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.

 

 

FDA approves cervical cancer vaccine

FDA approves cervical cancer vaccine

By ANDREW BRIDGES, Associated Press Writer 13 minutes ago

WASHINGTON - Women for the first time have a vaccine to protect themselves against cervical cancer.

Food and Drug Administration on Thursday approved use of the vaccine, Gardasil, for use in girls and women ages 9 to 26.

It works by preventing infection by four strains of the human papillomavirus, or HPV, the most prevalent sexually transmitted disease.

This cancer kills 3,700 women each year in the United States and hundreds of thousands more worldwide. Acting FDA Administrator Dr. Andrew von Eschenbach said the vaccine will have "a dramatic effect" on the health of women around the world.

Gardasil, manufactured by Merck & Co. Inc., protects against the two types of HPV responsible for about 70 percent of cervical cancer cases. The vaccine also blocks infection by two other strains responsible for 90 percent of genital wart cases. It will be available by the end of June.

Clinical trials showed Gardasil prevented 100 percent of cervical cancer related to the two HPV strains in women who had not been previously infected, Merck said. It also prevented 99 percent of the cases of genital warts caused by the two other strains.

"Fortunately, we can now include the worst types of HPV and most cervical cancer in the list of diseases that no one need suffer or die from ever again," said Alex Azar, deputy Health and Human Services secretary.

The FDA also said the vaccine appeared very safe. However, it's not known how long its protection will last or if women will have to receive booster shots later in life. Merck has agreed to monitor its long-term effectiveness.

Merck is expected to market Gardasil as a cancer vaccine, rather than an STD vaccine. It remains unclear how widespread the use of the three-shot series will be, in part because of its $360 list price. Conservative opposition to making the vaccine mandatory for school attendance may also curb its adoption.

The target age for receiving Gardasil is low because the vaccine works best when given to girls before they begin having sex and run the risk of HPV infection. The vaccine does not protect people already infected and may increase their risk of the kind of lesions that can lead to cervical cancer, the FDA has said. However, a final FDA analysis does not substantiate such a risk, said Dr. Jesse Goodman, director of the agency's Center for Biologics and Evaluation and Research.

The national Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices will decide June 29 whether to endorse routine vaccination with Gardasil. That endorsement is critical if a vaccine is to become a standard of care.

It then will be up to individual states to decide whether to add the vaccine to the list of others required before students may attend public schools.

Conservative groups like Focus on the Family support availability of the vaccine, but oppose making it mandatory, saying the decision to vaccinate should rest with a child's parents or guardians. It promotes abstinence as the best way of warding off infection by HPV and other STDs.

HPV affects more than 50 percent of sexually active adults at some point in their lives. The cervical cancer it can cause kills about 290,000 women worldwide each year, including 3,700 in the United States. In the U.S., regular Pap smears often detect precancerous lesions and early cancer. The vaccine does not eliminate the need for regular screening.

Analysts believe Gardasil sales could top $1 billion a year for Merck, which is battling thousands of lawsuits over its withdrawn painkiller

Vioxx. The Whitehouse Station, N.J. company is seeking to license Gardasil in more than 50 countries.

GlaxoSmithKline PLC is also developing an HPV vaccine.

Richard Clark, Merck's chief executive officer and president, called the vaccine a "lifesaving scientific advance."

The cost of Gardasil and the difficulty of getting young girls in to see a doctor three times in six months to receive the vaccine could pose problems, said Cynthia Dailard, senior public policy analyst at the Guttmacher Institute, which focuses on sexual and reproductive health. Ensuring its availability to poor and minority girls and women — and others less likely to receive regular Pap exams — also will be difficult. Merck plans to provide Gardasil for free to the poor and uninsured.

"This is an incredibly exciting breakthrough, but at the same time, it presents some major challenges, some the likes of which we have never confronted before," Dailard said.

Inda Blatch-Geib, an Akron, Ohio mother of four, said she'd consider vaccinating her daughters, ages 9 and 16. Blatch-Geib, 41, said doing so wouldn't be tantamount to giving her girls a green light to have sex.

"Giving the vaccine goes with a conversation. We are pretty open with our children, so it wouldn't be an issue. It would lead to conversations," Blatch-Geib said.

The only other vaccine effective in preventing cancer is against hepatitis B, which can cause liver cancer.

 

Advertisers: Increase Web ad spending to match consumer use

[BRIEF]

 

Advertisers: Increase Web ad spending to match consumer use

The Web comprises between 20% and 25% of consumers' overall media time, but attracts only 8% of advertising dollars, according to a report from the Online Publishers Association (OPA). The report indicates that even though advertisers are migrating toward the Web--Internet advertising revenues reached a record $3.9 billion during the first quarter of 2006--the pace should be faster to keep up with consumer use. The research showed that consumers consistently use the Web while they are using other media, which gives it the ability to offer support. For example, the study found that the Web increased the reach of TV by 51% in the morning, 39% in the middle of the day and 42% in the afternoon. The Web more than doubles the reach of magazines. Click the supporting link below to read more.

 

 

[FULL STORY]

 

Online Publishers Association Media Usage Study Shows the Web Now Rivals TV in Reach and Extends the Impact of All Media; OPA Unveils Groundbreaking New Observational Research During 'Eyes on the Internet Tour' through Eight Cities

Business Wire via NewsEdge Corporation :

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 6, 2006--The Online Publishers Association (OPA) today announced the results of a new research project, "A Day in the Life: An Ethnographic Study of Media Consumption." The observational media usage study is being discussed throughout the OPA's 2006 Eyes on the Internet Tour, which will visit Atlanta, New York City, Boston, Chicago, Detroit, Los Angeles, Dallas, and San Francisco.

The unprecedented observational research tracked the real-time media use of 350 people, recording their actual activities every 15 seconds. The results show that the Web is now clearly a mass media - ranking right alongside other major media when it comes to reach and duration of use. And when it comes to at-work media use, the study found that the Web clearly dominates (with 54.6% reach, compared to television's 21.1%), and is the only medium that ranks among the top two at both work and home.

OPA commissioned Ball State University's Center for Media Design to conduct the study, which is most detailed and in-depth analysis to date of the Middletown Media Studies data.

Full details of the study results are available at www.online-publishers.org

"By observing people in real-life situations, this study provides a level of accuracy and insight that simply cannot be found elsewhere," said Pam Horan, OPA president. "With that in mind, the evidence of the Web's rise to mass media status is now clear and incontrovertible."

Horan continued, "Industry data shows that the Web takes up between 20 and 25 percent of consumers' overall media time, but attracts about 8 percent of advertising dollars. While advertisers have been steadily moving to the Web in recent years, this research indicates the shift should be on a much faster pace. As a mass media with a powerful ability to extend the impact of all media, the Web clearly offers tremendous untapped advertising opportunities."

Web Extends Reach of All Media

Consumers often use the Web consecutively or simultaneously with television, radio and other media, allowing it to offer significant support. The research also revealed that the Web is a powerful tool for extending the reach of other media. More specifically, the research found that the Web increased the reach of television by a remarkable 51 percent in the morning, 39 percent in the middle of the day, and 42 percent in the afternoon. With magazine advertising, the impact is even greater - the Web more than doubles the reach of magazines.

Horan commented, "Based on our real-world observations, it is clear that consumers are consistently online even while they're watching TV or listening to the radio. This unique attribute of Web usage means that advertising messages receive a dramatic boost when online is part of the buy."

Web Users Exhibit Consistently Strong Buying Power

A final key finding of the research is that Web users tend to have greater buying power than television users. In looking at the neighborhood Census data for study participants identified as heavy Web users and heavy TV users, the study found that the Web group demonstrated consistently higher buying power. The census data showed the TV dominant group had average annual retail spending of $21,401, while the Web dominant group spent $26,450 on average - or nearly one-quarter more. In another example, the TV group spent $2,626 on entertainment and recreation, while the Web group spent an average of $3,281 - or 25 percent more.

"Getting a real-world look at how much consumers rely on the Web and on television allowed us to make important conclusions about spending power," Horan said. "Whether they're headed to the store for new clothes or planning a vacation, heavy Web users simply spend more money. In a wide range of spending categories, heavy Web users are more affluent and spend more than their television-centric counterparts."

The OPA's annual Eyes on the Internet tour provides executives in the advertising, marketing and publishing communities with the latest online media research and trend information.

Eyes on the Internet 2006 is sponsored nationally by AllBusiness.com; About.com; CBS Digital Media; CNET Networks; The New York Times Media Company; Real Cities Network; Reuters.com; and Tribune Interactive.

About the Study

Ball State University's Center for Media Design observed three hundred fifty consumers in Spring 2005. They were split about equally between men and women 18-24, 35-49 and 50+. On average participants were observed about 80% of their waking day. Locations include work, home, school, auto, etc. Simultaneous consumption of media was recorded (e.g., surfing the Internet while listening to the radio), as well as media consumption while engaged in an activity (e.g., watching TV while eating). Overall, 15 media were tracked, including 5 ad-supported media, during 17 life activities (e.g., child care, meal preparation, hobbies, homework, etc).

Observation is considered a superior method for this type of study, as previous research has shown survey research/recall tends to underestimate some media consumption while overestimating others.

About the Online Publishers Association

Founded in June 2001, the Online Publishers Association is an industry trade organization whose mission is to advance the interests of high-quality online publishers before the advertising community, the press, the government and the public. Members of OPA represent the standards in Internet publishing with respect to editorial quality and integrity, credibility and accountability. OPA member sites have a combined, unduplicated reach of 109.5 million visitors, or 65 percent of the total U.S. Internet audience (Source: comScore Media Metrix, July 2005 combined home/work/university data). For more information, go to www.online-publishers.org.

About Ball State University, Center for Media Design and Middletown Media Studies 2

Ball State University, located one hour northeast of Indianapolis in Muncie, Ind., is the third-largest public university in Indiana, with more than 17,700 students. As a part of the Digital Exchange initiative funded by the Lilly Endowment, the Center for Media Design (CMD) is a research and design facility focused on the creation, testing and practical application of digital technologies for business, classroom, home and community.

Middletown Media Studies 2 (MMS2) builds upon Muncie's reputation as "Middletown America," a typical community in the United States. Muncie earned this distinction as a result of the Middletown Studies of the 1920s and '30s by sociologists Robert and Helen Lynd. MMS2 is a follow-up to a 2004 study that found people consume much more media than they say they do.

 

Study finds Rx oncology ads are often hard to read

Study finds Rx oncology ads are often hard to read

Drug ads aimed at cancer patients are often difficult to read and may emphasize the benefit information over the risks, according to a new study by researchers at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston. Researchers analyzed all ads for oncology drugs that appeared in three cancer patient-focused magazines in 2005. Although all of the ads were rated as difficult to read overall, the text outlining the drugs' benefits had the highest readability score. Information about the drugs' benefits tended to appear in the top third of the ads, whereas information about risks and side effects was in the bottom third. Also, the type size of the text explaining benefits was larger than the text explaining risks, according to the analysis. The research is being presented this week during the American Society of Clinical Oncology's annual meeting in Atlanta.

 

New Genzyme site combines patient support and drug education

New Genzyme site combines patient support and drug education

Unique features and easy-to-read information are the hallmarks of a new Genzyme Web site for the osteoarthritis of the knee medicine Synvisc. Unlike similar sites that offer education and support in an unbranded environment, the content on the Genzyme site combines information and resources about the disease and personalized support tools along with information about the drug. The site, www.InStepWithSynvisc.com , also offers some unique resources, such as a chart that compares Synvisc with its competitors. The language on the site is very consumer-friendly, especially the section about risk information. Unlike many other pharma Web programs that register users, InStepWithSynvisc.com sent a welcome e-mail within an hour of our registration. In a recent ePharm5 brief, consulting agency WHITTMANHART said graphics, personalized content, and links back to the site are crucial components of online pharma program welcome e-mails. The In Step With Synvisc e-mail featured many of these elements.

 

HEALTH BEAT: EMPOWERING CONSUMERS

New technologies can benefit health

Modern devices are helping us change unhealthy habits

By Kimberlee Roth
Special to the Tribune
Published May 30, 2006

Most of us have probably heard the concerns about the dangers of interactive technology on our health: Web surfing, e-mail and video games keep us tied to computer monitors for hours at a time, lowering activity levels and straining eyes; talking on cell phones distracts us from tasks at hand.

No doubt there are downsides, but a high-tech approach to health also can confer benefits such as helping us change unhealthy behaviors and improving how we feel.

"Given the complex health problems that need to be treated today, incorporating technology into health-care delivery means we can treat people more effectively, efficiently and cost-effectively," said Nilmini Wickramasinghe, associate director of the Center for the Management of Medical Technology at the Illinois Institute of Technology.

According to a paper published recently by the American Medical Association, 63 percent of the U.S. adult population had gone online in 2003; of those, almost 64 percent looked for health-related information. Forty-eight percent reported going online before seeing a doctor.

Beyond that, here are some of the other innovative applications:

Among teens, instant messaging and text messaging are edging out e-mail as the "killer app for communicating with friends," Pew Internet and American Life Project research shows. So researchers in Australia put text-messaging technology to use with teens for another purpose: to help them quit smoking.

In a paper titled "Do u smoke after txt?" investigators reported that 28 percent of teens in the study who received regular, personalized text messages with smoking-cessation advice and support had quit after six weeks versus 13 percent of those who didn't receive the messages.

In an ongoing study by the Rush University Medical Center and Stroger Hospital, 32 low-income urban teens with asthma were given MP3 players loaded with music and videos interspersed with messages from the likes of rapper Ludacris, reminding the teens to take their asthma medication.

Personal digital assistants have been recruited for healthy causes too. Patients in clinical trials and other studies are being given the handheld devices to record their daily symptoms, diet and other data instead of using paper and pen. In a study published in the British Medical Journal, researchers found that compliance was more than 90 percent among patients keeping tabs electronically versus 11 percent among those using paper.

In a study at the University of Alberta in Canada, patients who received e-mail reminders about physical activity and nutrition were more active and had more positive perceptions of exercise than patients who didn't receive the e-mails. They even maintained their physical-activity levels during an Alberta winter, a notable finding, the researchers wrote.

The Chicago Department of Public Health helps support inspot.org, a Web site where you can anonymously send e-cards to partners to whom you may have passed a sexually transmitted disease. (Surprise: You have more than mail.)

Finnish researchers have developed a prototype application for consumers to use camera phones as bar-code readers. Hungry shoppers can scan grocery store items with the phones and receive product-specific nutritional information. Test runs have targeted dieters and the lactose intolerant, but the technology could be a welcome shopping companion to anyone with diabetes, allergies or other food restrictions.

Plenty of companies and university researchers are targeting seniors for new technologies and applications too. Devices remind users, among other things, to take their pills, warn of medication mistakes and detect when someone with Alzheimer's may be wandering.

But do interactive consumer health technologies really make a difference? "Certainly these types of interactions help patients take more ownership of their health care and treatment," Wickramasinghe said. "They're empowered. Take a child with asthma or someone with diabetes -- by careful monitoring, they can have a more normal life."

 

Copyright © 2006, Chicago Tribune

 

Technology, Advertising, and Healthcare Stories from the Past Week

PhRMA heart and stroke campaign leverages Web as learning tool
 
A new PhRMA public service campaign about heart disease and stroke encourages consumers to go online to receive important health information. For example, a streaming video on the PhRMA site tells users to "Go online and learn, because knowledge is the best medicine of all." The PhRMA site links to PhRMA.org/heartdisease, which features a streaming video of Paul Antony, MD, MPH, PhRMA's chief medical officer, discussing heart disease. There are also links to relevant Web sites such as the American Heart Association and the National Coalition for Women with Heart Disease. The national multimedia campaign will also be supported by newspaper and television ads. A print ad for the campaign encourages users to visit PhRMA.org and innovation.org. The American Heart Association last week launched a new Web site to help people who have had a heart attack or want to prevent one become better informed.
 
 

WOMMA launches first site and blog for word-of-mouth research
 
A new site and blog sponsored by the Word of Mouth Marketing Association (WOMMA) is designed to help marketers understand what consumers are talking about and how to effectively join the conversation. The site features new content designed to help introduce word-of-mouth research to a wider audience. In addition to the latest research reports, surveys, and data, the WOM Research blog also features original contributions from leading academics and market research experts. A companion e-mail newsletter delivers the latest data on measurement and metrics. Learn more on the new WOMMA Web site. 
 
http://womma.org/research/

Ask.com adds feature for searching blogs and feeds
 
Ask.com is following Google and Yahoo! with a new Blog & Feed Search feature, it reports. Instead of using Web crawlers like other blog searches, Ask.com says its feature uses subscription data from the feed reader Bloglines, as well as Ask.com's algorithmic search technology. Ask.com's new blog search also features posts, feeds, and news within blogs. Another function allows sorting by relevance, date, and popularity, and subscribing to feeds and searches. The Blog & Feed Search launched in the United States, Germany, France, Italy, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and Spain. Ask.com, a relaunched version of Ask Jeeves (ePharm5, 3/31/06), is the latest search engine to enter the blogosphere. In September, Google launched a beta version of its blog search.
 
 

Microsoft program displays keywords, ads based on e-mail content
 
Microsoft released Active Search last week, a program that scans e-mails for keywords and displays related search terms and paid search ads, reports Brandweek. Active Search will not only generate a list of possible keywords from the e-mail, but will display them in the upper right corner of the inbox, allowing users to click one of them to perform a search. Paid search ads will be displayed when users conduct searches. Also, contextually relevant ads will be displayed to the right of messages as users browse through e-mails. The new feature, which aims to let users search the Web quickly without having to go back and forth between e-mail and the Internet, is being beta tested and is part of Microsoft's new e-mail application Windows Live Mail Desktop.
 
 

AMA will ask its members to support government DTC moratorium
 
The American Medical Association (AMA) will reverse it prior decision and ask its members to back government restrictions on DTC advertising, reports the Chicago Tribune. Last year, the AMA did not back a moratorium on advertising new drugs and instead asked for more research. This year, however, the research is complete and suggests that AMA delegates should support a "time interval" between when a drug receives FDA approval and when consumer advertising can begin. The 17-page report says DTC ads for newly approved drugs should not begin until "physicians have been appropriately educated" about them and that the length of the moratorium will vary. Although PhRMA opposes a government moratorium, the group's new DTC guidelines call for companies to voluntarily hold off on DTC ads until doctors are educated.
 
 

New blog aims to facilitate research collaborations, discussion
 
A new blog is available to help the scientific and medical communities advance their understanding of diseases of human mutation and ultimately lead to research collaborations between participants. Scrivner's Online Metabolic and Molecular Basis of Inherited Disorders Blog, launched this week by McGraw-Hill Professional, is available free on the company's online reference of inherited diseases. Users can discuss inherited disorders, post news about recent discoveries, promote conferences, and stimulate research collaborations. The blog is open to the public via an RSS feed, and blog postings link to abstracts within the online reference of inherited disorders. McGraw-Hill recently added online clinical resources for Spanish-speaking physicians, medical students, and other healthcare professionals.
 
 

CNN study: Online video ads increase brand recall, awareness
 
A CNN Digital Research study shows that using online video ads with regular Internet billboards can double brand recall and awareness, reports iMediaConnection. The study showed that 99% of viewers watched all or most of the video ads shown before the news clip they requested on CNN.com, instead of "bailing out" on the ad before it's finished, reports TVweek.com. Using broadband video ads also enhances believability, message communication, product knowledge, and word of mouth buzz. For example, people who saw video and banner ads together were more likely to remember the product than people who only saw the banner ads. According to the latest data from the Interactive Advertising Bureau, Internet advertising revenues reached a record $3.9 billion during the first quarter of 2006.
 
 

American Heart Association launches heart attack prevention site
 
A new Web site from the American Heart Association (AHA) provides resources to help people who have had a heart attack or want to prevent one, it reports. The site, available through the AHA's main site, offers two pathways: Prevention and Life After Heart Attack. The Prevention area focuses on avoiding tobacco, being active, and eating well, and includes risk factors, healthy heart quizzes, and a heart attack risk assessment. The Life After Heart Attack channel offers information about recovery, as well as medical illustrations explaining diagnostic tests, procedures, surgeries, and medications. There are also links to support groups and other tools to help survivors reduce their risk of having another heart attack. An interactive discussion group provides a forum for patients and caregivers to ask questions, discuss treatments, and seek advice. Learn more on AHA's Web site.
 
http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=1200005

Initiative will provide PHR to endocrinologist group, patients
 
A new initiative from the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists will provide iHealth Services from Medem to its members and their patients, it reports. As part of the program, patients will receive an iHealthRecord, which is an interactive personal health record that allows patients to share their health information with physicians, family members, and other healthcare providers. Services will also include automated education programs that are specific to a patient's medical conditions and FDA medication warnings and recall alerts. Patients can access the service from their physician's practice Web site hosted on Medem's network, according to the company. The American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists has more than 5,300 members in the United States and 85 other countries.
 
 

Merck-funded study: Team approach needed for diabetes management
 
Tackling diabetes requires a team approach because patients and doctors aren't on the same page when it comes to diabetes management, according to the Merck-sponsored Diabetes Roundtable. A survey commissioned by the American Association of Diabetes Educators found that 69% of adults with type 2 diabetes say they are very knowledgeable or knowledgeable about their condition. However, doctors disagree: 81% of physicians say they are frustrated with the number of their patients who don't follow their treatment regimens exactly as prescribed. The Roundtable, which includes a multi-disciplinary panel of health experts, concluded that there should be a team-centered approach to managing diabetes that involves everyone from patients and primary care physicians to diabetes educators, behavioral scientists, and endocrinologists. Learn more about the Roundtable and the survey on the Web site.

http://www.diabetesteamsite.com/index.html
 
 

European docs use Web, but lack e-marketing tools from pharma
 
Physicians in Europe have not adopted pharma e-marketing technology at the same pace as physicians in the United States, according to Manhattan Research. However, this is not due to a lack of interest from European physicians, but because of a lack of offerings and awareness, according to the company's latest study, Taking the Pulse Europe v5.0. According to the research, European physicians have embraced the Internet for professional uses and pharma marketers have an opportunity to be among the first to offer e-marketing tools to this market. For example, 96% of European physicians use the Internet for any purpose and 94% use it for professional purposes. Moreover, physicians said they value the Internet as a professional and educational resource, with 62% reporting that the Internet is essential to their practice. Go to Manhattan Research's Web site to learn more.
 
 

Study uses MP3 player to deliver asthma Rx adherence messages
 
An ongoing study is using MP3 players to improve asthma medication adherence among teens, according to the Chicago Tribune. In the study at Rush University Medical Center and Stroger Hospital in Chicago, low-income urban teens with asthma received MP3 players with music and videos interspersed with messages from rapper Ludacris reminding them to take their medicine. The Chicago Tribune also examined other ways technology is playing a role in keeping people healthy. For example, a study sent smoking cessation text messages to teen smokers. After six weeks, 28% of those who had received the messages had quit, compared to only 13% of those who didn't receive the messages. Read more in the Chicago Tribune.
 
http://www.chicagotribune.com/technology/reviews/chi-0605290226may30,1,6262717.story?coll=chi-technologyreviews-hed&ctrack=1&cset=true

Program will reward cell phone users for watching ads
 
Virgin Mobile will reward people for watching ads with the launch of what it calls the first ad-supported cell phone service in the United States, reports The New York Times. The program will give free telephone minutes to people who watch 30-second commercials on a computer or by text message. Consumers have to answer questions about the ads to prove they were paying attention and can earn up to 75 minutes per month. The program, called SugarMama, is set to be available June 14 and has already signed up three advertisers: Pepsi, Xbox, and the youth anti-smoking campaign Truth. In other news, cell phone companies are increasingly reaching out to Hispanics with services and downloads available in Spanish. Hispanics are one of the fastest growing populations in the United States and cell phone marketers are eager to get a piece of this market, according to The New York Times.
 
 

MedSeek adds patient portal technology, Henry Ford goes live
 
E-health firm MedSeek has added ".net" technology in order to develop patient portals for its clients. MedSeek says its new .net platform provides better security and more robust technology for existing and future patient portals. The Henry Ford Health System is the first MedSeek client to go live on the portal, according to the company. The patient portal platform is linked into Henry Ford's existing EMR and lets patients update demographic information, obtain personalized medical information, renew or refill prescriptions, and receive personalized health news and updates. According to MedSeek, hospitals are looking for a more comprehensive approach to patient portal development that includes clinical information.
 
 

Web site acts as searchable portal to other health sites
 
A new health Web portal aims to offer an easier way to search through the labyrinth of online health information and Web sites. Healthsiteguide.com is a portal to other health Web sites, providing pre-searched information from other healthcare sites across the Internet. The site itself does not contain much actual information. However, users can use it to find outside sites that contain information about a certain topic. Drop-down menus help users navigate the site, listing hundreds of medical conditions, in-depth reviews of health Web sites, and special features such as health videos and drug guides. Selecting a topic links users to sites containing that information. For example, selecting "acne" from the drop down menu will provide links to Healthcentral.com and Mayo Clinic's Web site. The site does not currently have advertisers, but will look into advertising opportunities as traffic on the site builds, Health Site Guide spokesperson Carly Rose said.
 
 

One-third of Americans have diabetes or are on track to get it
 
One-third of Americans have diabetes or are on their way to having it in the future, and there is a disproportionate prevalence among minority groups, according to a study in the June issue of Diabetes Care. Diabetes is nearly twice as prevalent among African Americans and Mexican Americans as it is in Caucasians. The study showed that 9.3% of adults aged 20 and older had diabetes between 1999 and 2002. Another 26% had impaired fasting glucose, a form of pre-diabetes that often leads to diabetes within 10 years. According to researchers, diabetes advocates are not doing enough to convince people to make changes in their lives, because even though type 2 diabetes can be prevented in many cases, diabetes prevalence continues to grow.
 
 

Podcast firm offers tips for successful podcast advertising
 
Marketers have a major opportunity to leverage podcast advertising, according to Gregory Galant, CEO of podcast ad facilitating firm RadioTail. The key to podcast advertising is keeping it short, Galant wrote last week in iMedia Connection. A few 15-second spots are a better bet than one 60-second spot. Advertisers should also vary their ads as much as possible, perhaps addressing seasons, holidays, or current events. Also remember that the podcasting audience is very tech-savvy and sophisticated, so don't dumb down the message, wrote Galant. Ads should be placed between podcast segments, not before the content. Finally, avoid imitating radio broadcasts with podcast ads by trying to grab the listener's attention with loud or gimmicky copy. Downloadable podcasts of medical presentations are a feature on a new GlaxoSmithKline-sponsored CME Web site.
 
 

 

 

AMA will ask its members to support government DTC moratorium

AMA will ask its members to support government DTC moratorium  

The American Medical Association (AMA) will reverse it prior decision and ask its members to back government restrictions on DTC advertising, reports the Chicago Tribune. Last year, the AMA did not back a moratorium on advertising new drugs and instead asked for more research. This year, however, the research is complete and suggests that AMA delegates should support a "time interval" between when a drug receives FDA approval and when consumer advertising can begin. The 17-page report says DTC ads for newly approved drugs should not begin until "physicians have been appropriately educated" about them and that the length of the moratorium will vary. Although PhRMA opposes a government moratorium, the group's new DTC guidelines call for companies to voluntarily hold off on DTC ads until doctors are educated.