FierceMobile| May 14, 2012

Physician use of tablets has grown more than 75 percent in the past year, according to new findings from Manhattan Research published last week. The research company studied the mobile habits of more than 3,000 physicians in the first quarter of 2012, and compared those findings to the same period of 2011.

A full 62 percent of doctors are using tablets–Apple iPads still being the favorite–compared to only 35 percent a year ago, the study found…Read More

What is Google Ripples?

Gizmodo| October 28, 2011

Google released a bunch of new Google+ features yesterday, including “What’s Hot” and Instagram-ish photo filters—those weren’t big surprises. But Google Ripples? We didn’t see that one coming. It’s weird, it’s interesting… but what exactly is it?

Google Ripples is a new graphical component to Google+…Read More

Healthcare Companies Still Don’t “Get” Social Media

Social Media Today| April 27, 2012

“Social media is changing the nature of healthcare interaction, and health organizations that ignore this virtual environment may be missing opportunities to engage consumers.”

That was the very ominous and foreboding opening line from a press release announcing the findings of a report done by the Health Research Institute (HRI) at PwC US.

Anytime I see the words “engage” and “missing” I am automatically intrigued because as we all know it’s all about engagement: how to get engaged with your customers, how to stay engaged with your customers and how to ensure they stay engaged with you…Read More

LinkedIn is Buying SlideShare for $119 Million

Business Insider| May 3, 2012

LinkedIn just announced plans to buy SlideShare for $119 million.

It will be 45% cash and 55% stock.

SlideShare allows users to upload documents to the web and have them embedded all over the place.

How does it fit at LinkedIn? Here’s what CEO Jeff Weiner said in a press release explaining the move:

“Presentations are one of the main ways in which professionals capture and share their experiences and knowledge, which in turn helps shape their professional identity,” said LinkedIn CEO Jeff Weiner. “These presentations also enable professionals to discover new connections and gain the insights they need to become more productive and successful in their careers, aligning perfectly with LinkedIn’s mission and helping us deliver even more value for our members. We’re very excited to welcome the SlideShare team to LinkedIn.”…Read More 

PMLiVE | April 18, 2012

The public is using social media to find answers to their health wants, needs and preferences, according to a US study by PwC.

The consultants surveyed over 1,000 people and found that one third used social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and online forums for health-related matters.

Specifically they sought medical information, tracked and shared symptoms, and broadcast how they felt about doctors, drugs, treatments, medical devices and health plans…Read More

For Brands, Social Media Shows Returns but Measurement Hurdles Remain

eMarketer| May1, 2012

Executives see improvements in marketing and sales efforts, and market share gains as a result of well-planned campaigns

C-suite executives are increasingly convinced of the benefits of engaging with their customers on social media platforms. A February 2012 survey of 329 senior executives in North America by management and digital consulting firm PulsePoint Group and the Economist Intelligence Unit found that the vast majority of companies who had invested in social media saw a positive shift in their bottom line as a result…Read More

Google Enhances AdWords with New Mobile Features

Mobile Marketing| May 1, 2012

Google announced some new features today for AdWords that give advertisers more tools to promote, track and make money off app downloads and in-app advertising. Batting first in the new lineup is a mobile app extension that enables advertisers to include a link to download their mobile app within search ads.

“The mobile app extension gives advertisers a new distribution channel for their mobile apps and users a new discovery medium. Beta participants saw a 6% lift in CTR for campaigns using Mobile App extensions, compared to control campaigns,” writes Anurag Agrawal, product manager of Mobile Search Ads at Google…Read More

Google’s YouTube Original Programming Will Connect Brands with Mobile Viewers

MediaPost Blogs | May 1, 2012

Some 3 billion hours of video monthly are watched on YouTube by more than 800 million viewers worldwide, according to Google. YouTube sees 600 million mobile views daily — roughly 10% of total video views. On Wednesday, the Mountain View company released information on new original channels and content aimed at brands that want to reach a diverse audience.

By July 31, viewers can expect 25 hours of new original content on YouTube daily. Some of that is seen via a mobile device with help from partners and filmmakers Jon Avnet and Rodrigo Garcia, the U.S. Olympic Committee, collaborations between Tribeca Enterprises and Maker Studios, and a new show from Machinima and Halo Waypoint…Read More 

Tech.Blorge | April 6, 2012

Pinterest is now the third most-popular social networking site in the world. While social networking as a whole is pretty much ubiquitous.

According to Experian’s 2012 Digital Marketer: Benchmark and Trend Report (via VentureBeat), 91 percent of adults now use social networking sites on a regular basis. The other nine percent must have lives or something. During December 2011, 15 percent of all Internet visits were on social networks, with Facebook still by far the biggest, Twitter second…Read More

 Smartphone Apps Motivate Older Patients to Improve Health

FierceHealthcare| April 12, 2012

Smartphone apps motivated more than two-thirds of participants in a Stanford University study to exercise more, sit less and improve their diet.

The study focused on older Americans–45- to 77-year-olds–using smartphone apps “to deliver the nudges that might improve adults’ physical activity levels,” principal investigator Abby King said in a statement.

The study was relatively small–it included only 31 participants–but the findings were nearly unanimous. More than 80 percent of participants said the apps helped raise their awareness about healthier behaviors, and more than 75 percent said the apps helped them track, and thus improve, the same behaviors. Interestingly, none of the participants had ever owned or operated a smartphone prior to the study, but 96 percent ultimately reported the devices were a “fast, efficient means of gaining information,” on their health habits…Read More

20 TV Shows With the Most Social Media Buzz This Week [Chart]

Mashable| April 17, 2012

Aside from the requisite reality shows, cartoons and sitcoms, every so often a more layered comedy sneaks into the the top 20 list. New to the charts this week is Girls, HBO’s new comedy-drama that documents the not-so-glamorous lives of women in their 20s.

Although it earned the number-six spot on the cable list, Girls has been sparking media chatter since it launched at SXSW 2012 (It was the first TV series to ever be premiered at the yearly event.). The show’s creator, Lena Dunham, is no stranger to directing arty scenes of youthful vulnerability and cringe-worthy awkwardness. She debuted feature film Tiny Furniture in 2009 to mostly glowing reviews…Read More

Patients Choose Hospitals Based on Social Media

FierceHealthcare | April 19, 2012

With one-third of consumers using social media for seeking or sharing medical information, 41 percent say tools like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and online forums influence their choice of a specific hospital, medical facility or doctor, according to Tuesday’s report from consulting firm PwC.

In a survey of more than a thousand consumers, more than two-fifths of individuals said social media did affect their choice of a provider or organization. Forty-five percent said it would affect their decision to get a second opinion; 34 percent said it would influence their decision about taking a certain medication and 32 percent said it would affect their choice of a health insurance plan…Read More

This week, I will join approximately 4,000 people at the Davos of health care – TEDMED.

Everything about TEDMED is unconventional. Over the span of three days, The Kennedy Center Opera House plays host to the chief of CDC, the Director of the Institute of Medicine, Momix, a group of dance illusionists, and yes, even an appearance by a great health care thought leader, Cookie Monster.

Every TEDMED speaker poses a bold question. What would you decide if 311 million lives depended on it? (Peggy Hamburg, FDA Commissioner)

·         Was Einstein right about imagination? (E.O. Wilson, Famous Biologist)

·         When you finally find your voice, what do you most want to say? (Virginia Breen and Elizabeth Bonker)

Like those attending TEDMED, TogoRun believes the magic is in the bold question. The road to health innovation is paved by those smart enough and brave enough to pose the big questions and bring – bright minds together to uncover solutions.

At TogoRun, we do this by helping our clients reach the pinnacle of leadership—thought partnership.

What is thought partnership?

Thought partnership is TogoRun’s evolution of thought leadership. The difference is so much more than semantics. A thought leader is somebody with a strong position that advocates and leads the charge toward wide acceptance. A thought partner asks a big question and works with you to uncover the solution.  (Read my PR WEEK editorial on the difference between thought partnership and thought leadership).

It is only through thought partnership that companies build trusted third party relationships.

Thought partnership is a quest

Have you noticed the word “question” begins with “quest”? As consultants, we regularly find ourselves side-by-side with clients on what at first seems to be an impossible quest—whether the challenge presents itself as a steep timeline or a tight budget, we find ways to differentiate our clients in a very crowded space.

Nothing forges a stronger agency/client bond than being in the trenches together. Our most successful partnerships are marked with fidelity and endurance. We not only achieve success for our clients, but we form bonds that extend beyond the life of the project.

The quest is where connections are made and a brand affinity develops.  When thought partners joining your quest include grass tops leaders such as academics, consumer groups, medical societies or NGOs, you develop powerful brand advocates who care about the same things you do, seek to do the right thing and remain steadfast for the long haul.

To paraphrase my former boss Newt Gingrich, “… the difference between a Nobel Laureate and a non-acclaimed scientist is not their work ethic, their intelligence, or their passion. It is the size of the question they ask.”

What quest are you on? If you need some inspiration, start by looking at the 50 Great Challenges outlined by TEDMED and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

Milo | February 28, 2012

Like it or not, the time for retailers to adopt a mobile shopping strategy is over. Shoppers are using smart phones and mobile devices for all manner of shopping activities, including price comparison, product information, local inventory lookup, reviews and social opinion, and more. 

As a result, Aberdeen Group has found that 61 percent of retailers are striving to improve their mobile shopping experience to meet the demands of today’s connected consumer. Below we discuss how, and why, they are adapting…Read More 

7 New Facebook Changes Impacting Businesses

Milo | March 5, 2012

Facebook pages are changing.  And that means your business strategy will need to change. 

In fact, Facebook has made many new changes that will impact anyone with a Facebook page. 

These changes emerged from Facebook’s fMC 2012 Conference.

The overall message was that Facebook is looking at pages as a “mission control” point (which is where the MC comes from in the conference title)…Read More 

How Social is Changing the Search Game

MediaPost Blog| March 13, 2012

Every day consumers are sharing more online.  Currently consumers share four billion updates, conversations, recommendations, photos, videos, tweets, posts, shares on Facebook, 200 million on Twitter and one billion on Google+ per day. Mark Zuckerberg predicts that every year, consumers will share twice as much as the year before. Consumers now turn to their peers, and even strangers, for recommendations and information on brands and the products or services they sell. As stated by Nielsen, 90% of consumers trust recommendations from their friends and 70% trust opinions posted online 

The Impact of Hyperconnectivity

MediaPost Blog| March 14, 2012

This, a not-so-brief Research Brief, is an introduction to The Future of the Internet as seen through a series of eight separate reports from Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project. This publication is part of a Pew Research Center series that captures people’s expectations for the future of the internet, in the process presenting a snapshot of current attitudes. 

This first 36 page not-to-be-missed report, looking at expectations of the impact of today’s digital society in the year 2020, is excerpted here only to acquaint readers with the context of the study. A complete reading of the source material is encouraged if it appears to provide groundwork for today’s communications challenges as well as for future planning…Read More 

Text Messaging Bolsters HIV Med Compliance

FierceMobile| March 15, 2012

A new study on HIV antiretroviral therapy (ART) shows that weekly text messages can help patients better adhere to their often complicated drug regimens. 

Patients who received the weekly text reminders also had a lower viral load in their bloodstreams after one year, according to the study, which covered two trials conducted in Kenya and was published by the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews… 

There is high-quality evidence for the benefit of sending weekly text messages to promote adherence to antiretroviral therapy,” lead author Tara Horvath of Global Health Sciences at the University of California, San Francisco, said. “Clinics and hospitals should consider using weekly text messaging as a way to ensure HIV patients stick to their antiretroviral therapy regimens.”…Read More 

Docs Want Patients to Use mHealth Apps

FierceMobile| March 19, 2012

We’ve heard a lot about what patients want when it comes to mobile healthcare–they want physicians to email or text them lab results, to be able to schedule appointments and check health information online, among other things. 

But new data from research firm Float Learning tackled the other side of that stick this week, releasing new information on physician preferences for mobile health use…Read More  

Deloitte: Healthcare to Take Lead in Mobile Development

FierceMobile| March 20, 2012

Consumer-facing apps and products may be at the head of the mobile pack right now, but if a new Deloitte survey is any indication, healthcare apps will outpace them with the advent of 4G broadband services. Nearly 80 percent of respondents said they see healthcare as the market vertical with the most potential to improve with 4G capability in Open Mobile: The growth era accelerates…Read More

Social Network Politicos Find Controversy

MediaPost Blogs| March 20, 2012

According to a new survey by the Pew Research Center, chatter in people’s social networks (SNS) about political issues yields surprising revelations about people’s views; 18% of users have shunned “friends” who have different ideas and 16% have found friends whose beliefs match their own.

There is evidence in the survey that “birds of a feather don’t always flock together on social networking sites” when it comes to politics, says the report:…Read More

Viral Video: Papa’s Got a Brand-New Apple iPad (And a Knife)

All Things D| March 22, 2012

You need to simply watch this video — despite it being in German, from a comedy show there, you will get it immediately.

Ouch… Watch Video

FierceMobile | March 2, 2012

How Coco-Cola Monitors Social Media

SmartBlogs | March 2, 2012

Coca-Cola has more than 500 brands in 206 countries. That’s a lot of customers, and it means a whole lot of conversations.  But what do you focus on? Which conversations matter? Who’s influencing the conversation? How do you get this information to the people who can do something about it? And what tools can help you do all this?  In her Blogwell presentation, Coca-Cola’s Natalie Johnson walked through all of these big questions and shared how, as one of the most talked about companies on Earth, they’re able to learn so much from online conversations…Read More

SMS Prompts Help Patients Send Glucose Readings to MDs

Mobile Health News | March 1, 2012

Researchers from Denver Health and Hospital Authority, a medical school, found that patients with diabetes who received text message reminders and prompts throughout the week reported increased accountability, social support, and awareness of health information. The Researchers found that 79 percent of the participants responded to more than 50 percent of the prompts, according to the study’s results which were recently published in the American Journal of Managed Care. About 66 percent provided glucose readings when their care provided prompted them by text message, compared to the 12 percent that provided readings at two previous clinic visits…Read More

Pharma and Healthcare Social Media Wiki

Dose of Digital | January 4, 2012

With a growing number of pharma companies testing the waters of social media, an intrepid few have tried to keep track of every site, YouTube video, Twitterer, Facebook page, and so on. It’s become a daunting task and no one list seems to have it all, so we created the Pharma and Healthcare Social Media Wiki.  This wiki is meant to house every Social Media project that has been created by pharma (or healthcare companies in general)…Read More

CSC consultant: Healthcare reform is driving technology growth

Fierce Mobile | February 29, 2012

Among the top concerns of health IT professionals attending the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society’s (HIMSS) annual conference in Las Vegas last week were data mining and analysis, clinical decision support, the automation of chronic disease management, patient engagement, accountable care organizations and care coordination across communities, according to Tracey Mayberry, a partner with consulting firm CSC…Read More

UK wants docs to prescribe apps instead of some visits

Fierce Mobile | February 27, 2012

England’s National Health Service just announced it will encourage general practitioners to “prescribe” apps rather than actual doctors’ visits whenever possible. The core idea is to get British patients to use mobile healthcare devices to monitor and track their ongoing health status, and identify (and solve) problems before they require a visit. It’s couched as a quality of care move, but also as a money-saving maneuver for the state-funded healthcare system…Read More

UCLA researchers detect E. coli with cell-phone plug-in

Fierce Mobile | February 27, 2012

Engineers at UCLA just developed a device can be attached to a cell phone to detect the presence of Escherichia Coli in food and water. Researchers recently published their findings in the peer-reviewed Royal Society of Chemistry journal…Read More 

BYOD approach makes inroads at Kaiser Permanente

Fierce Mobile | February 27, 2012

The bring-your-own-device trend continues to snowball. After a recent report from Aruba Networks found that 85 percent of hospitals are supporting mobile BYOD, healthcare giant Kaiser Permanente admits it’s working on a BYOD policy of its own.  We found a discussion of Kaiser’s plans in a larger story at Network World. Mark Kadrich, Kaiser’s senior security architect, admits that employee demands have driven…Read More

New diabetes texting programs have ambitious goals 

Fierce Mobile | February 27, 2012

After more than a year of testing the concept of using text messaging to change health behavior, a federal/state/local partnership is taking things to the next level…Read More

Five Types of Social Media Influencers 

Social Media Today | February 18, 2012

What makes a good influencer?

“Influence” is a concept difficult to evaluate since it refers to both subjective and objective values, resulting in a measurement of…Read More 

Apple’s Jobs leaves behind a powerful mHealth legacy

Fierce Mobile | October 6, 2011

IT pioneer and Apple co-founder Steve Jobs leaves behind a host of ideas, devices and products for the healthcare IT world in general, and the mobile health industry in particular.  Just days before his death October 5, following a long battle with pancreatic cancer, Apple announced a possibly ground-breaking development…Read More

Apple now sifts through health apps for docs

Fierce Mobile | September 16, 2011

Apple has added an ingenious new segment to its app store–iTunes for Healthcare Professionals–with the idea of sifting through the thousands of healthcare apps, and corralling those that will be of most use to physicians and other providers, according to medical market manager Afshad Mistri…Read More

However, its latest initiative is likely to draw far more supporters than detractors. Working in partnership with the National Social Marketing Centre (NSMC) and the Department of Health, NICE this week launched a website with tools designed to help UK doctors and healthcare commissioners evaluate the value for money offered by social marketing projects that are intended to help people make healthier lifestyle choices. In addition to providing information regarding direct costs to healthcare providers, the tools provide insight into the wider financial and societal costs associated with our lifestyle choices.

For example, designers of smoking cessation programs are able to find out how much money an individual who stops smoking might save through giving up smoking, the cost to the local fire service, savings on street cleaning through reduced cigarette littering and the extent of gains to employers from reduced employee absences.

The first tool, which focuses on smoking cessation, is now online and available to download (http://thensmc.com/resources/vfm/smoking-tool). Additional tools focusing on breastfeeding, alcohol abuse, obesity and bowel cancer are due to be published soon.

So will this significant vote of confidence in the role social marketing can play in addressing public health issues, change the way in which some currently view NICE? As the organisation’s scope continues to grow and its role diversify, will NICE ultimately win the argument that it is an enabler to access rather than a barrier? Time will tell.

According to a March 2 New York Times Prescriptions blog piece, “the creators of the site said they hoped to dispel confusion over the law’s details by allowing people to access information tailored to them and, eventually, by adding a chat feature where users can ask specific questions and get immediate feedback from experts. The site was also designed to provide details to doctors and other health care providers who take questions about the law from patients.”

Six other groups, in addition to the family physicians’ academy and AARP, make up the coalition that created the site. Among them are the American Medical Association; the American Nurses Association; the Catholic Health Association; the National Community Pharmacists Association; the American College of Physicians; and the American Cancer Society’s Cancer Action Network.

Thought partnership is pretty simple— it’s the process of convening others to help answer big questions.   Being a thought leader still sounds good, but the days when a single company can frame and shape collective action are long past. Especially in healthcare, a thought partner knows that the big problems can’t be solved in isolation, and assembles like-minded parties to tackle problems together.   There are three fundamental differences between thought leadership and thought partnership.

Thought leadership begins with a stake in the ground. Thought partnership begins with a question.

The challenges facing the healthcare sector — from preserving innovation to care delivery to affordable access – are too thorny for any single solution or any one entity to solve.  Corporations who are true thought partners start by examining how their commercial interests align with bigger societal issues, and then find common ground with stakeholders to achieve mutual ends.  The questions start and don’t stop: what is the biggest challenge to solving this issue?  How should we tackle it together?   Can we agree on this goal?  What are your thoughts on achieving success?

Thought leadership is a statement. Thought partnership is dialogue.

Thought partners bring people together to tackle hard issues.  They convene groups, debate actions, and align stakeholders around solutions that can be advocated collectively.   Thought leaders have agendas; Thought partners build agendas collaboratively with other stakeholders.

Thought partners don’t confuse “sponsorship” with “partnership.”   Financial commitment is important, but thought partners also roll up their sleeves.   Thought partnership is as much about joining conversations, sharing information and spending time in the trenches with allies as it is about opening the checkbook.

Thought leadership has a single winner. Thought partnership has lots of winners.

Thought leadership is successful if an individual or company’s reputation is strengthened around a certain issue.  Thought partners measure success not only by how much they win, but by how many of their partners win, too.  A Thought partner’s success is achieved when a greater good is served.  By putting the message above the messenger, Thought partners build loyalty, trust, and preference—the ultimate goal of reputation.

The best definition of thought leadership I ever heard was from Peter Verrengia, President of CCW:  “First, have a thought.  Then, be prepared to lead.”  The problem is, there is no guarantee you’ll be followed.  In healthcare, thought partnership is a better option for achieving positive external exposure, enhanced corporate reputation and helpful alliances that support mutual success.

This article originally appeared in PR Week.