The Social Media Revolution

You may have seen this video on YouTube --- it's a very compelling take on the revolution in social media that is happening right before our eyes. Totally worth a view if you have not seen it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sIFYPQjYhv8

The part that hit me the most is the length of time it has taken for social media to hit critical mass, as compared to other "revolutions" in our recent past like internet usage, television, and radio.

Climb on board because the train has left the station.

Hope this finds you well -- Jim.

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Large vs. Small Agencies

This is perhaps the best article I've read about the difference between large and small agencies ... or independent and network agencies, depending on your perspective.

It's not at all that one is better than the other. Or smarter, or cheaper. Quite the contrary. The point here is that it's all about the client/agency match. No judgements about pricing or network models, just a simple argument that a client should match its needs and perspectives to the type of agency it selects.

Perfect. I won't say more --- just read the article! http://adage.com/agencynews/article?article_id=139542

Hope this finds you well -- Jim

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Pass the Turkey

It's Fall - my favorite time of year. Sweaters, scarfs, the changing landscape. Pumpkin spice latte. And the holidays!

Which brings something to mind -- turkey! I never eat turkey except during the holidays, why is that?

This season one turkey brand in particular is leveraging not only the holidays, but the continued movement towards wellness and the effects of the economy.

Hormel's Jenn-O Turkey Brand. Never heard of it? The brand just launched what I consider to be a very insightful campaign. BrandWeek ran an article about it a bit ago:  http://www.brandweek.com/bw/content_display/news-and-features/direct/e3ia88ac756513e0fd9eb92be04ee9ea0b6

What's impressive about the new campaign is all the cultural factors that it pulls on:

- the always out there, ever green attempt to lose weight (turkey helps promote weight loss)

- the economy (turkey is a more affordable meat option)

- a shift away from convenience/versatility to wellness (less about having multiple options and more about changing the way you look and feel)

- a tie in with the phenomenon "The Biggest Loser" (tv show and assorted other properties all about transforming yourself)

The "talent" is the father and son team who lost more than 400 pounds combined on "The Biggest Loser" last season. An incredible transformation that they attribute to the brand.

The Hormel Jenn-O brand folks have obviously done their wellness homework. Impressive!

Hope this finds you well -- Jim.

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Searching for Pharma

It seems that the pharmaceutical industry is either taking direction literally or running scared.

Search, SEM, Sponsored links.

Remember earlier this year when the FDA sent warning letters to almost every pharmaceutical company regarding practices around online search. The FDA maintains that, just like with any other communication media, information around benefits and risks must be balanced. Even with search.

So in other words, when a brand talks about what that the drug does, it must also talk about the risks associated with it. In some places that's easier to do than in others. Certainly search creates a challenge.

The response from pharmaceutical companies? According to an AdAge article today, the industry has severely dropped its use of sponsored links (paid search) by 84%: http://adage.com/article?article_id=139500

Makes sense, actually. As an industry we need to figure out the rules of engagement here and as an industry we need to work with the FDA to come up with a good solution around these kinds of issues. As an industry, we have not done that yet.

Enter the upcoming Open Forum from the FDA. Good call and long overdue. I look forward to it.

Hope this finds you well -- Jim.

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Botox Off Label Use

In a somewhat stunning, and certainly proactive move, Allergan filed a suit against the FDA for banning off label use of Botox. The company is citing "free speech" as its argument. Bold.

When you cut through the clutter of the matter, what's really happening is that Allergan is in a Botox box. If they actively talk about off label use, then they have to provide data which comes under incredible scrutiny and potential penalties from the FDA. If they don't talk about off label use, then they still come under incredible scrutiny and potential penalties.

So what's a brand to do? Try to change the situation, even with the government.

I don't know enough about the brand and the data to say if off label use is right or wrong in this situation.  Off label uses of Botox include some pretty serious medical issues and also migraine headaches -- not just wrinkle reduction. 

But I do commend Allergan for putting themselves out there and taking a stand, even with the government.

You can read more about the situation in this Business Week article:  http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/oct2009/tc2009102_051864.htm

Hope this finds you well -- Jim.

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Best Way to Relax on the Weekend

It is so important to take time to relax -- it's an important factor in our overall wellness. For me, that only ever happens on the weekends, and honestly I have to push it to make it happen even then.

But I have to say that I did just spent the most relaxing weekend ever, doing absolutely nothing!

HeartOfHealing.com calls relaxation "perhaps the single most important key to health and well-being." Relaxation helps to reduce stress which many have said is the biggest contributor to poor health. It also gives the heart a rest -- reduces blood pressure and muscle tension -- and helps you to sleep at night.

The best part is that relaxation restores your energy. In this crazy world we live, it's important to rest and relax, at least once in awhile!

I discovered a fun little website called bestuff.com over the weekend. It compiles visitors thoughts on the "best stuff". You can click in to see other's opinions on the best of whatever it is that you are looking for.

In my super relaxation mode, I punched in "best way to relax on the weekend" and here's what I got:

- getting lost in a song

- shopping

- travelling

- taking long shower or bath

- having a massage

- swimming (although this certainly does NOT give your heart a rest!)

The first three certainly hit home ... and for me running does the trick every morning!

I hope this finds you well -- Jim.

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Best Presentation in the World

Slideshare.net ran a competition for the best slidedeck in the world and they posted the winner here:

http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/the_best_slide_deck_in_the_world_explaining_health.php

As business people, we sadly live in a "powerpoint" (should I have TM'd that?!) world. I'm guilty too. So I thought that this was interesting in a few areas:

- Clever marketing from slideshare.com to get the word out about their site (I wouldn't have noticed otherwise)

- The winner used very old school creative techniques and it was the simplicity of those techniques that presumably helped to "win"

- Despite the nature of almost all presentation slides that I've seen, visuals rule when it comes to communication

The fun part here is reading all the comments that were posted after the winner was announced. Since the winning deck was about healthcare reform, a lot of folks couldn't separate content from design. They couldn't help themselves but to comment more on the healthcare debate then on whether this was a well crafted presentation. Perhaps they are right, it's hard to say a presentation is "best in the world" if you don't agree with the content.

The "world" part also caught people off guard because it seems that the contest is very US-centric. The internet has taught us that if you are going to say "world" then it better be "world".

Interesting, that's all.

Hope this finds you well -- Jim.

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