Tuesday, December 21, 2010

ePharma Tweets of the Week: 12-21-2010

Review our weekly update to catch the tweets that interested and inspired us.

Compiled by: Jeremy Franz, Digital Strategy Coordinator at Ignite Health (@eHealthStrat)

Its Official – FDA Delaying Social Media Guidance Until at Least Q1 2011 - (via @eyeonfda)

http://ow.ly/3st9I

The news that many in the industry were expecting.

I wish more people would think about this when they think about what they're doing with Social Media: (via @mitchjoel)

http://bit.ly/if5PMn

This post explains how social media can sometimes alienate those who join “in the middle of the movie.” Mitch offers some good tips on how to get late comers brought up to speed on your conversation.

Our holiday gift, from @foursquare to you: photos and comments! (via @foursquare)

http://bit.ly/efKYEU

These long requested features make foursquare a much more social platform, but will they be enough to hold off the likely geo-transplatation to Facebook Places?

Google Explores the Human Body With HTML5 (via @mashable)

http://on.mash.to/ijo4eg

This incredible atlas of the human body showcases the possibilities of HTML5.

Drug Companies Take Their Pitch to Social Media (via @L2_Pharma)

http://bit.ly/eo5hlL

A great write up on the complexity of social media and Pharma originally published on Time magazine’s online destination. The article profiles Novo Novardisk’s RaceWithInsulin campaign.

Report: 70 percent want access to #mHealth 200M apps in use today, 600M by 2012 (via @mobilehealth)

http://t.co/dk5zO9R

Statistics in the category have been volatile to date,this report investigates patient motivation and barriers to adoption of mHealth.

GR8 READ! "To Friend or Not" - new report by Deloitte explores SOCIAL MEDIA in life science industry: (via @skypen)

http://bit.ly/g1GQ6P

Deloitte’s in-depth study provides insight into the reasons why some life science companies are exploring and adopting social media when others are still on the outside looking in.

The Top Six Innovation Ideas of 2011 (via @HarvardBiz)

http://s.hbr.org/hhgXUo

Harvard Business Review predicts the key sources of innovation to come in 2011 – and invents the word, “contestification” in the process…

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Monday, December 20, 2010

New Poll Reveals Holiday Shoppers Empowered By the Mobile Internet

Approximately Half of U.S. Consumers with Smart Phones Used Them to Locate Stores, Find Products and Compare Prices


The Line Between Online and In-Store Shopping is Blurring

Findings from a new GfK Roper Poll, conducted on behalf of SapientNitro, part of Sapient (NASDAQ: SAPE), demonstrate that American consumers are increasingly empowered by their mobile devices when it comes to researching products and finding the best prices while holiday shopping.

The national survey found that of the three in ten Americans who own a "smart phone" — e.g., an iPhone, Blackberry, Android-based phone, or other type of Internet and application-enabled mobile phone — many are using it to their advantage while shopping for the holidays.

As shoppers are increasingly empowered by their mobile Internet devices this holiday season, this trend has implications for brick-and-mortar retailers. For example, of consumers with a smart phone:
  • Three in ten (30%) say that, while at a store looking at a product, they tried to find a better deal elsewhere on their phone
  • One in three (33%) say that while out shopping, they e-mailed or texted someone to tell them about an experience at a store — such as finding a great deal or a great gift
  • One in five (19%) used their phone to post something on Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, or other social networking sites about their holiday shopping experience
  • In addition, half or nearly half used their smart phones to find a store location (52%), research specific products they were thinking of purchasing (48%), browse for products (44%), and/or compare prices (40%). About one in three looked for discounts, deals, coupons, or discount codes (35%) on their mobile phones, or checked product availability at retail stores or websites (34%).
"Portability is a game-changer in transforming the way that people shop," said Chris Davey, worldwide head of commerce at SapientNitro. "Technology is causing some of the biggest shifts in human behavior that we've seen in years, and consumers are more informed and empowered than ever. This has a major impact not only on the way that consumers shop but also on the way that retailers need to market to consumers this holiday season."

"Mobile assets play an important role in making it easier for customers to find and order gifts for the holiday season," said Brian Tilzer, vice president of Ecommerce and business development at Staples. "Mobile technology offers us new ways to make it even easier for customers to research, shop and buy the products and services we offer. Given the rapid adoption of smart phones, we see great possibilities over time in putting even more power in the hands of our many customers using these devices."

The survey also found that the Internet, in general, is forging a new inter-connectedness between traditional and online stores. Of those Americans who have already started their holiday shopping:
  • About half (53%) say they purchased a product in a physical retail store after researching the product online
  • Nearly half (44%) purchased a product online after shopping for a similar item in a physical store
Consumers are finding a number of online tools helpful when choosing products to purchase this holiday season, the SapientNitro survey finds. Of those who have made an online purchase this holiday season:
  • Seven in ten (69%) say online customer ratings or reviews (such as on Amazon or Yelp) very or somewhat valuable
  • About half find e-mail promotions (50%) or online videos of product features/reviews (53%) valuable
How the survey was conducted
The survey was conducted December 3-5, 2010 by GfK Roper Public Affairs & Corporate Communications. This telephone poll was based on a nationally representative probability (random digit dial) sample of 1,004 general population adults age 18 or older. The data was weighted to account for probabilities of selection, as well as age, sex, education and race, using targets from the March 2009 supplement of the Current Population Survey.

The margin of sampling error is plus or minus 4 percentage points at the 95% confidence level for results based on the entire sample of adults. The margin of sampling error is higher and varies for results based on sub-samples.

About GfK Roper Public Affairs & Media GfK Roper Public Affairs & Corporate Communications, a division of GfK Custom Research North America (www.gfkamerica.com), is one of the most trusted names in public opinion and marketing research. The Roper legacy dates back to 1933 and today is known for its work in public relations, brand building, consumer advocacy, social policy and corporate communications, serving clients across sectors and around the world. Whether it's a Fortune 500 corporation or a non-profit organization, a major media company or an online start-up, a university, think-tank or public relations firm, a local government or private philanthropy, GfK Roper Public Affairs & Corporate Communications delivers intelligence vital to their strategic objectives. GfK Custom Research North America is part of the GfK Group.

About SapientNitro SapientNitroSM, part of Sapient®, is one of the world's largest integrated marketing and technology services firms. We create and engineer highly relevant experiences that accelerate business growth and fuel brand advocacy for our clients. By combining multi-channel marketing, multi-channel commerce, and the technology that binds them, we influence customer behavior across the spectrum of content, communication and commerce channels, resulting in deeper, more meaningful relationships between customers and brands. SapientNitro services global leaders such as Citi, The Coca-Cola Company, Mars, Singapore Airlines, Target, and Vodafone through our operations in North America, Europe, and Asia-Pacific. For more information, visit www.sapientnitro.com or follow us on Twitter @sapientnitro.

SOURCE: SapientNitro
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Sunday, December 19, 2010

Big Pharma's small voice

Out of fear of federal regulation, drug companies shun social media

Written by Jonathan Starkey (The News Journal)

Source: Delaware Online

It's all too common these days to wake up in the morning, fire off a tweet about some piece of news, then log onto Facebook to drone on about one thing or another.

For most, it's all pretty simple, and safe.

Not for Big Pharma.

Executives at pharmaceutical companies are all tied in knots about what they can and can't say through social media sites like Twitter, Facebook and other popular Web forums where patients and doctors congregate.

They worry that one wrong move will land them in the penalty box with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, their federal regulator.

A recent survey from audit and consulting firm Deloitte found that 35 percent of companies surveyed had no interest in social media, a striking number given that the general public seems enamored with such 21st century pleasures as Tweeting on Twitter and Friending on Facebook. Many firms see the new media as a gold mine for customer engagement.

But more than half of firms surveyed by Deloitte said confusion about what regulators believe is appropriate communication over social networks gives them heartburn about participating.

Promoting a branded drug over Twitter, for example, is virtually unheard of. Even observing conversations at more private forums like Sermo.com, a professional networking site for doctors, has its dangers.

"Our concern is particularly around what the FDA is going to think about social media and the fact that you're really at times limited in what you can communicate," said Fritz Bittenbender, a spokesman for Frazer, Pa.-based Cephalon, which makes the sleep-disorder drug Provigil.

Cephalon recently issued a set of new media guidelines to its employees that cautioned them against promoting products through their personal accounts.

"The FDA could see that as an official corporate message," Bittenbender warned.

Pharmaceutical companies have become masters at pitching their products in old media outlets. Think of those fancy Viagra ads on TV. Or full-page spreads in mass-market magazines hawking the latest and greatest cholesterol pill.

In 1997, the FDA issued rules allowing those direct-to-consumer ads, so long as the drugmaker also discussed the corresponding risks and side effects of the medicines.

It's the lack of similar rules for social media -- where room for messaging is often more limited -- that has made big pharmaceutical players sheepish about entering the space.

Many in the industry believe the Food and Drug Administration is dragging its feet on issuing guidelines for social media use, according to consultants who coach pharma types on using new media tools.

Regulators held a two-day meeting on the topic last November, but have remained mostly silent about guidelines since.

FDA spokeswoman Shelly Burgess said the agency still plans to issue a set of social media guidelines before year's end.

"I think there's a lot of pessimism because it's taken them a year to do something," said Phil Charron, a senior director at Conshohocken, Pa.-based Think Brownstone, which consults with pharma companies.

Meanwhile, the regulator's delay in issuing guidance hasn't kept it from reacting strongly to pharmaceutical companies it believes are using social media networks inappropriately.

In a letter sent in August, and posted to its website, the FDA dinged Swiss drug giant Novartis for its use of a Facebook-sharing widget on a website for its leukemia drug Tasigna.

The widget was a button that allowed the site's visitors to share the drug's information with their friends on Facebook.

Problem was, the FDA, said, the information that carried over to Facebook -- descriptive metadata stored in the page's code -- didn't contain any mention of the drug's risks.

"The shared content is misleading because it makes representations about the efficacy of Tasigna but fails to communicate any risk information associated with the use of this drug," the FDA wrote in its letter, ordering the company to "immediately cease the dissemination of violative promotional materials."

Consultants say this presents one of the most perplexing issues for pharmaceutical companies looking to engage on social networks: How do you communicate risk in limited space, like the 140 characters allowed by Twitter for a single message?

Charron said most hope the FDA will allow companies to place the risk warnings "one click away." But the default position for now, without that guidance? Companies avoid promoting branded products through new media.

Representatives of pharma companies also are often advised to steer clear of doctor and patient forums like Sermo.com, where their participation may be helpful, but raises the risk of regulatory run-ins, consultants say.

"At what point does something that's said around the performance of a product suddenly become a reportable event," said Terry Hisey, head of the U.S. life sciences practice at Deloitte. Hisey said companies remain uncertain about the answer to that question.

Charron, from Think Brownstone, says all of this means less information on the Web. And that's a big deal, considering that 61 percent of American adults look online for information about health care topics, according to a 2009 study from the Pew Research Center.

British drugmaker AstraZeneca, which has its U.S. headquarters and 4,000 employees in Delaware, has a strong presence on networking sites like Twitter, but keeps its accounts mostly focused on industry trends, or news that's non-controversial by any measure.

AstraZeneca's U.S. tweeters -- @AstraZenecaUS -- recently told their 4,134 followers that the company had received a "Community Partner of the Year," award, for example. It ignored news that the company's most important new drug, the blood thinner Brilinta, had failed to win regulatory approval.

In a memo to the FDA in February-- when the regulator was publicly studying the social media issue -- AstraZeneca said its participation on social networking sites was "intentionally quite limited."

"Without guidance, our activities are limited in a manner that we believe is not in the best interests of informed health care decision making," the drugmaker said. "In our absence, consumers will turn to information sources that are not regulated and not always well-informed."

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Monday, November 29, 2010

ePharma Tweets of the Week: 11-29-2010

Review our weekly update to catch the tweets that interested and inspired us.

Compiled by: Jeremy Franz, Digital Strategy Coordinator at Ignite Health (@eHealthStrat)

Did you read that WSJ article about marketers "scraping" online conversation? I decided I needed to respond: (via @leighhouse)

http://ow.ly/3eulu

Leigh Householder's provides a compelling argument in response to criticism of Pharma's "scraping" online conversation. Saying, "I believe it’s part of my job (as a responsible marketer) to listen to the real people we serve and elevate their collective voice."

Social Media Is Not for Advertising Pharma Brands (via @jonmrich)

http://bit.ly/ead8r2

Jonathon Richman argues that social media is not for advertising pharma brands primarily because healthcare decisions are a private matter, and there are no benefits to sharing medical information publicly.

A reminder that your Twitter (or Facebook) is not my Twitter (or Facebook): (via @mitchjoel)

http://bit.ly/grTsIX

"It's a welcomed reminder that Social Media is not a fixed piece of software. It is (and it should be) many different things to many different people. Some will use it to game the system, while others will use it to change the world."

RT @RecognitionA “@LizzieGeorgescu: Who’s Responsible for Tweets About a Drug? (via @Gingerpug9405)

http://on.wsj.com/fivFzv

The “social” part of social media means that third parties — bloggers, commenters, Twitter users — are also part of the message. (Kanye West tweeted this summer that “clothes are my drug,” but what if he’d instead said that Lipitor was his drug? Should the FDA pay any attention to that? What if he or another celebrity were paid for the tweet?)

Diabetes Time Bomb: New Report Shows Half the Country Could Have Diabetes by 2020 (via @Hall_MediaMaven)

http://bit.ly/gXvCyr

More than 50 percent of Americans could have diabetes or prediabetes by 2020 at a cost of $3.35 trillion over the next decade if current trends continue.

Healthcare is No. 3 Sector for iPad Adoption (via @L2_Pharma)

http://l2pharma.posterous.com/healthcare-is-no-3-sector-for-ipad-adoption

Healthcare is one of the top three industries using Apple's hot-selling iPad tablet, behind only the financial and technology sectors, according to data from mobility service provider Good Technology.


Study: Why Are the Rich So Good at the Internet? (via @fastcompany)

http://bit.ly/ggxlHF

Pew Internet has released a report finding that income is the strongest predictor of whether, how often, and in what ways Americans use the web.


GREAT crowd sourcing project @OpenIDEO Agenda Concepts Could read these all night brought to my attn via @anjelikadeo (via @JaeSelle)

http://bit.ly/hQ1mBQ

What global challenge do you think innovation leaders should work to right now? Post your idea or cast your vote at openideo.com

NASA, White House, and PETA Top L2’s Latest Public Sector Digital IQ Study: The first annual Digital IQ Index® (via @L2_ThinkTank)

http://bit.ly/fK0GbM

L2 Think Tank ranks the digital competence of organizations in the public sector. The AARP and Planned Parenthood Federation of America are the only two health related organizations to crack the top 30.

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Monday, November 22, 2010

ePharma Tweets of the Week: 11-22-2010


Deluged by information overload? Quickly scan this useful list of the weeks most informative tweets ending in 11/22 to stay on the pulse.

Compiled by: Jeremy Franz, Digital Strategy Coordinator at Ignite Health (@eHealthStrat)

Fortune 500 Social Media Use: Twitter Overtakes Facebook (via @L2_Pharma)
http://l2pharma.posterous.com/fortune-500-social-media-use-twitter-overtake

The use of Twitter among the nation's largest corporations has nearly doubled. Among the F500 that use Twitter, 35% of companies (103) consistently respond with @replies or retweets within 72 hours, and many do so more often.

The Future of Advertising: Advertising is on the cusp of its first creative revolution since the 1960s (via @fastcompany)

http://is.gd/hhDi8

Fast Company explores the tumultuous state of advertising stating, “While there have never been more ways to reach consumers, it’s has never been harder to connect with consumers.”

The future of advertising is... http://bit.ly/fcadfutr #adfuture (via @fastcompany)

http://bit.ly/fcadfutr

Fast Company added a challenge to the end of their widely popular feature article "The Future of Advertising." The result: an outstanding integration between a news source and social media.


More Americans Accessing Internet And Social Media For Medical Advice (via @L2_Pharma)
http://l2pharma.posterous.com/more-americans-accessing-internet-and-social
More than two-thirds (68%) of Americans go online for health information, and just 11 percent access a pharmaceutical company's website to find information about a medical condition compared the majority (92%) who access other online resources more frequently.

Survey: Average Health-Insurance Deductible is Now $1,200 (via @WSJHealthBlog)
http://on.wsj.com/bzl0ia
In the past five years, the average health-insurance deductible for PPOs has increased from $770 to $1200. How might this affect patient behavior?


Report: Market opportunity for mobile apps in healthcare enterprise is $100M now, $1.7B by 2014 (via @mobilehealth)

http://bit.ly/9uqydN

"Currently 63% of physicians are using an mHealth App in the enterprise, however, the majority of these are clinical reference Apps with no tie-in to an enterprise's healthcare information systems." Much of the future value of mHealth apps in healthcare enterprise is the ability for it to improve operational efficiencies and quality of care delivered.

Epocrates buys Modality for $13.8 million in cash, plans iPad app (via @mobilehealth)

http://bit.ly/c7CzZV

"WebMD’s Medscape app is the number one ranked medical reference app for healthcare professionals, followed by Epocrates Essentials. Will Modality’s expertise and relationships with the major medical publishers help push Epocrates to the top spot?"

Reactions to the mHealth 2010 summit: (via @SpitzStrategy)

http://bit.ly/cK5ygj

Brian Dolan provides a quick recap highlighting some of the more interesting commentary from the event.

Gaming blurs with health via Microsoft Kinect platform: (via @mickelberg)

http://bit.ly/9TcgBX

Kinect's natural user interface opens offers tremendous potential to the health world. Chris Niehaus offers a wide variety of applications for this groundbreaking technology.

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Monday, November 15, 2010

ePharma Tweets of the Week


Deluged by information overload? Quickly scan this useful list of Ignite Health’s most informative tweets of the week ending in 11/15 to stay on the pulse.

Compiled by: Jeremy Franz, Digital Strategy Coordinator at Ignite Health (@eHealthStrat)

Everything about Facebook Like "11 Reasons Why You Need to Get a LIKE (Button)" via Dose of Digital (via @jonmrich)

http://bit.ly/b6L2L9

In this popular post, Jonathan Richman explains everything you need to know about the Facebook Like button and how Pharma can utilize it.

What a GREAT post by @jimlefevere Why You Need to Create a Digital Crisis: A Quick Reference Guide (via @JaeSelle)

http://bit.ly/cLItPN

"There currently is far too little focus on digital marketing and social media (in Rx/Dx companies). You have to create a situation that shows some consequence action (good or bad) and/or will make the person identify with your proposal."

Adwords is Dying and Google Knows It (and they are doing something about it) v/ @fastcompany (via @0boy)

http://su.pr/26Jvab

"The flagship advertising platform is showing no signs of slowing down, but the company is still proactively preparing for life after Adwords...In moving Marissa Mayer from Search Products to Geo/Local and promoting her to the operating committee (Google's highest 'club'), Google made clear where they think the money is going in the future."

Looks like we caused a bit of a stink today awarding a non-Flash site. See the comments: (via @fwa)

http://www.thefwa.com/shortlist/mckinney

The battle of flash vs HTML5 is far from over, but McKniney's new site optimized for touch-enhanced mobile, tablet and computer versions is causing a stir. The site was the first to receive both Site of the Day and Mobile Site of the Day honors by the Favourite Website Awards.

As predicted, Facebook Introduces Anti-Email: Social Inbox, Seamless Messaging, Conversation History: (via @fastcompany)

http://bit.ly/9vJ2zZ

The much anticipated Facebook event showcased what they think the future of messaging will be. It isn't a "Gmail killer" as many had predicted, but Austin Carr does a good job of explaining the key aspects of the new service.

5 Reasons to Consider the Cloud for Health Data: There are plenty of benefits to using cloud computing to shar... (via @hitconsultant)

http://twurl.nl/31e25z
"It takes time to learn a new system, input data, and adjust to changes in workflow—these are all common grievances among physicians when it comes to electronic health systems. 'The more you can make it so that it's something people can teach themselves, the better off you're going to be."

FDA comments on regulating mobile health apps for diagnostics: (via @SpitzStrategy)

http://bit.ly/bc1ydl

“We need to be moving towards open sourced, independent infrastructure where you have components of different manufacturers that can plug and play. FDA is looking to the development of those different types of standards to get the biggest bang for our buck.”

10 lessons learned from mHealth roll-outs @mobilehealth (via @DrDave01)

http://lnkd.in/RFD9Nm

The Director of Strategic Application of Mobile Technology for Public Health and Development, Columbia University, shares her top top lessons learned from global mobile health implementations.

DIY Checkup: iPhone Flash Measures User’s Pulse (via @PSFK)

http://su.pr/1umhVZ

New iPhone app "Pulse Phone" measures a pulse without any added peripherals.. The app uses flash lighting to illuminate a person’s finger, detecting small changes in color and brightness as blood moves through.


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Monday, November 08, 2010

Tweets of the Week 11-8-2010


Deluged by information overload? Quickly scan this useful list of Ignite Health’s most informative tweets of the week ending in 11/8 to stay on the pulse.


Compiled by: Jeremy Franz, Digital Strategy Coordinator at Ignite Health (@eHealthStrat)


U.S. awards $1 billion worth of small grants to some 3,000 biotech companies - Reuters (via @BreakingNews)

http://reut.rs/aeds6U

2,923 companies with fewer than 250 employees will receive grants to boost research and support jobs. This funding comes from the healthcare reform bill passed into law in March.

Why Location Apps of the Future Will Do Much More Than Checkins: (via @mashablemobile)

http://on.mash.to/cdMKfb

Location Labs' "location-as-a-service" is enabling developers to incorporate much more sophisticated location based apps. Check out http://t.co/XT2yvhp for a video explaining the different types of geolocation.

If you haven't seen it yet, check in to the latest @PewResearch report on geolocation: (via @SpitzStrategy)

http://bit.ly/a3ENUw

The first report on the use of "geosocial" or location-based service. Results show 4% of online Americans currently use location-based services.

Arithmetic of Collaboration - How it applies to big #pharma (via @HarvardBiz)

http://cot.ag/bfFapD

An industry in the midst of consolidation and acquisitions, Pharma must create value through its new partnerships. This article focuses on the four rungs of the "collaboration ladder" that can lead to successful partnerships.

Asia as the New Kid on the Pharma Block and Why Multinationals Should be Scared (via @FastCompany)

http://bit.ly/9Avfa8

The global pharmaceutical industry has its eye on Asia. The question is whether it will be a collaborative effort or multinational vs local competition.

Will patients embrace Health 2.0? (via @kevinmd)

http://is.gd/gLbx8

In response to a painfully honest observation about the general patient population, Susannah Fox discusses her reasoning and motivation to empower patients to better health.

Paitent Benefits & Potential Risks of Health 2.0 (Diabetes) (via @richmeyer)

http://t.co/UdwQ4Ly

Rich Meyer discusses the pros and cons of patient communities on social networks.

Ck out the new TweetPharm Pharma Twitter Tool! (via @WendyBlackburn)

http://bit.ly/9Wogxz | Blog: http://bit.ly/dx5Btx

A real-time aggregator that tracks pharmaceutical companies' use of Twitter. The major plus is integrating a design of an easy-to-read, sort-able dashboard and interactive "visualizer."

5 Big Brands That Are Rocking the Social Media Space (via @Mashable)

http://on.mash.to/9ZDGc0

Mashable's take on who boasts the best corporate social media strategy. An emphasis was placed on engagement, innovation and longevity in the social space.

Funny. What Your Phone Says About You [Graphic] (via @skypen)

tcrn.ch/a6Nij3


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