Posted by Ellen Hoenig Carlson on Wed, Oct 05, 2011 @ 07:14 AM
We are intrigued by the launch of Is My Cancer Different? and its potential impact on both patients and the business.
Is My Cancer Different? is an unbranded educational website that promotes a movement of sharing, with the intent of prompting patient dialog with their oncologist. The simple -but compelling- question is designed to raise awareness that each person’s cancer is different and to get patients to ask their oncologist to see if their cancer might respond to a more individualized cancer treatment.
You can click on the image below to visit the Is My Cancer Different? website and learn more from their numerous- but simple -patient and physician testimonial videos.
The site supports Clarient, a GE Health Company’s new molecular test that may help doctors identify which treatment can best target a person’s particular breast cancer. Interestingly, Clarient chose to share the official website launch during the 2011 Social Health Summit #SXSH that we attended, along with many other pharma/healthcare social media enthusiasts, ePatients, and Patient Opinion Leaders (POLs). [Be sure to read Shwen Gwee's recap: The 6 P's of Healthcare]
During the conference, Is MY cancer different? received twitter support; following the conference, ePatient’s wrote blogs. Here are a few examples of the word of mouth generated over the last few weeks:
Blogs: Cancer Hawk , Diabetes in Spain, Chronic Babe, Where We Go Now, Aaron Outward, Stem Cell Transplant, Social Media Club
This campaign reflects many of the points we raised in our complementary eBook: 2011 Brand Champion Health Check.
- Are you working to deliver more personalized treatment, content and experiences? [pg. 8]
- Given smaller targets, how can you leverage existing social networks and dialog to online or virtual communities, to extend messaging to low incidence patient groups in a cost effective way? To create buzz? To enable 'peer-to-peer' healthcare? [pgs. 8-9]
- Are you speaking with a voice that reveals humanity—in a conversational tone, with personality, empathy and true emotions? Are your choice of words simple, using the language of your patients and caregivers? [pg. 10]
- Are you doing your part to stimulate patient learning and involvement; to encourage patients to be their own best advocates and health team partners? [ pg. 10]
- How can your brand help to encourage greater trust and dialog between doctors and their patients and families, to help improve patient outcomes? [pg. 15]
Is My Cancer Different? is a great example of brand champion leadership. They have committed to a challenge of 1 million shares in 1 million minutes. What do you think? Will they make it?
Feel free to join the movement and help spread the simple question that can make a huge difference in the fight against cancer. Follow @ismycancerdiff on twitter and/or facebook.
You can also learn more about the ePatient movement at epatients.net and join The Society of Participatory Medicine.
Posted by Ellen Hoenig Carlson on Tue, Apr 05, 2011 @ 03:45 PM
With 2011 galloping along and 2012 planning just around the corner, we’re excited to share our Brand Champion Health Check -- a complimentary eBook designed to help marketers and business leads assess their company and brand’s health, and to consider what actions will power successful growth.
While the eBook centers on the Pharma and healthcare industry, it is also highly relevant to any consumer brand.
Champions know that staying in top health is critical and that early detection is key to avoiding costly down time and poor performance - can even mean the difference for survival. However, unlike the many patient health screens available or the ease by which consumers can go for their annual physical, marketers do not have ready access to a thoughtful, comprehensive health check-up.
The Brand Champion Health Check screens three parameters:
The eBook includes links to helpful articles and recent books that are particularly relevant to the five risk factors. We wish to thank each of the authors for being able to leverage their valuable content.
We hope these pages will provoke plenty of ideas and discussion for boosting your business. We would be delighted to hear your thoughts or comments below.
Wishing your brand "good health"!
If you are new to the blog, and you like what you read, we hope that you’ll sign up for continued articles via email or RSS feed.
Design credit: Laura Steur-Alvarez
Photography: iStockphoto, Getty, and Bigstock
Posted by Ellen Hoenig Carlson on Wed, Dec 30, 2009 @ 06:40 AM
As we move into 2010, I've been thinking a lot about what I've 
learned this year, much of it triggered by the tremendous number of thought leader blogs, eBooks and white papers that I've read this year. While there is no way to capture all the great work happening 24/7, here's a smattering of a few (well maybe more than a ‘few') that you may want to read or re-read as we get ready to step into 2010...
Topics cover a range- from social media and technology, to ePatients and marketing, including implications for Pharma and Healthcare, in the US and Europe. Please feel free to share other posts that you found valuable. Happy reading...
Best Blogs
Social Media, Platforms and Technology
Ten ‘Thinks' You Should Know about Social Media by Shwen Gwee at Med 2.0 blog
Pharma Should Forget About Social Media Monitoring by Jonathan Richman at Dose of Digital
Pharma Don't Be Shy About Social Media by Wendy Blackburn at ePharma Rx, Intouch Solutions
10 Social Media Watch-outs for Pharma and Healthcare Marketers by Ellen Hoenig, Notes from the Back of the Book
7 Inputs to a Social Media Strategy by Adam Cohen, A Thousands Cuts blog
5 Social Media Myths by Digital Tonto blog
The 3 F's and 3 R's of Social Media Marketing by Chris Boyer, Hospital Online Marketing
Lee Aase, Mayo Clinic: The Future of Health Brands and Social Media and Greg Matthews, Humana: The Future of Health Brands and Social Media by Eric Brody at Healthy Conversations
A Clinical Infusion of Google Wave and Healthcare's Google- Facebook -Twitter Platform by Phil Baumann
Is Google the New FDA? By John Mack at Pharma Marketing blog
Google Real Time Search and Crisis Communications and Google and Pharmacovigilance by Mark Senak at eyeonfda blog
Google Sidewiki and Implications for Pharma Brands by Adam Cohen, A Thousand Cuts blog, Rosetta
Why Pharma Needs to Pay Attention to Wikipedia, Guest post Eileen O'Brien at Notes from the Back of the Book
Readability of the Top 50 Prescribed Drugs in Wikipedia by Kevin Kruse, The Patient Will See You Now
Pharma and Twitter: Who's Got Hand by Mark Senak at eyeonfda blog
Follow the Engagement-visualizing #FollowPharma by Silja Chouquet at Whydotpharma blog
The Increasing Use of Social Media to Recruit Patients for Clinical Trials by Sally Church at Pharma Marketing Strategy blog
Video Games: Key to the Future of Pharma and Healthcare? By Ellen Hoenig, Notes From the Back Of the Book
Why the Pharma Industry Should Care About Augmented Reality Guest Post by Sven Larsen of Pixels and Pills at Fard Johnmar's Walking the Path blog
Pfizer and Social Media-- an Update by Steve Woodruff at Impactiviti blog and consultancy
Social Media ROI for Hospitals and Health Marketers by Kevin Kruse and Kru Research blog
Splitting ROI by Just So You Know blog (Meredith Gould and Daphne Leigh Swancutt)
Europe You need to Tackle Social Media Now by Silja Chouquet at Whydotpharma blog
The Pachyderm in the Parlour: resisting the legitimation of DTC social media activates in Europe by Andrew Spong STweM blog and consultancy
Pharma, Marketing and Paradigm Shift
What's Hot In Oncology: A Review of 2009 and Predictions for 2010 by Sally Church at Pharma Marketing Strategy blog
Pharma Still Uneasy About Getting Social, Pharma Blog Review by Chris Truelove
The Pitfalls of Doing Nothing by Steve Woodruff at Impactiviti blog and consultancy
Ten things Pharma Companies Will Never Try (But Should) by Jonathan Richman at Dose of Digital
Will Patients Find Value in Discussions with Pharma? By John Mack
Question For Healthcare Marketers: Do You See Patients as Consumers? By Eric Brody at Healthy Conversations
Save Boobs Blasts Attention Glut (guest post Fard Johnmar) Just So You Know blog (Meredith Gould and Daphne Leigh Swancutt)
Refining Patienthood Project Launches: Aims, Goals and Many Questions Ahead by Jen McCabe, Jen's Posterous Health Management Rx
Why Programming Microchoice and Microcontrol into the Healthcare system will lead to the Equivalent of the Microprocessing Revolution by Jen McCabe Jen's Posterous Health Management Rx
Splitting Trouble and Talking Trash by Just So You Know blog (Meredith Gould and Daphne Leigh Swancutt)
Pharma and Social Media: What Roles Should Personas Play? by Ellen Hoenig at Notes from the Back of the Book blog
CMO 3.0: Why Marketing is the New Finance, Odom Lewis, Healthcare Marketing and Medical Executive Search
ePatients, Patients and Consumers
Video "Tale of 2 ePatients": Pecha Kucha Limerick Dr Val Jones via The Patients Will See You Now, Kevin Kruse and Kru Research
Mayo Clinic Music Fun and A Bite of Life at Sharing Mayo Clinic
Disease Guilt by Steve Woodruff at Impactiviti blog and consultancy
Abandon Hope All Ye Who Enter Here, Have Something Messed Up Happen? By Jen McCabe, Jen's Posterous
What Part of Give Us Our Damn Data Do You Not Understand by Dave deBronkart at e-patients.net
ePatient 2009: Voice of the Patient by Kerri Morrone Sparling, at sixuntilme.com
A Patient's Perspective: Day Two of FDA Public Hearing (#FDASM) by DC Patient
Advice to a Cancer Patient Facing News He Didn't Want and Don't Let the Median Scare You To Death by Dave deBronkart, The New Life of ePatient Dave blog, Dave deBronkart
The Pew/Health Internet FAQ by Susannah Fox at e-patients.net (Leads Health Research and Internet Strategy for Pew Internet and American Life Project)
The Social Life of Health Information by Susannah Fox, Pew Internet and American Life Project
What Pharma Can learn from Communities' Opinions by Andrew Spong STweM
The Role of Physician Trust and Communication in Filling New Prescriptions by Kevin Kruse, Kru Research
Best eBooks and White Papers (free)
Best Learning Actions for Pharma and Healthcare Marketers in 2010? Reflections by 12 Sage Bloggers and Thought leaders, Editor Ellen Hoenig AdvanceMarketWoRx
Overcoming Our Social Challenges: Getting Started with Social Media in Biotech by Shwen Gwee
A Bright Future for Digital, a Dimmer One for Pharma by Len Starnes, Bayer Schering Pharma
Pharma and Healthcare Social Media Principles by Jonathan Richman Dose of Digital blog, Bridge Worldwide
Social Media: What's In It for Pharma? A Digitas Health Social Media POV by Sarah Larcker
Getting Started with Social Networking by Steve Woodruff of Impactiviti blog and consultancy
Pharma Twitterama: Exploring the Use of Twitter in Pharma and Healthcare by Shwen Gwee at Med 2.0 blog
WEGO Health Webinar: Twitter Power Tools for Health Activists by Shwen Gwee at Med 2.0 blog
140 Healthcare Uses for Twitter by Phil Baumann
Social Media and Pharma: Is their value? By Richard Meyer
Monitoring Adverse Events in Social Media for Pharma's Biggest Brands: Hopeless Task or Simple Project? Mini-white paper, Jonathan Richman Dose of Digital
An Edelman Report: Insights and Recommendations in the Wake of the FDA Social Media Hearings, The Health Engagement blog
Considering Neuroscience to Improve Consumer Communications- FDA Advisory Committee Meeting by Ellen Hoenig, AdvanceMarketWorx Notes from the Back of the Book blog
ePatient White Paper by ePatient Scholars team, ePatient.net (2007- but still including this classic!)
Best Wikis
#FDASM by Fabio Gratton of Ignite Health
Pharma and Healthcare Social Media Wiki by Jonathan Richman at Dose of Digital
Hospital Social Networking List by Ed Bennett
Posted by Ellen Hoenig Carlson on Wed, Dec 23, 2009 @ 03:12 PM
Inspired by Alvin Toffler's quote: "The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read or write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn," we asked 12 leading bloggers and healthcare thought leaders to share their reflections: what would they recommend as top learning strategies for Pharma and Healthcare marketers in 2010?
Overall, there were six themes that contributors brought to life:
1) e-Patients are at the center and critical to learning and design;
2) Authenticity isn't a ‘nice to do', it's a ‘must' (and you won't be the one who decides whether you've succeeded);
3) Don't' get distracted by ‘bells and whistles'-remember the basics and keep your brand core strong;
4) New marketing challenges require new ROI thinking...the ROI of connection, authenticity and compassion;
5) The marketing cycle of life is going through unprecedented change requiring all marketers and communications people to unlearn much-the movement from paid marketing to earned marketing requires a different mindset and skills; and
6) Effective marketing and engagement will require new kinds of leadership skills.
Or as Steve Woodruff would say, "it's a holiday grab-bag of nuggets from the wise travelers--some myrrh, some gold, some SEO, some patient communities--stick your hand in and grab some goodies!"
My heartfelt appreciation to the 12 contributors-yet another example of the power of the community.
- Phil Baumann, Phil Baumann online blog, CareVocate Interactive Media Solutions
- Wendy Blackburn, ePharma Rx blog, Intouch Solutions
- Adam Cohen, A Thousand Cuts blog, Rosetta Interactive
- Dave deBronkart, The New Life of e-Patient Dave blog, Society for Participatory Medicine
- Angela Dunn, Odom Lewis blog, Executive Search Specialists in Healthcare Marketing/Medical Education
- Susannah Fox, Health Research for Pew Internet & American Life Project
- Fard Johnmar, Path of the Blue Eye Project, Envision Consultancy
- John Mack, Pharma Marketing blog, Editor-in-chief of Pharma Marketing News
- Jonathan Richman, Dose of Digital blog, Bridge Worldwide
- Marsha Shenk, Thriving Enterprise blog, The Bestwork People
- Andrew Spong, STweM blog and Consultancy, UK
- Steve Woodruff, Impactiviti blog and Consultancy
If you enjoy this eBook, feel free to blog it, tweet it or email it. (But please don't change it)...We also hope that you meet some new 'friends' to learn with in 2010. Lastly, we welcome feedback below or on slide share.
Download PDF; also available on slideshare (see below) and scribd
May you and yours enjoy a rich and rejuvenating holiday season. We look forward to more learning and collaboration in 2010!
credits: eBook production: Courtney Justice, The Cournell Group