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.

New Aetna Portal Helps Consumers Get Most from Health Benefits

According to a national survey by Be Smart About Your Health, a new online consumer portal developed by Aetna—an Associate Sponsor of this year’s M2W®-HC™–almost 70 percent of Americans say they’re paying more attention to what health benefits options are available because of the new health reform law.  But, unlike other consumer purchases, many find the process can be challenging.  In fact, 40 percent of Americans admit that when it comes to health care, they don’t know what they should be looking for (20 percent) or they don’t know what questions to ask (20 percent).  This is why Aetna created the Be Smart About Your Health site.  “If there were ever a year for consumers to get smart on their Open Enrollment information, this is the year.  Consumers told us that they’re concerned about health care costs increasing, and that hard facts on health reform can be elusive.  That’s why we’ve created a real-time resource that can help people choose, use and get the most value from their benefits,” said Susan Kosman, RN, BSN, MS, Chief Nursing Officer for Aetna.  “A lack of understanding can be a barrier to better health.  This new online portal can help simplify all aspects of managing your health from maximizing your benefits to treating a chronic health condition.”

At the cornerstone of the site’s success is how it does away with the common medical and insurance-speak, and instead uses plain, everyday language—a topic that Aetna will be covering during their M2W®-HC™ presentation.  “Aetna is using a unique combination of tools and resources—ranging from mobile web and smart phone “apps”, to plain language web resources and materials that demystify a complex health care system,” says Jill Griffiths, VP and Head of Market and Clinical Communication for Aetna.  Griffiths will be part of an Aetna panel of experts that will include Christine Riedl, Head of Enterprise Medical Product for Aetna and Amy Cueva, Founder, Chief Experience Officer and Health Principal for Mad*Pow.

REGISTER NOW to attend M2W®-HC™ and learn from these (and many other) health care and pharma marketing experts and brand leaders.

Study Shows Women’s Influence over Obesity Epidemic

Research released by HealthyWomen (HW), an Affiliate Sponsor of this year’s M2W®-HC™, sheds new light on women’s understanding of their role and influence in America’s growing obesity epidemic.  The survey showed that while the majority of women believe a parent’s obesity has an influence on a child’s risk of becoming obese (87 percent), surprisingly only one-quarter (28 percent) of women surveyed assign the responsibility to themselves.  And the influence starts early. Only 11 percent of women in HealthyWomen’s WomenTALK survey realized that a child’s risk of becoming obese more than doubles if the mother is obese during her first trimester of pregnancy. Because a mother’s influence is so strong, some see the survey findings as an opportunity to reverse bad behaviors and a call to action for breaking the cycle once and for all.  “While the statistics are disconcerting, we know that mothers are commonly viewed as role models for eating behavior and serve as gatekeepers of food,” says Elizabeth Battaglino Cahill, RN, executive director of HealthyWomen. “From an early age, children tend to eat the same foods as their parents, especially mothers, so exposure to nutritious foods like fruits and vegetables is not only setting a good example, but also positioning your child on a lifelong course of good health.”

Be sure to meet some of the HealthyWomen executives during this year’s M2W®-HC™, November 16 & 17 at the Chicago Cultural Center.

Joy Behar Joins Bayer and WomenHeart to Promote Heart Health

Popular comedienne and television host Joy Behar and her daughter Eve are partnering with the makers of Bayer® Aspirin and M2W®-HC™ Affiliate Sponsor WomenHeart:  The National Coalition for Women with Heart Disease to help women become better educated about heart disease and encourage them to live a more heart-healthy lifestyle.  This new initiative includes offering women a wallet-sized card describing the symptoms of a heart attack along with a special-edition pill tote with a convenient key ring that makes it easy to always have aspirin on hand (experts agree that taking as little as one-half of a regular-strength aspirin tablet can reduce the risk of death by up to 23 percent if administered as directed by a doctor when a heart attack is suspected and continued for 30 days thereafter).  Women can obtain a pill tote by visiting IAmProHeart.com and making a $5 donation to WomenHeart.  For each donate, Bayer will make a matching donation of $5 to WomenHeart up to a maximum of $100,000.  The IAmProHeart.com website also provides useful heart-health tools and information and stories of real heart attack survivors.  Supporters if the site can also join the I Am ProHeart Facebook page to get frequent heart health tips.

“I’ve experienced firsthand the devastating impact that heart disease can have on a family when left unchecked, and I’ve learned that, when a heart attack strikes, your first line of defense is having an aspirin on hand to help reduce damage to the heart,” said Joy. “This is especially important for women, who are less likely than men to survive and are more likely to have a second attack.^iv Being prepared can offer women and their families that second chance to embrace a heart-healthy lifestyle.”

Be sure to meet some of the WomenHeart team during this year’s M2W®-HC™ and don’t miss Bayer Healthcare Pharmaceuticals’ presentation on the successful “50^th Anniversary of The Pill” campaign.  Register Now!

Gannett Launches Multi-Media Campaign for National Breast Cancer Foundation

Gannett is launching a multi-media marketing campaign for the National Breast Cancer Foundation, Inc. (NBCF) that will run throughout October and is designed to raise awareness for the early detection of breast cancer.  The campaign will engage a wide range of audiences across Gannett’s multi-media network — from local broadcast stations and websites to national brands including USA TODAY and USA WEEKEND, as well as digital sites such as USATODAY.com, MomsLikeMe.com and HighSchoolSports.net.  “The National Breast Cancer Foundation’s life-saving mission to raise awareness about early detection and the prevention of breast cancer is so important,” said Gracia Martore, Gannett’s President, COO and CFO. “We’re helping them take this message to people across the country through an integrated campaign utilizing our vast portfolio of broadcast, print and digital products.”   The NBCF’s Early Detection awareness campaign includes the following components:

• Digital home page ads on USATODAY.com and seven Gannett Broadcast sites with interactive ads allowing audiences to directly register for the NBCF Early Detection Plan®
• Targeted ad placements alongside USA TODAY’s new special health section, “Your Life”
• High-impact messaging in USA WEEKEND
• HighSchoolSports.net, Gannett’s hyperlocal online sports authority, will feature a fundraising drive with a donation scoreboard that tracks donations among all network high schools
• On-air campaign across seven Gannett television stations, driving audiences to register for the NBCF Early Detection Plan online
• A custom digital video produced by Gannett Video Enterprises designed to remind viewers to think about the impact of breast cancer
• A continuing education initiative for nurses sponsored by Kaplan University and promoted via Gannett Healthcare Group’s platforms, including nurse.com, Nursing Spectrum and NurseWeek magazines and CE Direct

Multi-media campaigns such as this will be the focus of numerous presentations during M2W®-HC™ and are sure to give brands and marketers insight into how they can implement their own successful initiatives.  “It’s time for all of us to embrace our inner creative spirit and humanity to make our marketing as great as our mission,” says KickSkirt’s Mary Dean.  Dean, a popular speaker from last year’s M2W®-HC™ is back this year to give us simple strategies for creating campaigns that connect rather than alienate.  “There is not a formula, but there is a roadmap,” says Dean.  “And this presentation will put you on track.”

Sam’s Club Offers Free Prescription “Check-Ups”

Sam’s Club understands the importance of health literacy, a topic that will once again be part of numerous discussions during this year’s M2W®-HC™.  The big box brand has announced the launch of Making Sense of Your Medications, an awareness campaign to encourage patient consultations with a pharmacist to review their medications.  Sam’s Club pharmacists will offer free prescription check-ups in honor of American Pharmacists Month in October to both members and non-members.  To participate, customers can bring all their medications, regardless of the pharmacy that filled the prescription, to a Sam’s Club during regular pharmacy hours. No appointment is necessary.   The free prescription check-up includes:

• Advice on how to take medications to maximize effectiveness, including when and how to use them, whether they should be taken with food, what side effects may occur and more.
• Comprehensive assessment of all prescription medications to determine possible interactions, no matter where the prescriptions were filled by the customer.

“At Sam’s Club, we believe that our pharmacists play an integral part of a patient’s medical team,” said Jill Turner-Mitchael, SVP, Sam’s Club Health and Wellness. “Free prescription check-ups are a service that we provide year round, but many customers may not be aware that this service is available to them – that is why we are launching this awareness campaign during American Pharmacists Month.”

Speaking of check-ups, don’t miss Ketchum’s M2W®-HC™ presentation this year where they will unveil a new proprietary tool, The Health and Wellness Brand Check-up, that offers communicators a comprehensive—yet specifically targeted—marketing tool to measure the impact of a brand’s health and wellness communication online and offline.

Healthcare Organizations Move from Disease Management to Disease Prevention

During his presentation at this year’s M2W®-HC™, Scott Bennett of the American Cancer Society will be giving insight into how the organization has transitioned from a focus on disease management to now focus on disease prevention.  That same philosophy can be seen in the National Cancer Institute’s new video blog that has launched this week on the organization’s Smokefree Women Facebook page (http://facebook.com/Smokefree.Women).

The new video blog will allow real women to share their quitting stories and offer encouragement to other women, as well as incorporate opinions and perspectives of those who’ve never smoked. The Smokefree Women team will talk to women in the community about how smoking affects their lives and will gather footage from various places, such as sporting events, airports, and parks and post the videos to the Smokefree Women Facebook page.  Women will be invited to participate in quizzes testing their knowledge of smoking and tobacco topics in exchange for prizes as well as given the opportunity to submit questions to smoking cessation experts which will appear in “Ask the Expert” video posts.

Users’ comments will drive storylines, and eventually subscribers will be invited to submit their own videos, graphics, and stories.  The video blog is part of the National Cancer Institute’s Smokefree Women Initiative which offers tools and resources to help women quit smoking.

Don’t miss Scott’s presentation at the 2^nd Annual M2W®-HC™-The Marketing Pharma & Healthcare to Women Conference, November 16 & 17, 2010 at the Chicago Cultural Center.

Newly Approved Bayer Oral Contraceptive Raises Folate Levels in Women

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved a new oral contraceptive (OC) from Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals.  Beyaz™ is the first and only OC approved to raise folate levels in women who choose an OC for birth control.  In these women, Beyaz raises folate levels for the purpose of reducing the risk of a neural tube defect (NTD) in a pregnancy conceived while taking Beyaz or shortly after discontinuing it. Beyaz combines the hormone ingredients in the birth control pill YAZ® with 451 mcg levomefolate calcium, which is a B vitamin.  “Combining an oral contraceptive with folate is important, because women may become pregnant during OC use or shortly after discontinuation, possibly before seeking preconception counseling from their healthcare provider,” said Dr. Anita Nelson, Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, Torrance, California. “For women who want to use an oral contraceptive, Beyaz offers a new option for women to receive daily folate supplementation.” Bayer HealthCare and March of Dimes are working together to raise awareness about the importance of folate and folic acid.

Bayer Healthcare Pharmaceuticals was the force behind the innovative “50^th Anniversary of the Pill” campaign which is the focus of the brand’s upcoming M2W®-HC™ presentation.  Bayer’s Heather Mauriello and Heidemarie Schnell will be joined on stage by Karen Carr, VP of imc2 health & wellness and will dig into the execution of this campaign and highlight key learnings across multiple platforms including media partnerships, public relations, a centralized online destination and numerous social media opportunities.