BrandInnovator

Sharing music: a powerful way that humans bond

2012-01-27T05:00:00.006-06:00

This weekend, I started listening to the audiobook of Oliver Sacks' Musicophilia

The Columbia University professor is probably the country’s best known neurologist. He has the ability to make the complexities of neurological disorders understandable to laymen while portraying the afflictions of his patients in a compelling and compassionate way.

When the book was first published, writer Scott Horton of HARPER'S Magazine put 6 questions to Dr. Sacks about his remarkable study of music and the human brain.

Here's one of the exchanges:

4. You suggest that we favor language as our primary medium for the communication of ideas, but your book develops the case for music as another important vehicle. Doesn’t this suggest that music and language have the potential to reinforce and support one another as media of communication?

There is a great deal of debate about the relationship between music and language, and speculation about which capacity evolved first. It has often been suggested that music emerged as a by-product of linguistic capacities. But musical rhythm, with its regular pulse, is very unlike the irregular stressed syllables of speech. We will probably never know the answer here, but whether parts of the brain evolved specifically to process music, or music happened to make use of neural pathways that arose for other reasons, it is clear that music has been central to the human enterprise for 40,000 years or more. Bone flutes, some of which date back even further than this, have been found at Neanderthal campsites. Sharing music is one of the most powerful ways humans bond together, and this has obvious survival value. We still use music in this way, to come together in singing religious songs, holiday music, national anthems, protest songs, even “Happy Birthday.” If we had a time machine, it would be fascinating to learn how early music and speech came together in the form of song. Steven Mithen, in The Singing Neanderthals, proposes that speech and music developed simultaneously, as a sort of song-speech, which later separated into spoken language and music.

Read the full interview at harpers.org

“Sphere Within Sphere” sculpture at Vatican: reflecting a fractured world

2012-01-26T05:00:00.004-06:00

When I posted this photo to my Facebook friends, I got many comments wanting to know about this unusual sculpture.

This bronze sculpture is called “Sphere Within Sphere” (Sfera Con Sfera) and it is the centerpiece of the Courtyard of the Pinecone at the Vatican Museum.

Measuring four meters in diameter, it was created by artist Arnaldo Pomodoro in 1990 for the Vatican Museums. Pomodoro's specialty is the casting of gigantic columns and/or globes. In this magnificent sculpture, the fractured surface of the outer sphere reveals a very complex inner sphere.

It tells a story of the harsh difficulties that the modern world finds itself in at the end of the second millennium.

8 branding worksheets - available on this site for limited time

2012-01-25T05:00:00.000-06:00

I'm soon going to be updating my book website, Forward-Fast.com

So, I want to remind you of the brand workshop tools you can download now for free.

Click to view the list of exercise-templates-for-branding

It pays to look up

2012-01-24T05:00:00.004-06:00

The Sistine Chapel is not the only beautiful ceiling at the Vatican.

All around the basilica and museum, I admired some of the world’s most beautiful ceilings.

They were indeed intricate masterpieces.

Ways to get a live human: bypass those endless customer service phone trees, have them call YOU back.

2012-01-23T05:00:00.000-06:00

We’ve all called a customer service department to get information about a product or resolve an issue. So, you know the drill: Dial the number, navigate an endless maze of automated voice prompts, reach a live human and, finally, begin to explain your situation. If you zapped an entire lunch hour doing this, you're far from alone.

That’s why I love the website GetHuman.com

It’s a searchable list of more than 8,000 companies, customer service numbers and details on the fastest way to reach live company reps.

Here’s a post by a CVS Pharmacy just this week: “At most CVS stores press 8001 to skip all menus as soon as the automated voice starts. This will start a special ring in the pharmacy and is usually used by supervisors to get in contact with the pharmacy right away. ”

Plus, there’s a cool feature to have a company call YOU instead. Find a company, and if call-back is available, you'll see a big orange button for it. Tell them your phone number, and they get the company to call you back instead of waiting on hold.

“Per Grazie Ricevute” - a wall of gratitude

2012-01-21T05:00:00.011-06:00

On my first day in Rome, I enjoyed a morning walk on via Trastevere. I passed a wall of little plaques with “PGR” written on them. Some spelled out the phrase “Per Grazie Ricevute.” There was also an altar to the Virgin Mary.

Since I only know that grazie means “thanks,” I could only assume it was a gratitude wall.

When I returned home, I did more research on the wall and its tradition of appreciation.

The wall of Per Grazie Ricevute is a thanksgiving wall for those who've had prayers answered. They manifest their gratitude by attaching small PGR plaques on the wall. It represents thanks for any miracle, and the names on the plaques are the persons whom the miracle touched.

Admiring the view: the windows of Europe

2012-01-20T05:00:00.001-06:00

I often found myself admiring all of the windows while on my recent trip across Europe. I came back with so many pictures of windows, from inside and out, both decorated and plain -- all of which in some form or fashion I loved. (I also caught myself imagining what the view was like from the other side.)

"Better to be...": a personal brand story with attitude

2012-01-19T05:00:00.016-06:00

The words are powerful.
The medium is gritty.
The placement is Berlin, a city known for its strength.
Even the font is an individual's handwriting.

This is how a personal brand story gets told with attitude.

Can't translate "Pan Am" into "Lufthansa"

2012-01-18T05:00:00.002-06:00

I love the glamor and nostalgia of "Pan Am."

But I don't think they'll ever be able to translate it into "Lufthansa."

The Halo Effect: a force of a winning team

2012-01-17T05:00:00.002-06:00

"The halo effect," write John Hechinger and Curtis Eichelberger in BusinessWeek, "is the remarkable force a winning sports team exerts on a university’s brand and student recruiting power."

Boise State University credits its Broncos football team with giving the school a big boost after the team won the Fiesta Bowl in both 2007 and 2010.

One donor from California specifically cited an article about the team when he sent a $250,000 pledge in support of a new business building, says spokesman Frank Zang.

Applications soared 9 percent after the 2007 victory and 4 percent after 2010. The percentage of out-of-state students, who pay almost three times the tuition for in-state students, now stands at 19 percent. Members of this year’s freshman class hail from as far away as Saudi Arabia and Japan.

6 game-changing innovations - and inspiration for your brand

2012-01-16T05:00:00.002-06:00

In a recent issue of FAST COMPANY, six industry players proposed six game changers that could supercharge struggling companies such as Honda and Quiznos.

How could these ideas inspire innovation with your brand?

8 items in my carry-on

2012-01-13T05:00:00.001-06:00

As I travel across Europe for market research the last 10 days, I wanted to keep my carry-on bag light, but still stay productive.

I saw a feature in the Lufthansa Magazin that asked "what's in your bag?"

Here are the 8 essential items I've been carrying.

Laptop
iPad
Notebook
Noise-cancelling headphones
Phone plug and back-up battery
Sunglasses
Receipt envelope
Neoprene sleeve case

Rome: streets on the move

2012-01-10T05:00:00.000-06:00

It's fun to see the scenes of Rome streets on the move. Here are some videos.

St. Peter's Basilica and the Sistine Chapel: a sense of power

2012-01-09T16:00:00.023-06:00

It was an amazing and memorable afternoon for me to tour St. Peter's Basilica and the Sistine Chapel. I was overwhelmed with the sense of power throughout: the history, religion, politics, and art.

As I walked among the museum works, I also tried to capture some less-than-ordinary photos. Admiring the grounds out the windows. Capturing the sunlight coming through the windows onto the statues. Looking at the dome between the massive columns.

Here are a few pictures as examples of the day.

Paris skies: clouds add a dramatic backdrop to the story

2012-01-09T05:00:00.001-06:00

The weather in Paris was quite cloudy and sometimes drizzly. But it looking back at the pictures, it did provide a dramatic backdrop to many of the sites I visited.

Eiffel Tower: a different story at night

2012-01-09T01:35:00.001-06:00

I visited the Eiffel Tower for first time at night. It tells a completely different story with the lights outlining its structure and the night sky creating drama.

Louvre: statues of artists with more than ideas

2012-01-08T05:00:00.004-06:00

As I stood in the plaza of The Louvre museum in Paris, I was struck by the artists, thinkers, and leaders around the building.

And it reminded me again, that they don't erect statues for people who just have good ideas -- but for people who took action and made an impact on the world.

These are the innovators we celebrate for centuries.

L'Opera Garnier: a harmony of music and artchitecture

2012-01-07T05:00:00.002-06:00

L'Opera Garnier was opened in 1875 and located on the right bank of the Seine in the 9th Arrondissement .

During my stay in Paris, my hotel was nearby and I walked past the Opera house quite often. It occurred to me what a perfect complement of music and architecture it was. That is true harmony of design.

With its neo-baroque , richly embellished interior style, the opera is unique among the monuments of Paris at that time, mostly by classicism and historicism. The architect wanted the opera with its own style where visitors would see and be seen. These needs in accordance with the architect created a spectacular marble staircase, the Grand Foyer , the round Salon du Glacier and finally red and gold hues.

Until the opening of the Opéra Bastille in 1989, the Palais Garnier was the largest theater in the world (even if the Vienna State Opera and La Scala in Milan have more seats). The area covers 11,237 square meters, the hall has an eight-ton crystal chandelier illuminating the staircase, and the building is constructed with over 30 different types of marble.

Outdoors, it features arch piers of the lower facade with allegorical sculptures jewelry: the lyrical poetry, the music, the idyll, declamation, singing, drama, dance and the lyric drama. Over the arc seen medallions with images of Cimarosa, Haydn, Bach and Pergolesi. In the niches of the Loggia gilded bronze busts of great composers (Halévy, Meyerbeer, Rossini, Auber, Spontini, Beethoven and Mozart) are attached. In the attic are bronze groups of lyric poetry with the Muses and the genii of Fame. The huge dome surmounted by a statue of Apollo, flanked by Pegasus figures. The side and rear facades are a relief from orbit intertwined swastikas, which is located in the upper level of the windowsills. A similar relief is also in the Sully wing of the Louvre.

College of Bernardine - inspiring monument of learning

2012-01-06T05:00:00.002-06:00

On my way back to the hotel last night, I stopped to admire The College of Bernardine, an historical monument in the heart of Paris.

The place has undergone a complete renovation beginning in 2004 and completed in August 2008. It was conducted by Hervé Baptiste, chief architect of historical monuments in the old part, and Jean-Michel Wilmotte for contemporary spaces.

This major renovation put 350 steel piles 20 meters deep in all exterior walls and under each pillar. It was during this work that ancient Romanesque arches were uncovered – having been buried in loose soil over the many decades.

It was opened in September 2008 by the Archbishop of Paris Archbishop Andre Vingt-Trois . On Friday September 12, 2008, Pope Benedict XVI gave a speech to more than 700 cultural leaders as part of his apostolic visit to France.

The College of Bernardine has been part of the Diocese of Paris since 1984, and its Cathedral School is open to all those wishing to explore Christian thought, witness to their faith, or assume responsibility in the Church. Since July 19, 2005 it has been a private institute of higher education.

It annually hosts more than 3,000 students. Each according to his own vocation, secular or religious, professional or priestly, finds a place for reflection on the Christian faith to illuminate the issues facing people today.

You can read more about the College at http://www.collegedesbernardins.fr/

4 areas of research of chronic kidney disease at CESP in Paris

2012-01-05T05:00:00.031-06:00

Today, on my first day in Paris, I’ll be visiting the Groupe Hospitalier Pitié Salpétrière and the Centre for Research in Epidemiology and Population Health.

The team has a long history of research into the epidemiology of diabetes and obesity with a major contribution in the field of descriptive epidemiology (evolutionary trend of these diseases in France) and the connection between these diseases and cardiovascular disease.

Given the rapid increase and the occurrence of increasingly early obesity and type 2 diabetes – and the recognition of the role particularly deleterious recent changes in our lifestyle – the research team has focused on:

describing the natural history of these diseases with a whole life approach
studying environmental determinants (nutrition, physical activity) of these diseases and their biomarkers.

The central hypothesis of their research is that type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and chronic renal failure are common determinants in relation to early growth of the fetus and newborn. After birth, a number of factors very common in modern societies (excess calories and nutritional imbalances, physical inactivity) will promote the development of excessive adiposity, which is a second factor common to these diseases.

Finally, there is likely relationship between early growth and development of adiposity. Research based on studies conducted at different stages of life will all connect the assumptions of each other. It is hoped that the synthesis of all the work should allow researchers to approach the natural history of these diseases during life.

I’ll be most interested in the study of chronic kidney disease in relation to the metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular risk.

The work on this topic is developing in four areas:

Study of trends and geographical variations of the different stages of chronic kidney disease from analysis of data from French registers (REIN) European and kidney failure.
Studying the relationship between chronic kidney disease and metabolic syndrome, and associated morbidity and mortality. within the cohort of 3 Cities (with LC. Helmer, C. Tzourio, JF Dartigues, A. Alpérovitch, INSERM units 360 and 593) in a subsample of 1500 subjects aged over 65. It should identify the elderly at greatest risk of renal impairment who may benefit from measures referred to as “nephro-protection.”
Study of the early factors: our team plans to study the size of the kidneys (as an indicator of nephron mass) to 5 years in children born EDEN cohort with a delay of intrauterine growth compared to a control group.
Risk factors for progression of glomerular nephropathy to renal failure from the GN-PROGRESS study (in with J. Rossert (U356)), whose aim is to jointly study the role of environmental factors and polymorphisms of genes encoding proteins or peptides involved in the progression of renal failure in three histological types many phenotypes of primary glomerular nephropathy

2012 goal of collaborating more effectively in long-distance meetings

2012-01-04T05:00:00.002-06:00

My global work has expanded every year, and I’m already planning for it to grow even more in 2012. This includes market research, client engagements, and expert consultants in five countries just this month.

I’m always on the lookout for ideas on what I can do to ensure that my distance collaboration activities are productive and effective — and that the experience has the simplicity and quality needed to produce the engagement I want.

So, I appreciate a report sent to me recently by The Future of Work...unlimited, a research and advisory services firm, and its sponsor GoToMeeting web conferencing service.

From their report, “The Future of Business Collaboration,” by James P. Ware, PhD, here’s a simple checklist of questions to ask before you launch a remote collaboration activity.

First, Understand the Game

Purpose (The Objective of the Game)

· What are the specific goals of the collaboration effort? How will you know you have achieved your goals?

· Do all the stakeholders (whether or not they are active participants) share these goals? If not, are there ways to make everyone a winner? Or to mitigate any potential perceived losses?

Process (The Rules of the Game)

· Are the processes and procedures for working

together clearly stated, and widely understood?

· Do all participants understand the “rules” and agree with the plans for moving forward?

People (The Players)

· How well do you know all the people involved?

· Do the participants have the requisite skills to be effective partners in the collaborative activity?

· Do the participants share the goals of the effort? Do any of them have additional, more personal goals or “agendas” that could either enable or detract from the group’s accomplishments?

Second, Define the Playing Field

In addition to the tools, techniques, and training that support collaborative activity, it is critically important to focus on two components of any work environment: establishing trust and acting with transparency.

Trust and Transparency are two sides of the same coin. Together they will determine the way any collaborative activity unfolds and what kinds of Outcomes it produces.

Trust exists between people or groups when there is a belief that what is said will be done—that commitments are honored, and that everyone acts with the interests of everyone else in mind. Someone who is trustworthy can be relied on to do what he says he will do, and who speaks with candor and honesty.

Trust grows out of experience. We learn to trust others when we see that they mean what they say, they say what they mean, and their actions are consistent with their words.

Transparency refers to having all the cards on the table— out in the open. Transparency exists when no one is hiding their goals or withholding resources, and when everyone knows what the rules of the game are, and plays by them.

Leading Distributed Meetings

There are five specific things any leader of a distributed meeting must remember, whether the meeting is an audio conference call, a web meeting with screen sharing, a video call, or a combined multimedia session:

1. Publish an explicit agenda ahead of time; encourage invitees to comment on or enhance the agenda

2. Establish meeting “etiquette” — guidelines for speaking, listening, debating, and so on. Ask that everyone stay “tuned in” to the meeting and not attempt to multitask (e.g., checking email, reading unrelated materials, etc.)

3. Be sure everyone knows how to use the technology; schedule separate “training” sessions ahead of the meeting(s) if necessary. Provide participants with a checklist for using the collaborative tools effectively.

4. Spend the first few minutes of the meeting “checking in” with other attendees; ask for personal news and updates as well as business-related activities.

5. Respond to comments from others non- judgmentally; listen carefully and look for emotional content of comments; draw out the quiet members of the team; ensure that everyone has an opportunity to speak and express their ideas/opinions.

Making Personal Video Work for You

Finally, we end this report with a very practical, hands-on guide to using video as a “distance collaboration technology.”

Just as we no longer have to go to a telephone to make a phone call (because the phone is always with us), we no longer have to go to a large, expensive video conference room to participate in a video meeting.

Thus we are using the term “personal video” to encompass desktop webcams and video from mobile devices like smart phones or tablet computers—all in contrast to those large-scale video conferencing setups based in custom- designed and specially–equipped conference rooms.

Video is still so new to the workplace, and is such an information-rich medium, that many people do not realize how much difference some very practical and exceedingly simple techniques can make.

The Future of Work...unlimited is a research and advisory services firm that creates visions of the future and helps clients achieve them. We produce and distribute assessment tools, surveys, white papers and technical reports, newsletters, books, and articles, all focused on helping organizations create work environments that are cost- effective, socially and environmentally responsible, and personally satisfying.

GoToMeeting is an easy-to-use, cost-effective web conferencing service. GoToMeeting includes HDFaces^TM high-definition video conferencing at no additional cost, so you can meet face to face with anyone, anywhere, reducing travel costs and dramatically increasing productivity. Hold unlimited online meetings from your PC or Mac® computer for one low monthly flat fee. GoToMeeting will change the way you work – and perhaps a whole lot more.

2012 Color of the Year: Tangerine Tango

2012-01-03T05:00:00.002-06:00

The color of the year is a juicy, delectable orange.

A shade they call Tangerine Tango (or Pantone 17-1463, to be precise).

Pantone’s color guru Leatrice Eiseman told writer Jude Stewart of imprint that it is "a symbol of what people are needing, based on what is happening in the world around them. I felt that Tangerine Tango is just the color to break the malaise and much-needed today. Walk into many clothing department and you are faced with a sea of gray and black as retailers ‘play it safe’. It’s the bland leading the bland. Splashes of tangerine are a much needed jolt of visual Vitamin C. This color is not a downer, but an upper.

“I love the color in glassware and ceramics as the complexity of this secondary color is more apparent. In my travels to Italy I saw it everything imaginable— but the Italians have always ‘gotten’ orange and Missoni’s entrance into Target has helped to popularize the Italian sensibility within the States. Interestingly enough, saw lots of evidence of the color in my last trip to South Korea— especially in period costumes."

HEALTH MEGA-TREND #8: a sterilized society

2012-01-02T05:00:00.001-06:00

For the past few weeks, I’ve been sharing highlights from Datamonitor’s global consumer trends report.

As we start a new year 2012, let’s take a lot at another mega-trend shaping global consumers' buying behavior today – with an eye toward how it might continue in the future.

The research describes our increasingly sterilized society. This is the escalating obsession with hygiene, cleanliness and immunity.

Here’s three phrases that epitomize this trend:

“Sterilize me” – a focus on boosting self-immunity. Consumer lifestyles reflect the burgeoning interest in immunity boosters
“Healthy nesting” – ensuring hygiene and purity within their living spaces. Consumers generally recognize the broader health and wellness benefits associated with clean living environments.
“Purity values” – personal cleanliness matters, so brand marketers should leverage the wellness factor in the marketing of personal hygiene products.

I enjoying sharing the bigger-picture approach to trend-watching. I think it helps adopt a broader global perspective to trend-tracking. For sure, it facilitates better decision making by overcoming category myopia.

2012 inspiration for innovation: make "idea" a verb

2011-12-31T23:59:00.002-06:00

In the dictionary, the word "idea" is a noun.

"Idea" should actually be a verb. Because an idea is only real if you actually do something with it. I should know; I've had lots of ideas, but have acted on only a fraction.

This year I will work to make "idea" a verb, not a noun. (If nothing else it will be fun.)

That means trusting my analysis, my experience, my judgment, and even my gut instincts a little more.

And I'll be focusing my blog posts on inspiration in action this year.

HAPPY NEW YEAR! Now let's go do some idea-ing.

4 key elements that make N-of-8 story development different

2011-12-29T05:00:00.003-06:00

Right after the first of 2012, I’ll be embarking on a series of N-of-8 groups in several European markets.

So I thought it might be an appropriate time to post the highlights of how this process is different.

N-of-8 brand story development process helps you develop and communicate compelling and persuasive stories, and can help craft memorable brand messages that customers can easily relate to and recall.

In essence, N-of-8 story development is a tool that helps you listen to your customers and translate how to persuasively and effectively communicate your story.

Unlike other research, story development is:

A narrative story, not just claims
Development, not just simple testing
Iterative, not reactive
Seeks customer input, not just feedback

As with any good story, a strong narrative flow is key. By understanding the structure and components of the story, its narration becomes more effective, leaving the customer with powerful messages that can be easily retrieved.

N-of-8 is deliberately interactive, allowing us to establish a dialogue with customers and hear the story in their own words. It is a qualitative, iterative process, presenting stories in customer listening groups of eight participants. Customer response and participation is paramount in this process and we relay the raw, unpackaged stories in order to gain the most valuable customer input.

Initial stories are purposefully crafted to be provocative in order to give the customer something to push against. This allows them the opportunity to provide their suggestions on language, story flow and content, giving them a sense of “ownership” of the developing messages.

This is a key point: you are not testing for their approval on messaging, but rather probing for the customer’s direction in creating a meaningful and relevant final story.

The Art of Customer Experience: Planning for Success

2011-12-27T05:00:00.053-06:00

As I look back on memorable engagements of 2011, I really enjoyed my workshop with Maria Moran at the Ed Hoy’s International Premier Customer Weekend event. Here's an excerpt of my talk with the group.

Any conversation about customer service always generates personal stories about a memorable experience you’ve had – at a restaurant, hotel, store, or airline. While they might stick in our minds because of how bad the experience was, but just as often we recall some wonderful moment when we were made to feel special and cared for.

If you take the time to study these experiences, you can learn from them – and even more important, learn how to replicate positive customer service in your art glass business. Whether you sell at a studio, store, gallery, online, or any combination of these, you can apply proven principles to improve your success.

Let me share with you an excellent reference on this subject. A practical book entitled, DNA of Customer Experience: How Emotions Drive Value, by Colin Shaw. In his book, Shaw summarizes the underlying reasons to elevate your level of service, plus why it makes financial sense:

I have spent nearly two decadesstudying, creating, evaluating, and training on customer brandexperiences. So, I appreciate therigor of research conducted by the London Business School, which outlines fourclusters of emotions that can impair value – or, if addressed, can actually addvalue.

First let’s look at the customer feelings that can be destructive. Theseemotions are evoked in customers typically because their experience is “insideout”. This means the business focuses more on what is good for it and less onthe experience of the customer. The customers will describe feeling stressed, neglected, frustrated,disappointed, hurried, or irritated.

As you improve service, you can startwith simply engaging customers’ attention. The research shows that you canencourage customers to explore your offerings – and boost their short-termspending – by doing things that make them feel stimulated, creative, energetic,and indulgent.

Moving up to the next level, customerswill recommend your businessif they feel valued, cared for, trusted. That you focus on them more. Consider yourown personal experience; something nice that someone might have done for you athome, at your child’s school, or at a place you volunteer. What did the persondo and why did you feel valued? It’s probably because you know they spent time thinkingabout you, listening to you, understanding you, and personalizing a note orgift for you. Now flip this to the experience in your business, and think aboutwhat you could do for your best customers.

At the top of the pyramid are happycustomers who become advocates. These are customers who feel happy, pleased, and eventhrilled with their experience. They go beyond being the most loyal to proactively telling people aboutyour business without prompting.

Examples of Great Customer Experiences

In our training workshops, we benchmark several successfulbrands that are design customer experience we can aspire to. These include:

Lego – giving children the opportunity to plan with their toys in shops and, even more so, letting parents experience their children having fun with Lego toys

Zara – creating a sense of anticipation in their clothing shops, driving customers to repeat visits 17 times per year, compare to the 3-4 visits per year for regular stores

Build-a-Bear Workshop – building a brand experience with fun and unforgettable memories in a dramatic, highly interactive theme-park-esque environment. Bright colors, larger-than-life fixtures, and customized music. All to encourage people to stay and interact with the products and the associates.

My M&M’s Website – customizing the popular chocolate candies is a great way to add a personal touch to wedding and event favors, add some color to a birthday party, or give as a creative gift.

Improving theexperience for your art glass business

So, what are some actions you could take to plan yourcustomer experience? In ourtraining for art glass businesses, we proposed 3 areas of specific steps totake:

1. Educate Yourself on What Your Customers Value

Conduct a survey to learn howcustomers perceive your business. The survey would profile what most interests your customers, theirdesire for new offerings or services, and things they think you could improve.

2. Lead with Service to Stand Out from Competitors

Send a personal, handwritten noteto 10 recent customers and offer them a ‘refer a friend’ coupon. Review your customer list to determinethe Top 5; then contact them personally to thank them. Review the second 5customers; then contact them to ask, “what can we do for you?” or “how was yourexperience with us?”

3. Inspire Customers with Creativity

Update your website homepage with anew attention-getting element. Addenergy to your displays or web site with color, lighting, sound/music, orhands-on element. Create a newdisplay or webpage that engages customers (activity, puzzle, imagination, etc.). Create a Facebook fan page and postsomething personal or inspirational weekly.

In conclusion, the science of great customer experience canbe applied to your art glass business in a variety of creative ways. When you replicate these positiveservice enhancements, you will see a difference in business. And soon, you can be the one customersremember when they tell their friends about a memorable customer experiencethey enjoyed.

You can read more by clicking to the Ed Hoy quarterly newsletter

HEALTH MEGA-TREND #7: Appearance consciousness

2011-12-26T05:00:00.001-06:00

We certainly live in a visual culture. So, it’s no wonder that “appearance consciousness” continues to characterize an our image conscious society.

I’m continuing my series of updates from Datamonitor’s report on New Developments in Global Consumer Trends.

Here are the key learnings, implications, and actions suggested by Mega-Trend #7.

KEY LEARNINGS:

The high prevalence of appearance and body shape anxiety is at the core of "appearance based wellbeing" (or lack of it)
A more holistic pursuit of beauty through more diverse appearance management tactics is occurring
More consumers are adopting structured and sustained beauty regimes
There is a polarization of beauty ideals/attitudes that reflects the conflict between natural beauty and more ‘manufactured appearances’

IMPLICATIONS:

Appearance concerns impact consumers’ emotional and physical wellbeing. So, looking good has arguably never been more important
Health, wellbeing and beauty are becoming inextricably linked in consumers’ minds

ACTIONS:

Consumers globally attach considerable importance on their oral, skin and hair health which drives spend and the adopting of beauty regimes
Manufacturers are retailers must adopt diverse product portfolios on order to meet the polarized beauty ideals among global consumers

40% readmission for CHF: the challenge and a novel innovation

2011-12-23T05:00:00.006-06:00

“Sometimes a simple idea floods the room with light,” wrote Ross Weaver in a note to me recently.

Ross Weaver, PharmD, MBA joined Adjility Consulting earlier this year. In this blog, I want to share his innovation inspiration.

Here is the challenge:

Nationally, about 40% of hospitalized congestive heart failure patients were readmitted to a hospital within 120 days.

This was an interesting and medically relevant finding, but it had no negative financial implications to hospitals. Actually, hospitals profited from readmissions because it meant more beds were filled.

However, the PPACA legislation changes all of that. Now, the legislation allows CMS to withhold a portion of the total Medicare payments to hospitals with excessive CHF re-admissions within 30 days.

Now, there’s a financial incentive to avoid hospital readmissions!

Lots and lots of programs are being instituted to decrease the 30-day readmission rate. Complicated approaches. “We know best” approaches. Intrusive approaches. Approaches that seem good on paper, but are doomed to failure – because people are people.

Here’s a novel idea:

Instead of reengineering the whole cardiology department, how about providing a simple IT-based solution? How about have patients weigh themselves every day and while on the scale answer a few simple questions? Here is the neat part. How about have the scales submit the data daily to the appropriate medical practice, with software that identifies outliers who might need medical intervention?

Well, that is what the Montefiore hospital is doing. Kris Becker, RN and clinical care manager, monitors 120 heart failure patients daily. She works with cardiologists to modify drug therapy when required, gets transportation for a patient to go to a physician’s office, and refers acutely ill patients to the emergency department.

This approach, using ‘telescales’, helps keeps small issues small.

At Adjility, we too focus on keeping small issues small. Give us a try.

You can find contact information for Ross at adjilityhealth.com

N-of-8 case study: how to look at the same brand hallmarks in new ways

2011-12-22T05:00:00.000-06:00

Here’s a case study that exemplifies seeing the same hallmarks in new ways – in other words, looking at the same product attributes, and applying them a new ways.

N-of-8 Brand Story Development played an early role in the market preparation for Advicor, a combination of time-release niacin and lovastatin in once-a-night dosage. It provides stronger cholesterol modulation by increasing HDL cholesterol and lowering LDL, triglycerides (TG), and lipoprotein-a.

The innovator was Kos Pharmaceuticals, which filed its New Drug Application for the product in September 2000. In preparation for product launch, Kos signed a marketing agreement with DuPont Pharmaceuticals. DuPont agreed to invest up to $80 million in Kos, beginning with an initial equity investment of $30 million plus $20 million for product development. Kos and DuPont agreed to share equally in Advicor promotional costs as well as profits, less initial royalties paid to Kos.

They engaged the N-of-8 process to create a core brand story and launch branding program for Advicor. In reviewing the data, we found that clinical trials showed that Advicor increased HDL cholesterol up to 30 percent while it lowered LDL as much as 42 percent, TG down 44 percent, and lipoprotein-a down 22 percent.

During our N-of-8 story groups, physicians recognized the feature of combination therapy in a single tablet. They helped us coin Advicor as “dual-component therapy for cholesterol modulation.”

Further, the N-of-8 brand development groups created a story of “multidimensional lipid management” and a visual identity of a 4-D gyroscope. The ad testing documented the Advicor launch insert as achieving the highest recall and relevance of any cardiovascular product ad to date.

Kos received final marketing clearance for Advicor on December 18, 2001 and entered the fast-growing $10 billion cholesterol market with its innovative new medicine backed by a well-established clinical profile, a well-developed story, and a well-tested brand.

This reinforced Kos’ confidence to launch Advicor with a force of 300 sales representatives – more than five times the resources for marketing than for its first product, Niaspan. The company expanded its market base to primary care physicians and incorporated a medical education program. A two-year marketing agreement with Quintiles Transnational added 150 more sales representatives specially trained in cardiovascular health to Kos' sales efforts. Sales of Advicor reached $27 million in 2002 and seemed to benefit sales of Niaspan, which rose 73 percent to $146 million.

Initial international expansion focused on Europe and Canada. Kos applied to the European Union to market Advicor in July 2002 and, a few months later, signed an agreement with Merck KGaA to market Niaspan and Advicor outside of North America and Japan. Kos received an initial payment of $15 million to be supplemented with licensing and milestone fees, expected to add up to $46 million in revenues, as well as royalties of 25 percent of net sales. In August 2003 Kos signed an agreement with Oryx Pharmaceuticals to market Niaspan and Advicor in Canada, granting Oryx exclusive rights. Kos expected the drugs to be approved by late 2005.

Kos continued to advance its sales efforts within the United States. Kos signed a comarketing agreement with Takeda Pharmaceuticals-North America to market Niaspan and Advicor to 48,000 physicians. More than 1,000 Takeda sales representatives sold the products as a complement to Takeda's ACTOS, used by patients with type 2 diabetes associated with cardiovascular disease. Kos expected 10 percent revenue growth from the association with Takeda during 2004.

In order to better compete with large pharmaceutical companies, Kos continued to approach health insurance providers to advocate for coverage of Niaspan and Advicor. Kos emphasized its role as a specialty manufacturer providing a lower-priced option. Price comparisons illustrated the difference. For instance one published report showed that a bottle of 60 tablets of 500 mg Niaspan sold at Walgreen’s for $79.99, while 30 tablets of 40 mg of Pfizer's Lipitor sold for $95.99; 500 mg Advicor was priced at $55.99. Comparatively, the daily dose was $1.70 for Niaspan, $1.97 for Advicor, and $2.42 for Lipitor.

Kos continuously sought to expand medical applications for Advicor, maintaining the foundation of “multidimensional lipid management” we had created in N-of-8 brand development. An independent study proved it to be an effective treatment for cholesterol modulation in patients with metabolic syndrome. Metabolic syndrome involves more than one contributing factor in coronary heart disease, including obesity, high blood pressure, and high blood sugar, in combination with a high level of bad cholesterol and a low level of good cholesterol.

I’m often asked, “What’s a good story worth?” Well, here is one measure of value.

In 2006, Abbott Laboratories acquired Kos Pharma for $3.7 billion in order to add Advicor and Niaspan to its arsenal. Abbott also gained the rights to another cholesterol-lowering medication Simcor, a new combination pill. Later, the FDA cleared Abbott's cholesterol drug TriLipix, the first fibrate to be combined with a statin for treating unhealthy cholesterol levels.

Abbott and AstraZeneca were working together to develop a fixed-dose combination of TriLipix and Crestor, AZ's blockbuster cholesterol drug. The companies announced plans to submit an NDA for the combo drug to the FDA in the second half of 2009. The companies also had an agreement to co-promote Crestor in the U.S.

All these innovations are based on the concept of “dual-component therapy for cholesterol modulation” shaped in the N-of-8 brand story development process.

2011's favorite international trip: Dubai

2011-12-21T05:00:00.005-06:00

My favorite international trip of 2011 was Dubai, UAE.

And when this photo was selected as one of the year's best by National Geographic, it brought back some great memories.

XM-A5: the cheer-spreading virus

2011-12-20T05:00:00.004-06:00

Enjoy some fun holiday cheer -- and get infected with the Holidemic.

http://holiday2011.gsw-w.com/

HEALTH MEGA-TREND #6: Overcoming fatigue and lethargy

2011-12-19T05:00:00.000-06:00

In our jaded society, many individuals across the globe lack energy and vitality in their day-to-day lives.

That’s the topic today on one of the 10 mega-trends reported by Datamonitor. Its recent study outlines the most important issues shaping global consumers' buying behavior both now and in the future.

The reason I’m sharing it is the belief that good trend-watching is about taking the bigger-picture approach. Adopting a broader global perspective to trend-tracking facilitates better decision making by overcoming “category myopia.”

“Pick-me-up consumerism” captures the situation whereby consumers are increasingly attentive about their alertness and are opting for products that deliver energy and performance benefits.

Research indicates that consumers across the globe are highly interested in functional products that boost mental and physical wellbeing.

Therefore, consumers are open to brand innovation of energy-boosting products that can help offset their diminishing energy levels caused by hectic lifestyles.

Starbucks in Bexley: a warm, safe place for coffee in a renovated bank

2011-12-18T05:00:00.001-06:00

I always loved my Roscoe Village Starbucks that was in a renovated drug store -- complete with the old soda fountain counter and bar stools.

Well, now in Columbus, I've found my favorite Starbucks. It's built inside a former bank in Bexley, OH.

It has an unexpected amount of character. The exterior is all white with massive pillars. There is a spacious patio with plenty of seating for warm weather. Inside you find a roomy dining area, a fireplace, a splendid chandelier and a gigantic steel vault.

Oh yeah, that's right, a vault. This location used to be an old bank, and embracing that history they turned the interior of the vault into a cozy seating area.

1,200 artists online -- a select few on-display at the OOVAR Juried Show

2011-12-17T05:00:00.002-06:00

I enjoyed my Saturday afternoon at Columbus Metropolitan Main Library, viewing works from the annual Ohio Online Visual Artist Registry Juried Art Show.

The library's Carnegie Gallery featured original works by Ohio artists.

Here are a few of the pieces I admired:

12 Days of Christmas (Good News): here's a "nice" list

2011-12-16T05:00:00.001-06:00

With the holidays upon us, and the media already having cornered the market for sharing bad news (call it the “naughty list”), I was really glad to get a “nice list” of the good news I may have missed.

(Thanks to Jennifer Wilken, my longtime trusted economic advisor, for sharing this.)

1. The U.S. unemployment rate fell to 8.6% in November, reaching a 21⁄2-year low, while the September and October reports were revised to show more job creation than originally reported.

2. The ADP employment survey showed the biggest gain in eight months. Small businesses (under 50 workers) added the most jobs in five years.

3. Over the past year, 1.6 million jobs have been created.

4. The private sector has added jobs for 21 consecutive months.

5. An average of 150,000 private sector jobs have been created each month for the past year.

6. The unemployment rate has dropped by 1% in the past year.

7. Manufacturing – November’s Institute for Supply Management (ISM) manufacturing index increased to a five-month high, while the new orders component rebounded to a seven-month high.

8. Home Sales – Sales of existing single-family homes rose 1.6% in October compared to September, versus expectations for a 2.2% decline.2 Sales were up 13.5% versus a year ago. Total housing starts also grew 16.5%, while building permits increased 17.7%.

9. Consumer Confidence – The Conference Board’s Consumer Confidence Index jumped to 56 in November versus 40.9 in October. This exceeded even the most optimistic forecasts and marked the biggest one-month increase since April 2003.

10. Auto Sales – U.S. vehicle sales grew 14% in November, the sixth consecutive month of growth and the highest level since August 2009.

11. Black Friday – Retail sales rose 16% over the four-day Thanksgiving holiday weekend, topping off improving retail sales in general over the last several months.

12. Dividend Increases – Through the end of November, 312 companies in the S&P 500 increased or initiated a dividend for 2011, up from 232 in 2010 and just 143 in 2009.

N-of-8 case study: telling a brand story consistently

2011-12-15T05:00:00.000-06:00

My involvement in the Berinert brand began in 2005 when CSL Behring engaged my team to help on a rare disease called Hereditary Angioedema (HAE).

This led to the development of the award-winning AllaboutHAE.com disease awareness print and web-based educational branding.

In the last half of 2008, we moved into the next phase of Berinert brand development – global hallmarks.

To ensure a worldwide perspective throughout the process, my team collaborated with its global network partners beginning with the RFP process, right through to launch. We tapped into diverse agency talent to generate initial thinking, drive discussion, and gain insights.

Along the way, Stinson worked closely with the client and more than a dozen country marketing managers to refine the brief and advance the global strategy.

All while applying our proprietary tool, Action Shoes®, to structure our creative development.

But before our visual identity group began its exploration – through extensive color and typography audits, creating a design framework – we used the N-of-8 process to create a strong foundational story.

Our main objectives for story development were to ensure that all developed materials are on-target and persuasive to physicians and patients, to create compelling messages that connected directly with the customers, to conveys CSL Behring total brand value proposition, and to evaluate creative concepts and promotional pieces to identify areas for needed refinement in telling the story in multiple media.

That was the starting point.

At the completion of the process, we could then engage the wide variety of design audits and design studies to uncover trends and identify opportunities for visual branding. The logo, logotype, and colors were developed for the Berinert branding to better tell the story of speed. In addition the N-of-8 process channeled our verbal brand team in writing a clinical monograph, a product highlights brochure, and the brand standards guidelines book. Finally, we executed market-specific brand launch campaigns including sales materials, patient literature, support programs, and journal advertising.

Together, these elements worked together to tell the Berinert story consistently in verbal, visual, and scientific terms.

Ultimately, a global brand was forged.

NACA campaign to promote child abuse intervention in Native American communities

2011-12-14T05:00:00.001-06:00

One of my most rewarding and meaningful projects of 2011 has surely been the public service campaign for Native American Children’s Alliance.

NACA is an inter-tribal membership organization whose mission is to promote excellence in child abuse prevention and intervention in Native American and Alaska Native communities through training, mentoring and information.

We helped to develop and execute a pilot initiative among key American Indian healthcare clinics. The goals were to:

Better understand the current circumstances around child abuse
Develop culturally appropriate key messaging
Develop appropriate and usable training and awareness kits for distribution
Create key findings that can apply to a broader tactical awareness media campaign

My creative design partner, Katie Pendlay, developed three wonderful and touching concepts. Each leverages the NACA brand symbol of the drum.

Working through the executive director of NACA, Linda Logan, we evaluated these platforms at the Indian Health Service clinic in Chicago. They helped us determine which tools were most needed.

The result was a disk of customizable promotional assets: a poster, a tear-pad easel, and a brochure.

The campaign has been launched with tribes in rural New Mexico and in urban Detroit. Linda also recently presented the campaign to an Indian Nation conference in Montana.

8 kinds of creative "triggers" to breakout of the ordinary

2011-12-13T05:00:00.001-06:00

Although it's impossibleto draw up an exhaustive list of every activity or setting that may produce breakout thinking, each of the triggers mentioned below has worked well me.

In their book The Breakout Principle: How to Activate the Natural Trigger ThatMaximizes Creativity, Athletic Performance, Productivity and PersonalWell-Being, Benson and Proctor presentthese among many categories that have demonstrated the power to stimulate thebiological changes commonly associated with breakouts and peak creativeexperiences.

As you review theseoptions, ask yourself: Is it possible that this approach, or something likethis approach, would work for me?

And while at first theseactivities may seem totally different, they all have one major factor incommon: the power to sever prior mental patterns -- and that's what theBreakout trigger is all about.

HEALTH MEGA-TREND #5: Stress Reduction

2011-12-12T05:00:00.001-06:00

For 75% of consumers across 17 countries and four regions, "maintaining or improving health" has become more important to them in the two years since Datamonitor's last report on Developments in Global Consumer Trends.

The recent Datamonitor survey shows that more than 40 health-driven trends are influencing consumer lifestyles and product choices globally.

In analyzing MEGA-TREND #5, we see that stress is a common theme in modern lifestyles as consumers adopt stress reduction strategies in their pursuit of wellbeing. Consumers are faced with the need to confront and manage tension and anxiety

This mean that the pursuit of work-life balance represents an ongoing conflict between a desire to maximize leisure time, maximize occupation success, and maximize leisure time.

What this has led to is the “pampered relaxation”, which is ways consumers are actively seeking moments of downtime. In addition, “mood foods” reflect consumers’ tendency to eat as a comfort or reward.

Here are implications and opportunities that emerge from these finding:

position products as ‘antidotes to reality’ and which give consumers a feeling of being in control
help consumers navigate the ongoing problem of work-life balance
align with the pampered relaxation trend, particularly personal care
develop a portfolio of food and beverages based on ingredients that make individuals happier, calmer, livelier and even more intelligent

All of these are potentially compelling propositions for those who are becoming more aware of protecting their mental/emotional well-being.

2011-12-09T05:00:00.001-06:00

As I look back on some highlights on the year, Endo Pharmaceuticals and its partner Bioniche Life Sciences reported interim data from an ongoing Phase III trial evaluating Urocidin™ in patients with bacillus Calmett-Guerin (BCG)-refractory nonmuscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) suggest the treatment may represent an alternative to cystectomy.

The new trial results in 129 patients in the U.S. and Canada showed that for patients with high-grade papillary tumors and/or carcinoma in situ who failed to respond to one or more courses of BCG, treatment using Urocidin was associated with an overall one-year disease-free survival (DFS) rate of 25%. DFS was defined as a lack of recurrence or progression to muscle-invasive disease. The one-year DFS rate was 35% for patients with only papillary tumors, and 21% for those with carcinoma in situ, with or without papillary tumors.

A second, global Phase III study evaluating Urocidin was initiated in February. This open-label, active-controlled trial will compare Urocidin with mitomycin C in the intravesical treatment of about 450 patients with BCG-recurrent or BCG-refractory NMIBC.

Urocidin is a formulation of mycobacterial cell wall-DNA complex (MCC), which appears to have both immunostimulatory and direct anticancer activities, Bioniche claims. The treatment is administered by transurethral catheter directly into the bladder. Endo holds exclusive global rights to develop and market Urocidin for the intravesical treatment of nonmuscle invasive bladder cancer.

7 steps for pharma in the years leading to 2020

2011-12-08T05:00:00.003-06:00

The choices for pharma companies are two:

Change now and control your destiny

- or -

pursue business as usual and allow your fate to be controlled by others.

Executives and board members at pharmaceutical companies need to ask themselves: Which path will we take?

The global pharmaceutical industry is facing an unprecedented opportunity. Over the next decade, the market for pharmaceutical products will nearly double in size, reaching $1.3 trillion by 2020 to meet the medical needs of the aging global population and a surge in demand from emerging countries.

Yet, according to PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP in its “Pharma 2020” vision series, some pharma companies will never capture a share of this enormous market – because they continue to bank the future of their business on a model that will no longer exist.

The PwC reports says that anticipating and adapting to the changing dynamics in health care is the great challenge for the pharmaceutical industry. “It is becoming abundantly clear that maintaining the current course is no longer an option. Pharmaceutical companies are fast approaching a fork in the road, and they must choose a path: Will they focus on innovation and offer value in the form of more targeted drugs, with proven outcomes and a suite of value-added services around them? Or will they go after the commoditized mass market, driving revenue with volume?,” asks PwC.

Along the way, there will be winners and there will be losers. The winners will be those who have the courage to pick the right path and begin making changes in their business models now.

Here are seven major steps that PricewaterhouseCoopers believes that pharma companies can take in the years leading up to 2020.

Look Beyond the Blockbuster Model
Increase R&D Productivity
Focus on Prevention, Not Just Treatment
Make the Regulatory Process More Flexible
Personalize the Distribution Chain
Go Global
Choose a Path

Read the details on each of these recommended steps in the full report at PwC Pharma-2020

If pharmaceutical companies undertake these steps, they will be better positioned to manage the seismic shifts that not only pharma, but all of the health industries will undergo by 2020. The changes will enable them to benefit from the opportunities that will emerge from globalization, new technologies and new business models.

Although these changes need to be implemented over a period of years, companies must start now.

4 ways the new website achieves Healthwise brand goals

2011-12-07T05:00:00.007-06:00

As a think back on some rewarding projects that went “live” in the last year, I include the new website for Healthwise.

Michelle and I had a great time working with the Healthwise team in Boise for several months in developing their site.

We led strategic mapping session with the key executives – provided comprehensive report including creative brief
We facilitated a one day copywriting and website messaging workshop
We worked on site maps and wireframes for the site
We provided copy editing and tools to accelerate the writing process

Healthwise continues to update the site with new products and its industry knowledge. They promote the site to direct current and new customers to more information on their products. And the sales team uses it as to support engagement with new customers.

When I look at the site, I really think it achieves the goals that were important to them:

The ability to stay fresh with the content they are providing to their clients
Create a dynamic site that provides easier access to their products and services
Communicate clear, simple messaging that makes it easy for customers to find the content they are looking for
Provide a better sales tool for their representatives to use

To see more, visit healthwise.org

4 principles of N-of-8® applied to “advisory boards”

2011-12-06T05:00:00.007-06:00

I continue to promote the principles of N-of-8® to the ubiquitous tactic of “advisory boards.”

That means demonstrating how the tool can be use to identify the right advisors, maintain a practice focus, create an agenda, and produce actionable results.

Advisor relationships are based on science, mutual collaboration, and engagement. They tend to evolve over time.
When creating N-of-8 Advisory Boards, recruit both “opinion leaders” and “practice leaders.”
Instead of just asking for reaction, you should use N-of-8 to create a forum for insight and advice.
When facilitating an N-of-8, move from the “should do” to gain agreement on the “let’s do.”

The N-of-8 interaction process with thought leaders is different than the immediate, transactional tactics used on the commercial side of a company. Instead, it builds on relationships based on science, mutual collaboration, and engagement. These tend to evolve over longer periods of time than interactions with inline brands.

Because an N-of-8 advisory board is not a sales event, it must be assessed more like you’d assess a focus group—by number of positive reactions. Yet, it can help a brand innovation team address the challenge of creating, maintaining, and leveraging those positive reactions -- and still safely navigate regulatory hurdles.

Thought leaders will continue to be a critical component of a bio-pharma company’s professional marketing and medical strategy. Therefore, we must maximize their impact in diffusing innovation and disseminating scientific information.

Life science brand executives can rely on the N-of-8 tool for this goal.

Innovation Institute helps "unleash your creative core"

2011-12-05T05:00:00.000-06:00

On a recent business trip, I enjoyed reading about the Innovation Institute in Charlotte, NC.

The article in the US Airways magazine described how it helps executives unleash their creative abilities -- as well as those within their companies. Participants at the Innovation Institute work with expert facilitators and professional artists explore topics such as “Unlocking the Creative Voice,” “Pushing the Edge” and “The Value of Failure.”

Suzanne Fetscher, then the president of the McColl Center for Visual Art, founded Innovation Institute in 2005. It was her vision that forged a connection around the topic of creativity between the corporate community of Charlotte and McColl Center for Visual Art.

Fetscher recognized that artists, who live and breathe the creative process as part of daily life, could provide a uniquely meaningful contribution to corporations and other organizations seeking to instill creativity and innovative ideas among their leaders.

You can read the entire article entitled "Cultivating Creativity" at usairwaysmag.com

3/4 of LGBT adults prefer brands that support causes important to them

2011-12-04T05:00:00.000-06:00

A new national survey found that 74% of LGBT adults are likely to consider brands that support nonprofits and causes important to them as an LGBT person.

A significant 41% of these adults say they are extremely likely or very likely to consider these brands.

In addition, when it comes to workplace policies, nearly nine out of ten (87%) LGBT adults say they are likely to consider a brand that is known to provide equal workplace benefits for all of their employees, including gay and lesbian employees.

Brand loyalty appears to be more important than price in certain situations for LGBT people.

Seven out of ten LGBT adults said they are likely to remain loyal to a brand they believe to be very friendly and supportive to the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community "even when less friendly companies may offer lower prices or be more convenient."

The nationwide online survey was conducted by Harris Interactive, a global market research and consulting firm, in conjunction with Witeck-Combs Communications, Inc., a strategic public relations and marketing communications firm with special expertise in the LGBT market.

Click here to read more at www.prnewswire.com

“Eclipse” wind kinetic sculpture: captures attention & awakens creativity.

2011-12-03T05:00:00.009-06:00

One of the first impressions I got on my initial visit to GSW was the unique sculpture in front of the office.

So, I’ve been doing some research on its design – and its designer.

The name of the structure is “Eclipse,” designed by Robert Mullins and hand-built by the Wind Kinetics Institute, Inc.

It combines aesthetic design with mechanical fundamentals. It has independent revolving elements that capture even gentle breezes. The movement reminds me of a gyroscope within a gyroscope, because it spinning motion is random yet graceful in the wind.

“Eclipse” represents the principles of kinetic art with moving parts powered by wind. encompassing a wide variety of objects that overlap.

The Wind Kinetics Institute specializes in large, outdoor kinetic wind sculptures for commercial and residential settings. Additionally, the Institute has been producing custom metal fabrications for designers, developers, contractors, universities and corporations nationally and internationally for more than 20 years.

In fact, Wind Kinetics Institute’s work has been installed in every major shopping mall in the United States. Their work can be found at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, the Vienna Zoo in Austria, The Ohio State University, Case Western Reserve University, and many more. The wind sculptures range in height from 12 to 40 feet.

Robert Mullins is a Columbus area resident, business owner, and artist. He started a metal fabricating shop in 1988, specializing in custom metal sign products. The Institute has a complete machine shop, tube rolling, and sheet folding equipment, including a planishing hammer and large industrial sized English wheel for customized work in aluminum and copper sheet goods.

To me, “Eclipse” is spellbinding – at times exhilarating or serene. When I look out an office window, or walk by it on my way into work, it captures my attention and awakens my creativity.

$6.5 billion in global R&D contracts: Battelle an example of creative energy in Columbus

2011-12-02T05:00:00.001-06:00

As we get into December, I start looking back over the year to appreciate some personal and professional highlights.

I've enjoyed getting to know Columbus better, including the chance to experience the creative energy of new people and world-class organizations.

One such group is Battelle.

Battelle is an 82-year-old organization that has grown into the world’s largest independent R&D conglomerate, offering services through four global business units: laboratory management; national security; energy, environment and materials sciences; and health and life sciences -- one of its key targets for growth.

At this point, Battelle’s global R&D contracts are worth about $6.5 billion annually.

Carmin Gade, PhD, Battelle’s chief marketing-communication officer, was interviewed earlier this year about the future of global R&D. Here's what Dr. Gade told Mike Kallmeyer, host of ONN-TV’s Ohio Means Business program:

"In health and life sciences,

we’re focusing on public health; drugs, devices and diagnostics;

(and) agriculture and food science — and analyzing:

'What are the needs of communities worldwide?

Where can we help advance the science to meet those needs?'

We have clients in the international markets that are looking for

someone to partner with and offer solutions that can meet

their needs and deliver the impact to

humankind that they’re looking for."

You can watch the interview at onntv.com

Patient-reported outcomes: key to brand differentiation

2011-12-01T05:00:00.002-06:00

In my strategy meetings with pharma clients, I really stress the need to find relevant distinction between brands.

And, of course, a benefit to the patient is the most important of all.

So I appreciate the point of view of Gregory Hess, MD, MBA, MSc, chief medical officer and vice president for health economic and outcomes research at SDI.

Hess says, "Patient-reported outcomes offer a benefit to brand managers as well: They can provide compelling evidence to differentiate their brand in cases where there is little or no difference in efficacy, safety, or price. Having real-world evidence that indicates a brand helps patients improve their quality of life—and communicating that to physicians, managed care, and patients—can help one drug stand out over the competition. As patients are assuming more of their own healthcare costs, patient-reported outcomes are becoming more important."

The table above illustrates the comparison of a clinical trial viewpoint to the real-world situations.

You can read more -- including how Hess suggests to communicate outcome results -- in his article in our industry journal PM360 at pm360online.com

"21st century...the century of biomedicine" - Lilly CEO Lechleiter

2011-11-30T05:00:00.000-06:00

"Wealth follows health, and it ain't the other way around," said John Lechleiter, the CEO and chairman of the drug maker Eli Lilly & Co.

Mr. Lechleiter explains, "There's no better investment that we can make than in biomedical research and in our health. I believe this will be the biomedical century. We'll look back a hundred years from now and say the 20th century was the century of chemistry and physics, and the 21st century was the century of biomedicine."

"The challenge or the opportunity we have is that never before has the science and our knowledge base been riper for exploitation," Mr. Lechleiter adds during his interview with The Wall Street Journal.

Read the complete story by clicking to http://online.wsj.com

Is the FDA promoting or precluding medical innovation?

2011-11-29T05:00:00.000-06:00

I have been working with a number of medical device clients lately, and I've been struck by the frustrating delays in bringing new innovative products to market.

"U.S. investment in medical devices is falling...yet the FDA is demanding more drug-like trials for devices, causing many of the delays in getting new products to U.S. consumers," says Dr. Scott Gottlieb, a leading physician and deputy commissioner of the FDA from 2005-2007.

In a recent opinion piece in The Wall Street Journal, Gottleib refers to data from PricewaterhouseCoopers and the National Venture Capital Association showing the number of newly started, venture-backed medical-device companies fell to 60 in 2010 from 118 in 2008. "The magnitude of these declines dwarfs those seen in other entrepreneurial sectors. It can't reasonably be ascribed to the struggling economy alone," he asserts.

Gottleib references a 2011 study by the Boston Consulting Group of European device approvals that suggests that Europe's more expedited process is just as rigorous and safe as the FDA's.

"Devices are also tools in the hands of physicians. The benefits of a device are ultimately dependent on how it is used by a physician," writes Gottleib. "A stethoscope, for example, only needs to show that it can enable a doctor to hear heart sounds. A stethoscope should not have to prove that using it can reduce the complications from heart failure."

He concludes, "This is no way to run a regulatory process if the FDA is serious about promoting medical innovation and advancing the public health."

Click here to read his entire article at http://online.wsj.com

3 ideas how “recommendation algorithms” could have a role in pharma marketing

2011-11-28T05:00:00.011-06:00

Recommendation algorithms are best known for their use on e-commerce Web sites, where they generate a list of recommended items based on input about a customer’s interests.

When you compare two important measures of Web-based and email advertising effectiveness – click-through and conversion rates – these personalized suggestions perform vastly better compared to untargeted content (such as banner ads and top-seller lists).

From our pharma marketing viewpoint, I’ve been pondering the health, medical, and wellness applications of such recommendations:

If you have this condition, you should pay attention to these associated risk factors.
If you’re taking this prescription, you might consider this companion product/food to make it more tolerable.
If you are seeing this kind of doctor, you could also benefit from these supportive healthcare services.

Read more about these CRM-enabled Web messages on my Brand Liberator blog post at www.gsw-w.com/blog

9 best practices in technology licensing -- and the effects of patents in drug repositioning

2011-11-27T05:00:00.002-06:00

This is the last of five posts this weekend on drug positioning -- trying to get a new drug genie out of the bottle.

And remember why it's of such interest:

Drug development is a long, complex, costly, and high-risk business. According to the Tufts Center for the Study of Drug Development, drug development from discovery to U.S. approval takes about 15 years on average and costs over $1 billion, and only 3 in 10 drugs on average make enough revenue to sustain R&D.

In order to get a return on investment, companies need to ensure that their repositioned drug will have at least some patent protection.

Drug repositioning candidates that are still in development may have composition of matter patents, depending on how far into development they are and how long they have been on hold. Companies developing off patent drugs or drugs with patents close to expiry have to rely on data protection, method of use patents, or patents related to formulation technologies.

Manufacturers launching drugs have some protection against generic competition through data exclusivity, which provides 3 to 11 years of data protection after launch, depending on the market.

Read more in “Getting The Drug Repositioning Genie Out Of The Bottle” at www.lifescienceleader.com

I’m working now with a small nanotechnology company in this area of Technology Licensing.

We work at ensuring best practices for success are being followed by both parties in the licensing process. This may include identifying target application areas, drafting communication documents, promoting technologies on-line and through direct personal contacts, and providing assistance in deal facilitation and in the negotiation process.

Non-disclosure agreements
Needs and objectives
Key elements of the term sheet
Positions on relevant issues
Negotiating schedule and deadlines
Progress reports
Documentation
Draft agreements
Legal counsel

The challenges in drug repositioning -- and application of B.E.A.M.S

2011-11-26T05:00:00.001-06:00

In my weekend series of posts on drug repositioning, let's look at a number of challenges for companies repositioning drugs. Some are unique to this process and others common to any form of drug development.

In the development of a drug for a completely new indication, drug repositioning cannot avoid the potential risk that the drug will not be effective in late-stage clinical trials -- especially if it has not previously moved further forward than preclinical development.

Drug repositioning can be based on marketed drugs that are off patent. This means that the active ingredients are easily available. However, if the dose required is similar to the dose used for an existing indication, physicians may simply choose to use the generic form, which is likely to be cheaper than the newly available, and possibly higher cost, branded repositioned drug.

“Because of this, it is important for a repositioned drug to have a difference in presentation. This may be a difference in delivery system or formulation, or a significant difference in dose — for example, Merck & Co launched the 5-alpha reductase inhibitor finasteride as Proscar for benign prostatic hyperplasia and then relaunched it as Propecia, at a significantly reduced dose and under a new patent, for male pattern baldness,” says one major company executive.

Access to data can have an impact on drug repositioning timelines. Companies that are developing a compound that they have not originated will need access to a competitor’s data or will have to rely on public domain data. This dependence on publicly available data can have its pitfalls. “If the company relies wholly on using public databases for their in silico screening, then there is a risk that their discovery may be found simultaneously by others,” adds another industry expert.

It may be harder for drug repositioning companies to get funding, as some investors have been burned by project failures, and others may be more familiar with traditional drug development and so are unsure how to value repositioning projects, especially as existing financial models don’t work.

Read more in “Getting The Drug Repositioning Genie Out Of The Bottle” at www.lifescienceleader.com

When I have consulted with Bioscience Bridge, LLC, we worked with clients to classify and prioritize existing technology assets through the use of our proven process in the evaluation of a university’s bioscience IP portfolio.

The B.E.A.M.S. Evaluation Tool measures a technology’s:

Breakthrough potential
Ease of development
Advantages over competitive technologies
Marketability
Sampling or prototyping for evaluation

3 benefits of drug repositioning – and the application of Strategic GPS®

2011-11-25T05:00:00.003-06:00

A number of studies have shown that in the last 10 to 15 years, while R&D spending has steadily increased, the number of drugs making it to the market has not followed pace. That’s why the advantages of drug positioning hold such allure.

The key advantage of the drug repositioning approach is that it reduces the time, cost, and risk compared with de novo development. As well as providing an advantage to companies, it also provides an advantage to patients, because it reduces the overall cost by rescuing the investment in failed drugs and makes safer and more effective drugs available.

“Drug repositioning is a means of obtaining better health outcomes without the massive investments and long time frames associated with traditional drug development. As such, it is both commercially and socially attractive,” says Steven Flostrand, business development director, at Marco Polo Pharmaceuticals.

Take a closer look at 4 benefits of drug repositioning:

1. Recouping existing investments
Many pharma companies have drug libraries of well-characterized compounds that are gathering dust and losing value as assets, whether it’s through failures in development or a change in therapeutic focus.

2. Saving time and money
Drug repositioning is generally a faster process than de novo development because it can rely on existing data, including efficacy and toxicity studies. Developing an NCE (new chemical entity) can take 10 to 17 years, depending on indication. For a drug repositioning company, the development process from compound identification to launch can be around 3 to 12 years. What’s more, development of a single compound to enter clinical trials will cost around $10 to $20 million. The cost of identifying a repositioning candidate that already has phase 1 data varies but could be as low as $2 to $3 million.

3. Reducing risk
Drug repositioning is a significantly lower risk than de novo development, certainly from a scientific or clinical perspective. Because it deals with compounds whose safety profiles are already known, it significantly reduces this risk of drug development.

For the improvements to existing marketed drugs, we know what needs to be changed and generally, how to make these improvements. Very few 505[b][2] projects fail due to a science issue — most are due to money or markets.

In classical drug development, everyone is chasing ‘first-in-class,’ which does provide a high reward, but is very high risk. It’s still possible to get a ‘first-in-class’ with drug repositioning, even with an old drug, because it may represent a new mechanism applied to a new indication.

Read more in “Getting The Drug Repositioning Genie Out Of The Bottle” at www.lifescienceleader.com

When working with early-stage technologies, I have used a proven process designed to configure the technologies’ “road map” called Strategic GPS^® Navigation Process. This process:

Identifies the key targets
Articulates the current situation (Where we are)
Defines the desired objective (Where we want to be)
Conveys the over-arching strategy
Delineates the milestones
Outlines the key tactics
Bridges the science and the business in a comfortable atmosphere

2 experts answer "What are the opportunities for drug repositioning?"

2011-11-24T05:00:00.004-06:00

Drug repositioning is a growing field, with many companies looking to exploit its potential.

In today’s blog, we hear from two industry executives:

Ken Phelps, president and CEO, Camargo Pharmaceutical Services. Phelps founded Camargo in 2003 as a strategic partner in drug development, including drug repositioning.
Steven Flostrand, MBA, business development director, Marco Polo Pharmaceuticals. “From a commercial perspective, with the era of ‘easy’ discoveries seemingly over, it makes sense to revisit existing drugs to ensure that we are making the best possible use of them.” Marco Polo Pharmaceuticals, founded in 2008, specializes in geographic repositioning — developing existing drugs for new markets.

Phelps says, “Generic companies are aware that as pharma pipelines decline, there will be a fall in the number of molecules coming off patent, so they are using drug repositioning to create new markets. Pharmaceutical companies are using drug repositioning to extend the life cycles of marketed products, creating new patents and defending themselves against generic competition, and to salvage the investment in failed or failing drug candidates. Finally, entrepreneurs are creating new drug repositioning companies to provide a service.”

Flostrand comments, “Many older drugs and drug candidates in development have never been fully explored. These can be looked on as resources, as they already have stores of valuable preclinical and clinical data on toxicity, safety, and dosing.”

Read more in “Getting The Drug Repositioning Genie Out Of The Bottle” at www.lifescienceleader.com

4 kinds of candidates for drug repositioning

2011-11-23T05:00:00.002-06:00

Because of the decline in drug launches, drug development companies are under increasing pressure to reduce costs and shorten development timelines through a range of different approaches.

These approaches include improving processes and protocols, moving more toward collaboration, and licensing and drug repositioning.

This weekend, I'll be posting a series of blogs on "drug repositioning.” Also known as drug repurposing, drug reprofiling, or therapeutic switching, is the process of developing existing molecules for new indications.

Candidates for repositioning fall into four key groups, explains David Cavalla, Ph.D., founder of Numedicus:

marketed drugs that are still under patent or patents that have expired,
drugs that have moved through development and fallen at clinical or regulatory hurdles, and
stereoisomers or metabolites of existing compounds.
small change in the molecular structure — this provides stronger patent protection but still reduces the risk of failure.

Cavalla founded Numedicus in 2008 to provide collaborative services to companies seeking novel uses for existing drugs.

Read more in “Getting The Drug Repositioning Genie Out Of The Bottle” at www.lifescienceleader.com

8 notable projects presented by Elizabeth Diller at Ohio State lecture last night

2011-11-22T05:00:00.005-06:00

Last night, I attended a special lecture by architect Elizabeth Diller, a founding member of innovative and highly respected interdisciplinary design studio Diller Scofidio + Renfro.

Her studio’s work spans the fields of architecture, urban planning, visual arts, and the performing arts.

She showed us eight notable projects including High Line park in New York (built on an abandoned elevated rail line), the Lincoln Center expansion and renovation, and the Institute of Contemporary Art in Boston—all of which have received rave reviews.She also shared plans for museums in Rio, Los Angeles, and Washington, DC.

In her talk, Diller discussed the creative rationale behind these high profile projects.

Wexner Center director Sherri Geldin introduced Diller and said, “Having followed the work of Diller and Scofidio over two decades now, it’s beyond exhilarating to see the remarkable trajectory of their practice. Diller’s essentially performative and socially integrated approach to architecture and design has dramatically influenced the field and stunningly transformed the public realm with such widely acclaimed projects as New York’s High Line park and a completely re-imagined Lincoln Center complex. We’re thrilled to bring her to the Wex and to Ohio State.”

You can see more on the DSR website, www.dsrny.com

10 examples of US healthcare going viral with social networks

2011-11-21T05:00:00.015-06:00

US innovators are finding ways to use social networks to improve healthcare, despite a variety of challenges.

Writer Danny Bradbury of the UK newspaper, The Guardian, offers a number of familiar examples -- along with a few I was did not know.

Social media offers a focused channel for special interest groups to communicate – and those in the healthcare sector are among them. "Health is social," says Phil Baumann, founder of a US consulting firm with the same name that advises healthcare institutions on the use of social networks. He argues that healthcare is better when people can connect to share information and experiences. "Any media, any technologies that enable those connections and encourage collaboration will only lead to a better healthcare system."

Unfortunately, healthcare facilities could be using social media a lot more. A report by consultancy Deloitte on social networks in healthcare found that the sector ranked third last in terms of social network use, beating only pharmaceutical makers and that bastion of collaborative digital media petroleum refining. Although half of the healthcare companies in the Fortune 100 are on Twitter, none are official users of Facebook or blogs, according to Deloitte. The article lists some of the challenges faced. Read it at http://www.guardian.co.uk/healthcare-network

Here’s a list of 10 social networks in US healthcare:

1. Sermo - an online network exclusive to physicians.

2. PatientsLikeMe - a social network enabling patients to share experiences and advice.

3. CureTogether - millions of ratings comparing the real-world performance of treatments for hundreds of conditions.

4. DailyStrength - social network of support groups for various ailments, from alcoholism to infertility.

5. FacetoFace Health - this social network connects patients with similar ailments, enabling them to share their experiences.

6. MedHelp - health management network and online support community.

7. Ozmosis - social network for physicians, including a cloud-based social collaboration and clinical content management platform.

8. RadRounds - a professional network for radiologists that also includes the ability to share and discuss interesting medical imaging cases.

9. WebMD - part social network, part portal, this site provides insights and information about health issues.

10. WEGO Health - a social network which aims to empower health activists and leaders.

2012 and its layers of objectives

2011-11-19T05:00:00.000-06:00

The central challenge for business leaders looking over the horizon to 2012 is: how to address many layers of objectives at the same time.

It’s not enough to just find new revenue growth or to create more profitability; the problem is to do both at the same time.

It isn’t just the need to produce better brand performance in the short term that makes our jobs hard, but also the need to produce results today and build for tomorrow at the same time.

Every leader and every company I know in health, science, and technology faces these seemingly impossible and simultaneous objectives.

That’s why the companies which are winning are those that not only strengthen individual brands, but also increase the innovation ability of the whole portfolio. That means new products contributing profitably sooner. Sales at launch that endure through the entire lifecycle. And high-performing brands within a valuable whole.

In my book, N-of-8, I offer a look at some obstacles that managers can fall into that can break up a brand team rather than lead to breakout innovation.

Specifically, I present details of each of the four primary ways to apply the N-of-8 methods. For each, I identify what can make N-of-8 compatible the objectives of the team.

Contact me for a personal preview.

3 years retrospective: 3 points from my interview on Fox Business

2011-11-18T05:00:00.001-06:00

Three years ago this week, I was interviewed on Fox Business News. Looking back, some things have changed (the prices of stocks and gas have gone down), but many things have not.

Some key points from my interview:

1. It's important not abandon your brand in this economy. Those companies who keep spending money on their brand will survive.

2. To get results remember to stay customer focused. Think about what the customer wants to hear and you will be more successful in the long run.

3. Make quality improvements to core products, invest in R&D, and attribute an experience with your product.

Overall, don’t hit the “stop” button. Instead find the opportunity to go forward…fast.

Watch it again on our YouTube/StinsonBrand channel.