Hill+Knowlton Strategies

A few weeks ago, this blog talked about how the rise of healthcare apps may have been cemented by the news that Apple were creating lists of the best apps for healthcare professionals. Now, the NHS has launched their own library of apps to help people manage their health. There are already around 70 apps in the library, which have been reviewed to ensure they are clinically safe and relevant to people in the UK. This process involves checking that all apps submitted comply with data protection laws and with trusted sources of information, such as NHS Choices, which are both minimum requirements. Apps that meet these minimum requirements will then be reviewed to see whether they could potentially cause harm to a person’s health or condition, and a clinical assurance team made up of doctors, nurses and safety specialists, will potentially work with app developers to make sure an app adheres to the required safety standards.

Of course, the NHS library could become a sort of stamp of approval for health apps in the UK, although with 70 apps already featured and seemingly minimal entry requirements, it will be interesting to see how they ensure people are being directed to the most useful and relevant apps for them. One consideration is that the scale of apps included could become overwhelming, while the quality and effectiveness of an app in itself will not necessarily be guaranteed provided it is not unsafe. The website does state that the review process will be updated and improved over time though, and this is still an important development for the industry.

In a similar vein, this post on The Health Care Blog by Leslie Kernisan, who practices in geriatrics, provides some excellent insight into how and why health apps should, if at all, be prescribed. Kernisan suggests that while many digital health enthusiasts expect that apps will become routinely used tools in healthcare, clinicians need be more thoughtful when recommending apps, basing their recommendation on medical rather than marketing considerations.

The article is an absolute must-read for people with an interest in digital within the health industry. It is really interesting to see someone take a step back from all the noise there is about apps and provide some genuine insight. Although the post focuses on the attitudes of healthcare professionals, there’s a lesson in there for communications professionals and the industry too. While it might be tempting to develop an app or some other creative digital tool every time you are handed a brief, it is worth taking a step back and assessing how appropriate and valuable this will actually be on a case-by-case basis.

Finally, it is worth reading this from the social media team at Intouch Solutions. On March 7, Facebook announced a major redesign to its News Feed and this article looks specifically at the implications the design change will have on pharma Facebook pages. If you or a client you work with community manage any pharma Facebook pages this is absolutely essential reading.

On Rare Disease Day last week, a new online community was launched for patients with Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF) on the existing patient website, RareConnect. RareConnect is led by the non-governmental, patient driven, rare disease organisation EURORDIS, and makes information available via patient advocacy groups from a variety of countries. RareConnect also provides a forum style platform for patients to meet and interact, allowing users to share individual experiences about how IPF has affected them, creating a sense of community between users. The website even has a translation service for all of its posts, making information available in five different languages and allowing its reach to be truly global.

Rare Disease Day also saw the announcement of Boheringer Ingelheim (BI) working with the online patient community Patient’s Like Me to enhance the website’s IPF community. Patients Like Me is a similar type of platform to RareConnect, but the main differences are that it has not been set up by patient advocates and is not just for rare diseases. With BI’s involvement, it looks like the IPF community now have online spaces on the platform where they can meet others with similar diseases, also allowing patients to input their health info and track their diseases. Although these communities have been around for a few years now, the involvement of patient advocacy groups and pharmaceutical companies to help strengthen these sites is new, developing the pages to be more patient focussed and giving them more of a ‘community feel’. 

Tracking patients’ health data in apps and online is a trend we have seen increasingly and now, patient data tracking company, Qualcomm, and patient information site, WebMD, have forged a partnership to track patient data and make information searched for on WebMD, more relevant for the user. Qualcomm partner with a large range of medical devices, such as blood pressure and blood glucose monitors that are connected to the internet and have a cloud based platform, which stores and tracks the health data from these devices. The idea behind partnering with WebMD, is that rather than receiving generic information when searching, you can receive information that is relevant to you. The idea is not new, and we have seen Google collect search information to make searches more relevant, but this is one of the first ways we’ve seen the potential for this style of tailored information for patients in the healthcare setting. The partnership is still early in its development, but it will be very important to see how this develops, and if this style of searching for patient information catches on in the future.

Last week, a study was released in the American Journal of Medical Quality, looking at the correlation between hospital Facebook likes and the quality of the hospital. Not only were the hospitals that had the higher number of Facebook likes more likely to be recommended by patients, it was also positively correlated with the mortality rate, meaning that based on this study, the more likes a hospital had, the better it was. This study shows the importance of having a strong and engaging Facebook presence as well as demonstrating that patients increasingly want more information from hospitals to make a more informed decision about where they seek treatment.

In the past few weeks, we have talked about the growing trend for articles and blogs, which are digging deeper into social media and digital within the healthcare industry, providing more specific and detailed insight as the industry continues to grow in this space, and it looks like this trend is set to continue,

We have selected some must-reads for anyone with an interest in digital communications in the healthcare industry. This article on PMLive’s Smart Thinking blog addresses this issue specifically, stating that while we all tend to judge how well pharmaceutical companies are doing in social media by looking at their presence on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, there are in fact many other ways of using social media that should be considered, including what is known as social innovation.

Although Twitter and Facebook are obviously parts of this, they are not the whole story, the blog argues. Other aspects of social media such as social bookmarking, wikis, virtual social worlds and crowdsourcing are also part of the equation and further inspection suggests pharma companies might not be as far behind as some people think when it comes to these less obvious forms of digital innovation. Indeed, the blog suggests that there are in fact plenty of examples of internal social media projects within the industry that are on a par with other sectors, with three of the top ten pharma companies (GSK, Janssen and Merck) using the enterprise social network service Yammer.

The article pulls out some encouraging examples of social media innovation within the pharma industry which back this up. Definitely worth a read.

Another article that caught our eye here at An Apple a Day was this one from Pharmafile, which covered some of the platforms more traditionally associated with digital and social media engagement such as Twitter and Facebook. The article looks at the ‘received wisdom’ that suggests pharma should be joining the online conversation and asks some very important questions about what sort of conversations are appropriate and inappropriate, as well as conversations actually worth engaging in.

As social and digital media continue to secure their place on almost everyone’s agenda, communications professionals will increasingly be expected to show they are capable of answering these sorts of questions and provide genuine insight, to ensure they are not just suggesting digital for digital’s sake, but are actually able to identify the most appropriate and effective solution to meet specific objectives.

(image: Cancer Research UK: Cell Slider)

In other news, Cancer Research UK has teamed up with Amazon, Facebook and Google to create a mobile game for analysing genetic mutations. Data is integral to finding a cure for cancer, however the challenge is getting the data investigated by human rather than machine eyes in order to be properly analysed. With this in mind, Cancer Research UK has teamed up with these US tech firms to try and build an engaging, fun and user-friendly mobile game, which can be used on the move. The charity has already developed a web-based game called Cell Slider where users look through archived tissue samples.

Finally, if you work in the oncology disease area, this interview on the Cancer Network website is really worth checking out. Dr Michael A. Thompson, an oncology specialist who writes a blog for ASCO (American Society of Clinical Oncology) Connection, talks to Cancer Network about the use of social media by oncologists, providing some great insights into the dissemination of research results, clinical trials, and other oncology news using social media.

I don’t know about love being in the air over at H+K Towers this week, we have been way too busy delivering some great work for our lovely clients.   Its been a crazy one!

The H+K team had an extra spring in their step this week as they helped adidas launch its revolutionary new running shoe.  adidas BOOST™ is a groundbreaking innovation in cushioning technology, providing the most energy return in the running industry and the team supported the global launch event that took place in New York this week.  Find out more at http://youtu.be/YgMYSi-eQOc

Back by popular demand, Belvita Facebook team in Food+Drink has launched the Valentine’s Day Fruit Machine app this week, where fans play to win fantastic prizes for two weeks. Following the success of the first Fruit Machine, Belvita is spreading love by offering their 50,000 fans the chance to win Belvita Breakfast Biscuits; a Tassimo Coffee Maker; a Kindle; or the ultimate grand prize…a trip to Paris, the city of love!

The app was designed and built by the digital studio at H+K and since launching on Monday, has been played 11,821 times…and the numbers just keep going up!  Visit http://www.facebook.com/BelvitaUK to have a go yourself…good luck!

The British Army team have been working on a nationwide recruitment campaign for the Territorial Army, with over 150 separate events taking place up and down the country this month. The campaign includes taking over the city centres in London, Liverpool, Birmingham,  Cardiff, Glasgow, Newcastle and Portsmouth this Saturday 16th February. These extensive TA open events are designed to demonstrate to the public what the TA is all about, and showcase the opportunities available

The team in Food+Drink have also been busy launching Splenda’s ‘Small Steps’ campaign. The team commissioned a piece of research into women’s diets to generate newsworthy hooks that would create context and relevance to the overarching brand platform. Results were sold into key media, creating relevant dialogue with journalists and driving coverage for the brand campaign. To bolster campaign awareness, brand ambassador Nadia Sawalha conducted broadcast interviews using the research as a base from which to drive deeper messaging of the campaign and brand ethos. Results were extensive across national online and print media, and key consumer titles including The Telegraph, The Mirror, The Sun, The Express and the Mail online. Find out more at www.splenda.co.uk

And finally, with four months to go to the ICC Champions Trophy 2013, a tournament that features the world’s top 8 cricket teams and the world’s best players, the H+K team took Radio 1 DJ – DJ Nihal – on a tour of The Oval, which is one of the three host grounds for the tournament. The aim was to get some shots with DJ Nihal and the Championship Trophy and facilitate media interviews to help raise awareness of the tournament and promote the fact that fans can buy their tickets now from www.icc-cricket.com. Nihal, an avid Sri Lanka fan commented that he “hoped that he wouldn’t be the only Sri Lankan to get his hands on the ICC Champions Trophy this summer”.

Hope some of the teams have a nice romantic weekend planned to recover from the week!

Our Food + Drink team launched Belvita Breakfast’s Spot the Biscuit competition, hot on the heels of the hugely successful virtual Fruit Machine. Players can win an array of prizes including a trip to Miami and of course lots of fantastic Belvita Breakfast Biscuits. The app was designed and built by the digital studio at H+K and has already seen an enormous number of plays despite only being launched this week. Have a go!

Our Sports team have also been a busy bunch.  This week they launched the first ever Pan-European survey of football managers & coaches with the LMA & Castrol.  The survey gathers the views of top-level managers across Europe on the most important issues in modern football.

The key points and outcomes from the results of the survey are as follows:

• Respondents identified a professional referee training academy as the main factor that could help improve the standards of refereeing, and also that refereeing was the main area that could help improve the overall standard of the game
• 83% of respondents considered that the handball rule requires further clarification
• 65% of respondents deemed the ‘denial of an obvious goal scoring opportunity’(DOGSO), triple jeopardy law (penalty, sending off, suspension) as unfair
• 69% of respondents opposed the current dates for the transfer window
• 72% of respondents are in favour of a reduction in international friendlies
• 62% of respondents support the introduction of not just goal line but also video technology with 63% deeming that football should consider using a decision referral system where

In addition, they announced Falcao as ambassador for Western Union’s PASS initiative.

Also this week, we supported 12 new Army recruits from Salisbury today (Monday 19^th November 2012) as they swore an oath of allegiance to the Queen as part of their official entry into a career with the British Army. The Attestation ceremony took place at The Rifles Museum, Salisbury and included a traditional parade of the new recruits in front of their proud friends and family.

For a really interesting look at social media in the pharma industry this week, check out this post on the Eye For Pharma website.

The article looks at how the pharmaceutical industry responded to the growth of social media as a new comms channel and suggests that those companies that were willing to dip their toes in the water in the early years are now reaping the benefits of being at the forefront, “having learnt from their experimentation and having started the cultural change process that this ‘new’ channel requires”. The majority of companies, however, who were overly cautious at the emergence of social media, perhaps waiting for more regulatory clarity, are now struggling to play catch-up.

This is certainly a compelling argument. Genuine engagement with social media requires a considerable shift in company attitudes and behaviour, particularly within the traditionally conservative pharma industry, that can take years to implement. Companies willing to take risks early on will have had more time to adjust to the changing environment and to lay the foundations needed to utilise social media within their organisations.

Another good point the author makes is that companies that dabbled in social media a few years back did so in a far more forgiving environment, when it was still considered a new channel. Social media is no longer new. It is now the elephant in the room. It can’t be ignored no matter how hard companies might try, and those that have been slow to respond are at risk of falling further behind.

It’s not all doom and gloom though. Many of the early frontrunners have become more cautious due to bad experiences, while others have lost momentum due to lack of tangible ROI and internal politics. Great opportunities exist for those now wanting to catch-up and use the experiences of others that have gone before them to inform their activities. The article goes on to give some great advice to those companies now looking to “jump on the social media bandwagon” and it really is a must-read for anyone involved in pharmaceutical comms.

Although not strictly a pharma company, GE Healthcare is one company that has pioneered the use of social media and digital and continues to lead the way. Their latest foray into the online world sees them teaming up with Spotify to launch the first in a series of health initiatives that will be powered by the online music streaming service.

The first of these, the “Give A Little Beat” jukebox, has been launched to raise awareness of breast cancer. Spotify users can share and listen to songs via the jukebox, which GE say “reflects the healing power and international reach of music”. As part of the campaign, the company has also produced a “Give A Little Beat” Facebook App. Having already made use of a number of social media and digital channels, including Pinterest, this is yet another example from GE Healthcare of the potential that exists.

How do people seek out health information online? You may well ask…. A survey, conducted by Makovsky Health and Kelton, suggests that people  (from US) are more likely to visit Wikipedia than health magazine websites or Facebook and connect through a PC rather than a mobile device.

Interestingly, when seeking info about their own medical condition, consumers were almost as likely to trust advocacy group and government agency websites (33%) as much as they trust websites with medical information, such as WebMD (35%). Perhaps surprisingly, 31% of people use Wikipedia for health info.

Read the rest of this entry »

Alzheimer’s disease has always had trouble attracting as much attention in mainstream media as other medical conditions. It is a long-term, degenerative condition, which tends only to afflict people once they reach old age. The tangible effects of the condition are largely experienced in the home or nursing home, away from public view. However, it is one of the most common forms of dementia and the effects of can be utterly devastating for both patients and their families or carers.

Cases of dementia are set to rise massively over the coming years as the result of an ageing population. The latest figures show there are an estimated 35.6m worldwide with dementia and this figure is set to nearly double in the next two decades. This will place phenomenal pressures on both families of patients and health systems. Read the rest of this entry »

With almost 30 million users and major buzz for closing a $30 million financing round, Viddy lets users take and share bite-sized videos of 15 seconds or less. Viddy was launched one year ago and gained attention for its celebrity backers like Jay-Z, and celebrity users like Snoop Dogg. Available free for the iPhone and iPad, it is the iTunes app of the week for 12 May 2012 and one of the fastest growing apps around. Promises of an Android version will be under increased pressure to come true, although if I was Google, I would just buy them now.

Inevitably referred to as the Instagram for video due to the easy to add visual effects, soundtracks and other features in their Production Packs, Viddy got a huge boost last month when Facebook began highlighting them (and rival service, Socialcam). No post fails to mention that the fairly private Mark Zuckerberg uploaded a viddy of his dog. Even without the FB love, acquisition as a business model seems more lucrative right now than potential millions from in-app sales of premium Production Packs. I think someone will buy them soon.

So why should brands care about Viddy? First, I think the 15 second format has a lot to teach us. Like Twitter, it enforces message discipline. Plus, it is another wide open focus group to follow what what users are doing with video.  Southwest Airlines ran a contest around Sundance Film Festival time. Early adopter General Electric has also hopped on. For Mother’s Day today in the USA, Viddy teamed up with the National Breast Cancer Foundation to encourage users to post a ‘Thank You’ viddy for their moms, similar to their support for Movember. Celebrities as early adopters doesn’t hurt a start-up, but also reminds us that brand ambassadors have never been more in control of their own image, for better or worse. Add Viddy to the list for VIP social media training. While adult content is an au naturel risk with any video platform, there are lots of G-rated possibilities. Clean cut newscasters like Katie Couric are trying the platform and American TV icon Bill Cosby seems quite at home on the tiny screen. Even Disney partnered with Viddy to promote The Muppets. So grab your iPhone and your cat and give Viddy a try.

If you’ve been on Facebook in the last few weeks, you might have noticed a couple of worrying trends in your news feed.

The first, the rise of bogus links infiltrating the Facebook network. A false story informs us that our friend ‘likes’ a link with some type of sensational headline, for instance, a video of Justin Bieber being stabbed by a crazed fan. In reality, Bieber is alive and well, but our friend has fallen for the clever trick.

Trusting our social connections, we click through to content that we’d ordinarily question the validity of. Unfortunately, we’re now the victim of a social scam. To avoid a similar pitfall, remember it’s not possible to ‘like’ a link and it is not a typical story served by Facebook. Moreover, if it looks too good, shocking or crazy to be true, it probably is.

The second disturbing trend is the recent Ray-Ban viral scam. More than likely, you will have picked up at least one story in your feed revealing that your friend has won a pair of sunglasses for ‘liking’ a brand page. In truth, they have not been promised a brand new pair of sunglasses and it is another in the line of many cons (using a logo to appear legitimate) that is beginning to sweep our Facebook network.

Playing to our trust in the relationship with our digital contacts, the viral scam attracts more victims as it passes through feeds as a virtual bandwagon. Sadly, premium brands like Ray-Ban will never do a promotion that offers it a quick route to bankruptcy. The best way to make sure, check on the official page of the competition host – it will often give you the answer.

Other than showing us the maturity of internet cheats and the fast development of online fraud, these two trends do offer interesting observations about our Facebook behaviour and content consumption.

The bogus links trend reveals that we’re inherently curious and even slightly perverted, at least in terms of what we consume. The reason the scam really works is down to the sensational headlines and promise of never-seen-before content. This can be funny, sexy, scary or shocking – it’s the buzz of seeing something for the first time that attracts us. When creating video or online content, we need to take this into consideration. Are we generating truly compelling content that will wow and engage our audience?

On the other hand, the Ray-Ban imitation competition shows that we’re looking for not only free stuff, but good free stuff – we’re willing to trade our valuable Facebook ‘likes’, but only at the right price. Put simply, we’re more than happy to let a brand use us as a satellite dish to reach our personal network if the return is valued. You can draw two conclusions from this, the first, we’re easily bought, the second, we interact with brands on Facebook in return for stuff – there needs to be an incentive at some point in the journey.

In a nutshell, content is still king and reward is key.

Remember: Always Think. Click. Then share!

- Dan