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Social Media and the Healthcare Company: Opportunities and Challenges

Schwartz Communications Inc. — 2009-07-02T09:28:18-05:00

Perhaps no single item in recent memory has generated as much curiosity and interest from healthcare PR Pros and marketers than has the growing phenomenon broadly titled "Social Media". Social Media can be broadly defined as a whole group of new communications channels that enable a more direct and conversational dialogue between medical device, pharmaceutical and biopharma companies and their key constituencies--including patients and clinicians.

The interest in Social Media is being driven by a confluence of two factors. First--dramatic changes in the more traditional media channels typically used by healthcare companies. Print. Broadcast. Radio. The economic downturn has reduced both the number of outlets that healthcare companies have used to reach key audiences as well as the sheer time allocated to healthcare stories. Second is the advent of rapidly emerging technologies that enable a shift from the "one-way" nature of traditional media to a more conversational or cocktail party approach to engaging audiences.

Together, these two factors are stimulating whole new areas of opportunity for the healthcare or medical public relations professional and the companies they work for. But there are challenges as well.

Recently Schwartz Communications held a Webinar that provided an overview of the types of Social media programs available for medical device companies, but it is applicable to all types of healthcare companies as well.

We hope you find it helpful and interesting.

Is the Declaration of Independence on message?

Schwartz Communications Inc. — 2009-07-02T08:57:23-05:00

As July 4th approaches, more and more people in the United States take time to reflect on their country, patriotism, the struggles of our founding fathers, and the courage shown by 300 average citizens in Lexington and Concord, just a few miles from Schwartz's headquarters. Americans think of the Midnight Ride of Paul Revere, the Constitution and those that gave the last full measure of devotion.

Like many, I believe the Declaration of Independence to be one of the most powerful pieces of prose ever written in the English language.

In honor of the upcoming holiday, we created a word cloud of the Declaration of Independence and decided to look at it from a communications standpoint.

The good news? Not only is it powerful prose, but it is "on message." The key themes shine right through - laws and people are equally balanced. Rights are a close third. Repeated usurpations (a key complaint of the colonists), assent, free and government come through as well. People looking at the word cloud (inserted in this post below) can see the key messages. It is very effective and resonates still today.

If you haven't re-read the Declaration in a while, take the time with your family this holiday weekend to do so. And from all of us at Schwartz, we wish those in the United States, and Americans abroad, a safe and happy holiday weekend.

For a full-sized version of the world cloud, click here.

Why Every Communications Professions Should Pay Attention to USJFCOM

Schwartz Communications Inc. — 2009-06-30T09:27:36-05:00

I recently received a news brief from Jane's Defense in my email inbox. The headline intrigued me: "USJFCOM explores network-free warfighting."

I read some more and the tease - “US Joint Forces Command (USJFCOM) has conducted a comprehensive wargame that, among other things, evaluated the military's ability to fight without networks” - reminded me of something important:

As communications professionals, we are living in an ever increasingly-networked world. Laptops, e-mail, IM, Twitter, IP phones and the Web have replaced the typewriter, letters, faxes, delivery services and press conferences. But what happens if we experience disruption? Blackouts, solar flares, or other events can shut us down for hours or weeks. But most likely the world outside continues moving.

While our challenges would never be as severe as those faced by the U.S. military, we can take lessons from the foresight the military is showing. Many of my financial services clients and I have these discussion as part of our crisis planning during any engagement.

I remember doing a lot of this a decade ago as the Y2K crisis approached. I was one of many communications professions for which New Year’s Eve 2000 was a day of work, not a night of celebration.

Following are three tips to keep in mind.

1) Plan for the worst – You do not need to be a manufacturer, an airline or a healthcare company to have a crisis. Part of your communications planning process should be spent thinking about what are the challenges you may face, and how will you respond to them? You won’t get them all, but if you identify the five most likely issues, you won’t be scrambling to make up responses on the fly.

2) Rehearse – The USJFCOM didn’t just think about these issues. They practiced them. Companies should have crisis drills where they practice their response. This year’s Best of Silver Anvil Award winner, Northern Illinois University, received the Anvil for the work they did during a crisis. They credit the skills of their response to the drills they ran.

3) Make sure “everyone gets the word.” Crisis planning should not be limited to just the communications and public relations department. Give guidelines to everyone and make sure people know where the plans are in case you are unavailable. It’s the little things. How are you going to get the message out, monitor the discussion, change the Web site, keep the company informed, etc.,

XSITE Shows Excitement in New England

Schwartz Communications Inc. — 2009-06-29T08:13:12-05:00

Schwartz Communications recently sponsored XSITE 2009, which was held last week at Boston University. As an employee at a Boston PR firm and a BU grad, it was great to see a New England-based event focused so squarely on innovation.

Of interest, the show gave equal time to healthcare, cleantech and tech developments within the region. Presenters came from pharmatech, wind and solar energy companies, cloud computing and other technology start-ups, and from the venture capital community.

From my perspective, it was notable that many of the more promising areas are in markets where the United States government is investing. An IBM executive in attendance noted that he's spent almost all of his time over the past few weeks working on proposals for money from the government's stimulus package. Another cleantech executive proclaimed that unless stimulus-related money was approved, her company might no longer be based in the U.S. Given the realities of the venture capital community, the government's money is vital to the emerging growth economy.

One of the most entertaining parts of the day was a keynote address from the well-known inventor Dean Kamen, president of DEKA Research & Development Corporation. Kamen delivered a strong message about how innovation is not fostered within our young. His project US First strives to cultivate excitement in technology within young individuals.

Kamen is clever in relating his competition to athletics. To quote Coach Winters in the early 90s movie "The Program": "Yeah, but when was the last time 80,000 people showed up to watch a kid do a ... chemistry experiment?" Kamen challenges that notion. And in recent years he's filled the Georgia Dome for his competitions.

Optimism filled the room. It's somewhat of a cliche around Boston that the enthusiasm found in the steady stream of ideas ultimately propels the region in times of economic uncertainty. The cliche was a reality during XSITE 2009. And it was great to experience it.

Social Media in Your PR Program

Schwartz Communications Inc. — 2009-06-26T12:48:06-05:00

Marketers are under financial pressure to get more out of their PR program with relatively small budgets. This week, we conducted a social media webinar that discussed some easy techniques you can use to integrate social media into your program while making it more efficient.

Public relations isn't just about media relations anymore. It's about joining the conversation online through blogging, Twitter and involvement in social media communities like Facebook and LinkedIn. If you've been hesitating, check out the webinar for guidance on how to get started.

Green Cars Get a Boost: Tesla, Ford and Nissan Get Government Loans

Schwartz Communications Inc. — 2009-06-23T13:33:29-05:00

Word today that Tesla ($465 million), Ford ($440 million) and Nissan ($1.4 billion) are beneficiaries of government loans to turn out next-generation, fuel-efficient cars. The loans were awarded as part of the government's Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing Loan Program.

The next 12 months will be extremely interesting in terms of seeing how the Green auto supply chain shapes up with regards to batteries, charging infrastructure and other types of technologies. The battery manufacturers themselves have also been the beneficiary of some recent government funding, which means more and more companies will bring technologies to market which will in turn make the PR world a bit more noisy. There is already a feeding frenzy among state governments to attract green car and battery manufacturers to abandoned automotive plants.

With new fuel economy standards, the Daimler investment in Tesla and the ATVM program, the electric car market is slowly being resuscitated.

Have a Heart--Congratulations SynCardia Systems on 800th Artificial Heart Implant

Schwartz Communications Inc. — 2009-06-23T11:26:40-05:00

Over the weekend, I saw a Tweet (http://tinyurl.com/ljjwla) that the Heart and Diabetes Center NRW in Bad Oeynhausen, Germany, performed the 800th implant of the SynCardia CardioWest™ temporary Total Artificial Heart (TAH?t). Congratulations SynCardia! Back in October 2004, in my capacity as PR counsel to Syncardia, I was at the FDA Panel Meeting when it approved SynCardia’s CardioWest temporary Total Artificial Heart as a bridge-to-transplantation in cardiac transplant-eligible candidates at risk of imminent death from non-reversible biventricular failure. What an exciting time for not only the company who spent years and years working on and perfecting the device but also for physicians and patients whose lives were greatly changed—and saved—by this amazing device. I spoke with numerous patients including a cyclist who is an award winning member of the Transplant Olympic teams who had a second chance of life after being implanted with the CardioWest device. I am thrilled that more than 800 patients have since benefited from this device.

While this was the pre-Twitter, Facebook era, SynCardia made headlines news—from cover stories in its local Tucson papers to the New York Times to the Wall Street Journal to the Associated Press. This was one of the most exciting, heartwarming (excuse the pun) launches I ever worked on and will stay with me forever.

Cleantech Stimulus Package Dollars to Start Flowing in September

Schwartz Communications Inc. — 2009-06-23T10:27:20-05:00

According to a post on VentureBeat this week, cleantech stimulus funds targeted at wind, solar, smart grid, biofuels, carbon management and other key categories, will starting trickling into company coffers come September. New Energy Finance Group predicts that while some cleantech funding will flow in 2009 resulting in a thawing of bank loans and cleantech venture capital, the bulk of the money will be invested in 2010 and 2011.

As a result, September through December will likely be a critical time for cleantech companies in search of government investment or project financing, In addition to the stimulus money, the fourth quarter will begin the FY 2011 appropriations process in earnest. Cleantech companies will likely need to focus on public affairs and government relations during that time to take advantage of what could be the last budgeting cycle with a cleantech-friendly White House and Congress in control.

Press Release Titles Matter for SEO!

Schwartz Communications Inc. — 2009-06-23T10:18:39-05:00

We've all heard that Google likes short press release titles. Write short, we're commanded--I'd heard that we should use a maximum of seven words. So I'd try to restrain my verbose self and write short. I got more detail on this subject from Malcolm Atherton of BusinessWire's Phoenix bureau and thought it was useful, so wanted to share it.

Here's the deal: Google will truncate press release titles--it will stop reading them--after 61 to 64 characters. Depends on the day and how Google is feeling--some days you get 61 and others you get lucky and get 62. So the "seven words or fewer" rule doesn't really hold--what matters is characters.

This matters because the two biggest factors, by far, that Google takes into account when looking at your press release are the title and the optimized presentation in the body of the release of key words or phrases. When considering the body, the first 200 characters matter more than those that follow, but the body of the release taken in its entirety and the title are The Big Things to Pay Attention To.

So if the title matters, you want to write them so that key words or phrases that your company really wants to optimize on appear in the first 61 characters.

This means that you may, if you can't keep your title to 61 characters, have to put those words first and your company's name later in the title. This is the reverse of how many of our clients want releases written--they like to see their name first. But if they're into SEO, we want them to understand that if the title can't be short, it at least needs to be worded in a way to get that key word or phrase into the first 60 or so characters.

XSITE 2009 Preview with Fast Company's Bill Taylor

Schwartz Communications Inc. — 2009-06-17T12:08:31-05:00

Fast Company Founding Editor Bill Taylor is among the exceptional list of presenters and moderators at next week's XSITE 2009 event, which is being held June 24, 2009, at Boston University's School of Management. Schwartz Communications is sponsoring the event, which will focus on innovation happening in New England.

As a preview to XSITE 2009, I interviewed Mr. Taylor to get his thoughts on the local economy and the spirit of innovation in the region. He's a great interview subject, which is not surprising given his many years covering growing companies. Mr. Taylor is also the co-author of Mavericks at Work: Why the Most Original Minds in Business Win.

A partial transcript of the interview is below. You can listen to the entire conversation by using the widget imbedded after the transcription. And if you really like the interview, you should listen to other Schwartz podcast recordings, and you can subscribe to Schwartz's ongoing podcast series.

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Ross Levanto: Bill, we’ve been talking in the month of June about the concept of innovation, and in some ways we’re calling this an innovation month. I think it’s kind of interesting that we do this in New England, which has been a pretty good setting throughout the years for innovation, and this continues to be so even during the current economic slump, would you agree with that?

Bill Taylor: Oh, absolutely! What is really important now is less macroeconomic indicators and the innovators' mindset, and for me, we heard a lot about it during the campaign, the mantra of the moment right now is this quip by the great Stanford economist Paul Romer, who famously said, “a crisis is a terrible thing to waste.” Basically, we’re all struggling right now to make sense of the economic crisis, to learn lessons that will guide us as we go forward. One of my big worries in general, although I think it’s one of the strong suits of the New England economy, is that there are a lot of people out there learning the wrong lessons. They’re becoming more conservative, more risk averse, they’re choosing to resist innovation rather than embrace it; to me that is a huge mistake. It’s a huge opportunity for innovators, because, as the business environment get’s tougher, meaner, more unforgiving, customers are going to become more selective about who they do business with.

So now more than ever, start ups or companies of any size have to offer a positive alternative to a demoralizing status quo. I think in some sense in terms of the natural optimism and raw animal spirits of innovators, as tough as it is in the big picture, if you can project a presence to the world both in terms of the substance of what you’re doing and the spirit of what you’re doing, this can be a good time to start something new or widen the gap between you and the competition.

Ross Levanto: You know, one thing that we hear a lot about, and certainly I’ve heard a lot about, in my years in this business, and I’m sure you hear it much more often than I do, to the point of it being almost cliché, is the concept of the entrepreneur spirit, and you alluded to it in your answer there; the fact that entrepreneurs certainly are very optimistic about the future, no matter the mountains that face them. The questions for you though, in terms of what you see, in terms of the broader New England economy, are there any bright spots that you’re spotting or watching in terms of the broader economy?

Bill Taylor: Well, I’m not sure in terms of technology sectors, I could do a better job than anyone else in terms of saying, “hey, it’s bioinformatics over here, or new materials over there.” What I do think is the virtue of the New England economy, we sometimes think of it as a weakness, but ultimately is a virtue, is that there is a blend here of both timeless tradition and long standing excellence and that’s the legacy of Harvard, MIT, BU, and all these institutions, with also the start-up entrepreneurial spirit. I think we’ve all as entrepreneurs and as a business culture, gotten tired of the boom and bust cycles that seem to have driven the economy over the last 20 years.

You know, when we had the internet crash back in 2000, there was that funny bumper sticker on the cars driving around Silicon Valley, “Please God, just one more bubble.” Well, I think we’re all kind of tired of sitting around waiting for one more bubble and to some degree being able to blend, and I think New England is a little bit unique in this, being able to blend absolute start-up and innovation fervor with being literally the oldest part of America. In the sense of history and the long time frame, as a business culture I think that may in fact serve us well. We sometimes beat ourselves up, why aren’t we as about hip and crazy and wild Silicon Valley? Maybe this new sensibility, blending the best of the long term with the start-up fervor is the right way to go.

I’m hoping the unique New England entrepreneurial culture will serve us well going forward.

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Listen to the entire interview by using this widget:

Energy Efficient, Intelligent Buildings

Schwartz Communications Inc. — 2009-06-12T12:49:59-05:00

Schwartz Communications attended Schneider Electric’s Editor’s Day on June 5, 2009 to learn more about the new "One Schneider" brand and its technology approach, EcoStruXture, to drive energy efficiency, security and improved business results. We caught up with Chris Curtis, president and CEO of TAC, Schneider Electric's buildings business, to get a first hand view into these topics.

In this podcast episode, which you can listen to by using the widget below, Chris talks about what makes TAC a leader in the energy efficiency market, performance guarantees, intelligent buildings, and how integration brings it all together.

Stimulus Funds to go to Young Companies

Schwartz Communications Inc. — 2009-06-10T15:59:53-05:00

Just yesterday, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) announced where some of the simulus money is headed. The good news for solar companies is the focus is on young companies that can use the monies to assist with R&D.

All told, about $16.5M will be appropriated as part of two programs, the Photovoltaic (PV) Technology Incubator program and the PV Technology Pre-Incubator program.

Schwartz represents clients who have received money through related programs, and the new appropriations show that there are a number of promising young companies in the solar industry.

With Intersolar US on the horizon, certainly there will be chatter at the show about this recent infusion of stimulus money. As we have noted in this blog before, the key is consistent relations with program managers within the Department of Energy so the process can be tracked.

Green Collar Jobs Double Up on Economy

Schwartz Communications Inc. — 2009-06-10T13:39:33-05:00

A new study covered by Kate Galbraith at the NY Times says that Green Collar Jobs grew twice as quickly as jobs in the rest of the economy from 1998-2007. Given that this study doesn't cover the hyper investment in solar, wind, smart grid, green IT, biofuels, geothermal, batteries, green autos, etc. during 2008, and the hiring that resulted, my guess is that the next study will show even faster growth over the past 10 years. Factor in green stimulus measures during 2009 and you likely have something approaching a Green New Deal.

It would be interesting to see what they specifically classify as a green job. Take Schwartz PR. We have more than a dozen cleantech clients and more than 40 people working with those companies. We couldn't say that in 1998, so technically they have been created by the movement to green products, services and technologies. My guess is that this study dramtically underestimates the number of people who have part or all of their employment driven by the growth in the cleantech market, especially people working in green pr, public affairs, marketing, legal services, media and investing.

Still, it's good to see that one of the major labor trends of the past decade, which has become a mainstream pitch in the cleantech PR arsenal, has been validated.

Consumer Lessons from PRSA's Counselors Academy

Schwartz Communications Inc. — 2009-06-09T12:34:31-05:00

I posted this on the main blog as well, but there are lesson of interest to consumer technology companies.

Last weekend I spent a few days with 140 colleagues and competitors at the PRSA Counselors Academy Spring Conference. From there I went to the Silver Anvil Awards. It was a great time and I learned a number of new things. Most of the topics would bore our loyal readers, but there were a few items that I thought might be of interest.

You can listen to my thoughts on why now is the time to ramp up the PR and marketing investment; how measurement drives results; and learn about a free research and analysis tool by clicking here.

Reflections from PRSA Counselors Academy

Schwartz Communications Inc. — 2009-06-09T12:16:45-05:00

You can listen to my thoughts on why now is the time to ramp up the PR and marketing investment; how measurement drives results; and learn about a free research and analysis tool by clicking here.

When Ringing in your Ears is a GOOD Thing

Schwartz Communications Inc. — 2009-06-03T15:41:33-05:00

Hear ye! Hear ye! 2009 was another outstanding year for Schwartz Communications at the 40th Annual Publicity Club of New England Bell Ringer Awards.

Schwartz and our clients received 26 awards recognizing media, special event and social media efforts in Healthcare, Consumer, Social Media and High Tech PR programs.

Pardon me as I brag for a moment. This work spanned 19 clients across our practice groups. It's like a good rock concert with multiple acts---you're a bit stunned and hard of hearing the next day.

The Bell rang a lot for Schwartz, and it's a tremendous testament to the quality of our clients, and most importantly, the outstanding staff we have and results they deliver.

Hooray!

(P.S. This is on the heels of two 2009 Bulldog Awards for outstanding media relations on behalf of our clients Epocrates and Bill Me Later.)

Vinod Khosla: Cleantech Will Produce Ten Googles

Schwartz Communications Inc. — 2009-06-03T15:39:56-05:00

Sarah Lacy has a great interview with Vinod Khosla on Yahoo! Tech|Ticker, talking about the incredible opportunity that the Cleantech Revolution is creating for companies and investors. Khosla basically says that the Cleantech movement will "produce ten Googles."

How is that possible? Khosla says that Cleantech is not about solar, wind or biofuels, but about re-engineering the way society lives, from lighting to concrete. When asked about the size of the problem, Khosla says that he sees only opportunities. Furthermore, he talks about how clean technologies have to achieve unsubsidized market viability within 5-7 years or they will struggle to be an investment and commercial success. Overall, just a very interesting interview with someone with an amazing track record of finding breakthrough technologies and companies.

Do I agree with every thing Khosla says? Nope. However, I do agree that Cleantech is bigger than the Web. This is an important point since many have called it a fad.

Cleantech, green, sustainability or whatever you want to call it, deals with a number of fundamental issues that impact all aspects of human life. Examples include drinking water (desalination) and irrigation in drought-ridden regions of the world, transportation (biofuels, batteries, green auto), remote and distributed energy generation (solar, wind, batteries), manufacturing, consumer products, energy efficiency (smart grid, energy management), etc.

I also agree with him that every technology gets overhyped at some point and many cleantech PR campaigns have contributed to that problem by pushing hyperbole when there was nothing behind the courtain. Biofuels are feeling the backlash now and wind is starting to be questioned because of energy storage problems. But will they go away entirely or will they just evolve into something stronger, with savvy entrepeneurs overcoming many of today's challenges? I think it is definitely the latter.

Will the Cleantech movement create ten Googles? I wouldn't bet against it...or Khosla.

Running the Solar PR Event Gauntlet

Schwartz Communications Inc. — 2009-06-01T11:44:35-05:00

This is an interesting time of year in the solar PR world because while other markets are looking to cool down post Memorial Day in terms of events and major, non-earnings announcements, the solar world is just heating up. From late May through October, we will have five major solar events in the US and Europe, starting with Intersolar 2009 in Munich last week, that will drive a frenzy of company launches, press releases, project announcements and industry dialogue.

Joining Intersolar Europe are the PV America (next week), Intersolar US in July, PVSec in September and finally, Solar Power International in October. So what's a marketer to do? This is actually a good problem to have.

It's often said that an average PR program is great at reach and lowsy at frequency, but it has long been our mantra that a drum beat of success is better than single big bang. It can be tough to convince executives and board members that even if Solar Power International is the biggest event for the company in terms of focus and region, it is a bad idea to use every 2H 09 PR bullet in one conference blast.

Solar marketers and PR teams should leverage the existance of these events to make the case for a steady drum roll of momentum, each tailored to the audience of the different events. If you don't have five announcement-worthy items for these events, then a good way to look at it is to think about the difference between the PR markets culturally.

European PR is a packaged content oriented discipline whereas the US is a very news and expert commentary driven PR market. What I am getting at is that these events need to be treated as a series in the grand solar PR campaign and not as isolated events, and a creative, strategic PR program and team will develop the tools to leverage each event.

Will you be attending Intersolar US, PVSec or Solar Power? If so, drop us a line because we would love to meet you there.

Change: Lessons found in a soft drink bottle

Schwartz Communications Inc. — 2009-05-29T08:36:38-05:00

In the consumer product and consumer technology world, companies inevitably want to keep things 'fresh' and 'new'. There is a long history over why this is a good thing and how it helps sales. I am a firm believer that in the consumer space you always need to be willing to try and do fresh and new things, but you don't have to throw the baby out with the bathwater.

I experienced this on a personal level recently with the change to the Pepsi logo and packaging. There was a great hubbub about this in the blogosphere a while ago, so I won't rehash it, but Pepsi changed its logo and its coloring. I am a committed Diet Pepsi drinker, but the change to silver confused me and I have to think before making a purchase (Diet Pepsi would sometimes be white, but now white is Caffeine Free).

Giving consumers a chance to pause before making a purchasing decision is rarely a good thing.

To exacerbate the situation, Pepsi has introduced Diet Pepsi Vanilla. Same packaging, but a vertical 'Vanilla' in small red lettering.

Needless to say, I didn't see the small lettering and bought one accidentally recently. I took a sip, expecting regular Diet Pepsi, and was surprised and unhappy with the new flavor. My resolution - avoid the confusion and conscious analysis I would have to make and just buy Sprite (my 2nd favorite drink) in the store in the future. Since Sprite is a Coke product, I am not sure Pepsi will like it.

There are valid reasons for Pepsi making the choice it did, and they can afford to lose my business temporarily. But smaller, entrepreneurial consumer companies need to look at all aspects of change. What will this do to our base? Will it energize them or cause cogitative dissonance. Is the dissonance so great we don't want to move forward? This doesn't apply to just packaging, but to social media campaigns, changes in the Website and all other content creation. Companies invest heavily in building brands. Consumers make the brands their own and come to expect certain things.

Change is great. It's the only way innovation happens. But be sure to always allow time to plan out the different scenarios. It’s the only way to truly identify the best change and the right time for change.

XSITE 2009: An Interview with Bob Buderi

Schwartz Communications Inc. — 2009-05-28T14:48:33-05:00

With all the headlines saying negative things about the economy, sometimes we forget that innovation is still happening. Schwartz is sponsoring XSITE 2009, an event planned for late June at Boston University.

I interviewed Bob Buderi, editor and founder of Xconomy.com, an online publication that is organizing XSITE 2009. I have posted excerpts from the interview below, and you can listen to the entire interview by using the embedded audio feed at the end of this post.

Also, the interview is the latest episode of the Schwartz new media podcast series. If you like it, you should subscribe to the podcast series.

Now here's an excerpt from the interview:

Ross Levanto: Bob, you know, a lot of folks who have been in the industry for a while, including myself, we look to some of the local organizations including Xconomy.com as kind of like a bright spot, especially given the economic uncertainty and the economic downturn that we’re all kind of struggling through. What do you see, just explain to me a little bit about, what you see just in terms of the role of this event, is it really to serve as kind of this spot of optimism given the economic uncertainty?

Bob Buderi: Absolutely, I mean a spot of optimism and basically to say, you know, people are already working on issues that will bring us out of this mess we’re in. They’re going to make our health better, our, you know, access to information better, our energy use better, all kinds of aspects of our lives and our businesses are going to be improving based on innovations that we want to bring, so we’ve just lined up an incredible array of speakers and companies who are going to come talk about all these sectors. Some of them hidden, relatively hidden, and unknown here in Massachusetts that are driving growth in the economy or that will drive growth.

Ross Levanto: And also giving a chance for some startups that at this point have been in stealth mode to actually launch themselves.

Bob Buderi: We’re going to have a few stealth companies that unveil themselves, and I think we’re going to have a few other surprises or announcements that are made, companies will take the occasion of the event to make about exciting knew things that they’re doing. And of course, kicking it all off, because this is in partnership with Boston University. BU’s president Bob Brown will be delivering the welcome address too.

Ross Levanto: You know, something interesting that we’re doing with those attendees that are signing up by visiting xsite2009.com, we’re asking them their thoughts about the local economy. There was a study that came out last week from the New England Economic Partnership that talked about the fact that it’s quite possible the recession here in Massachusetts is going to outlast the national recession. It certainly brings up thoughts from a lot of folks. Given your editorial role, Bob, from an Xconomy.com perspective, what are your thoughts in general on the Massachusetts economy and ways that we already are seeing the light at the end of the tunnel?

Bob Buderi: I don’t have a good sense of comparing it to the recession across the United States. I would be surprised if we lagged the United States. I would be unsuprised if we came out in advance of it. We all felt the tremendous depth of this recession and swiftness with which it fell upon us. I think the pace of innovation is faster now than ever, and I think the recovery will also be faster. I don’t think we’re going to go to full blown dot-com bubble kind of mode or anything like that.

Ross Levanto: It’s probably of a good thing.

Bob Buderi: Yeah, but I think we’re going to see certainly in the next nine months to a year the real fruits of what’s going on and what’s been going on for the last several years and what’s going on now at an accelerated pace with all these companies, to help us recover.

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From the embedded application below, you can listen to the entire interview:

The Most Effective Communications Channel?

Schwartz Communications Inc. — 2009-05-26T14:49:42-05:00

Today, many Americans were anxiously awaiting the California Supreme Court's Decision on Prop 8. With offices in California and Massachusetts this is something I have been following.

As the buildup was happening to the 10:00 a.m. PT ruling on Proposition 8, I was wondering which communications channel people would turn to for the news. Would it be Google News? CNN? Drudge? Twitter? So I asked on Twitter...One person commented that the most effective channel is the one that is open - and that is an important lesson for communicators to remember.

Yes, you want broad reach when disseminating your message. But if you have timely news, you want to reach the channel in which your customers and prospects are engaged. It doesn't matter if one channel reaches two million and the other three million, if the one reaching 300,000 has 250,000 engaged and interested parties - that may be the best.

For the record, I found the news out first on Drudge, then Twitter and then CNN. The site refreshed more quickly than my Twitter stream. But I could gauge reaction to the ruling much more quickly on Twitter than any of the other channels. Which brings up another key point to remember - the best channel for communicating the message is not necessarily the channel that will energize your base. Once the message is out there, it will take on a life of its own. Communicators need to be aware of these nuances and incorporate them into their plans.

BIO 2009 - Gene Bridges

Schwartz Communications Inc. — 2009-05-21T16:39:30-05:00

We spoke with Tim Zeppenfeld, a molecular biologist at Gene Bridges, about the latest advances in cloning technologies.

BIO 2009 - Robert Caughlin, Mass Biotech Council

Schwartz Communications Inc. — 2009-05-21T15:07:50-05:00

I caught up with Robert Caughlin, president and CEO of the Massachusetts Biotechnology Council, who discussed the benefits for biotech companies doing business in the Bay State.

The Big Bang

Schwartz Communications Inc. — 2009-05-21T05:55:49-05:00

BIO started off with a bang on Wednesday with a Town Hall Forum featuring Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick, Massachusetts Life Sciences Center President & CEO Dr. Susan Windham-Bannister and other state leaders who discussed how the Massachusetts Life Sciences Supercluster is growing as a result of the state’s $1 billion investment. They discussed how state, federal and private funding is being integrated to push forward new and established companies and researchers in today’s economy.

BIO 2009 - Bjarte Reve

Schwartz Communications Inc. — 2009-05-20T11:33:38-05:00

We spoke with Bjarte Reve, CEO of Oslo Cancer Cluster. The Norwegian cluster is a collaboration between pharma, biotech, research institutions and hospitals, patient groups and other organizations committed to making a difference for cancer patients.

Check out what Bjarte had to say about their initiative.

Schwartz Team at BIO 2009

Schwartz Communications Inc. — 2009-05-19T22:55:25-05:00

Lauren Arnold, Joe Pacheco, Jim Weinrebe, Jayme Maniatis and Kristina Ebenius at the Biotechnology Industry Association (BIO) annual conference in Atlanta. Welcome to booth 4715!

BIO 2009: Despite Bleak Economy, Optimism Still Flows

Schwartz Communications Inc. — 2009-05-19T22:30:41-05:00

Attendance is down at this year’s international BIO conference and many of the clinical stage attendees are in a frantic race against their respective burn rates, but this event once again distinguishes itself as a forum where many of the industry’s best and brightest convene to be passionate about their science and its life changing potential, despite the formidable odds faced by so many. And while Big Pharma stalks the aisles and presentations looking for the next hidden gem that will restore luster to their aging portfolios, it is, once again, the little guys who really shine as the sources of innovation.

What has changed are the business models and pipeline strategies. They are far more practical in outlook and expectations than ever before. Projects of real scientific merit but commercially less within reach are being shelved in favor of more focused business strategies. With sharper focus on fewer projects, but ones with nearer term potential, these companies are operating with far more operating savvy that will help them weather the storm.

Big Pharma would be wise not to approach this as a buyer’s market. Even a biotech on the brink of running out of cash may have the cure that ails their portfolio. This is a more sober, more realistic partner match making environment where it is advisable to tread carefully.

On the Ground Stimulus Intelligence

Schwartz Communications Inc. — 2009-05-19T13:08:33-05:00

The New York Times reported last week that the government has distributed six percent of the money appropriated in the stimulus package passed three months ago. Now, there are various reasons why this is the case, and the White House overall says the plan for dispersing the funds is on track, but the story no doubt was read closely by the many companies looking for stimulus financing opportunities.

At Schwartz, we run government relations and advocacy programs to help our clients navigate Washington. Over the past few months, we have pounded the pavement in D.C. numerous times in an effort to learn about how the stimulus funds are being spent.

In the process, we have seen first-hand why the process is taking a little bit of time. For example, many Cabinet departments have many unfilled appointments. Without these policy individuals, it's difficult to define priorities for specific agencies.

Since the stimulus bill appropriates funds to existing programs, the key is to remain in consistent contact with key managers within various agencies and departments. That is fundamental to any government relations program. And for our practices in cleantech PR or greentech PR, wearing a little rubber from the bottoms of our shoes seems to be the best advice these days.

Making News the New Fashioned Way

Schwartz Communications Inc. — 2009-05-18T16:41:40-05:00

Newsweek just completed a live interview of Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner on its Facebook page. In the PR world, we spend a lot of time thinking about the convergence of social and traditional media. This interview marks one of the boldest moves to date by traditional media to bridge these worlds.

This interview also exemplifies the continuing march of consumer technology into the news making process. We’ve all heard about the Twitter reports that were the first wave of “news” from the Mumbai bombings and “Miracle on the Hudson” flight. The iReports from CNN have given virtual media credentials to thousands of citizen journalists and their video phones. Companies post their own news in via YouTube videos and iTunes downloads.

What’s interesting to watch is the way these technologies have moved from the periphery to the epicenter of the news process. It began when new technologies started giving voice to viewers, listeners and readers. Soon a wave of simple consumer friendly applications began turning people into self publishers able to share the news and events that matter to them. Reporters and publications have increasingly adopted such tools to spread the reach of their coverage and to nurture contacts and find ideas for future stories. Newsweek is taking that next step in this process, co-opting a third-party consumer channel for its own news reporting.

Media companies are in innovation mode, trying to come up with new content and attract new audiences while managing costs and headcount. If Newsweek, with its readership of over 2.7 million, can find new readers to engage with via Facebook, then the floodgates will open and consumer technology will move one degree deeper into the inner sanctum of news making.

Stuffy nose, be gone! New pharmacy market in Sweden

Schwartz Communications Inc. — 2009-05-14T14:19:42-05:00

Suffering from a cold, with a severely stuffed nose and light fever, I stumbled into a grocery store in my native country, Sweden. I was baffled to find that nose sprays and pain/fever relievers were not sold in the store. I actually had to go to a government owned pharmacy to purchase my remedy even though these were clearly OTC products.

This was in the early 2000s, and I had been living in the U.S. since 1995 and, apparently, forgotten about the Swedish pharmacy system faster than I could say “gesundheit”.

Sweden is according to a United Nations ranking of 154 nations, the most advanced nation in Information and Communication Technology (ICT). We pride ourselves for being extremely savvy on the tech side. Even though we’re known as a nation of early adaptors, we have clearly fallen behind in other areas.

But this is all in the past, today we’re facing a whole new reality. From July 1, 2009, there will be both government and private pharmacies in Sweden. They expect the deregulation of the Swedish pharmacy system to lead to more pharmacies, better opening hours as well as lower prices on pharmaceuticals due to price pressure. Go figure what some healthy competition can do!

However, many of us Swedes like our pharmacy system – at least the part of it with really competent staff. We feel safe in our pharmacy and feel comforted by the familiar look and feel. On the other hand, we do look forward to go to the corner store when the cold hits a late evening to pick up some OTC products (imagine the thrill of not having to wait for office hours). From November 1 this year, OTC products like allergy/cold medicine and pain relievers will be available for sale outside of pharmacies for the first time.

We will be following the developments on the Swedish pharmacy market with great interest. To be continued!

Soon We'll All Be Carbon-based Lifeforms

Schwartz Communications Inc. — 2009-05-12T11:17:13-05:00

I’m a cycling fiend – have been since high school. Every 10 years or so I buy a new road bike and last week I picked up my new rocket – a high-end German carbon-fiber bike. Everything on it is carbon: frame, seatpost, handlebars, stem, crankarms…I’m going to have to get carbon fiber feet and teeth to ride this thing. It weighs a little more than 15 pounds, which is getting down to an almost irreducibly light weight until they can make a bike out of air. It weighs about half as much as the bike I rode in college.

It got me thinking about the role of carbon fiber materials in the green revolution. For more than 20 years cars have been getting heavier. My old 1984 GTI weighed 2050 pounds – the latest GTI weighs 3,300 pounds. So even as engines become more efficient and less polluting, the pork factor limits greater fuel savings.

But what if you could replace a substantial part of the metal in a car with carbon fiber? Carbon fiber can be three times stronger than steel, with one-quarter the weight. Formula One racecars already make extensive use of carbon fiber, but in that sport price is irrelevant, and the “Tub” – the structure of a car can cost close to a million dollars.

GM is experimenting with carbon fiber to replace steel and fiberglass in its high-end Corvette ZR1.

The problem, of course, is the material and manufacturing cost for carbon fiber. The material has been around since the late 1950s, where it started as an advanced project for the British Royal Air Force. Slowly, over decades, it’s moved into military and sports applications where low weight and high strength trump cost. It’s even showing up in some parts of costly sports and luxury cars. For now, though, the manufacturing process is too costly to make your standard cheapo subcompact with a carbon fiber frame and body. Today the material cost of carbon fiber is $8 to $10 per pound, and that doesn’t include the high cost of fashioning it into exotic shapes. Researchers suggest that if that price dropped to about $3/pound car companies would use a million tons of carbon fiber, replacing about four million tons of metals.

But let’s jump ahead a few years and assume that the development cycle reduces carbon fiber costs to something closer to steel or aluminum. (Remember, years ago aluminum was a rare, expensive and exotic material. Now we make disposable cans out of it). Picture a roomy but small car with a carbon fiber unibody, a carbon fiber body shell that provides additional structural rigidity and safety, and perhaps a small turbodiesel engine as part of a hybrid drivetrain, or a pure electric drivetrain (this would be much more practical is a car that weighs half as much as the electrics of today). This car could weigh much less – perhaps 1200 to 1500 pounds in total. Obviously it would never rust. The basic structure could accept plug-in modular upgrades of systems like the engine, battery and transmission. It could get, what? 90 miles per gallon? More than 100? Easily.

With less than half the power of today’s standard sedan it would be quicker. With a smaller drivetrain it would be roomier. Its emissions could be reduced by 10 to 20 percent, according to Oak Ridge National Laboratories. I have no doubt this will happen in the next 10-15 years.

Back in the 1990s our agency represented a company that was building a hybrid-electric drivetrain under contract to Chrysler. That system used a high-speed flywheel instead of batteries for energy storage. It was part of the Partnership for a Next Generation Vehicle, which was a government program. It was great fun doing PR for this project and we generated tremendous amounts of coverage.

Most of that exotic technology – except for the flywheel – is in the one million hybrids on American roads today. So the pace of technology adoption in cars actually can be pretty fast. Today carbon fiber is in the fairly expensive frame of my new bike. But I’m sure that in 10 years, when it’s time for my next bike, I’ll be driving to the bike shop in a super-lightweight, super-efficient, non-polluting carbon fiber car.

Avoiding the D Word: Rights, Piracy and Satisfying Consumers

Schwartz Communications Inc. — 2009-05-12T10:43:16-05:00

It was clear at Digital Hollywood’s “Content Rights and Technology Solutions” and “Monetizing Digital Content” sessions that the DRM debate has shifted from how to control usage to how to engage consumers and embed more value in legitimate content. The panel of tech vendors encouraged content providers to listen to consumer demands for universal access to purchased content. Anti-piracy remained a hot topic, but with the belief that satisfied consumers are less likely to stray and may in fact be willing to pay more for high quality, legitimate content.

Mark Isherwood, director and co-founder of Rightscom Ltd, explains how content access and protection is changing in the following clip.

Small Wind a Big Draw at Wind Power 2009

Schwartz Communications Inc. — 2009-05-08T20:00:03-05:00

The usual suspects were at Wind Power 2009 this week, including GE Energy Wind, Vestas, Broadwind Energy and Siemens. Each brought with them their normal buzz and booth heft, and most big players tried to focus a good portion of the discussion on the potential of offshore wind farms.

But perhaps the most consistently well trafficked portion of the show floor was the small wind pavilion, which boasted a number of companies with interesting solutions to providing distributed wind power. Southwest Windpower, a company with a lot of installation traction in the market, was very well received at the show. Mariah Power was another beneficiary of a lot of interest.

One company that didn't make it into the small wind pavilion, but qualifies as a provider in that category is Helix Wind. The company was several rows and columns away from Southwest Windpower and Mariah Power, but seemed to draw nearly as much interest for its unique design.

Small wind is not a new category--some of these companies have been producing product off of a manufacturing line for several years, but it is clear that many commercial and residential customers like the idea of small wind and the asthetics of some of the solutions. From a PR perspective, a lot of small wind companies have yet to make a big PR splash, but as the technology improves, home equity and financing come back, and more states begin offering tax credits, the market will likely take off.

Mobile Addicts Anonymous: Toddler Edition

Schwartz Communications Inc. — 2009-05-08T11:19:00-05:00

While Digital Hollywood attendees were the usual thirty-something mix of suits, anecdotes of mobile addicted tweens and toddlers frequently invited laughter and nodding heads throughout numerous panel discussions. The promise of an insatiable appetite for new applications and content led tech vendors and marketers to describe the desires and habits of the newest generation of consumers.

Move over pacifiers, parents are using mobile devices to distract their children. Katharine Linke, director of multi-platform programming at Disney said the channel was surprised at the popularity of its pre-school programming after parents said that they wouldn’t let toddlers play with their $400 phones. Well, they are! Mickey Mouse ClubHouse was watched as much as Hannah Montana on mobile phones and one panelist confessed to using the SpongeBob Tickler for iPhone application to keep his infant happy in the car.

Mobile has been deemed “the 3^rd screen”, but it’s the primary and most-loved screen of adolescents. One panelist said his fifteen year-old daughter sends and receives 1,600-2,000 texts a month. Also, unlike the average mobile viewer who watches 25 minutes a day according to FloTV, pre-teens are watching long form content, like movies, on their phones too.

While adolescents might not think twice about downloading a bootleg song or movie, they are also creating an entire new economy by embracing virtual goods. They see value in buying an icon, like an image of a birthday cake, and are happy to pay $1.99 for applications like putting a friends’ photo in a Jonas Brothers’ music video.

Next-gen consumers are less concerned with “owning” content as much as anytime/anywhere access across their many devices. New business models will focus on usage-based activity with clear implications for cloud computing, access control, usage analytics and targeted marketing opportunities.

Content King for Brands Online: 8 Tips from Digital Hollywood

Schwartz Communications Inc. — 2009-05-06T12:55:33-05:00

Creating compelling content for smart consumers was top of mind as Digital Hollywood kicked off with packed sessions, prestigious speakers and conversations that often returned to how to best engage online consumer audiences who are spread out across many, many sites. Everyone agreed that the entertainment industry maxim "content is king" is critical to reaching today’s empowered consumers who pick and choose what they read and watch and for the most part bypass advertisements.

As the role of marketing and public relations increasingly becomes that of content creator, buzz builders can learn from the playbooks of Hollywood marketers. Monday’s session "Strategizing the Campaign; Selling Movies, TV and Video on the Web" revealed tips from top brass at Comcast /Fandango, Microsoft, Fox, Paramount who have kept box office ticket thriving this spring through their creativity, tenacity and innovation

Know your target audience so that you can personalize the online experience to their individual tastes. Survey your customers to determine their interests. You may find some surprising results that can become a part of your online brand experience.
Be experimental, but integrate too. Online allows marketers to try something new and get immediate feedback. Develop your digital marketing strategy in tandem with traditional marketing to create a single multi-faceted campaign.
Budget time and money for "clever" content. Don’t let content be an after thought. Consumers expect free, unique compelling content that intelligently starts a conversation that they can participate in.
Provide depth for online audiences to dig deeper into content, get involved and be "in the know." Make your biggest fans feel special with exclusive content (like WATCHMENS’ multiple trailers and WOLVERINE’s contest for the red carpet premiere) or prizes (swag, anyone?)
iPhone apps are hot - but then you knew that. Fandango had a WAP platform for years, but had little traction until it launched an iPhone app 6 weeks ago with basic functionality to buy tickets on-the-go. Half a million downloads later, consumers are now watching mobile trailers too.
Listen to consumers, and respond - Fast! The beauty of instant online feedback is also a responsibility. Consumer’s told Fandago they wanted to be able to log into their accounts on their iPhones rather than enter credit card info to buy tickets. Fandango listened and built in the functionality within 2 weeks.
Enlist Viral Armies - Every marketing campaign should include an "Alpha Fan Strategy" to engage a Digital Street Team to be your online ambassadors. First you need to get to know your #1 fanboys -- the 10-15% of your audience that wants more than to consume or share content. Give them the tools to create a mash-up, design a T-shirt, build an add-on widget to extend your brand experience.
Don’t Stop the Feed - Keep evaluating engagement measurements to determine what’s working, what’s not and what to do next. Most importantly, keep giving fans more of what they loved, but with innovations. You’ve got their attention - now you need to keep it by getting even more creative.

Biotech Entrepreneurs Must Be Heard in Biosimilars/FDA Regulatory Pathway Debate

Schwartz Communications Inc. — 2009-05-05T15:15:59-05:00

Have we at last reached the point where U.S. lawmakers finally establish an FDA regulatory pathway for follow-on biologics? The Zeitgeist says it is so. You can feel it, see it, hear it and know it. There is just way too much hurting in this economy and far too much of a mandate for healthcare reform for political gridlock or inertia to win out.

And now, as they say, the Devil is in the Details, because we have a plethora of competing bills to debate. If the stars are aligned, H.R. 1548, the Pathway for Biosimilars Act and a forward-thinking piece of bipartisan legislation co-authored by Representatives Anna G. Eshoo (D-CA), Jay Inslee (D-WA) and Joe Barton (R-TX) will be the result. H.R. 1548 is a win-win-win for patients and families who desperately need more affordable access to safe and properly-manufactured life-saving biologics, for payers and employers seeking to cut costs, and for an industry whose innovation and high-wire risk-taking can’t even exist if investor incentive is squelched.

With some kind of regulatory pathway seemingly inevitable for follow-on biologics, the stakes are higher than ever to make sure that H.R. 1548 or some reasonable facsimile emerges. Industry would be wise to more prominently feature the voice of clinical stage biotechnology companies and entrepreneurs in this debate. Early evidence suggests this may not be happening enough. Too many of the press releases and op/ed’s on this issue are being churned out by the global giants, cultivating an impression that the biotechnology industry and Big Pharma are one and the same. While consolidation, M&A and licensing agreements have brought about de facto convergence, we should know by now that Big Pharma’s voice doesn’t evoke much sympathy in the Court of Public Opinion.

But winning this battle isn’t just a matter of clever scripting and casting for a lobbying campaign. Entrepreneurial biotechnology companies will always be the most bountiful source of innovation in this industry. The potential for significant therapeutic advances depend on them. Big Pharma needs them for aging pipelines. It’s a daunting landscape right now for these companies. About one-third of them only have six months of operating cash left. Seed and venture capital are drying up. Investors and partners are increasingly opting out of deals and walking away from projects both early and late. The Public Markets are a non-starter. The wrong kind of FDA regulatory pathway could make this group even more of an endangered species by discouraging early stage investment in these most highly speculative ventures. The regulatory pathway debate must be as much about preserving innovation as it is making biologics more affordable, and industry is certainly “on message” in this regard but Big Pharma just isn’t the best messenger.

If industry doesn’t want the regulatory pathway debate to succumb to the political grandstanding tactics that are always aimed at the drug industry, then it must galvanize the voices of innovators, not just big marketers. Biotech entrepreneurs have the most authentic and sympathetic voices to define what separates biotechnology from pharmaceuticals in terms of innovation, the complexities of safely replicating therapies, the cost of discovery, R&D and materials, the uncertainty of survival and why there’s a need for a Pathway that provides longer-term protection of IP for biologics in the first place.

For their sake – for everybody’s sake – it’s time for industry to help these voices be more forcefully heard.

Schwartz will be at the International BIO Conference in Atlanta so please stop by our booth #4715 to chat if you'd like to.

Video RSA Wrap

Schwartz Communications Inc. — 2009-04-24T09:33:40-05:00

One benefit of being in San Francisco for RSA is our spectacular office location at Second and Market (right by the Moscone Center). Popped over to film a quick RSA summary, check it out:

RSA Liftoff

Schwartz Communications Inc. — 2009-04-21T10:15:39-05:00

RSA, one of the biggest IT security shows on the planet, takes place this week in San Francisco.

Given the size of Schwartz Communications' security practice, we are involved in several aspects of the show, and you can follow along through the Security PR blog.

-- Schwartz will have a big Twitter presence. Check out all our Tweets on a special page on the Schwartz home page.

-- Mike Farber, Jen Spark and I will be blogging, plus Jen will be recording interviews from the show floor with industry luminaries. So navigate over to the Schwartz podcasting page for more information.

-- Director John Moran will be hard at work behind the scenes, editing podcast content and posting the interviews so they get out to our subscribers.

Given the temperatures in San Francisco right now are unusually warm, I could say something like "RSA is already heating up." Whether you are at the Moscone Center or following along elsewhere, enjoy the show!

What can Oprah and Lindsay Lohan's social media tool of choice teach us about security PR?

Schwartz Communications Inc. — 2009-04-20T10:34:33-05:00

Twitter is getting a deluge of attention in the media these days, and on Friday, Oprah of all people joined in the fun. With high-profile Hollywood types like Lindsay Lohan and Ashton Kutcher (who just hit 1 million followers!) actively participating in this new medium, Microblogging “experts” proclaim that Twitter may have officially peaked.

Peaked or not, Twitter is having an impact on marketing and PR, even in the BtoB circles. The challenge for PR professionals and marketing executives alike is figuring out how much of an impact it can have on your brand, and how to effectively leverage it in your individual program.

To examine the practical uses for Twitter in your PR program, let’s look at how security companies making news at RSA 2009 can use Twitter to monitor the buzz and participate in the discussion.

Monitor
What others are saying: “Follow” active security reporters/analysts/bloggers and Twittering executives to learn what is resonating at the show. Reading what Larry Walsh (@lmwalsh2112) or Paul Roberts (@paulfroberts) think of the keynote delivered by Cisco’s John Chambers will give you a quick snapshot of what was announced and how the speech was received without you even having to be there. Do a quick search for “Cisco” and you’ll see an immediate snapshot of multiple attendees’ impressions.

What others are saying about YOU: Do a quick search for your company name during the show to learn if any of the buzz is about you! If you put out an announcement on Tuesday at the show, check-in to see if anyone is Tweeting about the news. If you recognize their handle (aka; their name), thank them for the shout out.

Participate
If you are exhibiting at RSA 2009 this week or Infosecurity Europe next week, try using Twitter as a more informal means of communication. Announcing compelling new threat data? Try Tweeting “New (insert company name) research says mobile spam at all-time high, agree?” If you don’t have a huge following yet, your responses may be limited, but you're getting in the game.

The first “Tweet” is always the hardest. Once you’ve gotten over your Twitter-fright, as Oprah did this past week, you’ll discover that it’s a valuable means to get the word out and gain insight into what others thinks is interesting and valuable.

The beauty of Twitter is that you don’t have to have a following like Mr. Kutcher or Tweet as often as Ms. Lohan. The only mistake you can make is not using it at all.

Ashton Wins, Proves Twitter The Killer App for Consumer PR

Schwartz Communications Inc. — 2009-04-17T11:51:25-05:00

As pointed out on Mashable this morning, Ashton Kutcher and, now, Oprah get Twitter but, surpringly, most of CNN's audience doesn't. The CNN vs Ashton race and CNN's breaking news alert when Kutcher reached the million followers mark might help bring the CNN audience along. Regardless, no one can deny Twitter's impact as a channel for reaching consumers and even driving behavior. Witness the 111,000 and climbing followers Oprah has amassed since her first post this morning.

Twitter vs. Your Brand

Schwartz Communications Inc. — 2009-04-14T16:13:26-05:00

Amazon has been on a PR rollercoaster ride since Sunday when gay-themed books began disappearing from the sales rankings and search algorithms. The Twitterverse immediately swung into action claiming a new anti-gay policy and AmazonFail soon eclipsed Easter as a hot topic. Although the sales rankings are returning to normal, the story rolls on with coverage of why and how the site changed and even a claim of responsibility from a hacker.

This turn of events clearly demonstrates how social media compresses the timeline for managing a crisis. It also illustrates an important rule of PR: Either proactively manage your brand or the Twitterverse and other online communities will do it for you.

With that motto in mind, here a few general tips to create and protect consumer brands in today’s communications landscape.

1) People on Twitter are typing what others are thinking. Don’t discount the opinions expressed on Twitter or any other online channel as the “vocal” minority. Vocal yes. Minority, probably not.

2) Don’t let the conversation be one sided. The mantra of social media is – “Join the conversation.” Listen just as much (if not more) than you talk online. The good news is that, by establishing a rapport, you have the ear of the community when you need it.

3) Use the rapport. Do not walk away from the conversation when it matters most. The Amazon Twitter feed’s last update was on April 9, the Friday before this all broke. The Amazon corporate feed primarily features tweets about the Amazon Daily blog. Even though the Twitter feed stopped, the Amazon Daily rolled on. The Amazon Daily on Monday (day 2 of the situation) featured a number of book and product reviews. There was more timely content too: reports on the Obama’s new dog and Phil Spector’s guilty verdict. The CTO of Amazon kept on Tweeting, just not about the controversy.

4) What happens in the Twitterverse doesn’t stay in the Twitterverse. Obviously, the mainstream media follows what happened at Amazon but many smaller events cross over every day. In fact, most reporters are actively using Twitter to track trends, find resources and hunt for story ideas.

5) Brand management in the social media realm is an ongoing process. Just ask Southwest Airlines, which furthers its reputation as a customer centric brand every day by using its Twitter feed as a very public demonstration of fast, effective customer service in action.

Social Networking: Be Careful Where You Click

Schwartz Communications Inc. — 2009-04-13T11:57:42-05:00

Social networking threats are among the security trends we're expecting to hear more about at Infosec. Once the domain of university students and rock bands, social networks are now unquestionably mainstream (my parents recently joined Facebook; I grimaced at the update that they are now "married"). Today, in many industries, we rely on social networks to DO our jobs rather than AVOID our jobs.

A study done by Trend Micro back in July found nearly one in five employees have visited social networking sites on corporate networks (I'd venture to say its actually a lot higher), making companies vulnerable to a wide variety of cybercrimes, from phishing and spam to virus attacks and identity theft. But as social networks become increasingly valuable productivity tools, many companies are hesitant to go so far as to block them.

The answer is not only a robust security solution that arms a company against cyberattacks, but also an alignment between HR and the CIO that supports policies to require employees to get permission before downloading third-party apps and education that warns them to be careful where they click.

Find us on the show floor at Infosec to talk more about social networking threats!

The Quest for Content: How Podcasts Can Help

Schwartz Communications Inc. — 2009-04-09T10:30:00-05:00

Creating content can be a daunting task. Blogs, contributed articles and commentary, direct marketing communications to prospects and clients – all of these items can be challenging and time-consuming to create.

A growing number of our security PR clients are finding that the fastest path to generating content on pressing topics is to begin with a podcast. A fifteen minute call with a client executive, a customer company, or a partner can quickly yield the necessary content to fuel multiple areas of the security PR mix, with far less effort than was previously necessary.

A good example of this process in action can be seen in eIQnetworks, a Schwartz client with a deep bench of security and compliance experts. eIQnetworks and the Schwartz PR team have worked together to build a process that maximizes the value of the expert interview. These interviews are conducted as discussions of industry trends, emerging regulations like the HITECH Act or commentary on relevant breaking security news, such as the April 1st trigger date for the Conficker worm.

The process is fast – studios and complex editing suites are no longer necessary to produce polished commentary segments. With minimal time investment from company spokespeople, phone interviews are recorded and then edited by Schwartz to create podcasts segments that can be posted in company blog entries and shared through e-mail marketing pieces. These segments are also rich content resource that can be mined to create contributed articles or commentary.

So next time you have a pressing issue that you’re looking to quickly turn into media coverage and marketing activity, let us be your first interviewer – we’ll use it to generate results across multiple high-impact areas of your security PR program. We look forward to discussing this topic more with you at RSA in a few weeks, as well as Infosecurity Europe.

Securing the Mobile Worker: How Not to Open up a Can of Worms

Schwartz Communications Inc. — 2009-04-06T09:23:00-05:00

One of the issues we're expecting to hear a lot about at Infosecurity Europe 2009, Europe's largest security industry trade show, is mobile security. Giving employees the option to work from home is becoming increasingly attractive from both a financial and an environmental perspective, and is often seen as a perk at a time when pay rises and bonuses aren't possible. Furthermore, an estimated 4.5 million new requests for flexible working could flood UK firms today, Computing reported, as new legislation goes into effect that extends the right to request flexible working to all parents with children under the age of 16.

Without taking the necessary security precautions, mobile working could open up a can of worms. A complete mobile security strategy must include the same level of protection that exists in the office, with special consideration given to the increased risk of loss or theft. Full-data encryption to guard against data leakage, a VPN for secure connectivity, a proactive patch management solution and a network access control application are all key technologies businesses must have in palce to secure mobile workers.

Workers' attitudes can also expose businesses to security threats. A study released by Vodafone UK recently and reported on in ComputerWeekly found that nearly half of employees regard their work laptops or mobile devices as their own property once away from the office. Half (49.6%) of employees used their own mobile broadband connection and 29.6% used Wi-Fi with their company mobile device when at home, leaving businesses vulnerable.

At Schwartz London, we're looking forward to seeing what new mobile security solutions companies will be talking about at Infosec.

Infosec Here We Come

Schwartz Communications Inc. — 2009-04-03T09:34:18-05:00

After months of planning, Infosec is nearly here. The three-day event, taking place on 28-30 April in London, is the largest security conference in Europe and attracts more than 12,000 visitors and 300 journalists. We've seen several London-area trade shows cancelled recently in the wake of slashed marketing spend, yet Infosec organisers have moved the show to a bigger conference hall this year--Earls Court--and expect to break record numbers for attendance.

Despite new research from both Forrester and Gartner that predicts a grim year for global IT spending, the security industry shows fewer signs of stress than, say, retail tech. Infosec is still moving full steam ahead and the mood at the show is anticipated to be bouyant and focussed.

Over the next few weeks, in the Security PR blog, Schwartz London will be taking a look at some of the trends and issues we expect will be top of mind at Infosec this year, from mobile computing to cloud security to social media phishing. Then we'll give reports from the show floor on the people we meet, the sessions we watch and the parties we attend. Stay tuned!

Billions in Stimulus Funding for Healthcare IT - What To Do?

Schwartz Communications Inc. — 2009-04-02T15:17:53-05:00

Part of the larger, $787 billion stimulus package signed by President Obama in mid-February is $19.2 billion under a bill called the HITECH, or Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act. Hey, no one said these things would have simple names.

That $19.2 billion directs most of the funding - $17.2 billion of it - to pay for the widespread adoption and "meaningful use" of "certified" interoperable electronic health record (EHR) technology. The other $2 billion covers a wide range of healthcare information technology projects including health records, health information exchange, computerized physician order entry, clinical decision support systems and electronic prescribing. Recently we ran a webinar about the HITECH funding - slides and an audio are available below.

The EHR funding will be administered through CMS - Medicare and Medicaid - in the form of reimbursements available to physicians and hospitals, and spread over several years. The $2 billion is allocated by the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT to be headed by Dr. David Blumenthal, appointed to the job on March 20, 2009. A couple questions come to mind:

How do you get healthcare stimulus money? As of this week the details of the process are still being developed by several federal agencies.

So what does this mean for healthcare IT companies and how can companies get stimulus funding?

First, the stimulus funding is intended to boost rapid technology adoption in the hopes of controlling healthcare costs, making healthcare more efficient and perhaps creating jobs. Despite the fact that there are more than 200 companies offering some form of EHR technology to physicians and hospitals, adoption is still too slow - by some estimates, well below 15% market penetration with perhaps a third of those using the systems effectively. An even worse EHR market assessment was published on March 26, 2009, which said that just 1.5% of non-Federal hospitals in the U.S. are using a comprehensive EHR system. Yikes!

(An interesting recent development is the start of a backlash, often from doctors, against the orthodoxy that widespread use of HCIT technology is an unquestioned good. The latest is this opinion piece from Time, this week. Among other intriguing points, it argues that EMRs could increase healthcare costs and push providers to input inaccurate information. I’ll write more about this later.)

Second, the stimulus funding is intended to foster better integration among the various proprietary HCIT technologies, which have been notoriously complex and difficult to integrate.

Third, the EHR funding encourages adoption through a payment schedule that can subsidize the costs of purchase and implementation, but it also includes a penalty. In 2014 physicians will see reduced Medicare and Medicaid reimbursements if they have not implemented EHR technologies and are not using them effectively.

The details of accessing the ARRA and HITECH funds are not yet fully developed, but the race is on for companies to tap into these funds. Whatever the details turn out to be, HCIT companies with a strong public image and strong brand awareness will be best positioned to take advantage of this rare opportunity in which the government is essentially funding their customers to buy their products. That means HCIT companies with strong government relations, strong brands and a strong public presence must maintain and extend it. HCIT companies without those advantages had better build them, and fast.

Several of us from our Healthcare IT Practice will be at HIMSS next week. We’ll be in booth # 3145, so please stop by and let’s talk about this.

Security PR: Standing Out at RSA Conference 2009

Schwartz Communications Inc. — 2009-04-01T13:41:30-05:00

In their own words, the RSA Conference 2009 is the "premier information security event" and the "RSA Conference plays an integral role in educating and connecting security professionals across the globe." The show snapshot shares that over 17,000 people attended the San Francisco-based conference in 2008 and that this year they have over 275 security companies exhibiting. Finding a way to stand out amongst that crowd is not an easy undertaking.

Something you may not know, every year the RSA Conference is built around a different theme which highlights a significant historical example of information security. As reported on their website "in 2009, RSA celebrates the influence of Edgar Allan Poe. Poe was fascinated by cryptography, which he often treated in his journalism and fiction. He concealed anagrams and hidden messages in his own poems. His famous story - "The Gold Bug" - centers on the solution of a cipher, which turns out to be a map to hidden private treasure."

While the theme is probably lost on 99.9 percent of the attendees, Schwartz’s Security PR team encourages vendors to play into it. The theme was not arbitrarily selected -- it was part of a thoughtful and strategic decision for the RSA conference coordinators. Like any business trying to attract, convert and keep customers, the RSA Conference event planners will be seeking ways to publicize the event to both attendees and vendors for next year, and will be on the show floor filming b-roll and talking with vendors who can advance their message. Any activity that spotlights your company’s booth will benefit company branding and drive traffic in the long run. This is also a recommendation that we provided to our clients who sought to lock-in speaking opportunities at the show - appeal to the conference decision makers by tying in Edgar Allen Poe theme as part of the call for papers proposal. (Worth noting, Schwartz clients are strongly represented in the speaking track, with executives from Qualys, Purewire, BeyondTrust and Cryptography Research among the many selected).

Additional recommendations include:

- Don’t announce big news at the show! As tempting as it is, there are too many players and too much "noise" to get the attention your company is due. Your efforts are better spent creatively attracting buyers as well as media and analysts to the booth with meaningful presentations and tools for which the IT buyers can take back to the office and use to develop a strong budget argument for your technology. They will appreciate you doing the legwork for them...

- Prepare for breaking news opportunities - thought leadership is a key component of Security PR, and the more prepared and well-versed you and your spokespeople are in security trends and threats, the more likely your company can have a presence within articles generated at the show. It also helps to define a repeatable mechanism for generating supporting data for security trends, reporters and bloggers appreciate the quantitative support for their stories. Pay attention to the topics discussed during keynote speeches, and without blatantly plugging your technology, find ways to creatively draw parallels to the security problems facing businesses today and the benefits your company’s offering brings.

- Invite your customers and prospects to your booth, even if you have to cover the cost of their travels, and ask them if they would be willing to speak with media and analysts, without the expectation of news articles. While the state of the media is such that they are charged by their editors to deliver articles that drive click-throughs, there are still a great handful of folks from the media who value the informational conversation with end-users on why certain technologies are on their must-have list for 2009 and beyond. The media will appreciate the low-pressure, end-user perspective and your prospects and customers will appreciate the opportunity to explore the show and have a voice in the discussion, even if anonymous

See you on the show floor!

Conficker: Mass Destruction or April Fools' Prank?

Schwartz Communications Inc. — 2009-03-31T13:29:36-05:00

Here at Schwartz, security PR's ground zero, we circulate a daily digest of the latest security news stories. Not surprisingly, today's news is all about the Conficker worm. The Conficker worm is either the most vicious assault in the history of cybercrime or the most well-played April Fools' Day joke. Experts suggest 15 million computers could be infected with the virus, which is predicted to strike tomorrow. In the UK, the most newsworthy case of Conficker has been the infection of Parliament.

Reminiscent of New Years' Eve pre-Y2K, we're all holding our collective breath to see what will happen tomorrow. (And, if you're a PR person, you're busily writing comment on behalf of your clients, for whom the Conficker is PR gold.) According to the BBC, "There have been some reports the worm could trigger poisoned machines to access personal files, send spam, clog networks or crash sites."

Yesterday, security experts had a breakthrough in their five-month battle against the virus, reported The Register. It was discovered that the worm leaves a fingerprint on infected computers that can be easily detected with network scanners. Yet despite this progress, doom abounds: The Conficker Working Group, a coalition of anti-virus firms, has already posted an update for April 1: "Conficker.C is Live and well. Sometime today the new version of Conficker will be awake and function. Now one is sure its purpose or mission."

Could it be a prank? A scam to distract security professionals from a much larger crime? Or truly the worst virus attack of all time? Wake up early to find out...

Time to Boot Up (Securely Of Course)

Schwartz Communications Inc. — 2009-03-30T14:36:09-05:00

Today a new member joins the Schwartz family of blogs--the Security PR Blog.

While we won't win any awards for name creativity, we do hope that the content will become an important part of your information flow. Schwartz's vibrant security practice gives us valuable insight to a number of issues, such as new methods companies are using to secure themselves and ways the media is covering the security landscape.

Security is a big story. Even in these tough economic times, businesses, governments and consumers will continue to spend in order to protect themselves from nasty threats like Conficker and GhostNet.

Over the next few weeks much of the Security PR blog discussion will revolve around the twin monster shows in the security world, RSA 2009 and InfoSec 2009.

In the meantime, happy (and safe) computing!

Ranting with Rick Santelli

Schwartz Communications Inc. — 2009-03-06T21:35:30-05:00

Media capitalizing on the Web and the broadcast bounce of the Internet

It was hard to avoid Rick Santelli’s rant on a live broadcast of CNBC “Squawk Box” last Thursday. You probably saw it: reporting from the floor of the Chicago Board of Trade Santelli launched a broadside on President Obama’s approach to the housing crisis.

When he asked traders on the floor if they wanted to pay for their neighbor’s failed mortgages, the crowd erupted into a chorus of boos and Santelli’s rant became a story in its own right. Other networks covered it, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs issued a response, and Santelli conducted several follow-up interviews on his position.

A few hundred thousand viewers actually saw the live broadcast; however, CNBC promptly posted the clip on the CNBC.com homepage greatly expanding its reach. According to The New York Times, by Sunday the clip was viewed 1.7 million times, making it the network’s most viewed Web clip to date.

CNBC execs were quoted saying the Web simply extends the shelf life of a segment, but let’s face it: this isn’t Seymour Hersh uncovering the My Lai Massacre or Woodward and Bernstein breaking Watergate. This is editorial optimized for promotion—CNBC took advantage of the added bounce compelling broadcast coverage can have when properly positioned online.

We can debate the merits of media becoming the news, but that aside, there are a few valuable PR lessons to be learned from Rick’s rant and the way CNBC leveraged online video.

There’s no gap between mainstream and social media. Type Rick Santelli’s name into the YouTube search bar and you’ll see dozens of clips of the original segment plus other reports of the rant that were viewed by millions. Today, segments that run on the 6:00 a.m. news in Des Moines are archived online immediately—if not on YouTube at the very least on the affiliate’s home page.
Meltdowns are magnified. Your mother and second grade teacher may not catch your cameo on the late night news, but they’ll see it the next day online. Rick was preening for the cameras, but if you find yourself in a heated discussion with a broadcast journalist, keep your cool. An unfortunate comment muttered out of frustration can take on a life of its own online for months to come. On a related note, be prepared. Winging a live broadcast appearance is never a good idea. Just ask Joaquin Phoenix.
Leverage the links. When a great piece of online coverage appears, make sure you’re maximizing the exposure. Are you embedding links onto your home page, online news room or blogs? If millions watched that little boy freak out after having some teeth removed, just think how your audience will respond to compelling, on-message broadcast coverage. (OK, so they hopefully won’t laugh as much. What kind of father does that to their kid anyway?)

Do you have thoughts about the bounce broadcast coverage receives when it’s archived online? Opinions on journalists becoming the news? Let us know.

Introducing The Connected Consumer

Schwartz Communications Inc. — 2009-03-06T10:02:04-05:00

What’s the longest you’ve gone without reading an email, posting a Tweet, IMing someone, downloading a song, getting Google map directions or tracking a news story or market activity online? Unless you were sleeping or flying, the answer is probably less than a couple of hours. Welcome to the Always On world. Whether at work, at play or somewhere in between, we have all come to rely on instant access to information, entertainment and people. That makes us connected consumers.

This blog is devoted to this new way of life. We will be tracking what it means – from the self expression and sharing of the Facebook 25 random things to the blurring of the work and life divide – to the underlying technology and trends – all thing Web 2.0 and beyond. We will most often look at the impact of PR and marketing in shaping the consumer technology and, on the flip side, the impact of consumer technology in shaping PR and marketing. However, we reserve to the right to opine about what we see that is cool, fun or just unexpected.

Healthcare IT Spotlight Burns Bright

Schwartz Communications Inc. — 2009-01-21T16:06:02-05:00

Last week saw a series of announcements and events that underscore the importance the Obama administration and new Congress have placed on healthcare information technology (HIT) to stimulate the economy and help solve a national crisis in healthcare access, costs and outcomes.

First up was the "Investing in Health IT: A Stimulus for a Healthier America" hearing chaired by Senator Mikulski's HELP Committee. It featured compelling testimony on the need for better applications to solve the electronic health record (EHR) problem, specifically interoperability.

Next up, the House Appropriations committee unveiled its $825 billion "American Recovery and Reinvestment Bill of 2009," calling on significant investments to "update and computerize our healthcare system to cut red tape, prevent medical mistakes, and reduce healthcare costs." Key provisions include billions in federal HIT funding for computerize health records, with billions more targeted at disease prevention/wellness; healthcare effectiveness research; community health centers, and training primary care providers.

The new climate in Washington provides a once-in-a-decade opportunity for HIT companies to become part of a massive and coordinated effort to fix the broken healthcare system. Healthcare IT has become a bright spot in the otherwise dismal economic climate. Schwartz Communications will continue to monitor the HCIT landscape, offering insight into turning the current legislative agenda into real business opportunity through public relations. This includes hot button issues like consumer directed healthcare, transparency, interoperability and others. Stay tuned.

Coming up: Schwartz will be conducting a free Webinar titled, "The New Administration and Healthcare IT: Positioning Your Company for Success." scheduled for Thursday, February 26 at 2:00 PM Eastern. Details to follow soon.

FUD Factors

Schwartz Communications Inc. — 2008-10-03T10:21:02-05:00

An Envision Solutions/Kelton Research survey found that 85.6 million U.S. adults, or 38 percent of the population, have doubted the opinion of their doctors or other medical professionals when it conflicts with information found online. Forty three percent of consumers ages 18 to 34 reported they doubted their health provider's advice when it conflicted with online sources.

Only 3 percent of Americans seeking advice about how to manage a serious medical condition would view patient developed online health information as trustworthy. I’m sure this perspective would change if a consumer was faced with a serious disease or condition, hence the popularity of sites like PatientsLikeMe.com.

Few consumers listed the government, the media or non-profits as credible healthcare information sources. The survey shows that a majority of Americans still view health providers as their most trusted source of medical information overall.

Docs Rate Plans

Schwartz Communications Inc. — 2008-09-30T13:15:32-05:00

The AMA recently issued its first health insurance report card grading how quickly and accurately doctors get paid. Docs hope the report card will reduce the cost of claims processing and help in contract negotiations with the health plans.

According to the AMA, the report card compares Medicare and seven national commercial health insurers on the timeliness and accuracy of claims processing. UnitedHealthcare had the lowest rate – only 62 percent of medical services billed were paid by them at the agreed rate. Aetna came in higher at 71 percent, and the Medicare at an impressive 98 percent.

What you can do: If you are a healthcare IT physician practice management or EMR vendor who facilitates electronic coding and billing, use the AMA report to highlight how you can improve payment rates for you customers. It's likely your solution improves reimbursement rates and speed, translating into a more efficient and profitable practice.

Costs and Opportunities

Schwartz Communications Inc. — 2008-09-28T18:11:40-05:00

Health care costs are expected to rise more than 10 percent into next year, says an Aon Consulting survey of 70 national health insurers. This is actually good, considering it’s the smallest increase Aon has seen in six years.

Employers take measures to combat such increases through new designs, adoption of CDHP and HSA plans. Costs are still rising to keep up with growing patient demand for services, the needs of an aging population and prescription drug and technology costs, according to Aon.

What you can do: If you are a healthcare technology vendor whose solutions help lower costs for employers, leverage surveys such as this to highlight the savings you can provide customers. Highlight employer group success stories in the HR and benefits trades. Consider a round table of customers and experts to put your solution in a trend story context.

EHRachusetts

Schwartz Communications Inc. — 2008-09-23T16:11:14-05:00

Here in Massachusetts, Gov. Deval Patrick signed legislation mandating hospitals and community health centers to implement interoperable electronic health records systems by Oct. 1, 2015, as a condition of their state license. The state will develop regulations to define EHRs.

The systems must be certified by Certification Commission for Healthcare Information Technology (CCHIT.) Further, the law mandates collection and reporting of quality and cost data by providers and insurers, for dissemination to consumers via a state Web portal.

For HCIT practitioners of EHR vendors, this gives you an interesting message point to weave into pitching any Massachusetts hospital or health center customers.

PHR Thoughts

Schwartz Communications Inc. — 2008-09-16T10:03:18-05:00

While it may take a decade for widespread adoption of PHRs, it will definitely happen. It is another medium for communicating your medical condition to a doctor, which today is done verbally. Data supplied into the PHR by health plans, or the doctors via EMR interchange, will be more accurate as patients memory – selective or otherwise – isn’t often reliable.

What will help doctors is a high degree of interoperability between the PHR and the EMR, otherwise it’s still easier to take down a patient’s information verbally. When the Certification Commission for Healthcare Information Technology (CCHIT) starts certifying PHRs this will hopefully be addressed.

Other obstacles that will be overcome with time is general technology acceptance by doctors. The old guard's resistence will be replaced by younger doctors who are more comfortable and trusting of technology. Ubiquity of PHRs via Microsoft, Google, health plans and hospitals will move PHRs from “nice to have” to “must have."

This presents PHR vendor PR folks with opportunities to highlight how their solutions are making adoption easier, helping facilitate the vision of universal PHRs.

Who Watches the Watchmen?

Schwartz Communications Inc. — 2008-09-09T05:54:28-05:00

University of Missouri researchers conducted a national survey and found that the majority of health journalists have not had specialized training in health reporting and face challenges in communicating new medical science developments.

Health literacy, as defined by the American Medical Association, is ‘the ability to obtain, process and understand basic health information and services needed to make appropriate health decisions and follow instructions for treatment.’

According to the UM press release, of the journalists surveyed, only 18 percent had specialized training in health reporting and only 6.4 percent reported that a majority of their readers change health behaviors based on the information they provide. The journalists had an average of 18 years of journalism experience and seven years experience as health journalists.

Journalists reported quoting medical experts, avoiding technical terms, and providing data and statistics, as the three most important elements to making health information understandable.

According to the survey, a majority of journalists reported believing that their readers understand information from medical professionals, but are not proficient with scientific information and more prone to believe health myths. The results suggest that newspaper journalists view their roles as information providers, while magazine journalists perceive themselves more as advocates for behavioral change.

PHR Factoids

Schwartz Communications Inc. — 2008-09-02T17:39:52-05:00

A recent Markle Foundation survey found that regardless of their interest in using an online PHR service, 79 percent or more of the public believe using an online PHR would provide benefits to individuals in managing their health. Fifty six percent cited worries about privacy and confidentiality as a reason for their reluctance.

Only 2.7 percent of adults have an electronic PHR today (representing about 6.1 million persons). Most (57.3 percent) do not keep any form of personal health records, and 40 percent keep some paper health records.

What you can do: If you're a PHR vendor PR person, utilize the survey findings to support your solution. Use the statistics in press releases or collateral to help make your case. Highlight the privacy and security safeguards that your product takes, given that privacy is a major obstacle to PHR acceptance.

Most Powerful?

Schwartz Communications Inc. — 2008-08-26T11:07:23-05:00

Modern Healthcare's annual "100 Most Powerful People in Healthcare" list for 2008 has been published and includes healthcare IT vendors in the top three spots.

1) Steve Case, CEO/founder of Revolution Health

2) Eric Schmidt, Chairman/CEO of Google

3) Bill Gates

4) Hillary Clinton

5) Barack Obama

6) Ted Kennedy

7) Arnold Schwarzenegger

8) George W. Bush

9) John McCain

10) Newt Gingrich

These popularity/political contests are amusing. As a healthcare IT PR practitioner it’s good to see the vendors in the top spots, as it indirectly helps all our causes. Personally I think none of them deserve to be there. Revolution, Google and Microsoft’s consumer health efforts are so early stage with virtually no users that they really should be in the low ‘teens.

No one seems to like Bush, but you can bet that doctors have privately thanked and rooted for him in not cutting Medicare reimbursement rates. That would put Bush from #8 to #1 no question. And Newt’s quasi-political think tank which charges vendors $50,000+ for representation is in many circles (as discussed by the Associated Press on occasion) a questionable operation. I could go on. But most people will agree that in our own real world, the most powerful person in healthcare is your or your child’s very own doctor.