Schwartz Communications Feeds

FDA Social Media Hearings: Day 2

Schwartz Communications Inc. — 2009-11-13T16:00:22-05:00

Vehemently crusading against allowing industry to more easily participate in social media was a spokesman from Consumer's Union, who warned FDA to not repeat what he asserted has been the dire consequence of DTC advertising in traditional media. The Internet, the spokesman warned, only offers more opportunity for deceptive and sinister marketing practices by an industry that he apparently believes is not to be trusted.

Social media, industry argued, could actually help FDA better achieve its public health and safety mission with respect to effective communication with the public. Current regulations mandating comprehensive detail of all labeling and safety information, regardless of format, it was stated, result in a blur of fine print or voice-over garble that nobody can read, hear or understand. It was argued that these regulations serve as more of a legal mandate than an effective communications mandate.

Through Its interactive, linking, searching and click-through capabilities, industry advocates contended, social media offers tools and formats that could be mobilized by companies and FDA alike to establish a new paradigm for communicating accurate and understandable health information in a simpler and more accessible way to the public.

Many terrific, specific suggestions were illustrated. One can only hope the FDA was truly listening.

FDA Social Media Hearings: Day 2

Schwartz Communications Inc. — 2009-11-13T15:36:52-05:00

As two jam-packed days of testimony near a conclusion, one powerful theme continued to resonate from drug and device companies and associated vendors: If emergent FDA regulations on participation in social media are so onerous that they serve to deter drug and device makers from being in this arena, the commercial stage will be entirely left to unregulated entities including marketers of alternative health remedies, off-shore pharmacies peddling potentially counterfeit or unapproved therapies and a tidal wave of law firms provoking panic about branded Rx products in an effort to recruit vulnerable consumers for class action lawsuits. This result, it is argued, creates a vacuum that would leave the Internet the sole commercial province of companies whose messages and products aren't validated via clinical trials or accountable in any way to the FDA.

The Agency was repeatedly implored to collaboratively identify and establish responsible but practical, realistic ways to enable responsible industry participation in social media. Among the oft repeated suggestions was for FDA to recognize that regulations must be tailored to the unique technology attributes of social media channels and tools, and mindful of the staggering volume of content generated every second.
Vehemently crusading against allowing industry to more easily participate in social media was a spokesman from Consumer's Union, who warned FDA to not repeat what he asserted has been the dire consequence of DTC advertising in traditional media. The Internet, the spokesman warned, only offers more opportunity for deceptive and sinister marketing practices by an industry that he apparently believes is not to be trusted.

Social media, industry argued, could actually help FDA better achieve its public health and safety mission with respect to effective communication with the public. Current regulations mandating comprehensive detail of all labeling and safety information, regardless of format, it was stated, result in a blur of fine print or voice-over garble that nobody can read, hear or understand. It was argued that these regulations serve as more of a legal mandate than an effective communications mandate.

Through Its interactive, linking, searching and click-through capabilities, industry advocates contended, social media offers tools and formats that could be mobilized by companies and FDA alike to establish a new paradigm for communicating accurate and understandable health information in a simpler and more accessible way to the public.

Many terrific, specific suggestions were illustrated. One can only hope the FDA was truly listening.

Adverse Event Reporting Commentary Leads Day 2 of FDA Social Media Hearings: MedWatch a Focal Point

Schwartz Communications Inc. — 2009-11-13T10:06:32-05:00

From Jim Weinrebe, live from the hearings:

Look for MedWatch to become an increasingly "go to' website for consumers experiencing problems they believe are associated with their prescription therapies.

We're barely 30 minutes into the morning's agenda on what Internet regulations should exist for adverse event reporting, and two speakers have already spotlighted the need to make the MedWatch site more consumer-friendly and accessible. One speaker represented Consumer's Union, and the other was a woman whose husband commited suicide after taking anti-depressants that were associated with the potential for suicidal tendencies.

Both speakers urged FDA to actively promote the MedWatch site to consumers, with one noting that most consumers aren't even aware of its existence and what it's used for. Promotion of MedWatch should be supplemented by modifying its language and process to facilitate easier use by consumers in the reporting of adverse events, the speakers both noted.

The Consumer Union spokesperson stated that manufacturers should be required to post prominent links on any website not only specific to a branded drug, but also non-branded disease awareness sites controlled by the company and even third party group websites of which the manufacturer is a substantial sponsor.

Looking down the road, highlighting MedWatch and facilitating links to the site appear to be a likely point of consensus among all parties. It makes a ton of sense from both a public health and industry reporting burden perspective. More to come.

FDA Social Media Hearings Part Deux: TO MONITOR OR NOT TO MONITOR? AND WHAT'S UP WITH GOOGLE?

Schwartz Communications Inc. — 2009-11-12T21:44:31-05:00

One of the most strongly, consistently stated tenets about social media is that if a company does nothing else, it should at least actively "listen." But for regulated drug and device companies, what if listening and monitoring yields mountains of hard to vet, potentially adverse event information that must be reported? Or uncontrolled consumer discussion and posting of off-label use of regulated drugs and devices for which a manufacturer could theoretically be held accountable?

If comments from presenters and questions from FDA at today's hearings are any indication, there will be a glacier-like but inevitable move toward policy that codifies the "safety" of active listening and monitoring without a corresponding and untenable burden of accountability for Internet "policing" beyond what a manufacturer has created or sponsored.

There were several suggestions for FDA to define what could be constituted as "best effort" for monitoring and reporting. What will that be? Stay tuned but don't hold your breath.

Similarly, industry presenters repeatedly recommended prominent use of links within manufacturer-controlled content to the FDA web site where product-specific safety and labeling information resides, and also to the MedWatch site where adverse events can be officially reported.

It was abundantly clear that industry -- not FDA -- will lead the regulators to viable solutions.

Meanwhile, wrapping up the day was Google, which in a remarkable display of audacity didn't utter a peep about SideWiki. Go figure. Good thing for Google it was the end of a long day and people were in no mood to linger and interrogate.

Commentary on FDA Hearings on Social Media

Schwartz Communications Inc. — 2009-11-12T13:14:22-05:00

From Jim Weinrebe, EVP at Schwartz Communications, live from the FDA open hearings on use of the Internet and Social Media Tools in Promotion of FDA-Regulated Products:

Four hours of testimony has just concluded, with statements from product manufacturers and their trade associations, communication firms, lawyers and non-profits and health advocates. As suggestion after suggestion piled up as to what industry and FDA can or should do to find an acceptable middle ground between industry participation in social media and realistic regulatory requirements for monitoring of and accountability for correcting inaccurate information, one fundamental question loomed un-stated. That is, until the very end of the morning session: How can an already capacity-constrained FDA that struggles to expedite its current mandate possibly find the organizational funds and staffing to take on all the activities associated with social media monitoring and policing? The firm recommendation from Diana Zuckerman, representative of the National Research Center for Women and families and a harsh industry critic, is to institute user fees for that very purpose. A formal proposal toward that end is pending, according to Zuckerman, who also "outed" several product brands and companies for Internet communication that she alleged was lack of compliance with existing requirements for risk disclosure. Certainly a wake-up call and provocative way to end the morning.

All Eyes on the FDA

Schwartz Communications Inc. — 2009-11-10T17:35:33-05:00

For healthcare PR executives, all eyes will be on the FDA later this week with its first public hearing focused on social media. Schwartz’s Executive Vice President Jim Weinrebe and Vice President Jayme Maniatis will be attending the two day public hearing on November 12 and 13 and will report back on key findings.

Check back later this for our expert commentary and top takeaways from the proceedings.

Should be an exciting two days in Washington D.C. and the results will have tremendous implications for all healthcare PR practitioners. Stay tuned!

Social Media Changing Landscape in Crisis Communications Planning

Schwartz Communications Inc. — 2009-11-03T09:32:14-05:00

Jim Weinrebe presented his perspective on the role social media is playing in crisis communications management for biotech, life science and pharmaceutical companies at the Publicity Club of New England's "Crisis Communications Preparedness" program held at Schwartz Communications.

Jim, along with his fellow panelists, weighed in on the need to plan, plan, and then plan some more as it's still at the root of any good crisis communications or reputation management plan for healthcare PR. Simply put, you can't be too careful, or too prepared in today's digital media age. It's not so much that many of the fundamentals have changed but that the SPEED, unbiquity of communication and new product applications in social media, with Google Sidewiki offered as just one recent example, have the potential to outpace the planning capabilities of some of even the most seasoned practitioners.

What's very different today in healthcare, according to Jim, is diminished ability of healthcare prescription product manufacturers to control, manage or even respond to messages that are swirling around them in the social media universe. With the prolific growth in use of Twitter, blogs, Facebook, YouTube, Flickr and other channels, social media content is not only broadly influencing people online, but also becoming a feeding ground for resource-constrained traditional media outlets that are constantly seeking audience generated content to embellish their reporting. The news vetting bar has never been set so low for provocative content that can get instantly posted and then picked up by influential traditional broadcast and print outlets in the blink of an eye.

While one of the fundamental rules for participation in social media is to actively listen, Jim also noted that even this basic aspect of social media etiquette poses difficult challenges for healthcare prescription product manufacturers, who could be accountable to the FDA for reporting instances of adverse events that have been identified through social media monitoring. It was noted that the industry is seeking clarity from the FDA on these and other issues related to social media, which could be at least partially forthcoming in pending public hearings on this topic in mid-November. Until such guidance is established, Weinrebe noted, prescription healthcare product manufacturer participation in social media will be very modest, and for the most part resembling more of a web 1.0 than a web 2.0 format. Meanwhile, Weinrebe said that social media has more potential to create or accelerate crisis for healthcare prescription product manufacturers. Exceptions in healthcare cited by Weinrebe were organizations like the Centers for Disease Control and American Red Cross, and even individual hospitals, who have employed sophisticated uses of social media to help effectively manage and communicate messages during public health emergencies and crises.

Jim noted that in regulated industries, such as healthcare and finance, there is still a lot of work to be done in educating senior management about the need to apply authenticity in tone to social media communications, even if the communications are nothing more than stand-by statements or simple acknowledgment that a problem has occurred. Jim counseled attendees to consider social media monitoring tools as a core part of an effective public relations strategy, while at the same noting that many healthcare product manufacturers need more guidance on adverse events reporting before even that approach can be robustly implemented.

While the healthcare industry waits with suspense for the outcomes of the FDA hearings on social media, Jim noted that clarity will not be achieved in the short term, that the deliberations will continue well into 2010 and that even by that point and beyond, a certain degree of ambiguity may still be desired by regulatory agencies as a means for cultivating preemptive manufacturer caution.

A Pharma PR Firm Talks About the Industry With Xconomy

Schwartz Communications Inc. — 2009-11-02T14:52:42-05:00

Xconomy is hosting a forum this Wednesday at the Hyatt Regency in Cambridge, Massachusetts on the state of the pharmaceuticals industry. Ahead of the event, I interviewed Luke Timmerman, national biotechnology editor at Xconomy. You can listen to the entire interview by scrolling to the bottom of this post and clicking on the embedded player. A partial transcript is below.

Full disclosure: Since Schwartz Communications has a track record in pharma pr, the Agency is an underwriter for the event. If you are planning to go, we look forward to seeing you there.

The event is scheduled for Wednesday, November 4, 2009 from 2:00 till 6:30 p.m. at the Hyatt Regency in Cambridge, Mass.

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Ross: There’s a little bit of a synopsis on the Xconomy.com website about this event next week. What is the current state, in your estimation, of the big pharma industry in the United States?

Luke: Well the big story for big pharma for a number of years has been this patent cliff that their facing over the next few years. The latest estimate that I’ve seen is that something like $137 billion worth of drug revenue is going to be subject to generic competition. So that’s a big segment of the industry that’s going to go away, and so they need to come up with new drugs to fill up their pipeline. And the big companies through various mega mergers have had a hard time doing that and so they’ve been looking to do more partnerships, more venture investing, forming all kinds of relationships with smaller biotech companies that have a lot of innovative things that might be able to light a spark in their pipeline.

Ross: In terms of regions of the country, I know that you’re based on the west coast, but Boston has always been an area that has fostered a lot of innovation within the pharma industry. Is that a fair assessment?

Luke: Oh, absolutely. It’s got the kind of core academic strength with all the great institutions there: Harvard, MIT, MGH, etc. And a lot of the big pharma companies for probably the last 10 years have been setting up research centers in the Boston area to put their own scientists close to a lot of that academic activity, hoping that some of it might rub off, you know when they attend seminars and events. But we’re seeing even more, we’re seeing new trends actually, in terms of increased activity with pharma companies investing in biotech and doing more partnerships with a lot of the biotech companies that are there in Boston as well.

Ross: I know that you’re going to be actually in Cambridge, Massachusetts (right next to Boston) next week for this forum. As an attendee coming to the forum, what would be kind of your expectation of a good question to ask of the panelists? What do you expect to see next week at this forum?

Luke: I think people will want to know about what technologies actually can improve the success rate in drug development. This is one of the big problems, even despite all of the information that we have from the genome and various technologies that you read about. The fact remains that about only one out of every 10 drugs that enters clinical trials ever makes it all the way trough FDA approval. And a lot of effort is going into determining which patients are more likely to respond to certain therapies. So I think that a lot of people want to know what can pharma do to really increase its success rate in development, which in turn ought to bring down the cost of development and make them just a lot more efficient.

Ross: You know one of the things that I love about these events, you know I was at the XSITE event that happened back in June at Boston University, is the fact that there’s so much optimism at these events and certainly while there’s been a lot of talk about big pharma and it's going to lose a lot sales to generic drugs and generic pharmaceuticals. Certainly one of the themes to take away form this event, without question, is optimism in the market and innovation that is still happening.

Luke: Yeah, absolutely. If you just look at the quarterly earnings reports or the venture financing statistics, the overall trends aren’t that great, we are in a recession after all. But it doesn’t really change the fact that a lot of innovative, exciting things are still happening in the labs and coming out of them with commercial potential and we see that all the time. Companies like Aileron, a couple others that are going to present here are AVEO Pharmaceuticals and Enlight Biosciences, Hydra Biosciences. Hydra has a portfolio of drugs for pain that are supposed to have the power of morphine but without the narcotic side effects. So there’s just a lot of exciting ideas like that in the Boston area and we’re excited to be able to showcase them.

Ross: It should turn out to be a pretty good event. Well, Luke Timmerman, national Bio Technology editor at Xconomy thanks so much for joining us today and giving me a review of the industry and what to expect next week.

Luke: Great, Thanks a lot Ross, looking forward to it.

Ross: It’s the Xconomy forum, Pharma’s bet on Boston innovation. It’s scheduled for Wednesday November 4, 2009 from 2:00 till 6:30 p.m. at the Hyatt Regency in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Green Public Affairs: DOE Details $3.4 Billion in Smart Grid Grants

Schwartz Communications Inc. — 2009-10-27T20:55:41-05:00

The DOE issued a release today about the $3.4 billion in grants issued as part of the American Recovery & Reinvestment Act (ARRA, aka the Stimulus Package). The release is here and there are links for downloading details on who will receive the funds as well as a map of where the funds will be invested.

It is a happy day for Smart Grid technology and service providers.

Green Public Affairs: $3.4 Billion in Stimulus Funds Coming to Smart Grid Tomorrow

Schwartz Communications Inc. — 2009-10-26T17:49:02-05:00

News today, that the Department of Energy will dole out $3.4 billion in Smart Grid stimulus money tomorrow, in what was already shaping up to be a noisy public affairs and public relations week at Solar Power International. The first speculation that something was coming soon was posted by Matt Marshall of VentureBeat this morning.

With much of the US utility market and solar industry gathered in Anaheim for the SPI conference, this will no doubt give the cleantech industry as a whole a major boost. Venture Capitalists made cleantech the top funding market for Q3, but were having trouble raising new funds. With government dollars flowing, policy driving cleantech adoption and a slowly improving economy, it is only a matter of time before we start seeing the health of VC and private equity fund raises improve as LPs jump back on the cleantech bandwagon.

The news will also inject even more life into the GreenBeat 2009 event in November, where leaders in smart grid policy, technology and adoption will get together to discuss the market environment for 2010. Al Gore and others will be keynoting the event and Schwartz is a Silver Sponsor.

For updates at Solar Power, follow @jasonmorris and I'll try to report back on major happenings at the show.

President Obama's Energy Speech at MIT: A Field Report

Schwartz Communications Inc. — 2009-10-24T06:13:38-05:00

It's not every day one is lucky enough to see the President of the United States speak. Add in the topic (energy), timing (eve of Senate hearings on the Climate Bill) and location (MIT) and you have a seriously major event.

The crowd began lining up three hours before the scheduled start time to clear security and nab seats in the intimate (at least for a Presidential speech) Kresge Auditoium at MIT.

Once the crowd entered the warm venue (it was pretty chilly outside), the auditorium turned into a big schmoozefest (with no food or drinks, they were prohibited along with laptops from coming inside). As usual for Presidential events, things started a bit late. In this case, it was because President Obama was receiving a briefing from professors and students on new clean technolgies being developed at MIT, including wind.

President Obama entered to a rousing ovation. After a few jokes, he launched into a speech that was classic Obama--soaring language meant to inspire. One of my favorite passages:

"I'm excited being here and seeing these extraordinary young people...because it taps into something essential about America -- it's the legacy of daring men and women who put their talents and their efforts into the pursuit of discovery. And it's the legacy of a nation that supported those intrepid few willing to take risks on an idea that might fail -- but might also change the world."

But the President wasn't at MIT just to inspire. Obama used his speech as a call to action for America to innovate more rapidly and solve the energy problem, framing it as an economic imperative:

"Countries on every corner of this Earth now recognize that energy supplies are growing scarcer, energy demands are growing larger, and rising energy use imperils the planet we will leave to future generations. And that's why the world is now engaged in a peaceful competition to determine the technologies that will power the 21st century. From China to India, from Japan to Germany, nations everywhere are racing to develop new ways to producing and use energy. The nation that wins this competition will be the nation that leads the global economy. I am convinced of that. And I want America to be that nation."

And Obama was clearly conscious of the hurdles within the US political system that still need to be cleared, in some eyes taking the fight directly to the opposition:

"I think it's important to understand that the closer we get, the harder the opposition will fight and the more we'll hear from those whose interest or ideology run counter to the much needed action that we're engaged in. There are those who will suggest that moving toward clean energy will destroy our economy -- when it's the system we currently have that endangers our prosperity and prevents us from creating millions of new jobs. There are going to be those who cynically claim -- make cynical claims that contradict the overwhelming scientific evidence when it comes to climate change, claims whose only purpose is to defeat or delay the change that we know is necessary."

The President brought it home with more words of inspiration--"This is the nation that will lead the clean energy economy of tomorrow, so long as all of us remember what we have achieved in the past and we use that to inspire us to achieve even more in the future," and then he was done.

I was pretty sure he wouldn't work a rope line (he was already late to a Governor Deval Patrick fundraiser), but he dove in. Sensing a chance for a shake, I rushed up and extended my hand. Sure enough, I got my first Presidential shake.

A fantastic finish to a great day...but more importantly, the cleantech community received indisputable scientific evidence that President Obama is a huge supporter of innovation's role in solving the energy problem.

Will IT spending impact tech PR budgets in 2010?

Schwartz Communications Inc. — 2009-10-23T10:11:40-05:00

This week at the Gartner Symposium/IT Expo, analysts offered some hope to high tech marketers whose budgets have been trimmed during the recession. According to Gartner, the IT market hit bottom in 2009 and will start to slowly climb out of the trough in 2010 with a 3.3% increase in IT spending. However, IT spending won't rebound quickly. Peter Sondergaard, Gartner's global head of research, predicts that the market will not recover to 2008 levels until 2012. Technologies at the top of IT's agenda include cloud services, business intelligence, virtualization and social media.

This is good news for tech marketers caught in the budget squeeze mandated by investors and corporate boards when the recession accelerated. The challenge for marketers now is to position their companies to charge out of the recession in a stronger, more competitive position.

It may seem counter-intuitive, but the bottom of the market is the right time to rev up your PR and digital marketing. Why? Because your competitors are also constrained by tight marketing budgets. The company that bets on growth and invests in marketing now will get more attention while the competition is quiet.

Right now PR and digital marketing are all about smart, creative approaches. Here are a few tips:

- Tap into relevant communities rather than investing in building your own. Use tools like Technorati and Radian6 to track social media conversations and figure out where you need to participate.

- Think like a reporter, not a sales person, when you create content for your blog. Attract prospects with useful information that draws inbound links and traffic. Use lots of photos and video, even for technical products.

- Expand your social media circles through blogs, Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook. Turn employees into ambassadors for your company by guiding them to reinforce the corporate brand. Microsoft's advice to thousands of employees who blog about the company: Be smart.

- Recognize the value of "conventional" media. According to the First Amendment Center, traditional media is still the primary news source for 72% of Americans. Traditional media coverage gets widely circulated on social media like Twitter, blogs, even email. It has a huge impact and credibility.

For some interesting examples of investing in marketing during a recession, check out this article by Andrew Razeghi at the Kellogg School of Management: http://tinyurl.com/6562pf.

Solar PR, M&A Heat Up Ahead of Solar Power International

Schwartz Communications Inc. — 2009-10-23T10:07:26-05:00

As the Solar PR world shifts its gaze to Anaheim for next week's Solar Power International event, the news pipeline has already begun heating up. National Semiconductor today announced that it has acquired a solar monitoring software provider, which will put the company in direct competition with Fat Spaniel among others. SolarEdge, a Schwartz client, is a company that already combines power harvesting and monitoring in a single product, which likely pushed National Semiconductor to make an acquisition in the space.

Also this week, Schwartz client Skyline Solar announced the start of commercial manufacturing in a Cosma International metalforming facility in Troy, Michigan. This is another example of solar looking to fill the US manufacturing void left by struggling automakers, about which we will likely hear a lot more in the months to come.

Expect a lot of news around US manufacturing, public policy (i.e. grants and feed-in tariffs) and global firms entering the US market next week, as many peg North America as the solar focus for 2010. We'll have several Schwartz team members and close to ten clients at the event and will report back what we hear during the show.

Obama's MIT Speech Keeps New England in the Cleantech Spotlight

Schwartz Communications Inc. — 2009-10-22T14:08:44-05:00

On the heels of the spectacular A123 IPO, President Barack Obama's "major" energy policy speech tomorrow at MIT keeps the cleantech spotlight on New England. It's a great validator for what I (and many others) believe about New England's role in the cleantech economy--we've got some some of world's biggest brains and it is through scientific innovation at places likes MIT that we'll solve the energy problem.

By simple virtue of its timing the speech is a big deal. As The New York Times reports, the Clean Energy Jobs and American Power Act (aka the Climate Bill) is finally ready for take-off:

"Obama's speech in Cambridge, Mass., comes the same day that U.S. EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson plans to release the agency's economic and environmental analysis of the climate bill (S. 1733 (pdf)) from Sens. John Kerry (D-Mass.) and Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.). With the EPA analysis in hand, Boxer is set to begin a three-day series of hearings in her Environment and Public Works Committee on Tuesday, Oct. 27, with testimony from Kerry, Jackson, Energy Secretary Steven Chu, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood and Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Chairman Jon Wellinghoff."

Two of tomorrow's most interested spectators represent one of the other big assets New England brings to the cleantech economy: the strength and leadership of our Congressional delegation. Rep. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) is heading the energy push from the House and Sen. Kerry is the lead sponsor of the Senate legislation.

For the cleantech economy to truly take off, there needs to be cooperation between the private sector, government and academia. Tomorrow's event represents one of the highest-profile examples yet of how the three constituencies intertwine...and it's happening here in New England.

Building An Effective Personal Brand to Succeed in Public Relations

Schwartz Communications Inc. — 2009-10-20T12:04:00-05:00

Last week, I had the opportunity to speak at a panel discussion at Northeastern University, "It's Time To Brand Yourself" sponsored by the Boston Alumni Networking Exchange, the College of Professional Studies and the Communications Alumni Network. The discussion, moderated by Dr. Carl Zangerl, College of Professional Studies, Northeastern University, focused on a topic that's near and dear to all communications professionals - personal brand building.

I was joined by Michael Armini, vice president of marketing and communications at Northeastern University, Ted Chaloner, president of Chaloner Associates and Lauren Libitz, president of the Yankee Chapter of the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC). It was a fantastic line-up and each panelist brought a unique and interesting perspective to the more than 70 attendees who showed up for the program. With terrific questions and comments from the studio audience, my fellow panelists and I opined on the current job outlook for communications and public relations professionals, the concept of personal branding, the importance of networking and the different social media tools available including Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook, to create and promote a personal brand.

Whether you are currently employed or on the hunt, establishing a personal brand is important and something that bears relevance and utility to both an employee and a job seeker. The whole idea of a personal brand certainly isn't new but with the advent and popularity of social media tools it's quickly become a key buzz word in a challenging economic environment. I think building a personal brand is very similar to building a brand, and a strategy, for a company. The same rules apply. All the tools in the world won't do you any good unless you have a clear, consistent and differentiating vision to communicate. Further, coming up with the vision is just the first part of the challenge, the second part is figuring out which social media tools to employ. There are so many out there and it's challenging to know which ones to dabble with but my recommendation is to try a few at a time. Start slow, get recommendations relevant to your industry and observe others before jumping in head first. And, just remember, keep your personal and professional brand separate !

Crisis Communications Guidance in Healthcare Public Relations

Schwartz Communications Inc. — 2009-10-20T11:16:08-05:00

Jim Weinrebe, executive vice president and leader in our healthcare public relations practice, will join several panelists on Monday, October 26 at Schwartz Communications for a Publicity Club of New England panel program to talk about crisis communications preparedness.

As much as we try to avoid them, crises are inevitable and usually strike at the most inopportune times. The emergence of social media alone has exponentially increased the urgency and need for being prepared. When the pressure is on, it is important to get the facts in order as quickly as possible before any public communication is disseminated and determine the key target audiences that need to be addressed. The pre-determined crisis communications team should be prepared to deliver relevant information in a timely and appropriate manner to minimize the rumor mill and restore order and/or confidence. It's absolutely critical to have a crisis communications team and protocol in place before an emergency or potentially controversial situation strikes.

Jim will be joined by several leading industry executives to discuss effective crisis communications protocol and offer insight into real world case study examples. More specifically, Jim will provide insight into managing a crisis in healthcare PR. Participants will walk away with an understanding of what works, and what doesn't, when under the gun and how to best prepare an effective crisis communications plan in a time of turmoil. To register for the program, please visit www.pubclub.org. Space is limited so please reserve your spot!

Hospital Social Media Bans: A Good Idea?

Schwartz Communications Inc. — 2009-10-16T11:11:22-05:00

A recent post in Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center CEO Paul Levy's "Running A Hospital" blog focuses on social media policies at Boston-area hospitals.

The story follows reports that one local hospital recently instituted a six-month social media ban (Twitter, Facebook, Myspace - apparently not LinkedIn?) that will remain in effect until a policy is developed for its use and employee monitoring tools are put in place. Other area hospitals also block social media sites, citing HIPAA compliance, patient privacy fears and concerns over workplace productivity.

While policies are important, outright bans send a message that the very workers selected to run the hospital are not to be trusted. They also neglect social media's community building, information sharing and brand enhancing qualities and send a negative message to employees from a newer generation of talent who embrace these tools.

Would such a ban preclude hospital administration from creating a fan page that offers compelling news that builds community, pride and results in increased loyalty and perhaps donations? Take a look at the "Healthy Living With BIDMC" fan page on Facebook, which you can also follow on Twitter.

With its more open social media policy, BI Deaconess comes off as a progressive hospital whose CEO embraces technology, is at the forefront of healthcare thought leadership and is dedicated to transparency.

Smart Grid PR: New NIST Report with Nearly 80 Standards

Schwartz Communications Inc. — 2009-10-07T11:15:00-05:00

Out of the hundreds of standards that will ultimately be needed to run the nation’s emerging Smart Grid, the National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST) announced it has determined about 80 of them in its new report. Smart grid standards have received a lot of PR in the past few months as many predict they will be the top road block to the market maturing and having its full impact.

Released during this year’s GridWeek conference in Washington, DC, the draft is open for comments for the next month. Jeff St. John at Greentech media did a solid overview of the release. Designed to guide utilities and vendors as they roll out services, products and software, these standards are being born out of a Smart Grid Conceptual Reference Model, which NIST is using as a guide to identify and keep track of all the various systems and requirements.

NIST highlights two groups that are being formed to help direct the future of the Smart Grid—where savvy and well networked Smart Grid businesses will be participating:

--Smart Grid Interoperability Panel: a public-private partnership established by NIST at the end of this year to offer more permanent organizational structure to support the ongoing evolution of the framework.

--Smart Grid Architecture Board: a subcommittee to the Smart Grid Interoperability Panel, which will lead the development and management of the Smart Grid Conceptual Model.

While many panelists and board members have likely been identified by NIST, there still should be opportunities for Smart Grid businesses to lobby themselves into the groups. Take the Cyber Security Coordination Task Group (CSCTG) for example, where security companies are helping build the requirements that address all cyber security elements of the Smart Grid.

Not selected by the NIST? Well, the releases of new standards and regulations will offer repeated PR opportunities for businesses to offer insight, commentary and thought leadership to the media—and help get their company and technology recognized.

Take this report, for example. What’s noticeably absent? What does NIST need to focus on in Phase 2? What are your thoughts?

What social media lessons can you learn from Fruitcake, Caves, Pregnancy and Coupons

Schwartz Communications Inc. — 2009-10-05T12:14:36-05:00

On Thursday, October 8, Mark W. McClennan, APR, a vice president here at Schwartz, will be speaking at the PRSA Northeast District Conference in Rochester New York. The session looks at "What Social Media Lessons Can You Learn From Fruitcake, Caves, Coupons, Viruses, Death and Pregnancy?"

One of the interesting divides that is occurring in the social media world is between those that can discuss the theory, and those that have actually researched, developed and executed campaigns. This presentation will showcase some of the campaigns that Schwartz has helped develop and successfully execute for our technology and healthcare clients.

It's not too late to register to attend Mark's session (and 19 other great sessions) by going to www.prsarochester.org. If you are interested in learning more, contact us.

Cleantech Public Affairs: EPA Spooks Industry but Will Congress Act?

Schwartz Communications Inc. — 2009-10-02T13:09:51-05:00

It's interesting to see large commercial and industrial companies infighting over how to approach lobbying around greenhouse gas (GHG) requirements. According to the FT, companies are actually leaving the US Chamber of Commerce over disagreements on how to approach lobbying around climate change legislation.

The thinking is that by lobbying to stall or water down a bill in Congress, businesses have exposed themselves to an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rule on GHG emissions which would be even more restrictive. It will be interesting to see if this leads to a wholesale change in lobbying tactics which could grease the skids for a climate bill in the coming weeks.

Cleantech is the New Leader in VC Funding

Schwartz Communications Inc. — 2009-10-01T15:28:51-05:00

In retrospect it seemed inevitable, but according to a new report by the Cleantech Group and Deloitte & Touche, cleantech has emerged as the number one sector in U.S. venture capital investment. This is a big deal...literally. The numbers are staggering--in Q3 2009 $1.59 billion was invested in 134 cleantech companies.

The report indicates that over the next few quarters cleantech is expected to stay on top of the investment heap (over IT and biotech). Reasons include investment risk mitagation in the form of government support through grants and loan guarantees and the "A123 Systems" halo effect--a monster IPO that gives VCs hope for lucrative cleantech exits.

A123 IPO Generates Green for Cleantech Investors

Schwartz Communications Inc. — 2009-09-24T12:32:34-05:00

Cleantech investors, companies, media and green PR folk watched today's A123 Nasdaq debut with intense interest as the battery maker became the first cleantech concern to IPO in some time. Up 36 percent in early trading, A123 has not disappointed. With cleantech patents at an all time high, cleantech investing on the rebound and stimulus money starting to flow, there could be more green IPOs in the coming months.

A123 benefits from being at the intersection of two important trends: energy storage and the electrification of cars. Batteries have long been cited as a technology that needs to improve for renewable energy to reach its full potential. Car electrification dominated discussion among some of the panels at AlwaysOn GoingGreen last week as Tesla, Bright Automotive, Coda, Fisker and their investors littered panels at the event.

Expect A123's IPO to be a further boon to battery start ups in the coming weeks and months, as VCs look to find the next big technology in that sector.

FDA Dips Toes into Vast Social Media Pool

Schwartz Communications Inc. — 2009-09-23T11:13:57-05:00

With many industry folks saying it’s about time, the FDA just announced that it’s holding a public hearing to discuss social media. For years and years, the FDA has not addressed Internet-specific marketing so this week’s news is a huge acknowledgement that the Internet, social media tools like podcasts, and micro-blogging sites such as Facebook and Twitter are changing the face of marketing and advertising.

The public hearing, scheduled for November 12 and 13 in Washington D.C., is open to all interested parties such as consumers, patients, caregivers, patient groups, manufacturers, healthcare professionals and marketing agencies to provide their comments of Internet promotion. Armed with this information, the FDA will then make policy decisions on the promotion of human and animal prescription drugs, biologics and medical devices using the Internet and social media tools.

As a healthcare PR agency, our clients grapple with these issues every day as they look for guidance on what is acceptable and what could potentially land them in hot water with the FDA. Take Twitter, for instance. With its popularity growing in leaps and bounds every day, companies want to join the bandwagon and reach legions of people, but what is acceptable to say? With Tweets limited to 140 characters, do companies need to ensure that they are providing a fair and balanced view of the product including side effects or contraindications? Is this possible in 140 characters or less? Do they have to resort to haiku?

Many of our medical PR clients have also started Facebook pages to push messages out to consumers, healthcare professionals as well as the community at large to engage them and interact with them to learn more about their experiences with our clients’ products. One of the biggest questions that regularly gets asked is what if someone posts a comment on the Wall about an off-label use or adverse reaction. Is the company obligated to notify the FDA and is there a timeframe where this must be done? This is another key question that the FDA will be likely looking to address.

As a healthcare PR agency, we are definitely more than interested in the public hearings and especially what happens as a result. I suspect that many of our clients will provide comments and ask questions about this important discussion that is finally being addressed by the FDA. It will be a long process though as written and electronic comments are being accepted until February 28, 2010. Stay tuned for updates!

GoingGreen and Going Gray: Watching California's Graywater Recycling Standards Take Hold

Schwartz Communications Inc. — 2009-09-22T11:51:18-05:00

At last week’s GoingGreen West 2009 conference the issue of water -- safe, clean, reliable water sources to be exact -- got a good deal of attention. Maybe because, despite the heavy fog that was wrapped around the Golden Gate Bridge, California labors through its third straight year of drought?

The panel “The Water Grid & Water Markets” covered a variety of current and very cool near-future technologies. From water quality IT dashboards (IBM) to off grid, mini-desalination plants (Energy Recovery) to subsurface water storage (Schlumberger Water Services), there’s a plethora of solutions available and emerging that address the growing water crisis. It’s clear that the biggest challenges are not great new ideas or innovations but rather finding ways to lower costs and leverage public policy to drive adoption.

One technology that I’ve been coming back to is on-site water recycling. “Gray” or wastewater recycling systems are nothing new; however, the process traditionally has received fairly lousy PR. Often likened to sewage, grey water actually comes from showers, dishwashers and other household sanitation, except the toilet. Graywater is an important part of solving the crisis, but like all things water related, California struggles with graywater provisions. Expensive systems, low rebates and restrictive mandates have resulted in fewer than 10 residential systems permitted and legally installed in Los Angeles every year.

Hopefully that is changing. In late July the Department of Housing and Community Development’s (HCD) Codes and Standards Division announced the adoption of the state’s new graywater standards. If successful, these new standards could make it easier for systems to be implemented and safe water be reused. According to the HCD, these systems can help a family of four reduce its annual water consumption by 22,000 gallons of water--from the laundry system alone.

With countries like China practicing well-established regulations of water reclamation for hotels, institutions and schools for years, the US seems behind the curve yet again in our water use practices. However, California’s HCD new standards are helping lower the cost of greywater systems and encouraging adoption, and seem to be a big step in the right direction. We’ll have to keep an eye on them in the coming months to see how the program takes hold.

Can you overhype a mobile device?

Schwartz Communications Inc. — 2009-09-16T13:23:34-05:00

Conventional wisdom is that there is no such thing as overhyping your product, particularly when you are competing against a marketing juggernaut like Apple. Palm definitely followed the CW with the launch of the Palm Pre. The Pre was positioned as the next killer mobile device in the run up to its launch at CES as it was Palm’s first big innovation in the market in years (which I know well as a formerly loyal user of the Treo dinosaur). The marketing hyperbole was almost iPhonian in its fervor and length. You had Roger NcNamee of Elevation Partners, one of the company’s investors, predicting the Pre would cause the death of the iPhone and columnists fawning over the device six months before they even got to try it. The overriding sentiment from this full court launch; it was going to turn around the fortunes of not just one company but two (Palm and its exclusive carrier Sprint).

A funny thing happened on the way to commercial success. The Pre launched, and it is a great device. However, it hasn’t quite been an incredible success or disaster. It has basically been like a typical Cal football season – not a wipeout like Washington (or Motorola) but not legendary like USC (Apple). Unfortunately, everyone expected a Rose Bowl appearance. The marketing machine built expectations so high that the actual results have been labeled a relative failure. With no information forthcoming from Palm on initial Pre sales, a number of analysts have created their own methodologies for measuring volume and claim they are disappointing.

Palm seems to have learned a lesson for their second act with last week’s launch of the Palm Pixi.
The Pixi is aimed at a younger more hip crown that doesn’t need all the bells and whistles of the Pre. Rather than rev up the full marketing machine like they did for the Pre, Palm relatively buried the Pixi announcement, putting it out the day before Apple announced to its usual fanfare the latest upgrade to the iPod line. Despite the toned down Pixi launch, it got almost the same tone of coverage as the Pre but the stories lacked a lot of the snarky undertones from the initial batch.

Hyperbole and hype don’t always constitute key cornerstones in a launch. Sometimes pragmatism works well too, even when constructing mobile device launches. Or healthcare reform.

President Obama, Always Remember Media Training Rule #1

Schwartz Communications Inc. — 2009-09-16T07:56:29-05:00

The Twittersphere, talk radio and the Web is abuzz with a recent comment from President Obama about Kanye West. During an "off the record" part of a CNBC interview, a reporter asked President Obama what he thought about Kanye. Obama called him a jackass.

Now based on a poll on TMZ.com, about 98% of the American public agrees with him. (And I do as well), but it also means that for a few seconds, President Obama forgot rule #1 of media training.

Or to paraphrase Jack Palance in City Slickers "The secret of media training is one thing."

Nothing is off the record.

Ever.

Rule #2 is a variation on the theme - Don't say or write anything you do not want to see in print.

PR professionals remind our clients about this regularly. And yes, there are times you need to make judgments and share confidential information when speaking to analysts and reporters who agree not to use something or get deep background.

But as I remind my clients, even then, even if you have an NDA, there is still a chance it can and will get out. So be careful what you say.

My favorite example of violating rule #1 occurred about 10 years ago.

A senior executive at one of my clients was being interviewed by a major national magazine for a standalone profile. The interview went great, the key messages were clearly communicated, things were looking great. The reporter closed his notebook, put it in his pocket and as they were walking out the door the reporter asked the client "You know, it seems like you really have fun here and enjoy your work."

A nice, innocuous question.

My client, thinking the 90-minute interview was over (despite our earlier prep) told the reporter. "Yes. It's so much fun here it's like I am smoking pot all day."

Now I fully admit, I did not say "Don't make illegal drug references" as part of media training, but after this was said, all I could see was a pull quote in 36 point type. Luckily, we managed to kill it, but that one, post "formal interview" comment could have had a very negative impact on the entire story.

As for rule #2 - I remember one executive who was a thought leader on financial services and technology. He was regularly quoted in the top trades and national media. During one interview he was commenting negatively on another executive and how he managed to take a top company and ruin it. The comment made great copy and was prominently displayed. But what the executive didn't know was that another division of his company was working on a deal with the company he just insulted. Needless to say, things went poorly.

Which brings me to media training rule #3 - Always think before you speak. Every executive needs to remember and follow those three rules.

Event: 9/16 Sales and Social Media

Schwartz Communications Inc. — 2009-09-15T07:45:07-05:00

Tomorrow night (9/16), Schwartz will be hosting a NETSEA Event, "Social Media for Social Creatures: How Do Successful Salespeople Use Twitter, Blogs, LinkedIn, Facebook And More To Make Their Numbers."

The focus isn't on public relations, but rather on how sales can use social media to get closer to their customers and prospects and establish deeper, two-way relationships. It will also point out the things sales executives should *not* do.

While most of our readers are in public relations or marketing, if you think this event will be of interest, sign up. If you know a sales executive who might be interested, let them know.

More information can be found here.

It's a dynamite panel with speakers from IDC, HubSpot, Oblicore, SAVO and Neighborhood America. I hope to see some of you there.

Measuring Social Media ROI

Schwartz Communications Inc. — 2009-09-14T15:35:06-05:00

Here at Schwartz, we've been talking quite a bit lately about measuring results of social media programs. Not just programs we've designed for clients, but those of people who we meet at conferences or with whom we're just chatting.

Without a doubt, many companies are thrilled with their involvement in social media. They love the outlet that participating in blogs or forums gives them, they're able to talk with people on Twitter whom they'd likely otherwise miss and they're connecting with patient communities on Facebook. (One client, Digium, gives us a tour of their use of social networking technologies here to gain "customer feedback, suggestions, highly qualified sales leads" and to talk with people in their industry.)

Some, though, are a little disappointed in social media. When I hear that, my first question is always "what did you hope to gain that you're not seeing?" I often wonder whether they're measuring success based on number of Twitter followers or Facebook fans--today's corporate version of a teenage popularity contest. This would be unfortunate because such metrics are nearly irrelevant for many B2B companies.

PR people need to keep in mind the Cheshire Cat's words of wisdom to Alice: "If you don't know where you're going, any road will take you there." It's our job to help clients think through exactly what they're trying to achieve and to recommend use of social platforms because they make sense, not because they exist and are free.

Last week I attended a Mass Technology Leadership Council discussion on social media and lead generation. Mark Roberge, HubSpot's VP of sales, led the talk. Toward the end, he turned the group's attention to measuring social media ROI--certainly a topic of interest to a number of people today. (Some great reads are here, here and here.)

Mr. Roberge talked about website visitors and sales leads--reasonably straightforward things to quantify and important metrics for any B2B company. He also talked about "SEO assets" such as inbound links and improved performance in organic search results. Those things take time to build--perhaps a problem is that some companies look for an immediate impact in this department when it may be more reasonable to expect a change in six months' time.

Just guessing, but I bet some of the letdown that a few companies feel stems from their desire to get something for next to nothing--a measurable impact from use of free technology. Certainly using social technologies is free, but so is calling up The Wall Street Journal or "Good Morning America." Anyone can do it--the question in every case is whether you've got anything interesting to say and can articulate it in something like a compelling manner. In any case, it's your PR person's job to figure it out.

Altogether, these things are a great reminder to me that B2B companies using social media--and their PR people--need to be clear in setting objectives and in understanding the likely timeframe for success.

Is "Start-Up" Back in Vogue?

Schwartz Communications Inc. — 2009-09-14T07:50:48-05:00

I have had a couple of interesting conversations lately about the word "start-up."

When I first started in Boston high-tech PR at Schwartz, every company I worked with wanted to be a start-up. There was a romantic allure to being two guys in a garage (in fact I once helped a company with a name that was an acronym for "Guys in a Garage"). It represented an innovative spirit related to cultivating an idea and getting it to market.

The dot-com collapse in the late 1990's spoiled the idea of being a start-up. Suddenly the conventional wisdom made a start-up a risky bet. Many clients opted to be called "growing" or "emerging," rather than a start-up. There was just too much negative connotation around the concept.

Based on recent conversations I have had, however, there is building momentum for a re-emergence of the "start-up." Given the attention to new innovations, the entire entrepreneurial community is pointing to the start-up culture as a good thing. This is especially true within the clean tech market, and also within new data center technologies that focus on efficiencies.

I noticed more start-ups-- young and growing companies-- on the trade show floor at VMworld last week.

What has been clear to me from my years in PR and marketing is that there is always room for new ideas that lead to good companies. Whether you call yourself a start-up or something else, in reality, probably is not the point.

Upward Ho! Gartner Survey Says Security is Growing

Schwartz Communications Inc. — 2009-09-09T09:55:52-05:00

Gartner has published a new report forecasting 2010 security spending. Good news for security geeks--according to a survey of more than 1,000 IT professionals with budget responsibility worldwide, security is going to grow in 2010.

Specifically, security software spending will grow 4 precent in 2010 and security services budgets will tick up 3 percent. Two big growth areas include a couple of my favorites--e-mail security and SIEM.

Not exactly "hockey stick" action, but solid growth (especially in the IT world) during these tough economic times.

Schwartz Communications Cleantech and Green PR Practice Doubles During 2009

Schwartz Communications Inc. — 2009-09-09T00:00:00-05:00

Schwartz Communications today announced that it has more than doubled its roster of cleantech and green public relations and public affairs clients during 2009. Innovators in solar, biofuels, greenhouse gas measurement (GHG) and carbon management, energy efficiency and water desalination chose Schwartz to drive visibility with key audiences.

Schwartz now manages and executes cleantech and green PR campaigns for its clients across North America and Europe. The firm also recently announced the acquisition of Hayhurst Media, a UK-based boutique agency with extensive experience in green and renewable energy public relations.

Despite a tough economic environment, the demand for integrated PR and public affairs services has increased as companies across green segments of the economy look for help increasing their visibility with key audiences. Schwartz has increased its focus on delivering results-focused, integrated campaigns to help its clients:

Explore government financing opportunities Schwartz s public affairs team will help companies explore government grants, loan guarantees, tax credits and fiscal year 2011 project funding opportunities.
Drive lead and demand generation Schwartz focuses on the events, media outlets, social media channels and government audiences that help increase demand for its clients products and services.
Stay abreast of pending and new legislation clients will benefit from Schwartz s ongoing analysis of legislation that could impact their business.
Increase visibility at conferences and industry events Schwartz will help companies break through the noise at PVSEC, The Carbon Show, AlwaysOn GoingGreen, Power-Gen, Solar Power International and other major events.
Increase mindshare with industry influencers companies will meet industry influencers, analysts and top media that are driving industry dialogue and reach key prospect, partner and investor audiences.
Launch into new geographic markets Schwartz will manage, plan and execute a U.S. company launch into major European cleantech markets or assist global companies in launching or increasing a U.S. presence.

"Clean technologies and sustainable practices touch all sectors of the economy while promising to solve some of the world's largest challenges, including global warming, water shortages, economic recession and geopolitical tensions," said Bryan Scanlon, president of Schwartz Communications. "The sheer scope of the market's promise has created an opportunity for innovation and entrepreneurship, resulting in an exciting new generation of emerging-growth companies. Together with its clients, Schwartz's combination of results-oriented public relations and strategic public affairs is helping to shape the Green economy."

The companies who have selected or engaged with Schwartz during 2009 are Applied Quantum Technology, AlwaysOn GoingGreen, Energy Recovery, Inc., Joule Biotechnologies, Picarro, Sentilla, Skyline Solar, SolarEdge, Stockholm International Water Institute and SunWize. These clients are being serviced from Schwartz s four major offices in San Francisco, Waltham, Mass., London and Stockholm.

Since early 2007, Schwartz's Cleantech and Green Practice has grown from targeted green campaigns and a single client in solar to twenty companies in renewable energy, sustainability, smart grid, environmental products and services, energy efficiency, greenhouse gas measurement and Green IT. Schwartz's large-agency resources combined with its intense focus on measurable results has helped drive lead generation, venture capital financing, government funding, brand awareness and thought leadership for its clients.

Schwartz executives are regular commentators on renewable energy and public policy. The Agency's Renewablog tracks key public-policy decisions and general market trends that may impact green emerging growth companies. For example, "Green Stimulus Funds Flow from Treasury Grants; Wind in the Sails of Cleantech" looks at how the recent release of Treasury Grants as part of the Stimulus Package has helped kick start wind farm development and solar projects around the country.

Schwartz will be presenting at and attending a number of industry events during the last four months of 2009, including PVSEC, AlwaysOn GoingGreen, Solar Power International, The Carbon Show, Cleantech Futures, Power-Gen and others. Those companies interested in speaking to Schwartz about the current PR and policy environments for cleantech companies, or interested in support for those and other industry events, can contact Jason Morris, Schwartz s Cleantech and Green PR Practice leader, at +1-415-512-0770 or visit our Contact page.

About Schwartz Communications
Founded in 1990 by the husband-and-wife team of Steve and Paula Mae Schwartz, Schwartz Communications today is one of the largest independent public relations agencies specializing in technology and healthcare. Schwartz Communications has offices in Boston, London, San Francisco and Stockholm. The Agency has garnered many awards and honors on behalf of its work for clients; in 2009, Schwartz was named one of the top agencies for reliability and overall recognition of editorial needs in a survey of 800 journalists.

When Retweets go Bad

Schwartz Communications Inc. — 2009-09-01T09:09:39-05:00

Marketers and PR professionals have to be living under a rock if they have not heard about Twitter and its power to connect companies, consumers and anyone that wants to share. It is a way for companies to connect with their customers, it is free business intelligence, it is a brand-building complement, it is a low cost focus group, it is what you make of it.

One of the currencies of Twitter is “Retweeting.” Basically, if you see something you like, agree with, find insightful or interesting, many people pass it along with a RT: (and then the original tweet).

Most of the time this can be good. Although there is such a thing as retweet overload. Sometimes, though it can go a bit too far.

For example, last week, I was a victim of Retweet gone horribly wrong.

Like most disasters it started out simply enough.

I was flying cross country on American Airlines and found out they had in-flight wireless. I immediately purchased it and started doing emails and work for as long as my laptop battery would last. In flight wireless let me get some time sensitive things done and to say I was psyched would be an understatement. This has convinced me to give priority to carriers like American, Virgin America, etc., that offer the service.

I was happy (and I am active on Twitter) so I simply tweeted : I love gogo inflight internet from American Airlines.

A few minutes later I see the following tweet: @GogoInflight And we <3 you too! RT @McClennan: I love gogo inflight internet from American Airlines

Disclosure: GogoInflight and American Airlines are not Schwartz clients, and after this may not be in the future. (Even though I do applaud them for being engaged).

Communications lesson #1: I may be a minority among business travelers, but seeing <3 (heart) struck me as odd and inappropriate. Responding to your customers is great, but make sure you use the same language they do. Emoticons are not part of my daily business vocabulary.

If that was it, this would be an interesting conversation point about the appropriate use of <3s and other emoticons. But, wait, there’s more….

A few minutes later, @AAirwaves (the official twitter channel of American Airlines) retweets @Gogoinflight’s tweet. Spreading the strange emoticon heart-love to its more than 11,000 followers.

Right after that I see another 7-10 retweets from those affiliated with the airline industry (and one golf event). I am sure all their followers were just dying to know that I loved GoGo Inflight. One of them was so moved, they retweeted it four times. Think of how happy their followers were. I bet it filled the cockles of their <3s.

Communication lesson #2: Use your retweet capital wisely. You should share things of interest, but if you share too much, you will drown out your valuable content with meaningless noise. Basically ask yourself – is this retweet adding value?

I assure you, while I value my opinion, if my post influenced anyone in the aviation industry’s purchasing decision, there is a problem there.

My counsel would have been to consider:

1) Direct messaging me to let me know you appreciate my feedback
2) If GoGo wanted to be public, aggregate the “Tweets of Praise” it receives each day and say something along the lines of “75 more people shared how much they like the new service, (custom URL).” If someone very influential does tweet about you, sure, consider a one off “thanks. Glad you like our service.”

Instead, 14,000+ people now received a tweet (or 10) letting them know I love the service.

Communications lesson #3: Doing it right: For an example of an organization that did it right, I can point to PBS. I blogged about it earlier here. In a nutshell, I complained about some of their coverage. They responded with a personalized response “@mcClennan sorry for the delay in replying, but what was your wife unhappy about?” and I have been singing their praises ever since.

In all seriousness, I appreciate the retweet and the response. I am just charging companies to drive for even more strategic communications.

Practice safe text

Schwartz Communications Inc. — 2009-08-30T15:17:17-05:00

The mobile industry is in a conundrum. Companies from Apple to Blackberry to Nokia to Qualcomm are all pushing to make the mobile phone the ubiquitous computing device, wherever ever you are, whatever you are doing. With the growth of data-capable phones doubling since 2005 and now representing 88% of phones on the market in the US according to CTIA, they are succeeding. We are addicted to Crackberries and forbidden fruit.

But is it healthy? Recent Federal studies have demonstrated that driving while texting is bad for you and anyone near your car. It is even worse than drinking and driving; at least you are trying to concentrate when you are drunk. Excessive texting is even changing the political makeup of State legislatures. New York billionaire and wanna be Governor Tom Golisano threw a fit when New York State Senate Majority Leader Malcolm Smith spent a meeting with Golisano playing with his Blackberry. Golisano consequently convinced several Democratic representatives to switch to the Republican Party. And GigaOM just published a story that warns of the harms to relationships and overall health from being too connected.

Given this growing backlash, how can mobile companies market their products and services without perpetuating the problems of the 24 X 7 man? Do iPods and Blackberries now have to come with labels like cigarettes that warn that too much usage could cause harm? Should phone companies invest in medical and psychological research to convince the public that they understand that further evidence is needed to understand the issues? Are we far from a book called “Thanks for texting?”

In an ultracompetitive industry of huge gizmo launches and Tweets that chronicle the minutia of daily life, the marketing pros in the mobile industry have to figure out how to promote the value and cool factor of their devices. They can’t be seen as driving destructive behavior that is no longer funny or annoying but can kill. Otherwise the cute songs in the iPod ads could go the way of Joe Camel.

What beer can teach us about making it viral

Schwartz Communications Inc. — 2009-08-24T09:00:04-05:00

One of the most common questions I hear from people at events and seminars is "What are the best practices for making a viral video? I want to make something viral."

I quickly reply that the PR and marketing folks do not make something viral - Users, customers and fans do. What we can do is create compelling content and make it easy to share. But setting out to catch lighting in the bottle usually leaves you with an empty bottle.

I started thinking along these lines again when I heard a Bud Light "Real Men of Genius" commercial on the radio recently. Yes, this is an ad campaign that has its own, legitimate Wikipedia entry. I remembered these commercial fondly. Commercials such as "Mr. Giant Taco Salad Inventor" need to be remembered.

I also remember back around 2001, before social networking first took off, wanting to listen to a few of these (yes, the commercials were so good I actually sought them out). This is the hallmark of great content. I finally found a site that had them, but when I visited the site again, they had stopped carrying the commercials after Bud Light had contacted them and told them to take them down (according to the site). Talk about killing any viral nature of your content.

When I heard another Real Men of Genius commercial today (Mr. T-shirt Launcher Inventor) , I decided to check back and see if they were available. They now seem to be on a few sites, and when I checked YouTube they are up there. The 10th most popular video in the series has 200,000 views, 668 ratings and more than 280 comments. Talk about engagement!

I applaud the company for letting customers share its advertisements. The additional visibility it is receiving is off the charts. Yet there are still some missed opportunities that any consumer and consumer technology company can learn from.

1) Make it easy for an engaged audience to share your content

2) Go where your fans are. There are 200+ groups on Facebook dedicated to this commercial series, yet I do not see Bud Light's engagement anywhere. (apologies if I missed it) If you have a group of fans - Reach out to them. Let them know you are there and listening and you gain brand ambassadors. The top group also has close to 2,000 members.

3) Give people a place to go. On YouTube there are a number of channels for the Bud Light commercials. Yet none of them are sponsored. We are talking 10 million plus views that could have been driven to a Bud Light channel. The same goes for the company's Website. I couldn't find this campaign on it - forcing folks to go to third party sights.

4) Think of ways to capitalize on passion - People that like these commercials really like them. I have heard them discussed in meetings, around the coffee machine, you name it. If you create content that is that compelling, it behooves a company to find additional ways to capitalize on the passion. I for one would be willing to give my name and demographic information in return for getting the latest commercials pushed to me. And I am confident I am not alone.

So what does this mean? Consumer brands that create compelling content will be rewarded. I rarely see "Real Men of Genius" without Bud Light. But to maximize its potential, the brands need to make this content easy to share and accessible on multiple channels.

Schwartz Communications Technology, Medical and Cleantech PR Leader Acquires U.K. Agency Hayhurst Media

Schwartz Communications Inc. — 2009-08-19T00:00:00-05:00

WALTHAM, Mass. Schwartz Communications, one of the largest independent technology, healthcare and cleantech public relations agencies, today announced it has acquired Hayhurst Media. The Hampton, U.K.-based PR firm brings more than two dozen clients in the life sciences and cleantech sectors.

Hayhurst Media has provided clients a full suite of public relations, marketing communications, advertising and media training services, successfully executing campaigns in the United Kingdom, EU and Scandinavia. Hayhurst Media will become a division of Schwartz Communications. Richard and Amanda Hayhurst will serve as co-managing directors for Schwartz in the U.K., and will report to Stockholm-based Kristina Ebenius, managing director, Europe.

"Our acquisition of Hayhurst Media rapidly accelerates our European growth and brings Schwartz additional expertise in two of our most successful practice areas cleantech and life sciences," said Steve Schwartz, chief executive officer and co-founder of Schwartz Communications. Hayhurst Media and its principals Richard and Amanda Hayhurst are an outstanding business and cultural fit.

Richard Hayhurst, CEO and co-founder of Hayhurst Media, said: Like Schwartz, we have always stressed that the point of public relations is to help innovative companies not just to raise awareness but also to realize business objectives. The opportunity to become a part of an agency we have long admired was perfectly timed. In the current economic situation, clients are looking for agencies that can deliver cross-Atlantic campaigns. Amanda and I look forward to working with the Schwartz team in Europe and the U.S. to meet this exciting challenge.

About Hayhurst Media
Hayhurst Media was founded in 2005 by Richard and Amanda Hayhurst. Richard was formerly co-founder of HCC Defacto Communications which he helped grow into one of Europe s leading life science public relations agencies. Amanda crossed over to public relations following a highly successful career as a health and beauty journalist, holding editorial positions at Marie Claire, The Daily Mirror and Grazia. In a short time, Hayhurst Media has become known among journalists for its ability to identify meaningful editorial from the most complex scientific, cleantech and healthcare breakthroughs. Richard Hayhurst is a founding member of the London Cleantech Network and Cleantech Futures conference.

When business decisions negatively impact your brand

Schwartz Communications Inc. — 2009-08-14T12:37:24-05:00

Last night it was announced that the Philadelphia Eagles have signed Michael Vick. Every brand in the NFL is a consumer brand, and for the most part they try to give off a family friendly image. In one fell swoop the Eagles went from this:

To this:

For sports fans, this means the Eagles may have a better team this year. Operationally it may make sense for the organization. But it will be interesting to see how this plays out over the long term. I will be most interested to see how the Eagles handle this PR challenge and the role the Eagles PR team played both internally and externally. It is the role of the PR counselor to stand up and point out when business decisions may have a deleterious effect on a company's brand.

I would be surprised if the Eagles PR staff did not do so.

In my opinion, the Eagles brand has been tarnished. The goodwill the team has built up over the years (and the great community and PR work done by Donovan McNabb and his mother) has taken a short term hit.

What lessons can PR professionals take from the Eagles/Vick signing?

1) When presented with a choice like this in your company, remember you are the voice of the brand and the public with whom the company interacts. You need to make sure executives look at the potential negatives of any business decision.

2) Practice, practice, practice - Make sure everyone is on board with the same message. Judging by today's media coverage, the Eagles appear to have done a phenomenal job with Andy Reid, Donovan, Tony Dungee and Vick. It you are going to do something that may negatively impact your brand, do it quickly and have a uniform message. Make sure you keep the lines of dialogue open to those that may have concerns.

3) Monitor and respond - The Eagles (not surprisingly) seem to be doing a great job responding to inquiries on all fronts. If a consumer brand is doing something its core customers may not like, it should not limit itself to just the "friendly" channels.

Be sure to monitor and engage social media and provide people the information they need. The Eagles Website has videos from the press conference and stories. The blog has some good content. I would have counseled them to take it a step further and have a fact sheet and easy access to official quotes (and audio) so any blogger/reporter can use them. I did a quick search and couldn't find an official Eagles presence on Twitter, and this is currently one of the top Twitter topics. This is something they should consider for the future. Not because it is the hot social media channel, but because their fans are there and actively engaged.

Cash for Clunkers? Ads vs. PR

Schwartz Communications Inc. — 2009-07-27T08:02:07-05:00

As many Americans know right now, the government Cash for Clunkers program is kicking off. Auto dealers and manufacturers are making a big push behind it - and here in Mass. the push is even greater with the sales tax increasing by 25% shortly.

What stuck me interesting is PRWeek's take on the situation. Its Breakfast Briefing newsletter was all about "Automakers are kicking off an advertising blitz to coincide with the federal government's "cash-for-clunkers" program...Among the participants, Toyota began running national and regional ads late last week for the program, which goes until November 1. GM and Chrysler ran full-page print ads as part of the effort."

That's great and advertising is part of the communications mix, but I would be interested in learning more about the full PR effort - not just the advertising push. There are 1,900 videos on the topic on YouTube alone. How are manufacturers looking to stand out from the pack? (Note: Kelly Blue Books video here caught my eye) - but I am not sure the manufacturers want their message communicated in that way. Twitter is also abuzz.

It's an interesting program and many stakeholders are keen to educate consumers and communicate their own key messages. This is a topic all communications professionals should watch over the coming week. It will be interesting to see how it plays out.

For me, while I have a "clunker" as defined by the government. I plan to keep it for now. The one message that never seems to get out is that when you trade it in and get a new car - you also get car payments...

Amazon puts its foot down

Schwartz Communications Inc. — 2009-07-23T13:21:40-05:00

The Amazon/Zappos acquisition/deal news today has the blogosphere, tech media and Twittersphere abuzz. There are so many interesting nuances to this story that I expect this buzz to continue over the next few months. (Note: Schwartz does not represent any of the companies directly involved in this deal. I have represented companies that have partnered with Amazon and I am sure many of the companies with whom we work sell to them)

I am most intrigued by what this will do to the communications culture at the two organizations.

Amazon was a trail blazer when it comes to personalization, @Zappos is the poster-child for senior executive engagement in social media. I am intrigued by what could happen by blending the two and think the gestalt could be greater than the individual parts.

The letter from Zappos' CEO Tony was very well done, and he has made it open to the public - here - no better way to show transparency.

The good news for entrepreneurial consumer technology and retail companies is that innovation, a customer-focus and excellent communications are still being rewarded. Most entrepreneurs I know and work with have never doubted this, but it is good to occasionally see it reinforced.

Must attend Webinar for online retailers seeking social media best practices

Schwartz Communications Inc. — 2009-07-13T08:21:57-05:00

While some claim the summer months are a time when business slows down, anyone involved in retailing and consumer PR knows that it is when holiday planning swings into high-gear.

To help online retailers maximize their social media efforts (particularly around the holiday shopping season), the team at Schwartz Communications will be hosting a Webinar on July 22 at 1:00 p.m. ET.

The Webinar: "Groups, Handles and Widgets—Social Media Best Practices and Case Studies for Online Retailers," will explore how companies (particularly online retailers) can leverage the latest online tools, measurement practices and social networks to maximize their communications impact. Led by Mark W. McClennan, APR (BillMeLater, CheckFree) and Jason Morris (RetailMeNot, BeatMyPrice), vice presidents in Schwartz’s Consumer Practice Group, attendees will learn social media best practices and be presented with case studies of award-winning social media campaigns that drove business results.

To register, click here

Remembering those who touched our lives

Schwartz Communications Inc. — 2009-07-09T07:50:50-05:00

These past few weeks have brought news of quite a few passings, but the one that touched me most was the one I heard of last night - the passing of Oscar Mayer. Compared to the coverage given to some of those who passed recently, coverage of his death was a blip, yet his legacy and his company's consumer marketing savvy have had a profound impact on American culture.

For full disclosure, back in the early 90s, I can *this* close to becoming a "Hotdogger" and driving the Oscar Mayer Weinermobile. There are thousands of applicants each year, and I made it to the round of 36 that are flown to Madison, but I didn't quite cut the mustard and was not one of the 12 chosen to drive the 32 foot long hot dog.

What impressed me then, and what impresses me still today is how Oscar Mayer has the pulse on its brand identity and what its brand means to consumers. The Weinermobiles have become iconic, but they also represent 12 full-time brand ambassadors who are getting the pulse of the consumer in ad hoc focus groups every day, reinforcing the brand identity and helping keep it prominent. If you asked, I bet the jingle could still be sung by hundreds of millions of people today.

Luckily, for consumer and consumer technology companies today, they don't need to spend millions to interact with their customers. Social media is allowing them to have deeper, more direct and greater interactions with their customers. For companies without the budget enjoyed by the Weinermobile, this is a very good thing.

But for just a minute, I would like to observe a moment of silence, for a co-founder of one of the leading, innovative consumer brands. RIP, Oscar Mayer.

Schwartz Communications and Fiserv Awarded PRSA s Silver Anvil Award of Excellence

Schwartz Communications Inc. — 2009-06-11T00:00:00-05:00

Schwartz Communications today announced it received a 2009 Silver Anvil Award of Excellence from the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) along with its client Fiserv, Inc. (Nasdaq: FISV). The Award of Excellence, which recognizes outstanding strategic public relations planning and implementation, was presented to Schwartz Communications and Fiserv during the Silver Anvil Awards Evening held June 4, 2009, in New York City.

Schwartz Communications and Fiserv received the 2009 Silver Anvil Award of Excellence for the "Go Green and Save Campaign" in the Marketing Consumer Services: Technology category.

By highlighting the environmental benefits of paying and receiving bills online, and educating consumers on how to protect themselves from identity fraud, Fiserv and Schwartz Communications were able to accelerate behavior change and attract new users. Through a multi-pronged media and social media campaign, the company attracted more than 127,000 new users, and planted trees across the country for each one via the Arbor Day Foundation programs.

"The Award of Excellence recognizes top public relations programs in our industry," said James J. Roop, 2009 Silver Anvil Committee chair and president of Roop & Co., Cleveland, Ohio. "To receive an Award of Excellence, programs must be of Silver Anvil caliber and represent some of the finest strategic and creative thinking in our profession."

Schwartz Communications has been honored with more than 30 other prestigious industry awards this year for designing and executing public relations and social media campaigns that delivered positive business results for its clients. Fiserv and CheckFree, acquired by Fiserv in December 2007, have been Schwartz clients for more than 10 years.

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.

Schwartz Communications Wins 26 Awards at 2009 Publicity Club of New England Bell Ringer Awards

Schwartz Communications Inc. — 2009-06-02T00:00:00-05:00

Schwartz Communications today announced it won 13 Bell Ringer Awards and 13 Awards of Merit, more than any other public relations agency or organization, in the 2009 40th Annual Publicity Club of New England Bell Ringer Awards competition. Schwartz was recognized for its work on behalf of 19 different clients in a range of health care, consumer and high tech award categories.
Since 1969, the Publicity Club of New England s Bell Ringer Awards have been a symbol of outstanding achievement for New England public relations and communications professionals. This is the eighth time in nine years Schwartz has received more than 10 Bell Ringer Awards for work on behalf of its clients.

Schwartz received 13 Bell Awards in categories including:

Feature or Commentary Placement: Online SnapMyLife
Print Feature or Commentary Placement: Trade Publication Johnson Medtech & PatientFlow Press Ganey
News Release: National Javelin Strategy & Research
Response to Breaking News Netezza
New or Social Media Bill Me Later
Product/Service Publicity: Healthcare Bioness
Product/Service Publicity: Business-to-Business Leerink Swann
Product/Service Launch: Health Care Epocrates
Product/Service Launch: High Tech Business-to-Business American Well
Organizational Identity Campaign Osiris Therapeutics
Public Affairs Campaign GE Healthcare
Special Event: Single Campaign Bill Me Later

The agency received 13 Merit Awards for its work in the following categories:

Feature or Commentary Placement: Magazine Hologic
Feature or Commentary Placement: Online American Well & Netezza
Print Feature or Commentary Placement: National E Ink & Netezza
Television News Placement: National Bioness & Neuromonics
New or Social Media SnapMyLife
Employee Communications TAC
Product/Service Publicity: Health Care EnteroMedics
Product/Service Publicity: Consumer Campaign CheckFree/Fiserv
Product/Service Publicity: Business-to-Business Campaign High Street Partners
Organizational Identity Campaign: E Ink

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.

Schwartz Communications Wins Two Bulldog Awards

Schwartz Communications Inc. — 2009-05-27T00:00:00-05:00

Schwartz Communications, Inc., today announced that the company and its clients received two Bulldog Awards from the Bulldog Reporter for outstanding media relations. Schwartz received a Gold Bulldog Award for the best business-to-business product launch for work it did with Epocrates, Inc. The agency also received a Bronze Bulldog Award for best special event/stunt for work it conducted on behalf of Bill Me Later.

The Bulldog Awards honor companies that influence public opinion through the media. It is the only national public relations award contest judged exclusively by working journalists. The judges evaluate the entries based on creativity, originality, strategy, execution and results.

Schwartz was honored with a Gold Bulldog for the launch of Epocrates Rx for the iPhone. Working closely together, Schwartz and Epocrates helped the application quickly become the top free medical software download from the iPhone App store. To date, hundreds of thousands of healthcare professionals and consumers, including more than 75,000 U.S. physicians, have downloaded the software.

Schwartz s work with Bill Me Later on the company s Man Cave contest netted Schwartz a Bronze Bulldog. The contest provided consumers a chance to win a $15,000 Man Cave makeover of their leisure time lair. Schwartz leveraged social media, including a targeted sports blogger and Facebook campaign, to reach men looking for a Man Cave makeover. The contest coverage generated more than 20 million media impressions. Coverage ranged from CNN for the Red Cave/Blue Cave political Man Cave survey to Football fan groups on Facebook and ESPN Radio. Entrees exceeded expectations with consumers creating YouTube video and Flickr photo galleries to campaign for their shot at a new man cave.

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.

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.

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:

Cleantech, Healthcare It Firms Hire Schwartz Communications For Government Relations

Schwartz Communications Inc. — 2009-04-22T00:00:00-05:00

Schwartz Communications today announced the continued growth of its Government Relations practice with the addition of five new clients. With the Obama administration focused on healthcare information technology and renewable and green energy, companies in these markets have selected Schwartz to help guide them through the legislative and administrative process for seeking federal dollars. Additionally, Schwartz has been tasked with raising each client s profile among decision-makers in Washington, D.C., and helping shape public policy decisions.

New government relations clients in the cleantech and green arena include Borrego Solar Systems and Global Solar Energy. Government relations clients in the healthcare IT market include Logical Images, SurIDx and Medsphere Systems.

"With the recently passed stimulus bill, cleantech and medical companies have an unprecedented opportunity to secure financial assistance from the federal government," said Bryan Scanlon, president of Schwartz Communications. "Schwartz s government relations practice has a proven track record of helping companies navigate the maze of government agencies to establish thought leadership and, when appropriate, secure federal funding."

Schwartz executives are regular commentators on renewable energy and healthcare IT. The Agency's Renewablog tracks key public-policy decisions and general market trends that may impact green emerging growth companies. For example, "Following the Stimulus Money to the States" looks at how appropriations may benefit states such as Massachusetts and California.

The Schwartz Healthcare IT blog provides insight and opinion on the latest news and issues, including the current legislative agenda and how to turn it into business opportunity through public relations. A recent entry, "Billions in Stimulus Funding for Healthcare IT What to Do?" links to a Schwartz webinar on the new administration and healthcare IT.

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.

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...

Schwartz Communications Promotes Three To Top Management Posts

Schwartz Communications Inc. — 2009-03-23T00:00:00-05:00

Schwartz Communications today announced that Bryan Scanlon, executive vice president and general manager of Schwartz s San Francisco office, has been promoted to President of Schwartz Communications. Ari S. Milstein has been promoted to Chief Operating Officer, in addition to retaining his role as Chief Financial Officer. Both Scanlon and Milstein will report to Steve Schwartz, who will remain active at the strategic level as CEO.

Kristina Ebenius has been promoted to Managing Director, Europe, where she will be responsible for both the Stockholm and London offices, as well as the Agency s overall European strategy. She previously served as Managing Director of Schwartz s Stockholm office.

Paula Mae Schwartz, who formerly served as Chief Operating Officer, will assume the new role of Chief People Officer, focusing on the Agency s most valuable resource.

"Bryan Scanlon has an unusual combination of PR skills and business acumen. He created and grew one of Schwartz s largest practice groups and led the dramatic growth of our San Francisco office as its General Manager," said Steve Schwartz, CEO of Schwartz Communications.

"While Paula Mae and I will still have major involvement in the Agency, the high performance of Schwartz Communications management team allows us now to spend more time on our film company, Chockstone Pictures. Chockstone s first movie, THE ROAD, is set for release this fall, and we have a variety of other projects in development," said Schwartz.

Bryan Scanlon, Schwartz Communications new president, said: "Despite the challenging business climate, it s an exciting time for the communications industry, with the rise of citizen journalism, social media and the breakneck pace at which news and content spreads. I am privileged to work with the best pros in the industry at Schwartz, and look forward to the transformations underway."

Scanlon has been with Schwartz since 1997 and has served as General Manager for Schwartz s San Francisco office since 2007. He has helped technology providers achieve brand leadership, including: Red Hat, CipherTrust (now Secure Computing), AXENT (now Symantec), Concord Communications (now CA) and webMethods (now Software AG). Scanlon also helped launch many additional companies, including Netezza and IONA. In addition, he provided counsel and media relations for a score of initial public offerings (IPOs) and acquisitions involving publicly held companies and helped architect blog and social media strategies for clients. Scanlon holds a B.F.A. degree in writing from Johnson State College and an M.A. degree in English from Western Michigan University.

Ari Milstein has been with Schwartz since 2005 and has more than 20 years of professional experience in a variety of high-growth businesses, including professional service, software/technology and multi-location organizations. Prior to Schwartz, Milstein was the Chief Financial Officer for Adlex, Inc., a software company that pioneered IT service delivery management. He led Adlex to its successful acquisition by Compuware in 2005. Milstein is a C.P.A. and has an M.B.A. from Bentley University.

Kristina Ebenius joined the Agency s Boston office in 1999 and has worked with a number of its medical device, biotechnology, pharmaceutical, consumer and technology clients. In 2006, she started Schwartz s European headquarters in Stockholm, Sweden. As Managing Director of Europe, Ebenius responsibilities include the Agency s overall European growth strategy, management and direction of the Stockholm and London offices, as well as management of her accounts, including the development and implementation of strategy, messaging and media relations activities. Ebenius graduated summa cum laude from Hawaii Pacific University with a B.A. in communication/public relations and a minor in literature.

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.