Wellness Goes To Washington

Stu Fink is an incredibly talented Associate Creative Director here at the agency. He gives thoughtful insightful here on the difference between being proactive vs. reactive. But not about the creative.

Hope this finds you well -- Jim.

Take it away, Stu:

With the battle over Universal Health Care showing no signs of abating anytime soon, it was a pleasure to read a recent Op-Ed by Senator Tom Harkin (D, Iowa) that thankfully did not reduce this complicated debate to an overly simplified game of “Socialists vs. Sadists.” What Harkin did, instead, was shine a light on one area of this proposed legislation that, until now, has largely been ignored. And that’s Wellness.

Harkin writes, “I view this legislation as our opportunity to recreate America as a genuine wellness society – a society that is focused on prevention, good nutrition, fitness, and public health.” Later he writes that 95% of every health care dollar is currently earmarked for illnesses and conditions after they occur. That leaves just five percent for prevention.

I tend to think Harkin’s point transcends politics. Some of you may beg to differ. What is fascinating, regardless of your political affiliation, is just how long it’s taken Washington to make the connection between Wellness and Illness.

I tend to split our client roster into two distinct camps. Proactive Health and Reactive Healthcare. Into the camp of Proactive Health falls any product or service promoting preventative steps to remain healthy. Being able to protect your eyes from UV rays with Transitions Lenses, that’s Proactive Health. Being able to protect you and your partner from a sexually transmitted disease with Durex Condoms, that’s Proactive Health.

Reactive Healthcare encompasses our clients that offer medication and resources to those who who are already “sick.” Staving off a second heart attack with Plavix, that’s Reactive Healthcare. Protecting your esophagus from damage with Nexium, that’s Reactive Healthcare.

But the truth of the matter is this: these are not two distinct camps. They are intrinsically linked and forever intertwined. One camp often leads directly into the other. Protect your skin from the sun today, cut down on your chances of skin cancer tomorrow. It’s pretty simple. We get it, and we’re just marketers. Thankfully, Washington seems to be getting it, too. Better late than never, I suppose.

In the words of Jim, I hope this finds you well.

- Stu Fink, Associate Creative Director at Saatchi & Saatchi Wellness

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A CFO's Take on Proposed Tax Regulation for Pharma Advertisers

Bob Liodice, CEO of the Association of National Advertisers, recently wrote a guest editorial in AdAge about potential new tax laws for advertising prescription drugs. I'm not sure I understand why one industry would be treated any differently than another, but I do know that it has huge potential impact. Our CFO, Michael Day, gives his perspective on the topic.

Hope this finds you well -- Jim.

Take it away, Michael:

Q: When does a Finance Guy write a Wellness blog post?

A: When the Government considers unfair tax regulation on advertising by the prescription drug industry.

Mr. Bob Liodice, President and CEO of the Association of National Advertisers, is spot-on in his guest editorial in AdAge. The approach currently under consideration by the House Ways and Means Committee (HW&MC) has far reaching, extremely negative ramifications for Free Speech, the health of Americans, the stability of some 21 million jobs (as Mr. Liodice points out as supported by the advertising industry) but also for the USA’s place in the world of business.

You can read about it here: http://adage.com/article?article_id=137578

The HW&MC is considering eliminating the ability for advertisers of prescription drugs to claim their advertising expenses as deductions. For this select group of manufacturers, the previously legitimate business expense will no longer be such. But only for them.

If the Tax Code can be manipulated to support or punish industries based on who is or is not popular with the political forces of the day, can any industry be confident they aren’t next? Additionally, toward the broader economic wellness, would any investor or company choose to place their money in a country where such whims would determine if their investment made any return?

The conversation itself seems odd. If advertising by this segment of American business is so problematic, you would expect a large-scale movement in Congress proper to prohibit pharmaceutical marketing. It just happened (again) for the Tobacco industry, but pharmaceuticals were not addressed.

The industry understands the sensitivity and the desire to balance consumer health benefits with the cost of healthcare. Both the ANA and the AAAA, along with PhRMA, are all working with the current Presidential Administration to draft new guidelines to deliver that balance. Wouldn't it be great if the HW&MC joined that process, rather than spend taxpayer time and money to draft a rule that will likely need to survive Supreme Court review (if it can) before it possible goes into effect?

- Michael Day, CFO at Saatchi & Saatchi Healthcare Communications Group

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New Ambien CR Rooster Webisodes

The agency has gotten a lot of accolades for our work on Ambien CR with the "Rooster" campaign. We just recently extended the campaign to include a series of webisodes which are quite inventive. I'll let our lead account person, Sarah Hall, fill you in on how we got there.

Hope this finds you well -- Jim.

Take it away, Sarah:

There's something surreal about being on a shoot sitting in a dark room with crates of roosters surrounding you. But then again, there's something surreal about our Ambien CR "Rooster" campaign. And that's exactly why we have so much fun working on it! The exciting part is that we've just taken the campaign to a whole new level.

From this campaign's initial stages, or it's hatching, we knew we had stumbled upon a great icon to represent insomnia. The campaign received a lot of attention last year when it was introduced with a series of :15 teaser spots and followed up with a branded :60 (over a million hits to the microsite in less than 2 weeks!).

In addition to the blogs and articles written about the campaign, it has also been nice to have the Rooster acknowledged with industry awards. After about 10 months on air we feel he still has wings, and therefore have recently extended the campaign to include a new :60 commercial and a series of webisodes to demonstrate how your next day is effected as a result of the Rooster coming in the middle of the night.

The webisodes gave us the chance to really bring the Rooster to life, so to speak, and to dramatize even further its symbolism for the effects of insomnia.

Check them out on the brand's official site: www.ambiencr.com (click on the rooster on the left).

The development of this campaign is one I won't soon forget. I can't say I was ever familiar with Roosters before this, but in the last year we've all become somewhat experts on them. So if you find yourself in the company of a Rooster here are some tips we've picked up:

• They don't like working in the rain
• They won't respond to direction unless food is involved (usually smelly, living food)
• They crow when they want to crow
• They like to peck eyes

All in all they are actually pretty cool creatures. The more time we spent with them, the more we appreciated what marvelous animals they are. Even if they only have ability to learn one task therefore requiring multiple roosters for one commercial, they are innately pretty funny animals without even trying.

Make sure you check out their many talents in the webisodes.

Wishing you all a rooster free night!

- Sarah Hall, Account Director at Saatchi & Saatchi Wellness

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Farrah: A Brave Angel

We lost two of the biggest pop icons of our generation yesterday, Michael Jackson and Farrah Fawcett. The gaps they both leave behind will never be filled again. Fortunately, their contributions to our society have already been immortalized.

I'd like to comment on a particular gift that one of them left behind for us.

"Farrah's Story" is a documentary that Farrah Fawcett ("Double F" as her friends call her) released just this past May. Rather than focusing on the glamorous life that could only be led by an "Angel", Farrah shockingly allowed us to witness her battle with cancer first hand.

The documentary is raw and very hard to watch, particularly when you contrast it with Charlie's Angels. But it is a rare gift from a very public person who showed us what it's like to deal with a very crippling disease.

You can read a little bit about it here:  http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30749929/

"Farrah's Story" gives us the opportunity to see what it's like to go through cancer treatments. To experience the ups and downs of a deadly disease. To witness the side effects of drug therapies that were created to help extend life.

The documentary also shows us a woman filled with hope and love. Something that you have to have if you are going to fight a disease like cancer, or any other disease.

We work on a number brands that treat critical diseases, like cancer. Having the chance to really understand what it's like to live with these drugs and to fight these diseases is indeed a gift. It's a window into something we might not ever otherwise see.

Despite the pain and frustration, Farrah also gave us a peak into an incredibly strong and brave woman who fought the good fight every single day. Famous or not.

As "Double F" says at the end of her documentary, "What Are You Fighting For?"

Hope this finds you well -- Jim.

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Our Own "Blue Ocean Strategy"

Have you heard of the book? It's not exactly new, but it was wildly successful just a short time ago. I picked it up again just recently and scanned back through the first few chapters. It's quite enlightening.

Here's the "cliff notes" version from my perspective ...... when marketing your brand, don't go where all of your competitors are already fighting it out. Go to a new space, an uncharted space where you can really stand out and win. Go to a big, expansive blue ocean where all is clear.

Some might call it going out of the box but it's even bigger than that. Going to uncharted territory is big thinking that can often be scary and risky. But when successful, the rewards can be huge.

Our agency just recently had our own blue ocean experience that resulted in a big new business win. And while we didn't ever call it a "blue ocean strategy" in the process, we did sub-consciously go to a whole new space in the category. We dove into a big blue ocean.

Can't divulge the brand or client, because it's a new product that has not launched yet. I can tell you that it's in a highly competitive consumer category, where there are multiple brands already fighting for attention and share. All playing the same game, all making the same noise, all swimming in the same pool.

In the new business pitch, we came in with a totally different approach, knowing full well that we were taking a risk.

It wasn't rocket science, but it did allow the brand to play in a different space, in a different way than all the other competitors in the category.

Score! The client loved it and awarded us the business. And we had a blast in the process. If all goes well, I'm sure it will become among the best of the agency's work ever.

Doin' the butterfly!

Hope this finds you well -- Jim.

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Rain Rage

The itsy bitsy spider went up the water spout......

Is the weather washing you out? You're not alone. Our newest Strategic Planner, Tim Flood (no pun intended), has been observing New Yorkers as they deal with all the wet weather.

Hope this finds you well -- Jim.

Take it away, Tim:

"The New Wet Normal"

I woke this morning to CNN's anchor stating the obvious to New Yorkers, "Can you believe rain has fallen for 18 of the first 23 days of June?" As if we needed a heads-up on what's been going on in soggy Gotham. Personally, I've been able to put on a delusional shield against the weather, continually reminding myself this can't last forever. But I can't say the same for my fellow New Yorkers who seem more ornery than usual.

The constant bad weather has taken its toll on New Yorkers and it’s greatly affecting their mood, outlook and overall wellness.

This past week, I’ve heard New Yorkers tell stories of cancelled bbq parties, craft fairs, postponed trips to the Hamptons and how their personality has dramatically changed over the past few weeks. The weather is even affecting New Yorker’s health and eating habits. In fact, Weight Watchers has reported weight gain among their members this week.

Virginia Cusick, 58, a teacher from Staten Island, NY said, “I don’t feel like myself these days. In fact, I don’t feel like doing much of anything…and I’m quick to anger”. That anger is being described by The New Times as “Rain Rage” (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/20/nyregion/20rain.html).

In fact, this past Saturday I saw first-hand this city's wellness at its breaking point.

My father and I were at the U.S. Open Golf Tournament at Bethpage Black, our Father's Day tradition. We hung out in the rain for hours, soaked, while following our favorite, Phil Mickelson. Around noon, we decided to grab a few hotdogs and a couple of beers. As we waited in line, in the rain, two 40-something guys began yelling at each other - one claimed the other had cut him in line. Profanities quickly turned into shoving, and shoving turned into a left-handed upper cut.

Watching all this happen, I realized they weren't bad guys: just average fathers in khakis and polo shirts, soaked to the skin at an event they'd probably been looking forward to all year. Their favorite weekend had been ruined & they simply lost it.

There is hope though.

Ani Kalayjian, Ed.D., R.N., professor of psychology at Fordham University NY, advises that we "can and should take proactive steps to strengthen the brain's system against weather-driven mood changes. We encourage people to take charge of their feelings," says Dr. Kalayjian. "Do things that make you feel good, like listening to uplifting music or reading a good novel. Feelings are transient; we can change them, transform them into positive," concludes Dr. Kalayjian.

As for me, I think the answer lies in sodden solidarity, reminding ourselves this can’t last forever and we’re all in this together.

- Tim Flood, Strategic Planner at Saatchi & Saatchi Wellness

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Zicam and Innovation

The Zicam news from last week has now been reported in virtually every channel imaginable. Anyone in the marketing space knows the scoop. So I wasn't going to comment on it because honestly I didn't think I had anything to add to the story.

But I got to thinkin' ...

I hope that this recent news doesn't become a "Zicam effect" on product innovation. Yes, products should be tested for both their efficacy and their safety. And yes, the FDA should govern over both the practices to prove efficacy/safety as well as manufacturer compliance.

But as a health and wellness industry, we need to continue to innovate. We need to continually come up with new solutions that help consumers stay well. We need to give them options and choices, using the latest in science and technology and imagination.

When Zicam was first introduced, I was working on Tylenol. As someone who was working in the cough/cold/flu category for over a decade, I was so impressed by the innovation. Zicam was a new option for consumers and it quickly became a success.

No we shouldn't put products in the market that can cause damage, and I don't personally know if that's even the case with Zicam. I don't know enough about the situation. But I also don't want to have the industry get scared into submission, and pull back on product development and innovation as a result.

That would be a bad effect of the recent Zicam news. Let's keep innovating -- and testing our imagination.

Hope this finds you well -- Jim.

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