Bridget Brennan To Keynote M2W-HW

Bridget Brennan, author of the highly acclaimed Why She Buys: The New Strategy for Reaching the World’s Most Powerful Consumers, and CEO of Female Factor, will kick off the 3rd M2W®HW™– The Marketing Health & Wellness To Women Conference, Thursday April 26, Hard Rock Hotel, Chicago.

Brennan, an acclaimed and engaging speaker whose book was called "essential reading" by the Wall Street Journal and "required reading for anyone burdened with a Y chromosome" by Fortune Small Business, will teach the audience of marketing executives the fundamentals of gender psychology, and the global trends driving women’s purchasing decisions.

She’ll provide a roadmap showing health and wellness execs how to evaluate both sales and marketing from a female perspective. Highlights will include why women may notice aspects of products, marketing campaigns or sales environments that even the most savvy marketers might have overlooked. She’ll detail the six most important trends driving global female populations that are key to determining women’s wants and needs — particularly in health and wellness. She’ll show marketers how to see their business through a female lens.

"Bridget always wows us," exclaimed Nan McCann, M2W®HW™ producer. "She was one of most exciting and popular speakers in 2010 and 2011 at M2W® – The Marketing to Women Conference. This is her first time on the M2W®HW™ stage. She will inform, enlighten and inspire everyone who attends and build the buzz for this year’s program!"

"M2W®HW™ actually starts Wednesday afternoon, April 25, with a pre-conference reception and runs through Thursday, April 26," McCann added. "It is specifically designed for marketers in the health and wellness categories.  Companies who have sent execs and teams to M2W®HW™ include: Microsoft Health Solutions, Bayer, AARP, Kraft, GlaxoSmithKline, Brigham & Women’s, Clorox and Sanofi-Aventis. They attend because they recognize that women mean business and brand growth, especially in the health and wellness categories."

M2W®HW™ is sponsored by Global Sponsor: Chicago Sister Cities International; Associate Sponsors: Ketchum, Yahoo!, Vibrant Nation, Digitas Health, Redbean Society; Workshop Sponsors: Brogan & Partners, Kids Health; Showcase Sponsors: BlogHer, Women’s Health Foundation, eHealthcare Solutions, Carolina Pad, HealthyWoman; Affiliate Sponsors: American Cancer Society, CMPI; Video Content Resource: Snippies.

"M2W®HW™ is the second major component of Women Mean Business!™ Week." McCann explained. "The week is an executive education effort anchored by the 3rd M2W®HW™ and the 8th Annual M2W®. It is designed to inform business leaders about the global economic and cultural impact of women. In addition to the two conferences, the week’s activities include the Global Kickoff Luncheon, Global Brand Panel and Global Agency Panel pre-conference sessions."

For complete information visit: www.m2w-hw.com or call 860.724.2649 x13. M2W®, M2W®HW™ and Women Mean Business!™ Week are produced by PME® Enterprises LLC, 912 Silas Deane Highway, Suite 101, Wethersfield, CT 06109.

Chicago Sister Cities Int’l Named Women Mean Business!™ Week Global Sponsor

Chicago Sister Cities International, in the spirit of its mission to promote Chicago as a global city, develop international partnerships and networks, and share best practices on a city-to-city basis, has become a Global Sponsor of Women Mean Business!™ Week and its associated events, April 23 – 27, 2012, in Chicago.

The week is an executive education effort anchored by the expansion of two marketing conferences, the 8^th Annual M2W^®– The Marketing To Women Conference, and the 3^rd M2W^®HW™– The Marketing Health & Wellness To Women Conference. It is designed to inform business leaders about the global economic and cultural impact of women. In addition to the two conferences, the week’s activities include the Global Kickoff Luncheon, Global Brand Panel and Global Agency Panel pre-conference sessions, and a mid-week fundraiser.

“We are very pleased that Chicago Sister Cities International has agreed to join us in this effort,” stated Nan McCann, Women Mean Business!™ Week, M2W^® and M2W^®HW™ producer. “Over the past several years we’ve attracted growing attendance from literally every continent. It seemed only natural to form an alliance with Chicago Sister Cities. Their goals and mission align perfectly with ours.”

Women – The Key To Economic Growth In The 21^st Century
“Reflecting the week’s Women Mean Business!™ theme,” McCann added, “the power-packed agenda is filled with learning opportunities focusing on the economic opportunity of women. We want to help everyone from the C-Suite— and throughout the enterprise— understand the economic imperative of women in every aspect of their business, in every corner of the globe. The week’s schedule also includes fundraisers, social activities and special events to help participants build business connections regionally, nationally and globally.”

“Not many people realize it, but women now control over $20 trillion in spending worldwide,” McCann explained. “That’s larger than the combined economies of the U.S., China and India. At a time when leaders are looking for ways to fuel and reset the global economy, they need look no further than women. The Women Mean Business!™ Week Kickoff Luncheon will set the tone of optimism for very real and present solutions offered to multinational businesses and organizations. It’s an exciting and invigorating message that should appeal to every key decision maker in the world today.”

The Kick-Off Luncheon will be followed by two global educational sessions, showing how companies can expand their international opportunities by leveraging the purchasing power of women. The first session will focus on advertising research and how-to strategies and methods. The second session will show how brand marketers from a variety of product categories have already successfully marketed their products worldwide.

“After that we move on to more traditional M2W^® components,” McCann continued, “including Marketing to Women 101 and a pre-conference workshop focusing on digital communication techniques. The day wraps up with M2W^®’s traditional pre-conference reception, which gives speakers, sponsors and attendees an opportunity to connect and compare notes.”

Defending The Caveman & A Gala Break From Business
“On Wednesday night after we wrap up M2W^®, and before we begin the 3^rd M2W^®HW™– The Marketing Health & Wellness To Women Conference,” McCann explained, “we’ll host a couple of transitional networking and entertainment elements of Women Mean Business! Week. First, we’ll present a custom performance of “Defending the Caveman,” Broadway’s smash hit comedy about the communication differences between the genders. It drives home the message that marketing to women requires a more informed and nuanced approach. “Caveman” will be followed by M2W^®HW™’s pre-con reception. After that everyone will celebrate with hors d’oeuvres and refreshments at the Women Mean Business!™ Gala.”

3rd Year For M2W^® – Health & Wellness
“The second major component of Women Mean Business!™ is M2W^®HW™– The Marketing Health & Wellness To Women Conference,” McCann continued. “It starts Wednesday afternoon, April 25, with a pre-conference reception and runs through Thursday, April 26. “M2W^®HW™ is specifically designed for marketers in the health and wellness categories.  It always features the very latest research, case studies, workshops and how-to sessions teaching marketers how to reach women and grow brands on every communication channel. Our content runs the gamut from traditional print advertising and packaging to the very latest digital media”

“Companies who have sent execs and teams to M2W^®HW™ include: Microsoft Health Solutions, Bayer, AARP, Kraft, GlaxoSmithKline, Brigham & Women’s, Clorox and Sanofi-Aventis. They attend because they recognize that women mean business and brand growth, especially in the health and wellness categories.”

M2W^®’s Eighth Year
“Over the years,” McCann stated, “M2W^® has grown to be the world’s premier conference on marketing to women. We’ve hosted attendees from all over Europe, the Mid-East, North and South America, Australia and Asia. M2W^® is annually attended by Fortune 1000 senior brand marketing executives,” she added. “Registration has included companies as diverse as Harley-Davidson, Bayer, Aetna, ESPN, Kraft Foods, Ford, GM, Johnson & Johnson, Kellogg, Diageo, Walgreens, Wells Fargo, NBA, Burton, Coca-Cola, L’Oreal, Procter & Gamble, ConAgra and Whirlpool.

“Women Mean Business!™ wraps up with a breakfast review on Friday morning.”

For complete information visit: www.m2w.biz, www.m2w-hw.com or call 860.724.2649 x13. M2W®, M2W®HW™ and Women Mean Business!™ Week are produced by PME® Enterprises LLC, 912 Silas Deane Highway, Suite 101, Wethersfield, CT 06109.

About Chicago Sister Cities International
Chicago Sister Cities International (CSCI) provides leadership to develop, manage, and coordinate comprehensive programs and projects with Chicago’s 28 sister cities. CSCI is committed to promoting Chicago as a global city, developing international partnerships and networks, and sharing best practices on a city-to-city basis. For more information about Chicago Sister Cities International, please call 312.201.4525 or visit www.chicagosistercities.com.

About PME Enterprises
PME® is a sales and marketing company specializing in events and expositions. Founded in 2001, PME®’s experience covers the complete event spectrum including national and local trade shows, national and local conferences, and a variety of special events. For sponsors, speakers, exhibitors & attendees…PME®’s on-going mission is to bring people together to build share and drive sales through the creation, promotion and production of events. PME® events are known for their top-quality execution, relentless dedication to service for all stake holders and best-in-class content. For more information about PME® visit www.pme-events.com or call 860.724.2649 x13.

3rd M2W-HW to Take Place April 26, 2012

Save the date! The 3rd M2W®-HW™ will take place April 26, 2012 in Chicago.

Visit the conference website for updates on speakers, sponsors and the event schedule.

Speaker and sponsorship opportunities are still available. Call Liz Fongemie at 860-724-2649 x11 for more information.

Hot Healthcare Headlines

These are some of the health marketing stories in the news this week:

‘Next They’ll Tell Us Junk Food Is Good For Us’ Syndrome: It’s not going to happen overnight but putting "No Fat" on your label could become more of a liability than a plus once new scientific thinking hits the mainstream (MediaPost).

Checkup: Bounty and Special K Build their Health Credentials: Special K and Bounty both recently launched new marketing messages that focus on health. The iconic cereal asks women to recognize the empowering inner benefits of reaching their weight management goals, and "the quicker-picker-upper" paper towel now takes an emotional approach, tied to an issue that resonates with every parent: cleaner schools (Promo Magazine).

Packing Up Old Digital Habits: One agency takes an amusing look back at how things have changed in digital marketing in the health space in the past ten years (MediaPost’s Marketing: Health).

Price of Drug to Prevent Preterm Labor Skyrockets: Last month the FDA approved Makena, a drug to help prevent preterm labor in pregnant women at high risk for it. The drug has been available from compounding pharmacies for years, at a cost of about $10 or $20 per injection, but now that a single company has won market exclusivity for seven years, the compounding pharmacies have to stop making the drug, and the cost for the FDA-approved product will now be as much as $1,500 per dose (WSJ Health Blog).

Marketing to Women “Full Circle Award” Goes To Nathan Littauer Hospital’s Cheryl McGrattan at M2W-HC

Above: Susan Kiernan, VP of Development, Nathan Littauer Hospital looks on as Cheryl McGrattan, Director of Public Relations for Nathan Littauer Hospital receives the M2W®-HC™ Full Circle Award from Nan McCann, President of PME Enterprises and Co-Founder of M2W®-HC™

The 2010 ‘Full Circle Award’ was given to Nathan Littauer Hospital’s Director of Public Relations, Cheryl G. McGrattan, during the annual M2W^®-HC™- Marketing Pharma & HealthCare to Women Conference, November 16 & 17 at The Chicago Cultural Center. The award is annually presented to the participant who best incorporates what they learned into a successful marketing campaign. Cheryl McGrattan joins past winners from Harley-Davidson, Motorola and Ghirardelli Chocolate. Nathan Littauer Hospital is a community hospital located in Gloversville, NY. After attending the conference in 2009, Cheryl was asked to join the Conference’s Leadership Committee. She also was a speaker at the conference.

“M2W^®-HC™ is designed to help brands improve their sales and marketing to women who make 90% of all healthcare decisions in this country,” according to Nan McCann, M2W^®-HC™ producer. “Cheryl McGrattan and Nathan Littauer won for using what was learned at M2W^®-HC™ 2009 to grow the hospital’s brand. Integrating new social media capabilities into their traditional media plan was smart, cost-effective, and successful.”

“Simply put, I was inspired.” McGrattan explained, adding, “I left last year’s conference with two missions. First, I wanted to create relevant, empathetic and respectful communications to the women in our region. Second, I wanted to create an integrated social media platform for our hospital. Luckily the conference prepared me to reach both goals.” She explained, “After attending the preconference workshop, I launched a social media platform for the hospital which included, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube channels. We quickly gained traction and earned the title of ‘the most connected hospital in our region’”. In the spring the hospital launched a microsite – unlike any in the state- called www.radiologyrevolution.com. And the hospital created a new position: a Social Networking Technician, who oversees this important initiative for the hospital.

“Our social media efforts have definitely had a positive effect.” Cheryl McGrattan notes, “For our hospital our social media channels are a valuable touch point. People from all over the country are on our sites. And our staff has really embraced this project.” Says McCann, “It takes organizational will to make these kinds of changes. Cheryl McGrattan got management approval to attend the conference. When she returned and told them about what she learned they listened, and allowed her to enhance the communications strategy with social media. That’s why this is a solid win for the entire Nathan Littauer organization. This is a team that works well together!”

M2W^®-HC™ is national event, annually attended by a wide variety of health care organizations such as: Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corp. Pfizer, Coyne PR, WebMD Corporation, Kraft Foods, Inc., Bayer Healthcare Pharmaceuticals, Paychex, Inc., Obstetrical and Gynecological Association, Methodist Healthcare, WomenK!nd LLC, WellSpring Pharmaceutical Corp., NBC Universal, The Clorox Company, NBC News & CBS News, Ogilvy CommonHealth Worldwide, Healthy Advice Networks, Hologic, Inc., e-Healthcare Solutions, Inc., March of Dimes, American Cancer Society and others.

“The talent at this conference center is staggering.” stated Cheryl McGrattan

For conference schedule and information: www.m2w-hc.com or 860.724.2649 x13. M2W^®-HC™ is produced by PME^® Enterprises LLC, 216 Main Street, Hartford, CT 06106.

Nathan Littauer Hospital and Family of Health Services serves Fulton, Montgomery and Hamilton Counties in Upstate New York with a full-service 74-bed hospital, eight primary care centers, a nursing home and a community education center. The hospital was founded 119 years ago, has 950 employees and recently opened a new Emergency Care Center this fall. More information about the hospital can be found by visiting www.nlh.org.

Wanted: Senior Sales Executive

PME® Enterprises, producers of M2W®-HC™, is looking for a Senior Sales Executive to build content and generate sponsorships for our successful national marketing conferences. See www.pme-events.com for more info about our company. Position requires 5 -7 yrs experience, strong track record selling sponsorships, events and non-traditional media to national accounts. For consideration call Jim 860.724.2649 x12 TWTh betw. 10 – 11 a.m. ET

Medtronic Finds Success with Bladder Control Campaign Targeting Women

For women, bladder issues appear to becoming part of more mainstream conversations—thanks in part to campaigns from brands such as Poise (recently highlighted in our M2W®-HC™E-ssentials feature of “Campaigns We Love”) and now Medtronic.  In support of Bladder Health Awareness month, Medtronic is extending its national women’s health campaign, Facing Our Moments™ which is designed to encourage women with overactive bladder (OAB) to face their bladder control issues and “reclaim the important life moments that often are missed due to concerns about bladder control.”  This year’s campaign features a series of both fun and educational Girls’ Time Out events during the month of November where women have the opportunity to talk to a bladder health expert and meet other women who suffer from similar conditions. Girls’ Time Out events are being hosted by partner hospitals and clinics in more than 25 cities throughout the country.

The campaign is a partnership between Medtronic and women’s health advocacy groups Accidental Sisterhood Foundation and Women’s Health Foundation. As part of this partnership, Medtronic has provided grants to both foundations to support their activities in connection with this awareness campaign. “Overactive bladder can have a substantial impact on daily living, which often results in a woman’s sense of control and happiness being compromised,” said Cindy Kent, Vice President for Urology, Gastroenterology and Deep Brain Stimulation Therapies in Medtronic’s Neuromodulation business. “Medtronic has seen positive momentum through our awareness campaign, and we want to help more women understand their condition and what they can do to treat it.”

REGISTER NOW to hear about other successful healthcare campaigns during M2W®-HC™-The Marketing Pharma and Healthcare To Women Conference, November 16 & 17, 2010 at the Chicago Cultural Center.

BabyCenter® Launches Healthy Cause-Marketing Initiative

BabyCenter® is the latest brand to tap into a woman’s instinct to do good by partnering with the Grameen Foundation to support innovative mobile healthcare for expectant mothers in the developing world via a fundraising and education campaign.  As part of this partnership, BabyCenter provides expert health information tailored specifically to pregnant women in rural communities of Ghana.  Deployed via mobile phones, the objective is to promote healthy pregnancies and encourage women to seek prenatal care as well as offer advice on topics such as breastfeeding, immunizations and how to manage pregnancy-related costs.  BabyCenter has also added a new section to its website dedicated to raising awareness and donations for Grameen Foundation’s mobile health education initiatives, with the potential to reach more than 8 million moms in the U.S. and more than 20 million moms worldwide.   “BabyCenter is committed to bringing vital health information to mothers around the world and to empowering these women to take control over their own health,” said Tina Sharkey, Chairman and Global President of BabyCenter. Sharkey was a speaker during last year’s M2W®-HC™-The Marketing Pharma and Healthcare to Women Conference.   ”There are large populations of women in developing nations who don’t have access to books, the Internet, or even regular visits with their healthcare professionals, but they do have basic mobile phones. Our collaboration with Grameen Foundation allows us to reach these underserved women; doing what we can to help raise funds and awareness for this program brings us one step closer to our shared goal of improving maternal health worldwide.”

See how other brands are using cause marketing techniques to help improve the health and wellness of women throughout the world during next week’s M2W®-HC™.

P&G Introduces the ‘Always Me™’ Mobile App

And speaking of mobile apps, P&G’s Always has just launched its ‘Always Me™ mobile application–a comprehensive period and ovulation tracker.  The application was designed with input from a select group of women-focused website editors, bloggers and female health experts.  “A key motivator for us was the reality that while all women establish daily routines and different ways to manage their monthly cycles, they are also looking for solutions to help make their lives a little easier,” said Courtney Schuster, Always Global Brand Manager. “In an age where our phones connect us to our family, friends and on-demand content, we created the Always Me mobile app to help women stay connected with their bodies in a current, customizable way.” One of the unique features of Always Me is a personalized question and answer function to address any personal or intimate questions that she may have.  Consumers can submit a question related to their menstrual cycle, and a health professional will provide a timely answer within 24 hours.

Looking ahead, P&G has plans to expand the mobile application to include a wide range of useful information and tips for various aspects of a woman’s life, including skin, hair and beauty care—an expansion that appears to be copied by numerous brands in the healthcare industry.  “Smart phones, which put the Internet into women’s pockets, are more prevalent than computers globally and will pass 50% of all mobile phones in the US by Q3 2011,” says Kate Caldwell of Draftfcb.  Caldwell will be giving insight into this “next revolution” of healthcare marketing during next week’s M2W®-HC™. REGISTER NOW to attend this event and see where pharma and healthcare marketing is headed.

What Drives Mom to Buy During Cold and Flu Season?

According to a recent survey from KIWI magazine and Xigo Health’s “marketing to mom” panel held during the Natural Products Expo East in Boston, lack of information is the key to why moms may not be buying.  “I think retailers need to pay very close attention to moms and their specific needs when it comes to education on products,” says Maxine Wolf, the magazine’s publisher and past M2Moms® presenter.   ”Our research shows that moms will buy more if they can get better information.”

During the panel, the moms discussed the importance of sampling products and coupons as an entry point and agreed that if the product seemed to be effective at preventing or decreasing the prevalence of illness that cost was not an issue. Panel members expressed the importance of making the shopping experience easier for families, giving specific suggestions; and discussed the importance of recommendations from friends and family and the commitment of the company to provide accessible education about ingredients.  “The panel reconfirmed that education is still the cornerstone for the natural product industry,” says Robert U. Craven, CEO of Xigo Health and founder of LaunchNatural. ”Moms are not afraid to buy from new companies or explore new ingredients, but they want information and therefore a constant dialog between the company, retailers and consumers is vital.”

To learn more about what drives mom’s health and wellness purchasing decisions REGISTER NOW to attend M2W®-HC™ where you will hear more about how to engage “Dr. Mom” and what health marketers need to know about the evolution of today’s American families.