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5 Health Innovations to Keep Your Eye On

Published by Innovative Ideas on May 15, 2012.

Written by Tyler Durbin

Shazam App for Your Heartbeat

shazamLast week, we heard from the most progressive thinkers in the mobile health industry at the HIMSS mHealth Symposium in Copenhagen, Denmark. Amongst the many assessments and predictions was one really intriguing idea: a Shazam App for heart sounds. This app would allow smartphone users to record the sound of their own heartbeat, upload it to an analytics engine and receive diagnosis.

Question: Do you think that a heart health-related brand could whitelabel or sponsor this type of app to provide to their physicians and patients as an added value around their core offering?

World of Warcraft Boosts Spatial Ability and Focus in Older Adults

Healthcare Innovation

New research is showing that certain types of video games, like World of Warcraft, boosts the cognitive functioning of older adults. The study found that the multi-tasking and extensive use of cognitive skills (ie planning strategies and tracking other players) boost cognitive performance. To view the study, visit Computers in Human Behavior.

Question: If studies like this found that different types of gaming can improve the health or performance of humans, should agencies like GSW start developing videogame development capabilities? Sounds fun, right?

Squag: Social Media for Teens and Tweens with Autism

Squag, a curated space for kids with Autism to share ideas about themselves and communicate with the parents, is hoping to facilitate the opportunity for organic relationships; driven by kids and support by parents. Squag is designed to be an alternative to traditional therapy for children with Autism.

Question: Online communities are becoming more popular and more effective for supporting people with an array of conditions; what online communities do you find intriguing? Can you share with us?

Symcat Diagnoses Your Health Sypmtoms Like a Doctor Would

symcat“Every day, people search on Google for health information. Many of these searches relate to symptoms they or their loved ones may be experiencing,” explains Chief Health Strategist Roni Zeiger, MD. Symcat, developed by two lab partners at John Hopkins School of Medicine, is looking to create a better way to check symptoms and receive diagnosis without visiting a physician’s office.

Question: With tools like Symcat, what opportunities exist for our brands to make connections with people searching for specific symptoms online?

Ford Cars and Trucks Now a Vehicle for Healthcare

Ford’s mission of making the driving experience as enriching as possible is entering a new frontier. “A driver doesn’t stop being diabetic once he get behind the wheel of a car,” says David Melcher, the lead developer integrating WeelDoc and Medtronic to Ford vehicles.  “In fact, it probably more important to know about the driver in those particular cases. Not only for the safety of the driver, but for other as well.” By utilizing a Bluetooth enabled MedTronic Glucose Monitor, the WellDoc Application and Sync, your car acts as a personal butler insuring you’ve made proper health consideration before getting behind the wheel.

Question: What capabilities do you think patients would find beneficial for managing their health in their car?

Categories: Healthcare marketing innovations
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When creativity becomes social: one person’s journey

Published by Creative Corner on March 22, 2012.

Written by Nikki Mazur

What do my fitness routine, recipes, wardrobe, and home décor all have in common? They’re inspired by the latest social media sensation known as Pinterest. In exploring what Pinterest is, I’ll explain how it creatively inspires me and share the results of that inspiration.

Pinterest is a virtual pinboard that lets you organize and share all the beautiful things you find on the web. To start “pinning,” you must first request an invite from the folks at Pinterest. Once you’ve registered at their Web site you’ll be contacted (anywhere from one hour to one week later) and invited to begin reviewing boards and pinning your own boards.

How it works

Pinboards are organized in ways completely up to you. For instance, if you’re a foodie and enjoy a variety of recipes, you may first want to start by reviewing how other “pinners” organize their recipes on their own boards. You’d simply type the subject matter you’re referring to (recipes) into the search box and as many pins that pertain to that subject matter will pop up. The pin itself will provide only a snapshot (i.e. a picture and a brief description) of the recipe you’re looking for. For more detail click the pin, which will inevitably take you to the Web site that this recipe was originally found on. If you like the recipe enough you can “re-pin” the pin (recipe) to your own recipes board or you can go to a Web site that has your favorite recipes and pin those directly to your recipes board.

It’s relatively easy to teach yourself how to search, pin, and re-pin. In addition to sharing your pins and boards using Pinterest’s Web site, you can also sync your favorite pins to your Facebook and Twitter By using the additional social Web sites, like Pinterest, the world can begin sharing their favorite ideas, thoughts, and passions with each other.

New ways to enhance old passions

Through real-time sharing of pins on Pinterest I’ve found new ways to enhance my passions with more creativity.
One of my favorite activities is general fitness (I know – who actually likes working out?). I regularly go to a boot camp class three times a week. I’m the same as most people who find that a similar work out can often become monotonous and demotivating. After a couple days of searching different pins, I had discovered two new blogs: BodyRock.TV (http://www.bodyrock.tv/) and Blogilates (http://blogilates.com/). Each site offers a variety of 10-15 minute workouts for free. In using these free workouts I’ve been inspired to mix up my regular workout routine, which has remotivated me to continue my quest for fitness.

Every person that exercises also knows that workouts produce results only as good as what you put into your body. Being a Weight Watchers Lifetime member I’m constantly searching for new and healthy ways to cook. Pinterest is by far the most fun way to find new recipes, especially healthy ones! Through Pinterest, my kitchen has become a new canvas for food. I’ve tried new dinners and lunches, but by far the most creative recipes have been my attempts at new desserts! Whether you’re a Weight Watchers member, a vegetarian, a vegan or an overall foodie, Pinterest will inspire you to make over your kitchen and your palette.

Create new passions

My (p)interests don’t stop there. I’ve purchased material for a makeshift headboard based on a bedroom idea a pinner posted. I’m going to get my hair cut based on a style another pinner shared. Even my spring wardrobe was inspired by outfits others have recommended on their boards. Simply put, because of Pinterest my passions have been inspired to creatively give the many facets of my life a makeover.

Categories: Marketing trends and best practices
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Slideshare highlights iQ’s 2012 predictions

Published by Leigh Householder on January 5, 2012.

Our crazy-talented innovation team here at GSW (iQ) spends a lot of time looking ahead at the technology and trends that will change our industry. Their work includes analyzing specific categories, emerging technologies, best-in-practice strategies and publishing monthly perspectives that our core teams leverage when creating their next great campaign.

Back in November, iQ collected all our best content and insight and started to formulate what 2012 will look like for the healthcare marketing world.

The result was a presentation highlighting the first moves that healthcare is making to embrace the latest trends and the changes that iQ sees ahead. We were honored when Slideshare recognized the presentation as a Top 12 for 2012 presentation and recently highlighted it on their own blog.

2012 Digital Trends For Healthcare Marketing

We look forward to see if our predictions are correct–to keep up with all the latest in digital healthcare marketing check out www.whatsyourdigitaliq.com.

Categories: Healthcare marketing innovations and New ideas and approaches
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$450 billion worth of unpaid family care – and 5 questions prompted by the AARP study

Published by Mark Stinson on September 27, 2011.

The conclusion of a recent AARP study is that families provide $450 billion worth of unpaid care. That’s how much it might cost for the care that roughly 1 in every 4 adults provide – helping loved ones get dressed, take medications, and myriad other tasks.  You can read the full article here.

With the wide diversity of family settings and career experiences among us at GSW Worldwide, this is certainly a trend that affects us personally and professionally.  So today, instead of just one person’s view, I’d like to offer some questions:

  • Caregiving is getting more medically involved, due to shorter hospital stays and more home-based medical technologies. Caregivers often have little training or preparation for performing these tasks, which include bandaging and wound care, tube feedings, managing catheters, giving injections, or operating medical equipment.
    • What are the implications to bio-pharma brands of a supportive caregiver now becoming an active care-provider?
  • About 42.1 million individuals are caring for relatives and close friends at any time during the year — and about 61.6 million provide care at some point during the year.
    • What is an example of a new communication tool or media channel that might be needed to engage this group?
  • The average caregiving individual is a 49-year-old woman with an outside job, who spends nearly 20 hours per week caring for her mother for nearly five years.
    • This describes a demographic profile, but what word might describe her EMOTIONAL persona?
  • The study includes recommendations for involving family caregivers to improve care for the aging patient.
    • What perils would face the bio-pharma brand manager who ignored this group?
  • AARP is an advocacy group, and this study certainly helps support its position and brand.
    • What other organizations, companies, or institutions could also embrace the cause of caregivers?

I hope you’ll join the “liberating conversation” and share your comments below.

Categories: Health and wellness marketing
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The Art of Mindfulness

Published by Maggie Hallett on September 23, 2011.

There has been a lot of talk recently about information overload, the downsides to multitasking, and how focus and concentration have become novel ideas. In earlier posts, Dawn shared suggestions about dealing with distractions at work, and Bob talked about the hazards of being too connected and the negative effects of not being able to remain focused. At the end of his post, Bob asked for solutions. I have a suggestion…

It’s called being mindful.

On Tuesdays, my work is very different from the Account Service work I do the rest of the week, because I work as a therapist specializing in Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) for the treatment of Borderline Personality Disorder. DBT is a wonderful mixture of traditional Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (recognizing unhealthy thought patterns and working to change them, thus changing responses to them) and Mindfulness (living in the present moment with awareness). Mindfulness is the basis and foundation of DBT skills. The other skills—interpersonal effectiveness, distress tolerance, and emotion regulation—are difficult to master without the ability to be mindful.

So what exactly is mindfulness, and how do we become more mindful? I think the easiest way to explain mindfulness is through examples of when we are not being mindful (which is most of the time).

Example 1

You are driving home after work and you are replaying the last conversation you had with a client or co-worker. You felt it was unfinished, so you are planning how you’d like to continue it tomorrow, and you actually preview how the conversation will go in your mind. Meanwhile, you’ve pulled into your driveway, having no recollection of the actual drive home because you were so wrapped up in your thoughts about the past and the future.

Example 2

You’re having a good day. It’s nice outside and you actually get to go out to lunch. Right before lunch, you are emptying out some old personal e-mails and you come across one from a family member with whom you’ve been having some issues. It immediately stirs up all of the feelings of anger, hurt, and anxiety that surround the relationship, even though nothing in the moment has happened or changed. Your fine day just became a lot darker because you can’t stop thinking about that e-mail and the issues you are having.

Example 3

You are reading this blog, listening to your co-worker’s conversation next to you, designing a Web site, and thinking about dinner.

Mindfulness involves conscious awareness of your current thoughts, feelings, and surroundings. Raising awareness of the present can ultimately help to control concentration and impulses. So when you are driving, you are focused only on driving, and when you are building a Web site, you are focused only on building a Web site. And when a thought comes into your mind that triggers a negative emotion, you are aware of the thought (and the feelings that come with it) but let it pass without holding on to it and allowing it to spiral into unhealthy rumination. This last example is probably the most difficult to master.

In DBT, we teach mindfulness in two parts: the “what” skills and the “how” skills. The “what” skills are what to do to become mindful, and the “how” skills are how to do it.

What Skills

Observe your thoughts and feelings: Notice what you are experiencing without getting caught up in the experience. Step inside yourself and watch your thoughts coming and going, but do not hold on to any of them. Notice what comes through your senses—sight, smell, taste, etc. Notice the actions and expressions of others.

Describe your thoughts and feelings: Put words on experiences; this tends to keep you honest. Name your feelings. Make sure to call a thought a thought and a feeling a feeling. “I feel like no one listens to me” is NOT a feeling. “I feel lonely” or “I feel ignored” are feelings.

Participate in each moment: Enter into your experiences, forgetting yourself. Attempt to lose self-consciousness. Act intuitively, trust yourself, and accept both yourself and the situation as they are.

How Skills

Non-Judgmentally: See, but do not evaluate. Focus on “just the facts” and attempt to unglue your opinions from the facts. Acknowledge the good and the bad, but don’t judge any of it.

One-Mindfully: Do one thing at a time. If you find yourself distracted (either by others or your own mind), go back to what you are doing again and again and again.

Effectively: Focus on what works. Attempt to stay away from right or wrong, fair and unfair, etc. Play by the rules; try not to cut off your nose to spite your face. Act as best as you can to meet the needs of the real situation you are in. Keep an eye on your objectives, and do your best to let go of anger, vengeance, and righteousness.

Mindfulness, in concept, seems pretty simple. But it’s one of the hardest things to do in practice, especially in recent times.  Like any other skill you are trying to master, mindfulness takes practice, practice, and more practice. And the best way to practice mindfulness is to become aware of when you are not being mindful and bring yourself back to the present moment.

I could write forever about mindfulness–the benefits are endless. However, since good blog etiquette doesn’t recommend that, I’ll leave you with this:

Mindfulness can be life-altering because it gives you the opportunity to control your thoughts instead of allowing your thoughts to control you.

*For more information on health and wellness visit thewellatgsw.com

Categories: New ideas and approaches
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Long live the outline!

Published by Dawn Marinacci on August 12, 2011.

Do people still outline anymore? As a writer, I admit to only outlining my writing from time to time. Then it recently dawned on me that a “crystalizer” of information I was not, and thus the way I was processing information and random thoughts prior to hitting the keystrokes on my PC was probably not making my job any easier.

That’s where the power of the outline still comes in handy. I think outlines can help people write better, faster. I think it saves time and more people will want to read what you write.

Some people call it writers block, but there’s a new kind of “cloudiness” happening here. Instead of not knowing what to write about, it’s knowing what NOT to write because there’s too much information to filter through on any given subject to create a clear message. When your job requires succinct messaging to a target audience about a complicated topic suddenly the “cloud” in your head can pose a real problem. Add in a tight deadline and it can really paralyze your efforts to synthesize information.

Jeremy Porter from Journalistics states it well. “Would you build a house without blueprints? No, probably not. That would be a recipe for disaster. The same could be said for writing without an outline. An outline gives your writing structure and helps you organize your thoughts from start to finish to ensure you get your point across or tell a good story.”  Well said, Mr. Porter.

For many writers, the outline is natural step in their process. But for many others in the business world, I’m guessing it’s not so common.

Here are some tips from Jeremy that I’ve found very helpful.

  • Outlines help you think through your topic – you might have a subject in mind, but you need to hone in on the topics you’d like to cover – by creating an outline, you can figure out how you’d like the piece to play out. You can also figure out which areas you might need to research information, get visuals or interview an expert for. Of course, you can figure out what information to omit as well.
  • Outlining can help you eliminate writer’s block- if you’re having a hard time getting your writing kicked off, an outline can help you break down your subject into manageable chunks. Outlining can help you get over the hump and get your thoughts on paper (or your screen).
  • Outlines save you time – it might seem counter intuitive, but taking time to outline your writing first could save time. If you just write from start to finish, there’s a good chance you’ll have to do some significant editing or revision – which takes a lot of time. From experience, if you start with a good flow and organization of information, the editing process will go much faster.
  • Outlines can make you a more effective communicator – when I just write about a topic without planning my writing first, I find I don’t always communicate everything I had hoped to. I’ve also completely missed my point all together before. By creating an outline first, it’s easier to decide whether or not you’re clearly communicating your point. If your writing is in more of a story format, an outline can help you balance all the pieces – introduction, rising action, supporting facts, climax and conclusion – rather than figuring it out as you go along.
  • Outlines can help you plan future writing – I’ll often create drafts of posts I’m going to write someday – in outline form – and add to the outline as I come across new information or think through the details more. Having a reservoir of writing ideas – in a working outline format – can help you write more content on a regular basis.

Resources for Creating Outlines

I would list off my tips for creating outlines, but there are so many good resources out there already, I’m going to refer you to those:

If it’s been years since you’ve done an outline to map out your thinking, I recommend it. It’s definitely made a comeback in my writing process.

Do outlines help you organize your thoughts better before writing? Tell us about some of your tips and advice.

Categories: New ideas and approaches
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Even superheroes need to trust their partner to work alone at times

Published by Phil Deschamps on May 27, 2010.

(Reprinted from my guest post on PharmaLive)

It is very interesting to me that we are still trying to figure out how to improve our working relationships with clients. In the health care advertising and marketing business, we’ve largely been working with the same 20 or so core companies for 40 years. The answer is not better communication or sharing more, or even better contracting. Those improve things marginally.

If you think about it, focusing on these types of things is only necessary because both the client and agency have a shared responsibility for every project or implemented strategy. As a result, things like improving contact or better sharing are the solutions that we typically focus on as they relate to the way that we work in general.

I dare say that the answer is actually in communicating less but trusting more.

Think about it. Every single project that an agency works on has a client owner who passionately wants to contribute to its success. It is impossible for a marketer not to want to put a little bit of their DNA into almost every project for their brand. This desire is the source of “make my logo bigger” or “I don’t like the color” type of comments that drive everyone nuts, and drive absolutely no improvement to the end product.

The agency, on the other hand, lives for the day that our clients would actually let us do what they hire us to do without interference. (Note – this is why clients often get the best ideas in pitches.)

And while both perspectives are understandable at some level, there may be another way.

Imagine a world where every project you work on has only one owner; either the agency or the client, but not both.

In this world when the client owns a project, the agency restricts its efforts to cost-effective studio resources that focus on information design and mistake-free project management. The client runs the project, soup to nuts. They call the shots.

Project number two is agency-owned. In this scenario, the client owes a thorough brief, but after that briefing, the client goes away. The agency takes care of strategy, developing the idea, taking it through med, legal, regulatory review, and works directly with needed resources to print the sales aid, deliver the e-detail, produce the convention panel or leave behind, or upload the website. All completed post briefing with little if any direct client involvement.

Obviously this approach isn’t for all relationships. But when the agency and the client have been working to develop the brand and its visual assets, and intimately know its marketing and communication objectives, this approach can work. Surely we can work more independently than we do today.

This type of approach creates a world where the talent to task is vastly improved on both sides. There is also a huge reduction in non-value-added churn between the client and the agency. Job satisfaction will increase on both sides. More work for the brand can be completed as each party is enabling the other to focus “elsewhere” at different points in time.

Client and agency teams can usually shrink as a result too. And, the client will begin to feel that their agency is really complementary to their team working and extensions of their corporate resources. Clients are even able to focus on the 847 other things outside of work that involves their advertising agencies.

Oh, and this approach saves the client a lot of money while allowing the agency to maintain its margins. In this world, agencies aren’t commodities. They are strategic partners.

Hey, where have I heard that before…?

Any examples of working this way with your agency or clients? Any thoughts?

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