcasts are 506 percent more likely than average to visit Macworld, 453 percent more likely to visit Lycos Wired News, and 444 percent more likely to visit Slashdot. Video podcast users were 764 percent more likely than the average user to visit StarTrek.com, a CBS Paramount site based on the 40-year-old "Star Trek" TV franchise. Video podcast users were also 630 percent more likely than average to visit Live365.com, and 624 percent more likely than average to visit Fark.com.

Survey: Even when patients fill their Rx, most are noncompliant

Survey: Even when patients fill their Rx, most are noncompliant

Despite pharma efforts to improve patient medication compliance, 35% of patients did not fill all of the prescriptions they received, a number that has changed little in the past three years, according to a 2006 survey of 32,000 patients.   The survey from Wilson Health Information also showed that even when patients filled their prescriptions, 65% of them were not compliant with their medications, either because they didn't take all of their medicine or didn't take it as directed. The top reasons that patients didn't fill their prescriptions were that they didn't think they were needed (42%), they were too expensive (27%), and they changed doctors (20%). Forgetfulness (79%) was the most frequently cited reason for not taking their medicine as directed, followed by running out of medicine (19%), and cost (9%). Only 7% of respondents cited side effects as a reason for noncompliance.

ZenithOptimedia Ups Online Advertising Outlook

ZenithOptimedia Ups Online Advertising Outlook

Internet ad spending will account for 7.0 percent of global ad spend in 2008, according to a forecast update from ZenithOptimedia, which increased its outlook from April, when it had projected a 6.5 percent share (and 6.0 percent in December) for internet ad spend, reports ClickZ. The "pace of development in Internet advertising" was the factor cited for the most recent upgrade.

Online advertising spend is expected to reach $23.9 billion this year, $28.6 billion in 2007 and $32.5 billion in 2008 - or an increase of 75 percent from the $18.5 billion in 2005, according to ZenithOptimedia.

ZenithOptimedia estimates that financial services advertisers were the biggest online spenders in 2005, accounting for $1.6 billion in online ad spend, writes MediaPost; telecommunications companies were second with $1.5 billion, followed by retailers ($1.3 billion) and car companies ($700 million).

Web is the prime venue for reaching health mega-influencers

Web is the prime venue for reaching health mega-influencers

According to Manhattan Research, there are 142.4 million consumers who have an extended impact on the healthcare decisions of their loved ones. Targeting these mega-influencers can help pharmas get their message to hard-to-reach populations. The Internet is an optimal venue for targeting them, says Erika S. Fishman, Manhattan Research senior analyst. "Compared to the general population, the mega-influencers are considerably more likely to go online in any capacity: go online for health, and go online for pharmaceutical information," she tells ePharm5. According to the study, the mega-influencers can impact another 152.9 million people, especially those with diabetes, hypertension, arthritis, heart disease, asthma, high cholesterol, chronic pain, and depression.

U.S. Women Uninformed About Lung Cancer

U.S. Women Uninformed About Lung Cancer

2 hours, 51 minutes ago

MONDAY, July 10 (HealthDay News) -- A new survey finds that American women are greatly uninformed about the threats posed by lung cancer and how it can affect them.

Published by the U.S. National Lung Cancer Partnership, the 2006 survey of more than 500 women not only lists the statistical realities of lung cancer in this country -- it also reveals a widespread lack of awareness by millions.

"This survey is a current snapshot of women's attitudes and beliefs about lung cancer, and it's frightening -- especially considering the extensive media coverage on the topic after Peter Jennings' and Dana Reeve's deaths. Women need to know the truth about lung cancer," Regina Vidaver, executive director of the National Lung Cancer Partnership (NLCP), said in a prepared statement.

According to the NLCP, lung cancer affects more than 80,000 American women annually, with over 70,000 cases proving to be fatal. Thirty thousand more women die annually from lung cancer than from breast cancer, they noted. In fact, lung cancer claims the lives of more women than breast, uterine, and ovarian cancers combined.

Other vital findings include:

Only 41 percent of women know that lung cancer is the leading cancer killer in the United States. Only 8 percent of women understand that exposure to radon gas is the second leading cause of lung cancer. Instead, 60 percent of women share the mistaken belief that exposure to secondhand smoke is the number two cause. Only 36 percent of women are aware that lung cancer kills more women than breast cancer. Only 29 percent know that lung cancer kills more women than breast, ovarian and uterine cancers combined. Only 41 percent of women know that one in every 17 women will develop a lung malignancy in her lifetime. Only 18 percent of women know that women make up the majority of young (under age 40) lung cancer patients. Only 4 percent of women know that women typically do better than men following lung cancer treatment.

Another crucial subject addressed was that a quarter of all women "mistakenly believe there is a standard screening test to detect lung cancer in its early stages. Although such tests are in development, there is no clinically-approved screening test for this nation's top cancer killer", the NLCP said in a statement.

"Lung cancer is often perceived as a man's disease, yet it affects tens of thousands of women, and we're very concerned that women seem to be in the dark when it comes to the facts about lung cancer and the significant impact lung cancer can have on their lives," said Dr. Joan Schiller, president of the NLCP.

More information

For more information on lung cancer and treatment, please visit Women and Lung Cancer.

Health Web sites should use few graphics for low-literacy users

Health Web sites should use few graphics for low-literacy users

Web users with low literacy skills face significant barriers when trying to use the Internet for health information, health literacy expert Christina Zarcadoolas, PhD writes in Hospitals and Health Networks. However, there are ways to modify Web sites to make them more accessible, and doing so can open the Internet to millions of additional health information seekers. Rather than filling sites with a lot of text and graphics, sites should use more basic navigation tools. Links embedded in highlighted text are easier to use than graphic links, such as logos or photos, and sites should use fewer pop-up windows. Language can also present a barrier. Although roughly 90 million adults in the United States have a reading level at or below fifth grade, most Web information is written at a 10th-grade level.

Why Advertising Agencies Don't Get R&D

Friday, June 30, 2006
Why Advertising Agencies Don't Get R&D
By Max Kalehoff

A few weeks ago, at the 2006 Innovative Marketing Conference--produced by Corante and Columbia Business School--I attended a panel discussion on the "changing face of advertising," led by consultant Joseph Jaffe. Considering the conference theme was innovation, I had to ask a question of the illustrious panel reflecting my own experience working in the cutting edge of marketing and media: Why the heck are advertising and marketing agencies so often so late to invest in or experiment with new technologies and emerging media, while the marketers and clients demonstrate increasing interest and tendency to pursue them directly?

I'll admit, this is not a rule, and you can be sure most of Jaffe's panel passionately disagreed with me, and perhaps you do as well. However, my experience working at innovative startups for nearly a decade supports this notion: that advertising agencies, generally speaking, are increasingly behind the curve. And this is especially true when it comes to primary research and product development.

Fortunately, for my ego, one panelist agreed with me steadfastly and responded to my question in a most eloquent fashion. Dr. Len Ellis, one of my early career mentors and former executive vice president of strategy at WCJ, noted: "The advertising-agency industry is one which does not have R&D built in as a line item in the budget."

That point stuck with me, so I recently asked Len to elaborate on why product R&D so often is not part of the advertising-agency model. He noted:

1. The Deliverable. Advertising agencies produce content for a living; specifically, memorable stories in print ads and broadcast spots. Moreover, these stories are to be one-of-a-kind. Storytelling does not require R&D, nor does originality in storytelling.

2. The Value Proposition. Like all professional-services firms, agencies sell expertise, which by definition reflects what has worked in the past. R&D reflects an intention to try what hasn't been tried before.

3. The Culture. Like all vendors, ad agencies are risk-averse. Proposing the untried to results-oriented clients is a risk with long odds, an unknowable payoff and a steep downside.

And more recent contributing factors include:

4. The Ownership. The big agencies that have the requisite resources are all publicly owned these days, and Wall Street has little patience with company spending that cannot be tied to short-term results.

5. The Environment. There's been general erosion in R&D spending by U.S. businesses recently.

While Len makes some very good points, I also posed the question to my friend Mark Green, senior vice president, media services, ACNielsen Analytic Consulting, a sister company to mine. (Mark also has 18 years of media-agency experience.) He explained that in the context of primary R&D, if you were to break down the traditional ad-agency model into its three parts--media services, creative and account management--it begins to makes sense why R&D doesn't always fit.

First, creative and account management view advertising and marketing as more of an art form--not something subject to R&D. As for media services, it has been a victim of lowering margins and head count, while ad spending has increased dramatically. Media services has become more of a commodity business, and therefore can't support R&D, as the cost won't be directly passed on to the client. While some of the big players do make small plays in R&D, these efforts are mostly hype. Mark emphasized that this is not a steadfast rule; there are a few exceptions.

Finally, I posed the same question to my colleague Pete Blackshaw, who helped lead the first interactive marketing department at Procter & Gamble. He underscored that the R&D absence in the agency model is partly the fault of the marketers they work for. The client's model of risk aversion and fear of exploring the unknown often passes right down to the agency. The bottom line is that clients need to put skin in the game and invest, along with their agencies.

With commoditization and risk aversion seemingly so prevalent, what is advertising to do? In these disruptive times in our media and marketing landscape, isn't R&D the ad industry's salvation? Better yet, isn't R&D necessary to avoid carnage?

Max Kalehoff is vice president of marketing for Nielsen BuzzMetrics, a global measurement service for consumer-generated media.

 

Marketers Embrace Podcasts As Marketing Tools

Marketers Embrace Podcasts As Marketing Tools
The Wall Street Journal
Major marketers are beginning to experiment with podcasts--free audio programs that can be downloaded onto portable music players or computers--as marketing tools. The list includes Johnson & Johnson, General Motors Corp., and Whirlpool Corp.--all of which have seized on the popularity of the broadcasts as part of their marketing strategies to tech-savvy consumers. It's difficult to draw a direct correlation between podcasts and product sales, but marketing experts said the broadcasts can be useful in building brand awareness. "If you have a small group that's listening every week, that's great," said Steve Rubel, a senior vice president with public-relations giant Edelman. "You are building a relationship with people who are influential and who will tell other people what to buy." For the company's Acuvue contact lenses, J&J sponsors a series of podcasts about teenage life called "Download with Heather & Jonelle," written and hosted by two teenage girls of the same names. The girls and their podcast have a special page on the Acuvue Web site, and the show is also listed in a podcast directory on Apple Computer Inc.'s iTunes. The program has boosted awareness of the Acuvue brand among teens, said Naomi Kelman, president of Vistakon Americas, the J&J unit responsible for Acuvue.

 

IAB Co-Founder Expands Health Network

IAB Co-Founder Expands Health Network

by Shankar Gupta, Friday, Jun 30, 2006 6:00 AM ET

AFTER QUIETLY BUILDING OUT ITS properties for the last several months, ChoiceMedia Thursday officially unveiled a new network of health sites, dubbed Health Central Network. The company--which recently received venture financing from Sequoia Capital, Allen and Company, The Carlyle Group, and Polaris Venture Partners--also formally changed its name to Health Central Network. The company now operates 25 health vertical Web sites, each focused on a specific condition or wellness issue, such as migraine headaches, diabetes, or skin cancer. Marketers include all the major pharmaceutical companies, including Pfizer, and Johnson & Johnson; the company also is in talks with health-related consumer packaged goods manufacturers, including Procter & Gamble and Yoplait, said Christopher Schroeder, Health Central president and CEO. Schroeder added that company's focus is to provide in-depth information about specific conditions. "We're not looking to be another generic one stop shop health encyclopedia. The portals do that very, very well," said Schroeder, former CEO of Washingtonpost.Newsweek Interactive and a co-founder of the Interactive Advertising Bureau. "People are overwhelmed with the amount of information, and they're overwhelmed with the amount of information that's hard for them to understand." Each of Health Central's individual sites is authored by several "patient experts"--bloggers, authors, or medical professionals--and aims to get not only the clinical information, which Schroeder said has become "commoditized," but also experiences and stories from writers who have lived with each condition. "They write content not just about the clinical ramifications of the illness, but also the personal ramifications," he said. "These types of content are unbelievably emotive, they drive a lot of reaction from the community." The Web has seen a bloom of health-related services with all the major portals offering some sort of Health vertical--Google most recently entered the market, launching a health category for its Google Co-op product, joining MSN Health and Yahoo Health, both major players. Other, more niche offerings have also cropped up. American Online founder Steve Case last year launched Revolution, a network focusing on lifestyle, health, and wellness.

Physician Web community tops 400,000 with worldwide membership

Physician Web community tops 400,000 with worldwide membership

More than 400,000 physicians worldwide are now part of an online community of physicians that participate in pharmaceutical and other market research. The agency, Medefield, launched what it calls an aggressive recruitment program that resulted in a 25% increase in its membership during the past 12 months. According to Medefield, the panel is the largest online physician community in the industry. The panel members are from all over the world, including more than 140,000 based in Europe and 100,000 in the United States. Medefield says its goal is to increase the size of its physician community to 500,000 members within the next 18 months.

 

New ad-supported VOD network ideal venue for pharma DTC

New ad-supported VOD network ideal venue for pharma DTC

A new ad-supported video on demand (VOD) health and wellness network is a prime spot for pharma advertisers, reports Advertising Age. HealthiNation has launched in 15 markets and will syndicate its video content online later this summer. According to the report, the customized, on-demand nature of VOD is the right fit for pharma advertisers who have been criticized for mass-reach DTC ads. The ads have a longer format than typical TV spots, and an ad that's a couple of minutes long could be a better venue to discuss complicated drug and condition information, the company's founder said. Pfizer has already signed on and HealthiNation expects more participation from other pharma and health companies. Video topics cover health conditions and other topics such as dealing with Medicare or insurance. Learn more on HealthiNation's Web site. http://www.healthination.com/

VNU Business Publishing launches Internet broadcasting service

VNU Business Publishing launches Internet broadcasting service

London—VNU Business Publications, the publishing arm of VNU Business Media Europe, Friday announced the launch of VNU On Air, a new portfolio of Web-delivered audio and video content. VNU On Air will offer a mix of up-to-date news, product and technology reviews, and industry discussion aimed at users of VNU’s 20 on- and offline brands in the U.K. These brands include Accounting Age, Computeractive, Computing, CRN, IT Week, The Inquirer and vnunet.com. VNU said the programming will appeal to the company’s three core audiences: b-to-b IT buyers, consumer technology users and financial management professionals.

 

Research: Internet Users Plagued by 'Banner Blindness'

www.clickz.com/news/article.php/3616001

Research: Internet Users Plagued by 'Banner Blindness'
By Enid Burns
June 26, 2006

Pharma should address patient, doc needs in oncology site design

Pharma should address patient, doc needs in oncology site design

A new study from research firm Best Practices reveals how pharmas can best use their oncology Web sites. The company studied 17 top-selling oncology drugs from nine companies and found that high performers design their Web sites to include and complement both product-specific and corporate branding. The study also revealed significant gaps between the information and services that pharmas provide online and what patients and key opinion leaders want. The company says pharmas should work to better align their offerings with consumer needs. The study also concluded that companies can use their oncology sites as a platform to provide clinical trials resources. Doing this will not only help inform constituents, but also help recruit potential participants and investigators.

Yahoo!: Health searchers more apt to visit, act on brand sites

Yahoo!: Health searchers more apt to visit, act on brand sites

Consumers who search online for health information are more likely than non-searchers to view branded pharma Web sites and act on them, reports a new Yahoo! consumer survey. The study reveals a huge opportunity for pharma to capture engaged consumers online, and in a media environment cluttered with messages, maximizing search is key to brand success. Online health searchers are three times more likely to visit a branded Web site than non-searchers. Sixty-one percent of searchers have been to the doctor or plan to visit the doctor since their search for information. Searchers also become loyal to whatever brand they research, Bonnie Becker, director of the pharmaceutical category for Yahoo! Search Marketing, tells ePharm5. The study showed that 70% will question their doctor if they are prescribed a different drug than the one they have researched. ----------- Yahoo!: Online health searchers more likely to visit brand sites, act on them Consumers who search online for health information are more likely than non-searchers to view branded pharma Web sites and act on them, reports a new Yahoo! consumer survey. The study reveals a huge opportunity for pharma to capture engaged consumers online, and in a media environment cluttered with messages, maximizing search is key to brand success. The Yahoo! survey of 5,600 patients showed that 55% of Internet users researched health information online using search in the past three months. Online health searchers are three times more likely to visit a branded Web site than non-searchers. More than half--54%--said they used a branded pharma or drug site to look for health information in the past 12 months, compared to only 16% of non-searchers. Sixty-one percent have been to the doctor or plan to visit the doctor since their search for information. In addition, 71% of searchers talk about medication with their doctors. Searchers also become loyal to whatever brand they research, Bonnie Becker, director of the pharmaceutical category for Yahoo! Search Marketing, tells ePharm5. The study showed that 70% will question their doctor if they are prescribed a different drug than the one they have researched. Health searchers are hyperengaged, says Becker, who came to Yahoo! from a brand management role at Pfizer Consumer Healthcare, adding that the use of search for health information is indicative of a shift in consumer behavior. She says consumers are more empowered and active in their healthcare and searchers bounce around the Web gathering information about their condition. They might start out on a third-party site, such as WebMD or Yahoo! Health, then click on a display ad, and then view a site for a particular pharma brand. "They are going to multiple places to learn and information-gather," she says. Consumers are also becoming their own best advocates, and search is helping them do that. Becker says that 34% of searchers will not take a drug without first looking it up online. Moreover, 31% use search to become more informed about their condition before even setting foot in the doctor's office. Searchers are 130% more likely to have seen an online display ad and view it as informational, and 20% of consumers were driven to search online because they saw an advertisement and wanted more information, according to the research. This search behavior also appears to hold true across treatment categories. The Yahoo! survey focused on consumers who searched for information about allergies, depression, and high cholesterol. Becker says she was surprised to learn that aside from a few variations, attitudes and behavior surrounding search tended to be the same across conditions. Aside from the search engine itself, searchers spent the most time with health sites, such as WebMD and Yahoo! Health, followed by brand/drug sites. Searchers said they spend more time using these sources than they do asking friends or family, reading ordinary brochures or flyers in the doctor's office, visiting pharmaceutical company sites, and reading newspaper or magazine articles. Becker says pharma needs to pay more attention to search, and that the Yahoo! research adds weight to the important role that search plays in engaging consumers. She says search marketing tends to get lost among other media, but should become a bigger priority. Maximizing search is key because it's a way to capture the consumers who are most engaged and the most likely to act.

Physicians in Wales are using podcasts for patient education

Physicians in Wales are using podcasts for patient education

Doctors at a physician's practice in Wales are using podcasts to educate their patients, reports BBC News. They found that many patients have trouble using their asthma inhalers correctly, so the first podcast features a practice nurse demonstrating how to use one. The doctors plan to develop other podcasts as well, including ones about the importance of receiving flu shots and cervical screenings. According to the BBC, nearly 8 million Britons will search for a podcast in the next six months. In addition to being used by physicians to explain diseases and treatment to patients, iPods can be used to store medical information and act as medication reminders, Grant Winter, president of The Manhattan Bureau, said last week during Pharmaceutical Executive's Marketing and Sales Summit in Philadelphia.

 

Patient education improves Rx adherence, condition understanding

Patient education improves Rx adherence, condition understanding

Getting educated about their condition and medication improves medication compliance and patients' understanding of their condition, according to a survey from patient-physician communications firm InfoMedics. The company studied the experiences of more than 37,000 patients who participated in education programs for high blood pressure and high cholesterol. The majority of patients reported taking their medication all the time as prescribed. More than 95% of high cholesterol patients felt the program helped educate them about how the medication improves cholesterol levels, and more than 90% felt they were better able to manage the medication's side effects. According to the research, 47% of patients were less concerned about their blood pressure after receiving condition education. InfoMedics data also shows that physician access to patient-reported medication outcomes increases prescribing, improves adherence, and results in more efficient office visits. InfoMedics clients include 14 of the top 15 pharmas. http://www.infomedics.com/

 

Pharma Ads Send Consumers To Search Engines

Pharma Ads Send Consumers To Search Engines

by Shankar Gupta, Thursday, Jun 22, 2006 6:00 AM ET

THE MAJORITY OF USERS WHO search engines to research health information on the Web schedule visits to their doctor after going online. That's one of the conclusions of a new Yahoo study examining the connection between search behavior and offline activity. The study found that 61 percent of health searchers go to a physician after conducting a search, and 71 percent of health searchers discuss in depth the medications and brands they are prescribed. For the study, Yahoo surveyed 5,625 consumers and found that most--55 percent--used a search engine to find health care information in the last three months. That group was found to be more engaged than other online consumers: searchers were about twice as likely to view third-party health sites, and three times more likely to spend time on pharmaceutical-branded Web sites searching for information on health topics. The study also detailed the effectiveness of online ads on health-interested consumers. Twenty percent of those surveyed were convinced to search online after having seen an advertisement and wanting to know more, and 70 percent of searchers said they question their doctor if they are prescribed a different medication than what they've found searching online. The survey was fielded in March by Yahoo and Hall & Partners Healthcare.

 

Sony BMG Give Fans Power to Place Music Videos Online

Works With Brightcove to Create Ad-Supported Distribution Play

By Abbey Klaassen

Published: June 19, 2006

NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- Record label, meet music fan. Music fan, meet record label.

The one-to-one relationship between the two parties has in the past few years been nonexistent, at best, and downright ugly at its worst, thanks to reams of file-sharing lawsuits and clumsy digital-rights-management technology.

Sony BMG is working with Brightcove to enable consumers to place music videos on their own Web spaces.

Musicbox Video
But this week Sony BMG is going directly to consumers with an internet TV play it has created through Brightcove. The service, called Musicbox Video, distributes music videos from Sony BMG artists -- from Shakira to the Dixie Chicks to Nick Lachey -- across its fan sites and even down to the MySpace pages of music-obsessed fans.

"They're using syndication services to make it possible for fans to take players and put them into blogs or MySpace pages," said Adam Berrey, VP-marketing and strategy at Brightcove, which creates, distributes and sells advertising in internet TV channels for media companies and marketers.

The flash-based video player features several "channels" -- top 20, rock, pop and R&B -- and can be found at the artists' websites. Fans can e-mail a video link to a friend or copy the HTML code to post the video in blogs or on their MySpace pages.

Ad-supported
Pre-roll advertising will run before the music videos launch and another ad will load between every other video. The ads, sold by Brightcove under a revenue-sharing agreement, will be another way for the music industry to pick up some of the dollars it has lost to peer-to-peer file sharing. Hewlett Packard has already signed on as an advertiser.

Mr. Berry said future advertising applications might include deeper sponsorships within the player, a sponsorship that takes over the player or some other kind of sponsorship integrated into the lineup of videos.

"It turns the video play into a revenue stream," he said.

Simon Renshaw, principal at Strategic Artist Management and manager of the Dixie Chicks, has been an outspoken advocate of a more direct-to-consumer approach in the music industry and said the increase in broadband penetration is driving the potential of such one-to-one relationships between artists and fans. The Dixie Chicks, for example, struck a deal with MSN to stream their first concert in two years -- a June 15 show at Shepherds Bush Empire in London.

'Trying to stay relevant'
"SonyBMG should be commended for at least trying to do something in the space," said Mr. Renshaw. "Right now labels are trying to find out what works and what gets traction -- they're trying to stay relevant."

That said, it might already be too late for the labels. Mr. Renshaw thinks broadband may eventually empower artists to the point where they'll be able to leave traditional record-label relationships behind in favor of their own distribution pacts.

"Physical distribution is going to become less and less important and that makes it easier for all creative people to have direct relationships with consumers," he predicted. At that point, "artists will ask, who's my better partner? Warner Bros. Records or MySpace? MTV or YouTube?"

Clearly, Sony BMG's latest step represents a hope that they can all work together.

 

New online tool helps patients decide when to see a doctor

New online tool helps patients decide when to see a doctor

Consumers vacillating between deciding whether to go to a doctor for a condition or treat it at home will have help from a new online tool from Subimo and SelfCareNet. The two companies have partnered for what they call a pre-visit tool to help consumers determine the severity of their illness, decide when to take action, and select the best course of treatment based on quality and cost. Health content firm SelfCareNet will provide easy-to-understand injury, illness, and symptom guides that help patients determine when to call a doctor and how to treat certain conditions at home. The content will be combined with Subimo's tools for choosing the right hospital and physician and identifying price information about prescription medications and medical treatment choices. Click the supporting link below to read more.

 

Companies putting products into play with `advergames'

By William Weir
Tribune Newspapers: The Hartford Courant
Published June 19, 2006

Television commercials last about 30 seconds; print ads are often seen for a fraction of that time.

But with a video game, potential consumers could be interacting with a product for seven to 10 minutes at a time.

That's why if you go on a major company's Web site, there's a good chance you'll find a video game hawking one of its products -- keep the Filet-O-Fish sandwich away from the sharks, dunk as many Oreos as you can in a glass of milk, and smash through walls of ice for your Pepsi.

"It's a huge audience," says Dave Williams, general manager of Shockwave.com, which has developed 50 video game advertisements. "Businesses are asking, `How can I get people interacting with my brand?' and there's probably no better way to do that than with a game."

The practice has shot off in the last few years, and industry watchers say they don't expect to see it diminish any time soon. According to a report by the Boston-based research group Yankee Group, $118 million was spent on advertising with video games in 2004 -- and that figure is expected to top $800 million by 2009. These figures include both video games developed specifically for a product, known as "advergames," and product placement in established video games.

Advergames make sense to business as more consumers find other ways to spend their time besides watching TV and reading magazines and newspapers. This is especially true for the elusive 18- to 34-year-old male demographic. According to a report by Nielson Entertainment, this group spent more time in 2003 playing video games than watching prime-time TV -- 30 billion hours' worth of playing.

Some products seem natural for video games -- pretty much any vehicle, for instance. Go to Jeep.com, and you find no fewer than 10 action games. Volkswagen boasts of the Touran's spaciousness with a game where you (in the form of soccer star David Beckham) kick soccer balls into the mini-van.

But how do you make Pringles potato crisps exciting? Easy. You have giant cans of them roll down a slope at you while you try to leap over and dodge around them. That's the idea behind "King Kong Jump," a game that touts both the movie and the snack.

Even salad dressing can make for hours of gaming fun. When Sonic hired Shockwave to find a way to gets its salad dressing on the minds of gamers, Williams says his company incorporated it into the existing "Diner Dash" -- a game where players have to wait on several tables at once. Sonic's salad dressing shows up several times in the game.

Unlike movie and television audiences wary of seeing advertising bleed into their entertainment, studies seem to indicate that gamers have no beef with product placement. They might even prefer it. Realism is a big plus for gamers and real-life products help in that respect.

Advertising watchdogs are, not surprisingly, less accepting of real products showing up in video games -- especially junk-food products.

"They're very effective, and I think that's a problem for children," says Susan Linn, assistant director of the Media Center for Children. "The marketing industry really likes these games; they call them `sticky' because kids spend more time on them than they would a 15-second commercial."

As the channels for advertising become more varied regulating marketing to kids becomes trickier. J. Michael McGuinnis, who recently led a report for the National Academy of Sciences on food advertising's effects on children, says it might be more effective to work with the companies than pushing for government regulation.

"They're concerned about their images," he says of the companies. "So, from our perspective, we want to engage the companies to shift their marketing focus to healthier products."

McGinnis has been encouraged by a few steps in that direction. Kraft, Coca-Cola and Pepsi Co. have all announced they plan to focus their marketing on more healthful products.

Execs Unhappy with Marketing, Moving Spend Online

Chart: http://www.marketingvox.com/uploads/blackfriars2.jpg

Marketing research consultants Blackfriars Communications today released its Marketing Category Indices for 12 types of marketing spending, indicating that spending is moving to online advertising, which grew to 15 percent of overall marketing spend. Spending on traditional advertising accounted for 19 percent of budgets. Blackfriars also set its Blackfriars Marketing Index at 146 for the second quarter of 2006, indicating that U.S. companies expect to have spent 46 percent more on marketing in the quarter than they spent in an average quarter in 2005.

All online categories of marketing spend, including online advertising (15 percent), direct email (6 percent) and website and internet media (5 precent), together accounted for 26 percent of budgets, according to Blackfriars (see graph).

"Businesses are rethinking their marketing spending," said Carl Howe, a principal of Blackfriars. "Online spending of all types grew to more than a quarter of marketing budgets. We could see even more growth online if executives start spending the larger budgets they have planned for the second quarter."

Q2 Marketing Budgets chart: http://www.marketingvox.com/uploads/blackfriars2.jpg

A key finding of Blackfriar's survey of senior business executives was that discontent with marketing is growing. Almost a quarter of respondents said they are not very satisfied or not at all satisfied with their marketing efforts. Worse, the proportion of executives who are extremely satisfied or very satisfied with their marketing has fallen to 38 percent from Q1's 53 percent.

"With both spending and marketing satisfaction down from last year, we could see a pullback in marketing activity for 2006," said Howe. "Marketing accounts for about one trillion dollars of spending in the U.S. annually. If marketers slow their spending, that could hurt traditional media channels and the economy overall."

Blackfriars also set its first-quarter index of actual spending at 54, 52 points below the budgeted value from February - the lowest in two years.

Not, this is not a Web site for pot-smokers...

New Daiichi Sankyo site aims to help people with dry mouth: MyDryMouth.com

Daiichi Sankyo is sponsoring a new Web site for people who suffer from Sjögren's syndrome, a condition that causes dry mouth and eye. The site, mydrymouth.com, offers tools to help people with the condition, 90% of whom are women, recognize the symptoms and discuss the problem with their doctors. According to Daiichi Sankyo, people often live with the condition for up to 10 years before being diagnosed. The site offers tips for people with the condition, a questionnaire for users to fill out and share with their doctors, and links to additional resources about Sjögren's syndrome. Users can also join the Moisture Network, an opt-in program in which patients receive additional information about Sjögren's syndrome. Daiichi Sankyo makes the drug Evoxac, a treatment for dry mouth in patients with Sjögren's syndrome. Learn more on the Web site http://www.mydrymouth.com/.

AMA Adopts Moratorium Policy

AMA Adopts Moratorium Policy

Bob Ehrlich, Chairman
DTC Perspectives, Inc.

As discussed in a recent column, the American Medical Association (AMA) did consider a DTC moratorium resolution this week at their annual meeting. The result was a compromise that is sensible. Instead of calling for a set time period for all new drugs, the AMA is asking for a negotiated moratorium period between the drug maker and FDA.

 

This makes sense since not all new drugs present the same risks. A new statin drug poses less risk than a first in class cholesterol drug. A new cancer drug is likely to have more risks/side effects than a new antihistamine. Clearly, negotiation of a moratorium between experts makes more sense than Congress legislating a blanket time period.

 

Perhaps a minimum period of 6 months makes sense for any drug, with longer periods to be negotiated if warranted. Letting the FDA negotiate gives tremendous power to the agency since it can withhold approval if the time period agreed on by a drug maker is not to their liking. I would like to see how this works, and one hopes FDA would not be unreasonable.

 

It is important that drug makers retain the right to advertise their products, and even drugs in new classes should not have to wait long periods. I propose a maximum period of 18 months which would allow significant physician experience and identification of clinically unseen side effects.

 

The AMA call for a moratorium will carry significant weight in Congress, and I expect some time period to be adopted as part of drug safety legislation. It is not what drug makers want, but I think a reasonable policy will not be fought by the industry. A negotiation between drug maker and FDA seems fair and should not lead to major problems. A moratorium should strengthen consumer confidence in the safety of advertised drugs, and this may, in fact, increase sales.

Web most effective for getting consumers to request specific Rx

Web most effective for getting consumers to request specific Rx

The Internet is the most effective channel for getting consumers to ask for a specific drug, according to a new survey from market research firm MRx Health and Medical Marketing & Media. The survey of 546 U.S. adults found that 34% of respondents said ads on the Internet had the biggest impact on whether they asked for a drug. Television, by comparison, had less of an impact (31%). TV also ranked lower than family and friends (33%). Other channels commonly used by pharma were the least effective, including telephone support lines (2%), newspapers (3%), and radio (4%). One-third of respondents said they are interested in prescription drug ads. However, those in poorer health are almost twice as interested as the healthiest group (45% vs. 24%). Of the patients who have asked their doctor for a specific drug, 87% said they have received it.

iPods double as patient-education, detailing tools

iPods double as patient-education, detailing tools

iPods aren't just for music for anymore; they can save lives, according to Grant Winter, president of The Manhattan Bureau, a news-based video production company. They can be used to store medical information, act as medication reminders, and be used by physicians to explain diseases and treatment to patients, he said yesterday during Pharmaceutical Executive's Marketing and Sales Summit. Pharma can produce reliable, peer-reviewed information in a video format with accurate, unbiased material for physicians to use to better inform patients within their time-constrained appointments. With physicians trying to see more patients, and patients often coming in armed with the wrong information from the Web, physicians need a way to quickly and clearly educate them on their disease or treatment. Winter said that most pharmas are beta testing video material for sales reps to use on iPods, and the value is in the continual updating of information. "Every time you plug your iPod into your computer, the data is automatically updated," he said.