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- Ruling upholding ACA would fatten consumer advertising
If the Affordable Care Act is upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court, health insurance advertising would be redirected from businesses to consumers, potentially growing into a $2.5 billion category, according to Brian Wieser, Pivotal Research senior analyst. Wieser says that figure would comprise 6% of national television ad spending and contribute some $600 million to health-oriented websites such as WebMD. Adweek
(6/22)      
- Insurers likely to maintain consumer focus no matter how court rules
Insurance companies are bracing for the Supreme Court ruling on the Affordable Care Act, and they say that, regardless of the decision, they will have to speak more directly to consumers from now on. Aetna, Humana and Cigna have crafted campaigns that take aim at the end consumer, a shift from selling primarily to the wholesale business market. There may be a learning curve for the companies, which are new to consumer sales, and they are likely to get much more feedback from consumers, said observers including the Coalition for Healthcare Communication's John Kamp. The New York Times (tiered subscription model)
(6/21)
- RxAlly campaign aims to boost adherence to blood pressure meds
RxAlly's Performance Network is launching an educational campaign centered around free blood-pressure screenings at RxAlly-network pharmacies. The campaign, which is also supported by the American Pharmacists Association Foundation, also aims to involve pharmacists in getting patients with cardiovascular disease to take their prescribed medicine. Drug Store News
(6/21)
- Hispanic, black consumers respond to mobile shopping technologies
Hispanics and African-Americans are adopting new technology for shopping more readily than other groups, according to an Integer Group and M/A/R/C Research study. Those demographics are more likely than white Americans to conduct product research and make purchases via mobile devices, for example. "Mobile marketing to multicultural shoppers is a huge opportunity," said Velocidad senior account planner Martin Ferro. Drug Store News
(6/22)
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- CVS mines ExtraCare data to personalize website
CVS is using data derived from 14 years of its ExtraCare rewards program to personalize CVS.com. In addition to receiving tailored coupons and offers, pharmacy patients will be able to track prescriptions and consolidate family-member data on one dashboard. "We are uniquely positioned to make sure that the logic and the thinking and the insights that we have really pay off for the customer,” says senior vice president and chief marketing officer Rob Price. Drug Store News
(6/21)
- FDA, developers face off on health care apps
The proliferation of mobile health care applications has put increasing pressure on the FDA, as well as developers who are finding it increasingly expensive and difficult to get their products approved. "There are two completely different mind-sets. The app people think: Where is there a need and how do I fill it? And the FDA thinks: Where is there a problem and how can I control it?" said Merrill Matthews, a scholar at the Institute for Policy Innovation, a think tank. The Washington Post
(6/22), USA TODAY/Kaiser Health News
(6/27)
- Educational tools boost marketing OTC at POS
The activation of point-of-sale health care ambassadors is still a largely unrealized opportunity for over-the-counter drug marketers, writes Michael Johnsen. Brands should develop sophisticated educational tools to aid consumer engagement, following the lead of companies such as Akorn, Prestige Brands, and Meda Consumer Healthcare initiatives. "This isn’t a would-you-like-fries-with-that-Tylenol kind of incremental up-sell. It’s an opportunity to improve the patient experience with additional solutions," Johnsen writes. Drug Store News
(6/24)
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- Watchdog groups snarl at Merck's push for Children's Claritin
Merck's advertising and social-media strategy for Children's Claritin is under fire from a coalition of advocacy groups that claim the use of "Madagascar 3" movie characters violates regulations against marketing to children. The group led by the Public Health Advocacy Institute says that because DreamWorks has licensed the characters to promote food products, children might mistake the allergy medicine for candy, but Merck says it's strictly marketing to adults. The legal distinctions between over-the-counter and prescription drugs complicates the marketing issue, analysts say. Medical Marketing & Media
(6/21), Adweek
(6/20)
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- Hospitals can learn customer satisfaction from retail
As hospitals increasingly focus on patient satisfaction, they should take a page from the retail industry, says Jim Sellers of analytics firm Buxton. Hospitals can't make a patient's visit as fun as shopping, but streamlining and improving processes and areas such as scheduling, registration, billing and waiting rooms can make hospitals more patient-friendly and give an edge in the market. BeckersHospitalReview.com
(6/18)
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- FDA to study how disease awareness info affects consumer perception of branded drug ads
The FDA announced last week that it plans to study how disease awareness information may affect consumer perceptions when it is is included in branded drug ads. The agency is concerned that a full description of the medical condition common in disease awareness ads may include health outcomes that are outside the scope of a drug’s approved indication. Coalition for Healthcare Communication Executive Director John Kamp and Arnie Friede, former Associate Chief Counsel and former Pfizer Senior Corporate Counsel, weigh in on the issue. Read more.
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| The Buzz(CORPORATE ANNOUNCEMENTS)
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 | Health care executives who start thinking, acting and delivering more like retail executives, and who can motivate their employees to provide a great patient experience, will win the patient satisfaction game."
--Jim Sellers, senior vice president of marketing services at analytics firm Buxton, as quoted by Becker's Hospital Review
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