Are you tracking the right things? – Tips for Healthy Brands and Healthy Living

Regular readers know that I am doing 50 healthy things this year in anticipation of my upcoming 50^th birthday.  Here’s number 7: a food and exercise tracker.

As part of my 50/50 plan, as a one of my friends calls it, I made a commitment in January to start tracking all of my food and exercise.  I’ve always been a healthy eater. However, I started to suspect that I was eating a few too many bites of birthday treats at the office or a few too many bites of snack foods I buy for my son.  It was nothing crazy or outrageous – just a little bit here and there.  I had also slacked off on my exercise, again just a little bit. But, as I suspected, just a little bit here and there can lead to unintended consequences, e.g., a few extra pounds that had crept up on me.

After consulting several friends, I decided to use MyFitnessPal.  Both the mobile app and the desktop version are easy to use and powered by a robust food and exercise database.  I am used to writing down daily activities; I’ve worked in a business that requires me to track my work time in 15-minute increments for my whole career.  However, the prospect of writing down every bite of food or minute of exercise seemed more daunting at first.

Image courtesy of fitbit.com

After doing it for 9 weeks now, it’s actually kind of liberating.  It’s made me very mindful of my actions.  Before I eat something, I have to ask myself if eating it is worth the effort it will take to write it down.  I also have to decide if it’s worth the calories and whether it has the right type of nutrients to meet my goals.

One of the most interesting features of MyFitnessPal is its dashboards that track calorie deficits and goals for various nutrients and macros, e.g., carbohydrates, protein and fat. This information keeps me accountable and lets me adjust daily to keep things on track. And the good news is that several of those extra pounds are history.

In many ways, this experiment reminds me of the data analytics discussions we have with clients.  These days, access to a wealth of data is not the challenge.  The real obstacle to reaching many brand goals lies in tracking the right information and making adjustments along the way.  As shown by my diet and exercise experiment, making small changes can bring big rewards.  Most brands are not so off track that they need to make major strategic overhauls.  However, most of us can benefit from the accountability of tracking the right data and using it to make smarter decisions.

What are you doing to be more accountable?  I welcome your feedback.

Cardiovascular Marketing – There’s an App for That

Mobile health and fitness applications are exploding on the health care scene.

An estimated 500 million smartphone users will be accessing mHealth apps within the next five years according to mobile research consulting firm, research2guidance.

So, how do you make your app relevant and effective in a sea of competitors?

A wise creative director I know says all communications pieces – from ads to apps should do three things:

• break through
• ring true
• make people like and trust you

To achieve those goals, you must define a focused message, wrap it in an interesting creative premise, produce it using a simple execution and ensure it makes a human connection.  To me, this is excellent advice.  I can’t tell you how many times I’ve downloaded an app only to feel disappointed because it was too complicated, or the information just wasn’t relevant.

I don’t often use this space to brag about our own clients or push our agency’s services.  However, I’m going to make an exception.   We just produced a heart health app for one of our clients, Liberty Hospital, that in my humble opinion, meets all of the criteria for success I’ve outlined.

It includes realistic tips for achieving better heart health in 30 days, a nifty heart rate monitor and an easy-to-use BMI calculator.

This app is designed in a way that makes it easy to customize for use by other hospitals in non-competitive markets.

Check it out in the iTunes App Store under HeartHealth by Liberty Hospital.  Then, let me know if you’d like more information about how you can license this app for use in your cardiovascular marketing efforts.

Even More Reasons to Go Mobile With Your Cardiovascular Marketing

Nearly one-third of Americans over the age of 12 now have a smartphone.  That’s more than twice as many as this time last year.

If you haven’t developed a mobile-optimized site yet or considered developing an app, what are you waiting for?

Media gurus at Arbitron and Edison Research just released results of a new survey, The Infinite Dial 2011: Navigating Digital Platforms.

“When you consider the rapid growth in ownership of smartphones in context with the continued rise in the use of social media it becomes increasingly clear that these platforms are fueling fundamental changes in consumer expectations and how they use media,” said Bill Rose, Senior Vice President of Marketing, Arbitron Inc.

Here are some additional highlights from the study:

• Facebook is now being used by a majority of all Americans age 12 and over (51 percent); this number was only 8 percent when Arbitron/Edison Research first measured the social media phenomenon in 2008.
• A majority of American households now have two or more computers (51 percent); as compared to 24 percent of households in 2002.
• Usage of online radio is up significantly, with weekly usage of all forms of online radio having doubled in the last five years; self-reported weekly time spent with online radio is now nearly 10 hours (9 hours 47 minutes).
• Daily time spent with TV, Radio and the Internet combined has increased by 20 percent in the last ten years, with self-reported daily usage now at 8 hours 11 minutes compared to 6 hours 50 minutes in 2001.
• Just less than one-third of all Americans (31 percent) have plugged an MP3 player such as an Apple iPod into their car stereo systems.
• One in ten Americans report listening to Pandora Internet Radio in the week before they were surveyed.
• Among the 81 percent of American households with Internet access, two-thirds now have a Wi-Fi network installed.
• More than one-tenth of all cell phone owners have listened to online radio streamed in their cars by connecting their phones to their car stereo system.

To me, these facts speak to the continued importance of a media mix.  Rather than eliminating the need for traditional or offline media, it seems that digital media is being consumed simultaneously with offline media.

For example,

“This study provides further evidence of radio’s continued resilience and relevance in today’s digital landscape,” said Arbitron’s Rose.

We often talk with our clients about developing a “brand contact wheel,” a graphic representation of all of the ways their brand can potentially come into meaningful contact with various target audiences.  We also look at how those various contact points intersect and interact with each other.

The Arbitron and Edison research adds credibility to this strategy because it’s more apparent than ever that both online and offline communications have to be deployed and have to work together.

5 Ways to Integrate QR Codes into Your Cardiovascular Marketing

QR Codes can offer a seamless way to engage patients and prospective patients in a meaningful experience with your brand.

QR codes, or “Quick Response” codes are generating a lot of buzz right now. These matrix barcodes can be read by QR scanners, which can be downloaded as an app on most smartphones. A phone’s camera can scan the code and then direct an Internet browser to the webpage the code is linked to.

Are QR codes just a passing fad or are they an important extension of your marketing efforts?

Consider these possible uses and form your own opinion:

1. Put QR codes on literature in clinic waiting rooms. QR codes allow access to a mobile site even when a patient is already at one of your locations.  Imagine the possibilities for pre- and post-procedure education or serving content on chronic disease management that could then be discussed during a physician appointment.
2. Add QR codes to business cards for physicians, therapists and patient educators. Scanning the code might take a patient to a microsite that has bio and contact information for the person whose card he/she has.  From there, the viewer could easily access more information about that person’s specialty area or go to the mobile-optimized site for your entire organization.
3. Include QR codes for seminars, classes and patient education events on print ads, direct mail pieces, posters, table tents, etc. Including QR-coded hard links to online schedules can eliminate costly printing and provide prospects with updated event information.
4. Imbed a QR code at the top of the homepage on your website. Visitors can use the code to bookmark the page into their mobile phone so that they can easily visit your site later from their mobile phone when they have time on their hands – standing in a line or waiting for an appointment.  You can also use QR hard links to PDF brochures about specific procedures or specialties.
5. Include QR codes in variable data applications on direct-mail pieces. QR codes can direct recipients to more information about topics that are relevant to their particular situation.  They can also link to maps to show facilities that are close to the recipient’s home.

As health care becomes increasingly consumer driven and patients are clamoring for personalized information, it seems like a great time to take advantage of this emerging technology.  Please share your ideas and examples.

Should Your Next Cardiovascular Marketing Hire Be a Robot or Avatar?

Harnessing technology to develop new patient education programs may be critical in the move toward Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs).

With nearly three-fourths of health systems reporting that creating an ACO is a top priority, we marketers are scrambling to unravel what this means for us.  While not everyone is a fan, there seems to be a lot of discussion about what ACOs will look like if they are truly patient-centered.

It’s no secret that Medicare is pushing the ACO concept through pilot projects and encouraging the shift from fee-for-service payments to global payments for reimbursement. Because many cardiovascular patients fall into the Medicare category, I found this post about the head of Medicare, Don Berwick, interesting.

In an article last year, Berwick defined patient-centered care as “They give me exactly the help I need and want exactly when and how I need and want it.”

He talked about patient-centered care focusing on operational changes like:

• no restrictions on hospital visiting hours;
• inpatients choosing the food and clothes they wanted;
• patients participating in rounds and the design of medical services;
• patients really owning their medical records;
• and patients and doctors universally using shared decision-making aids so patients could make wise choices knowing the inevitable trade-offs involved in picking a treatment.

In order to make these practices work, patient education and self-management programs would have to go far beyond traditional wellness curriculums.  That’s where technology comes in.

Patients could harness their smart phones’ computing power, audio, video, motion sensors, and GPS modules to explore new ways to self-manage their health and wellness. There are currently smart phone applications for fitness and weight control, diabetes management, sleep hygiene, stress reduction, and heart health, with more showing up all the time.

One physician envisions technology will go even further in the ACO world.  Dr. Joseph Kvedar of Harvard’s Center for Connected Health believes that we will need to use robots and avatars to meet the manpower needs of taking care of all the retiring Baby Boomers.

In his keynote address at the 2010 Health Symposium, he talks about a successful walking program in which participants are guided by a virtual coach, an avatar named Karen.

Dr. Kvedar acknowledges his ideas may make caregivers uncomfortable, but his concept of emotional automation is actually an extension of the “trusting relationships with technology” that people are already forming with smartphones and other devices they count on for advice.

Regular readers of this blog know we’re working with clients every day to explore new apps and mobile engagement strategies.  We’ve even helped one of our clients create a successful online walking program.  (I can’t wait to tell the marketing director that we need to add an avatar coach this year.)

In all seriousness, though, in the real world where physician/staff shortages are colliding with exponential growth in patient-centered needs, Dr. Kvedar, may be onto something.  If anyone is exploring these ideas in earnest or already incorporating virtual strategies into your marketing programs, please chime in.

Is the iPad the Next Big Cardiovascular Marketing Tool?

If you’ve been watching the release of Apple’s new iPad and wondering how it could work in your hospital, you’re not alone.

St. Luke’s Health System in Boise, Idaho, is using a new iPad interactive video application from Unity Medical Inc., an Eagle, Idaho-based provider of digital health tools.

The program will include content for patients undergoing heart and vascular procedures, and for those participating in physical rehabilitation programs.

Patients can view videos and patient testimonials on iPads in the hospital or download content directly from the iTunes store to their iPad at home, for use anywhere they choose.

The Walt Disney Pavilion at Florida Hospital for Children is also using the new iPad application to explain common medical procedures such as CT scans and MRIs to patients.

“This application will support our patient resource specialists in ensuring that children and their parents understand and feel comfortable with important medical procedures and mitigate any potential fears or concerns they may have,” said Marla Silliman, administrator of Florida Hospital for Children.

What a great use of technology.  I’ve been coveting a co-worker’s new iPad since it came out.  What an amazing device.  Its user-friendly design truly makes consuming content of any kind a pleasure.

Our health care clients often strive to position their programs as both high-tech and friendly.  In my opinion, the iPad is both, making it a great delivery vehicle for  cardiovascular education and marketing messages.

Foursquare Checks in With Cardiovascular Marketing

“Checking in” with patients could be a great new promotional strategy for cardiovascular marketers.

Mobile social network Foursquare is growing by leaps and bounds.  Consider a few statistics:

•         In mid-March, Foursquare grew by nearly 100,000 users in 10 days, taking the total number of users just over  600,000.

•         In less than two weeks, a new update from the company says that Foursquare has almost 725,000 users.

100,000 new users in two weeks?  Honestly, I’ve been kind of making fun of my colleagues who use Foursquare as they jockey to be the “mayor” of certain venues, including our office.

I’m starting to think it may not be a joke.  And maybe our clients need to start thinking about how to jump on the Foursquare bandwagon.  Some people think it will be the Twitter of 2010.

In case you’re not familiar with Foursquare, here’s a brief synopsis:

•         People use foursquare to “check-in”, which is a way of telling others your whereabouts.

•         People check-in at all kind of places — cafes, bars, restaurants, parks, homes, offices.

Foursquare’s website says,

“Think of foursquare as an “urban mix tape.” We’ll help

you make lists of your favorite things to do and let you share them with friends. Think beyond your standard review – we’re looking less for “The food here is top notch” and more for “Go to Dumont Burger and try the most amazing Mac and Cheese ever.” Foursquare will keep track of the things you’ve done, help you create To-Do lists and even suggest new experiences to seek out.”

My colleague, Brian, an avid Foursquare user, has already started brainstorming about how our cardiovascular center clients can benefit.  He has a plan he’s dying to implement that includes rewarding patients and prospects for “checking in” at heart-healthy venues such as gyms, farmer’s markets and restaurants.

Any interest?

Highlighting CPR’S 50TH Anniversary in Cardiovascular Marketing

Celebrating CPR’s 50^th Anniversary in your marketing efforts this year could be a great way to highlight its importance.

According to the American Heart Association,

in 1960, a group of resuscitation pioneers combined mouth-to-mouth breathing with chest compressions to create Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation, the lifesaving action we now call “CPR.” This action, when provided immediately after a sudden cardiac arrest, can double – even triple – a victim’s chance of survival.

You may know that the American Heart Association now offers a Pocket First Aid and CPR iphone app.

It includes topics such as:

•         CPR

•         Choking

•         Bites

•         Bruises

•         Burns

•         Seizures

•         Diabetic emergencies and more

It also allows users to save emergency contact and insurance information.

I recently heard of an amazing story in which this app saved a relief worker’s life in Haiti.

Dan Woolley was safely pulled from Haiti’s Hotel Montana after being trapped in an elevator shaft for 65 hours.  While imprisoned beneath the rubble, Woolley relied on his iPhone to assess and treat his injuries.

Wouldn’t it be awesome if we could use the power of CPR education to generate similar stories in our own communities?