Saturday, October 10, 2009

From Twitter 10-09-2009



  • 08:38:18: Old news, but for those who missed it, interesting: Impact of social media on search behavior: http://tr.im/BdAF
  • 10:07:57: Nice post. RT @ahier: Social Media Flu Fighters http://tr.im/BedO #hcsm
  • 11:44:20: I love that, it's like you're calling a hit. RT @markhdavis: Sorry 4 the Mafia World spam. Sneaky app. Someone please do a DOS on them?
  • 11:49:06: :) RT @jonmrich: Best response ever to a spammer comes from, get this, @pepsi. Why didn't I think of this? Check it out: http://bit.ly/kreQO
  • 12:16:00: Great article by Anne Bologna in Ad Age: "Choosing an Agency Based on a Rate Card Is a Big Mistake": http://tr.im/Bf48 (@bologniac)
  • 12:35:01: Interview with Jamie Heywood of PatientsLikeMe at DigiPharm 2009: http://tr.im/Bf9X #digipharm @erikdigiredo
  • 12:35:28: Interesting poll results & commentary from DigiPharm 2009 RE: Social Media & Pharma: http://tr.im/Bfb3 #digipharm @erikdigiredo
  • 13:19:53: YES, very excited! My colleague Ross Fetterolf will b joining 2 (@digitalbulldog) RT @kevinkruse
  • 17:07:25: Just wondering -- would @JNJComm ever re-tweet some breaking piece of news from @GenentechNews or @Amgen?
  • 17:11:33: AGREE. But will we see it? RT @PhilBaumann: @skypen My motto: ReTweet Your Competition.


Tweets copied by twittinesis.com


buzz this

Friday, October 09, 2009

DigiPharm 2009 – Interview with Jamie Heywood (PatientsLikeMe)

Source: DigiRedo

Written by Erik van der Zijden:

"As promised hereby our first video interview we made on DigiPharm 2009. In this episode we talk to Jamie Heywood, Co-Founder and Chairman of the impressive community PatientsLikeMe. About his motivations, the community, the relationship with Big Pharma and much more."

[Click here for more coverage on DigiPharm 2009 by DigiRedo]


DigiPharm 2009 - Interview with Jamie Heywood (PatientsLikeMe) from DigiRedo on Vimeo.

buzz this

GroupM Search and comScore Release Study on the Interplay Between Search Marketing and Social Media

Social media exposure is correlated with search behavior and click-through-rate; Introduces the value of media discovery for advertisers


Source: ComScore

(NEW YORK) October 6, 2009 – GroupM Search and comScore, Inc., (NASDAQ: SCOR), a leader in measuring the digital world, announced today the results of the first study ever conducted by comScore looking at the relationship between social media exposure and search behaviors. Conducted in tandem with social media agency M80, the study, “The Influenced: Social Media, Search and the Interplay of Consideration and Consumption,” reveals the dramatic correlation influenced discovery of brands through social media has with search behavior, including more lower-funnel searches and increased paid search click-through-rates (CTR). A white paper exploring the results and implications of the study is available on the GroupM Search blog,SearchFuel.

“Every day consumers express their intent via search. Now, we better understand how that intent is established via social media and the interplay between the channels,” said Chris Copeland, chief executive officer of GroupM Search – The Americas. “There is a valuable audience for advertisers to focus on who are engaged with brands through social media and search. The study further validates our view that media discovery, specifically a brand’s owned and earned media, is as important to success as the paid media we handle every day. Generating upper-funnel awareness and influencing consideration through social media can produce better down-the-funnel performance with paid media, such as paid search.”

The research explored the correlation between social media exposure and search behavior over a three month period across different verticals, including automotive, consumer packaged goods and telecommunications. In addition to looking at total internet users, consumers were divided into three segments:

  • Consumers exposed only to a brand’s paid search
  • Consumers exposed to social media relevant to a brand’s category
    • A blog, message board/forum, user review, social networking site (e.g., Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn), Twitter/micro-blogging, or video-sharing site (e.g., YouTube, Google Video), as well as a brand’s social marketing program’s “target” sites, or sites which have the most natural potential to hold content about a brand
  • Consumers exposed to influenced social media specific to a brand
    • Identified sites containing distributed social marketing content of a brand’s social media program

Search behavior was broken into segments based on where queries fell among stages of the purchase funnel. This included upper-funnel terms expressing awareness and consideration (industry relevant terms, general product attributes) to lower-funnel terms expressing action and loyalty (campaign brand terms, brand product terms).

The study showed searchers who engage with social media, especially those exposed to a brand’s influenced social media, are far more likely to search for lower-funnel terms compared to consumers who do not engage with social media. Further, consumers exposed to a brand’s influenced social media and paid search programs are 2.8x more likely to search for that brand’s products compared to users who only saw paid search.

The study also showed a 50 percent CTR increase in paid search when consumers were exposed to influenced social media and paid search. This revealed consumers exposed to social media are more likely to click on a brand’s paid search ad compared to those exposed to the brand’s paid search alone. Among searchers using a brand’s product name in the query, the CTR increased from 4.5 percent to 11.8 percent when users were exposed to both influenced social media and paid search around a brand.

In organic search, consumers searching on brand product terms who have been exposed to a brand’s social marketing campaign are 2.4x more likely to click on organic links leading to the advertiser’s site than the average user seeing a brand’s paid search ad alone.

“Social media-exposed consumers are far more likely to search for brand and product-related terms, and click on a brand’s paid search ad,” said Graham Mudd, vice president of comScore, Inc. “This finding provides strong evidence that investing in social media marketing can both increase initial brand consideration and drive higher conversion rates once the consumer has decided to purchase.”

Surveying the intention of these segments, searchers who use social media are more engaged overall and more likely to be looking for places to buy and brands to consider. Consumers using social media are 1.7x more likely to search with the intention of making a list of brands or products to consider purchasing compared to those who do not use social media.

“Advertisers need to explore their social media initiatives and how they impact user engagement and performance in other channels. This data suggest that social media marketing does positively affect consumer purchase consideration, specifically through the search channel,” said Todd Steinman, chief operating offer at M80.

The findings introduce several implications for the search marketing and social marketing industries. “As advertisers consider the allocation of paid media and the greatest opportunity for return, the topics of media discovery and influenced social discovery must be a part of the conversation,” said Copeland. “Blending paid, earned and owned media, and putting your brand in places where it can be discovered and part of the natural conversation, will enable advertisers to influence the outcome of intention expressed by consumers, and capture this heavily engaged audience.”

About GroupM Search
GroupM Search is the search marketing specialist division of GroupM, the media buying and planning arm of WPP responsible for more than 1/3 of the world’s media buying. Honored by OMMA Magazine and MediaPost as the 2008 Search Marketing Agency of the Year, GroupM Search employs 600 search marketing strategists globally and has the largest global footprint of any other search organization with 40 offices serving more than 40 countries. GroupM Search provides industry-leading search marketing strategies technology development, research, staffing and training to GroupM communications planning agencies through its search divisions including Maxus Search, MediaCom Search, MEC Interaction and MindShare Search, as well as the direct-to-client brands, Outrider, Catalyst Online and Quisma. Our search divisions provide clients with the right balance of human intelligence and search technology in order to deliver award-winning paid, organic and advanced search marketing strategies (mobile, social media, video, local and more) that help our clients become a part of the online conversation. Global search marketing perspective from talent across GroupM Search can be found on the industry blog, SearchFuel (www.searchfuel.com). URL: www.groupmsearch.com

About M80
M80 is a leading provider of social media marketing and digital publicity services to Fortune 500 brands. Programs drive brand engagement and consumer activation through online word of mouth, conversation marketing, social network management, influencer outreach, digital asset syndication, online publicity and promotions. They empower consumer evangelists, create affinity and build community. Since 1998, the company has worked with hundreds of clients on thousands of programs, offering innovative solutions, producing quantifiable ROI. M80 is a founding member of the Word of Mouth Marketing Association (WOMMA) and was acquired by WPP’s GroupM in 2006 (LSE: WPP and NASDAQ: WPPGY). The company is headquartered in Los Angeles with offices in New York. URL: http://m80im.com/

About comScore
comScore, Inc. (NASDAQ: SCOR) is a global leader in measuring the digital world and preferred source of digital marketing intelligence. For more information, please visit www.comscore.com/companyinfo.

Contact:
Andrew Lipsman
Director, Marketing Communications
comScore, Inc.
+1 312 775 6510
press@comscore.com

buzz this

From Twitter 10-08-2009



  • 09:46:06: New post & just-published article: "DDMAC’s Internet Stance Could Increase Consumer Risk": http://tr.im/B70S #fdasm
  • 09:46:41: JUST PUBLISHED: "FDA and Internet Advertising: The Medium is The Message": http://tr.im/B71m #fdasm
  • 10:44:08: Merck launches Merck Manual iphone App: http://tr.im/B7lX (via @shwen)
  • 11:03:41: JUST PUBLISHED: "FDA and Internet Advertising: The Medium is The Message": http://tr.im/B71m #fdasm
  • 11:49:14: In case u missed it, JUST PUBLISHED: "FDA and Internet Advertising: The Medium is The Message": http://tr.im/B71m #fdasm
  • 14:03:07: New post & just-published article: "DDMAC’s Internet Stance Could Increase Consumer Risk": http://tr.im/B70S #fdasm
  • 14:25:38: RT @shwen @bradatpharma @EileenOBrien perhaps they implemented script like the 1 used here: http://tr.im/AO0A (see if cmmnts R on goog prof)
  • 14:37:52: @pharmaguy : 4 of 13 dubious ads IS a little scary. But more importantly, if you ask me, is how has this changed pre-FDA letters.
  • 14:49:49: @pharmaguy : I know, but I think there r tools that can actually validate their position, click-throughs, etc... would be interesting 2 see.
  • 14:57:08: RT @jonmrich @pharmaguy - I hope SOMEONE (e.g., GOOGLE) is presenting something on this at the FDA hearing #fdasm ... anyone know?
  • 15:02:50: @pharmaguy staying w/ur "prostate" motif, checked "prostate cancer" on GOOGLE. NO Rx ad. Lots of "safe" & "effective" alternatives though :)


Tweets copied by twittinesis.com


buzz this

Thursday, October 08, 2009

300 Doctors at your Fingertips: New Merck Manuals Deliver Convenient and Trusted Medical Information to Consumers

Easy-to-Understand Reference Book and iPhone App Provide In-Depth Medical Information, Focus On All Life Stages



WHITEHOUSE STATION, N.J., Oct. 8, 2009 - Doctors are considered the most trustworthy source of health information, according to a recent survey, yet consumers typically don’t have 24/7 access to their physicians. Recognizing that need, Merck & Co., Inc. today released its new medical book, The Merck Manual Home Health Handbook and a new iPhone® application (app) The Merck Manual – Home Edition, written by more than 300 key worldwide medical experts.

A new Opinion Research Corporation (ORC) survey commissioned by Merck, reports that approximately two-thirds (64 percent) of consumers turn to physicians and medical professionals as their most trusted source of health information. According to the survey, the number one reason was because of their verifiable health credentials.

As one of the most comprehensive and current medical books addressing health issues across all life stages, The Merck Manual Home Health Handbook includes informative or specialized sections on the specific medical hurdles that children and the aging population face, as well as timely health topics such as the H1N1 (Swine) Flu. The new book breaks down complicated health conditions into an easy-to-understand format, making comprehensive health information available to everyone.

“When it comes to something as important as health, people need to be educated and empowered to make smart decisions for themselves and their families, in consultation with their health care providers. We feel it is Merck's responsibility to aid in this effort by giving them the reliable and trustworthy information they need,” said Dr. Richard Pasternak, vice president, Head Global Scientific Affairs & Scientific Leadership. "And better yet, give them the information in everyday language that's easy to understand.”

The new app, developed in collaboration with Agile Partners, is designed specifically for the iPhone and iPod touch and contains the same material as The Merck Manual Home Health Handbook. It brings consumers added convenience in accessing key information wherever they are. Featuring an easy-to-use interface, the app enables users to quickly find information, share topics via e-mail and bookmark favorite subjects.

"Our new Merck Manual – Home Edition iPhone app is perfect for today's on-the-go consumers of health information," said Robert S. Porter, MD, editor-in-chief of The Merck Manuals. "In addition to the latest health care and medical information, we included a practical 'Emergencies and Injuries' section that is accessible from the app home screen." A new app of The Merck Manual – Professional Edition is also now available for doctors, nurses and other health care professionals.

For more information about Merck and The Merck Manual Home Health Handbook, please visit www.merck.com or www.merckbooks.com.

For more information about The Home Edition and Professional Edition iPhone apps, please visit www.agilepartners.com/apps/merckmanuals.

Not-for-Profit Service

In addition to The Merck Manual Home Health Handbook, Merck also publishes The Merck Manual – Professional Edition, The Merck Manual of Health and Aging, The Merck Manual of Patient Symptoms, The Merck Index of Chemicals and Biologicals, The Merck Veterinary Manual, and The Merck/Merial Manual for Pet Health, as a not-for-profit service.

About Merck

Merck & Co., Inc. is a global research-driven pharmaceutical company dedicated to putting patients first. Established in 1891, Merck discovers, develops, manufactures and markets vaccines and medicines to address unmet medical needs. The Company devotes extensive efforts to increase access to medicines through far-reaching programs that not only donate Merck medicines but help deliver them to the people who need them. Merck also publishes unbiased health information as a not-for-profit service. For more information, visit www.merck.com.

About Agile Partners

Agile Partners Technologies, LLC, is a leading developer of iPhone applications. Agile Partners' applications for the iPhone and iPod touch include GuitarToolkit, one of the apps on the Top Grossing list in the iTunes App Store, TabToolkit and Star 6. Founded in 2002, Agile Partners has locations in New York and Chicago. For more information, visit www.agilepartners.com.

Forward-Looking Statement

This press release contains "forward-looking statements" as that term is defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements are based on management's current expectations and involve risks and uncertainties, which may cause results to differ materially from those set forth in the statements. The forward-looking statements may include statements regarding product development, product potential or financial performance. No forward-looking statement can be guaranteed and actual results may differ materially from those projected. Merck undertakes no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise. Forward-looking statements in this press release should be evaluated together with the many uncertainties that affect Merck's business, particularly those mentioned in the risk factors and cautionary statements in Item 1A of Merck's Form 10-K for the year ended Dec. 31, 2008, and in any risk factors or cautionary statements contained in the Company's periodic reports on Form 10-Q or current reports on Form 8-K, which the Company incorporates by reference.

buzz this

FDA and Internet Advertising: The Medium is The Message (ORIGINAL PAPER)

Published October 6, 2009
Written by By Arnold I. Friede and Gregory Conko

In September 2009, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced that it would begin using the social media site Twitter to convey news and other information about drug safety and regulation. “Messages on Twitter provide consumers, healthcare professionals, the pharmaceutical industry, and others with timely information on new drug approvals, safety alerts, compliance actions, and consumer information,”(1) notes an agency website. [continued]

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD A PDF OF THE COMPLETE PAPER

(Click here for additional commentary on this paper by Arnold Friede)

buzz this

DDMAC’s Internet Stance Could Increase Consumer Risk: CEI

Written By Arnold I. Friede
October 7, 2009

A new Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI) analysis cautions that FDA’s current policy restricting use of Internet sponsored links could have the unintended effect of making regulated information less available to consumers and making less reliable and unsubstantiated information more availabble. The report, issued just weeks before FDA holds a public meeting on drug advertising and promotion using the Internet and other new media, says that the agency’s crackdown on sponsored links and other Internet advertising by regulated companies “could elevate the prominence of search results that link to Web sites containing utterly unsubstantiated claims by fly-by-night operators for products that are largely beyond the agency’s enforcement reach. Indeed, if sponsored links for highly regulated drugs and devices become more rare, then an information seeker will be relegated to wading through a list of Web sites that contain all manner of information of dubious validity.”

The paper reviews objections that have been raised to FDA’s position that full risk information must be included on a Web page, banner ad, or sponsored link, rather than allowing use of Internet technology to place the risk information on a hyperlinked page. Defenders of this “one-click” approach say that the initial Internet ad is not the end but rather the starting point for an Internet user’s search for information.

Authors Arnold Friede (Arnold Friede & Associates) and CEI senior fellow Gregory Conko fault FDA for a 5/09 draft guidance on drug and device promotion generally that barely acknowledges the Internet’s existence other than in a footnote listing product Web sites among communication vehicles subject to regulation for advertising and promotion.

“The agency appears unwilling to recognize that hyperlinks are an integral part of the Internet with which virtually every Internet user is familiar,” they write. “Indeed, the very purpose of a key word search is to generate sponsored links to those sites where the searcher may find the relevant information he or she needs. This is precisely why a searcher initiates a key word search in the first place. To assert that the sponsored link’s landing page — on which the risk information is accessible — is irrelevant in determining the adequacy of the risk disclosure is to disregard the realities of the medium and to elevate form over substance.”

Friede and Conko also argue that FDA’s categorical rejection of the landing page as an integral component of the sponsored link could be seen as violating one of its own advertising interpretation principles — that seemingly separate statements should be aggregated and considered together in determining whether the ensuing ad complies with the risk disclosure requirements. Thus, FDA says that if reminder and help-seeking ads appear in close proximity, such as in the same magazine, they could be considered jointly as a promotional ad that requires full risk information disclosure. “It is not apparent why this same logic is inapplicable to hyperlinked risk disclosures in sponsored links where the information is accessible only one click away,” they say. “If the principle [is] that A accompanies B even if the two are not physically attached, then that same principle ought to apply in determining what constitutes a discrete component of an advertisement in the first place.”


CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE PAPER

HOW TO CONTACT ARNIE FRIEDE:

ARNOLD I. FRIEDE & ASSOCIATES
Office: 212.585-0411 Cell: 917.514.9166
Arnie@FriedeFDALaw.com
Admitted In: CA, CT, DC, MD
buzz this

From Twitter 10-07-2009





Tweets copied by twittinesis.com


buzz this

Wednesday, October 07, 2009

The Web 2.0 Internet and the Clinical Practice of Oncology

By Daniel D. Karp, MD, Ronald H. Blum, MD, Clifford Hudis, MD,L. Michael Glode, MD, and Allard J. Snijders, PhD (see below for more information on the authors)

Overview: This article reviews the emerging trends of the new Web 2.0 generation of websites, their potential use in the field of oncology, and American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) and non-ASCO Internet resources for medical oncologists, on the basis of the authors’ extensive experience and use of the Internet in their own education and oncology practices.


CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE COMPLETE ARTICLE.

From the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston TX (Dr. Karp); the Beth Israel Cancer Center, New York, NY (Dr. Blum); the University of Colorado Cancer Center, Aurora, Colorado (Dr. Glode); the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (Dr. Hudis) and the American Society of Clinical Oncology Integrated Media Department (Dr. Snijders).

IMPORTANT NOTE:
This article was provided to me for distribution with expressed permission from Daniel D. Karp, MD, M.D. Anderson Cancer Center. Please do not duplicate or re-post without obtaining permission from Dr. Karp. You can write to him at the follow e-mail:
dkarp@mdanderson.org.
buzz this

Health 2.0 on the Rise – 35% of U.S. Adults Use Social Media for Medical Information

Manhattan Research’s Cybercitizen Health™ study details how patients engage in social media for health – Webinar October 14, 11am

October 7, 2009, New York, NY – About 35% of the U.S. adult population uses social media for health and medical purposes in 2009, according to pharmaceutical and healthcare market research company Manhattan Research’s Cybercitizen Health™ v9.0. These 80 million Health 2.0 Consumers create or consumer content on health blogs, message boards, chat rooms, health social networks and health communities, and patient testimonials.

Though the Health 2.0 market grew substantially in the past year, it still represents just one of many online resources consumers use to get health information. Furthermore, survey results suggest that not all user-generated content is influential. In 2009, a minority of consumers report they are influenced by Health 2.0 media. But Health 2.0 Consumers are an important group to watch, especially for brand teams focused on the therapeutic segments that rely on user-generated content more than others, such as patients suffering from mental health conditions, fibromyalgia, and ADD/ADHD.

“While there’s no doubt that social media is a critical area for pharmaceutical marketers, it’s still just one piece of the overall consumer media mix,” said Monique Levy, Senior Director of Research at Manhattan Research, “Our consumer research shows that user-generated content is an important influential resource for certain therapeutic segments, suggesting social media is more of a priority for some brands than others.”

Register for Cybercitizen Health™ Webinar

President Mark Bard will discuss today’s digital health market and its effect on marketing and consumer engagement in an upcoming webinar on October 14, 2009 at 11am EDT. The session is a preview of the rich consumer market data and insights available to clients of the Cybercitizen Health™ v9.0 market research and strategic advisory service and will offer tips and trends to help healthcare marketers determine an optimal media mix when targeting patient audiences. Topics include health-related media consumption across traditional and alternative resource channels, use of social media for health, emerging media formats like online video, use of major online health networks like WebMD and Everyday Health, and mobile health applications.

Cybercitizen Health™ 2009: Connecting with Patients Online for Health
Wednesday, October 14, 11:00 – 11:30 AM EDT
Register here: https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/968476938

About Cybercitizen Health™ v9.0

Cybercitizen Health™ v9.0 was fielded in Q3 2009 among 8,600 U.S. adults (ages 18+). The consumer market research and strategic advisory service focuses on how consumers use new media and technology for health and its impact on treatment and product decisions. In addition to the data, clients receive strategic deliverables including research reports, client briefings, and access to the Manhattan Research analyst team to answer specific questions. Broad consumer research can also be segmented to derive insight into a wide range of eHealth preferences and behaviors for over 100 therapeutic groups. For additional product and subscription information, please visit http://www.manhattanresearch.com/cch.

About Manhattan Research

Manhattan Research, a Decision Resources, Inc. company, is a leading market research and advisory services firm for global pharmaceutical and healthcare companies. For more information, visit http://www.manhattanresearch.com, email sales@manhattanresearch.com or call 1.888.680.0800.

About Decision Resources, Inc.

Decision Resources, Inc. is a cohesive portfolio of companies that offers best-in-class, high-value information and insights on important sectors of the healthcare industry. Clients rely on this analysis and data to make informed decisions. Please visit Decision Resources, Inc. at http://www.decisionresourcesinc.com.

###

All company, brand, or product names contained in this document may be trademarks or
registered trademarks of their respective holders.

buzz this

From Twitter 10-06-2009





Tweets copied by twittinesis.com


buzz this

Tuesday, October 06, 2009

Gel Health 2009 Conference, 10/22 in NYC

Source: GelHealth

Gel Health will explore the patient experience - how to improve it, and who's doing it, in a variety of organizations and companies. Like any Gel conference, we'll tackle the theme from a broad array of perspectives.

Gel Health will explore the patient experience - how to improve it, and who's doing it, in a variety of organizations and companies. Like any Gel conference, we'll tackle the theme from a broad array of perspectives.

A good primer on patient experience is this video of Bridget Duffy's talk at Gel 2008

Gel Health will be held on Thursday and Friday, October 22 and 23, 2009 at Scandinavia House, Park Avenue and 38th Street in Manhattan.

Gel Health tickets are available at for $499.

The Gel (Good Experience Live) conference series, a seven-year-old event curated by Mark Hurst, is launching a new healthcare event - Gel Health - a conference focused on the patient experience.

Confirmed GEL Health 2009 speakers (so far):

  • Dr. Bridget Duffy, Chief Experience Officer, Cleveland Clinic
  • Dr. Robert Martensen, Author, A Life Worth Living; lecturer, Dept. of Global Health and Social Medicine, Harvard Medical School
  • Cathy Salit, Working with Johns Hopkins oncology nurses via Performance of a Lifetime
  • Dan Ford, Patient advocate
  • Dr. Javette Orgain, Family physician; Chairperson, Illinois State Board of Health
  • Dr. John La Puma, Author, ChefMD's Big Book of Culinary Medicine
  • Dr. Jim Withers, Founder, Operation Safety Net
  • Dr. Mark Pochapin, Director, Jay Monahan Center for Gastrointestinal Health
  • Michael Christensen, Co-Founder and Creative Director of the Big Apple Circus and founder of Clown Care
  • Olie Westheimer, Founder, Brooklyn Parkinson Group; cofounder, "Dance for PD" with Mark Morris Dance Group
  • Dr. Sharon Krumm, Director of Nursing, Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center
  • Dr. Sigall Bell, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
  • Bill Brownstein, Founder, Kids RX

buzz this

Physician Smartphone Adoption Rate to Reach 81% in 2012

Date: October 5, 2009
Source: Manhattan Research

REPORT TITLE: "Physicians in 2012: The Outlook for On Demand, Mobile, and Social Digital Media"

NEW YORK, NY – October 5, 2009 – Physician smartphone adoption rates will experience significant growth over the next few years. Currently, 64% of U.S. physicians own smartphones, but this will increase to 81% penetration in 2012, according to the latest physician report from pharmaceutical and healthcare company Manhattan Research. “Physicians in 2012: The Outlook for On Demand, Mobile, and Social Digital Media,” is part of the company’s Taking the Pulse® market research and strategic advisory service. The report looks at how physician use of emerging technologies such as mobile and social media will evolve in 2012 and serves as a guide for manufacturers and publishers looking to leverage imminent digital opportunities.

While the last few years saw strong growth in the share of physicians starting to use digital media for work, the next couple of years will see the evolution of a more mature and proficient physician audience. With this shift, the Internet will become physicians’ primary professional resource. Mobile will become even more indispensable to physicians as they start to expand the range activities they perform on these devices to include administrative tasks and patient monitoring.

“By 2012, all physicians will walk around with a stethoscope and a smart mobile device, and there will be very few professional activities that physicians won’t be doing on their handhelds. Physicians will be going online first for the majority of their professional needs and will be regularly pulling online resources into patient consultations,” said Monique Levy, Senior Director of Research at Manhattan Research. “Understanding the shifts that are occurring is essential for manufacturers, especially as many are reevaluating their sales model overall at this time.”


For more on this report, click here.
buzz this

From Twitter 10-05-2009



  • 05:14:16: Last weeks news from comScore - "FDA Warning Letters Caused Dramatic Decline in Sponsored Link Exposures": http://tr.im/AJJq
  • 05:20:38: Fascinating paper on twitter as a powerful word-of-mouth tool: http://tr.im/AJKV
  • 05:31:07: BIO-RAD's video channel rocks... Amazing to see "The PCR" song has surpassed 500,000 views! http://tr.im/AJOT
  • 05:38:41: 367 Hospitals in US Now Use Social Media: http://tr.im/AJRm
  • 05:41:02: Five Google Sidewiki Examples in the Pharma, Retail, Insurance, and Electronics Categories: http://tr.im/AJSd
  • 06:16:35: Online Pharma Ads: Consumers Need More Information: http://tr.im/AJTe
  • 06:16:41: 87+ of the best digital campaigns over last 12 months: http://tr.im/AK5K (THANK U @Jaeselle)
  • 06:22:49: @Pitch360 @pharmaguy RE: drop in sponsored search (A) How much $ did google & search media cos lose? (B) if/how/when will pharma spend it?
  • 08:35:27: So, so cool. BIONIC EYE: another incredible iphone app. that showcases the future of mobile augmented reality: http://tr.im/AL0H
  • 08:47:35: Grin of the day: "I GOOGLE MYSELF", hands-down funniest online video I have seen all year: http://tr.im/AL3F (rated R for language)
  • 09:16:57: ADAGE: Apple, Microsoft Are Megabrand Kingpins in Social Radar Index: http://tr.im/ALhx
  • 09:21:39: ADAGE: "What E-mail 2.0 May Look Like", RE: Google Wave - http://tr.im/ALjv
  • 09:39:07: BREAKING NEWS: FTC Clamps Down On Ad Testimonials - no more "I lost 100 lbs in 1 month", subtitle: "results may vary": http://tr.im/ALpK
  • 16:46:01: SIDEBAR WIKI BLOCKER (a test): Can you see my posts? Can you post? RT if it works: http://tr.im/AO0A
  • 16:48:17: Can PHARMA COs block people from posting on GOOGLE'S SIDEWIKI? See 4 yourself: http://tr.im/AO0A
  • 16:54:37: @MaverickNY but can u see my posts?
  • 16:59:31: @MaverickNY : I will wait 2 see what others say. If indeed this works, then coding sites to block sidewiki is EXTREMELY simple (& legit)
  • 17:01:27: THE GOOLE SIDEWIKI CHALLENGE: is anyone able to post a comment on my test site, or view others' comments? LMK. http://tr.im/AO0A
  • 17:11:21: @MaverickNY : I think it's good it's not TOTALLY lost. The difference is now people must visit your profile 2 see it, right? Like any blog.
  • 17:12:16: @blogaceutics : don't see it. Do you (upon re-visiting site)? Does anyone else?
  • 17:14:39: @blogaceutics : Miguel, what browser are you using -- perhaps it will still appear somewhere.
  • 17:17:48: RT @MaverickNY: @scobleizer what do you think of @skypen's neat sidewiki blocker? http://tr.im/AO0A :-) CREDIT GOES 2 ROMANIAN PROGRAMMER.
  • 17:23:54: SIDEWIKI BLOCKER, script by Catalin Ionescu of Romania. Costs $27. Takes minutes 2 install. Could B obsolete 2morrow: http://tr.im/AObZ
  • 17:36:40: @mrgunn : Not saying 2 buy this--may not B a long-term/viable solution, but it shows it's POSSIBLE 2 block SW, that's all I wanted 2 know ;)
  • 17:39:57: @mrgunn : but isn't greasemonkey a script that runs on individual's browser s-- a website owner would still not have control... right?
  • 17:43:21: @mrgunn : AHA, I see what you mean. And then someone would have to develop a code to block that. Good times!
  • 17:47:45: @mrgunn : Point taken. Will b interesting 2 see how the next several weeks play out regarding all this.
  • 17:57:32: FAST COMPANY: "How Social Media is Upending the Enterprise" - http://tr.im/AOkM (via @bernardmoon)
  • 18:01:33: Nice BNET post RE: Nielsen's recent report on ad spending growth on social networks: http://tr.im/AOla (via @bernardmoon)
  • 18:15:18: CONGRATS! RT @GSW_Worldwide: GSW Worldwide awarded 16 Rx Club Awards of Excellence!
  • 18:32:42: @blogaceutics @MaverickNY - Where there's a will, there's a way. Course, firefox + script = very small % of users. Still, you're right!
  • 21:13:29: Really love this post by @bernardmoon, some gr8 wisdom here: "Kevin Compton's 5 Rules for Success": http://tr.im/AP4O


Tweets copied by twittinesis.com


buzz this

Monday, October 05, 2009

comScore: FDA Warning Letters Caused Dramatic Decline in Sponsored Link Exposures

Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Reevaluate How to Reach Consumers during the Search Process

Source: comScore

RESTON, VA, October 1, 2009 – comScore, Inc. (NASDAQ: SCOR), a leader in measuring the digital world, today released the results of a study of changes in search engine marketing in the pharmaceutical industry as a result of the FDA warning letters distributed in March 2009. Using comScore data, the study found that sponsored link exposures to U.S. Internet users declined more than 50 percent immediately after the FDA warning letters were issued to pharmaceutical manufacturers concerning the exclusion of fair balance language in sponsored link advertising.

On March 26, 2009, the Division of Drug Marketing, Advertising, and Communications (DDMAC) of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) sent warning letters to 14 major pharmaceutical manufacturers identifying specific brands as being in violation of FDA fair balance guidelines. The letters stated that sponsored link advertisements for specific drugs were misleading due to the exclusion of risk information associated with the use of the drug.

At the urging of the warning letters, many pharmaceutical companies temporarily removed their sponsored link ads for these identified brands as well as many other brands not specifically mentioned in the letters. As a result, sponsored link exposures for pharmaceutical brands experienced a dramatic decline as manufacturers redesigned their strategies to ensure compliance with the letters.

FDA Letters Cause an Immediate 59 Percent Drop in Sponsored Link Exposures





An analysis of exposure to branded URLs within comScore’s data revealed that substantial declines occurred immediately following the letters being sent on March 26. Sponsored link exposures dropped 59 percent from 10.5 million during the week ending March 29 to 4.3 million during the week ending April 5. Declines in sponsored link exposures not only occurred in the weeks immediately following the letters, but continued over the next several months, plummeting 84 percent overall from March to June.

Vanity and unbranded link exposures also experienced a decline, on average, across brands during the same period, although these methods were not under scrutiny in the FDA letters. Unbranded sites, which give additional information on the condition and treatment but do not directly promote the brand drug, declined 35-percent March to June to slightly more than one million exposures. Vanity URLs, which make no mention of a specific brand while generically describing a health condition but then redirect to the brand or drug’s website, declined 11 percent in June to 3.2 million average exposures versus March.

Although the use of vanity and unbranded URLs saw growth for certain individual brands after the letters, the overall decline in vanity and unbranded URL exposures demonstrates that searchers for information on a specific treatment or drug brand may not find the health-related information they are searching for as readily as they did prior to the guidance.

“The FDA letters changed not only how pharmaceutical manufacturers are marketing online, but what consumers are being exposed to when they search for health information,” said John Mangano, vice president of marketing solutions for comScore. “Independent of what is happening on the regulatory front, we see continued increases in consumers turning to the Internet to research health conditions, treatments and drugs. It is important that marketers and the FDA find a middle ground that meets the spirit of the FDA guidelines and is supportable in the various emerging online media.”

About comScore

comScore, Inc. (NASDAQ: SCOR) is a global leader in measuring the digital world and preferred source of digital marketing intelligence. For more information, please visit www.comscore.com/companyinfo.

Contact:
Sarah Radwanick
Senior Analyst
comScore, Inc.
+1 312 775 6538
buzz this

Sunday, October 04, 2009

From Twitter 10-03-2009



  • 07:58:48: @gorode : I hope that all is OK. re: worst news of your life.


Tweets copied by twittinesis.com


buzz this