Covidien to Acquire Aspect Medical Systems -- with a goal of accelerating growth of Bispectral Index

Covidien this week announced that it has reached a definitive agreement to acquire Aspect Medical Systems, a global market leader in brain monitoring technology.

Founded in 1987, Aspect is recognized as a pioneer and global market leader in brain monitoring, with 2008 revenues of $99 million. Aspect's premier product -- Bispectral Index(TM) (BIS) technology -- became the first clinically proven and commercially available direct measure of the effects of anesthetics and sedatives on the brain. Aspect led the way to develop proprietary technologies that directly measure these effects and ultimately improve the quality and cost effectiveness of patient care. BIS technology is designed to allow medical professionals to reliably gauge the precise amount of anesthetic medication required by each patient, resulting in better overall patient care.

"The acquisition of Aspect will allow Covidien to broaden its product offerings and add a market leading brain monitoring technology to its portfolio," said Pete Wehrly, President, Respiratory & Monitoring Solutions, Covidien. "Aspect will bring us enhanced clinical expertise, a strong research & development organization and expand our presence in the operating room. The acquisition is consistent with our strategy of expanding into adjacent market segments and will help us achieve our mission of enhancing the quality of life for patients and improving outcomes for our customers."

"Joining Covidien provides Aspect with the scale and resources to accelerate growth of BIS and other Aspect products, to continue to invest in outcomes research, comparative effectiveness and innovation, and to support the strategy of providing products that are designed to improve patient outcomes," said Nassib Chamoun, President and Chief Executive Officer, Aspect Medical Systems. "Above all, we are pleased to become part of a company that shares our commitment to evidence-based medicine and the development of products that help clinicians cost-effectively deliver better care."

Covidien is a leading global healthcare products company that creates innovative medical solutions for better patient outcomes and delivers value through clinical leadership and excellence. Covidien manufactures, distributes and services a diverse range of industry-leading product lines in three segments: Medical Devices, Pharmaceuticals and Medical Supplies. With 2008 revenue of $10 billion, Covidien has more than 41,000 employees worldwide in 59 countries, and its products are sold in over 140 countries.

Aspect Medical Systems' Bispectral Index (BIS) technology has been used to assess approximately 34 million patients and has been the subject of more than 3,300 published articles and abstracts. BIS technology is installed in approximately 78 percent of hospitals listed in the July 2009 U.S. News and World Report ranking of America's Best Hospitals and in approximately 74 percent of all U.S. operating rooms. In the last twelve months, BIS technology was used in approximately 19 percent of all U.S. surgical procedures requiring general anesthesia or deep sedation. Aspect Medical Systems has OEM agreements with nine leading manufacturers of patient monitoring systems.

21 trends in human genomics in 2009: peering into the Genetic Future

It may be the fall, so what better time to check in to see how some of the major predicted trends are playing out in the human genomics field in 2009 – in research outcomes, as well as shifts in the rapidly-evolving consumer genomics industry.

Here are predictions made by Daniel MacArthur of Genetic Future for the emerging (and ongoing) trends of 2009 in the field of human genomics:

1. 2009 will be the year of rare variants for common diseases.
2. Genome-wide association studies of common variants will exceed the 100,000-sample mark, but provide diminishing returns in terms of convincing associations.
3. The validation of many newly-discovered variants will prove difficult.
4. Isolated populations will provide a powerful source of new genetic variants for common diseases and other complex traits.
5. Attention will move gradually away from complex diseases and towards the genetic dissection of disease-related traits.
6. The causal variants underlying some genome-wide association signals will be mapped, while others will prove elusive.
7. Human genetics will become more intimidatingly complex than ever.
8. There will be increasing emphasis on the functional validation of signals identified by genome-wide association studies.
9. Studies incorporating individuals from multiple populations will be fruitful in mapping causal variants, and uncovering differences in disease genes between human groups.
10. Most of the "missing heritability" will stay missing.
11. Still, clinically usefully genetic tests for some complex diseases will be developed.
12. Genetic variants underlying complex psychiatric diseases will remain largely elusive.
13. We will start to see "bad" genome-wide association studies.
14. There will be a proliferation of new companies attempting to gain a share of the personal genomics market, most of whom will sink rapidly into obscurity.
15. We will not see a retail complete genome sequence offered for less than $1000.
16. Mainstream personal genomics companies will offer affordable large-scale (but not whole-genome) sequencing, with disappointing results.
17. Navigenics will not come to dominate the consumer genomics market.
18. The personal genomics industry will begin to blur out of existence. By this I don't mean that demand for personal genomics will disappear, but rather that the industry will cease to exist as a discrete, monolithic entity.
19. The regulatory landscape will shift - but in which direction?
20. There will be an uptick in "it's all lies" stories about personal genomics, impacting on public perception of the industry.
21. Genetic ancestry will bring in big money, but it will trigger a backlash from indigenous populations.

Click here to read the full commentary of his predictions.

According to its profile, the mission of MacArthur’s Genetic Future blog is to cut through the hype associated with the brave new world of human genomics. It reports on the latest findings from genome-wide association studies and large-scale sequencing projects investigating the genetic underpinnings of common disease, putting their results in context and in language that consumers can understand.

MacArthur also reviews the scientific basis and usability of products offered by commercial genetic testing companies, dissecting the studies used by these companies to justify their expensive tests, and describing in plain language how useful such tests are likely to be to consumers.

5 e-books released as Innovation Classics series

Innovation Classics is a new series of e-books dedicated to collecting and publishing the best – or perhaps the underappreciated – innovation writing of the past. The first set of Innovation Classics includes well-known stories:

• No Animal Food by Rupert H. Wheldon
• Notes on Nursing by Florence Nightingale
• Chocolate: Or, An Indian Drinke by Capt. James Wadsworth
• Medical Essays by Oliver Wendell Holmes
• Grappling with the Monster by T.S. Arthur

In the “Editor’s Introduction” to each e-book, we explain how the book relates to current health, science, and technology innovation.

The Innovation Classics series of e-books in pdf format can be downloaded at no charge by visiting our website. Click here to download your free e-books.

4 health sites that offer something new (or improved)

Blog entry submitted by Katelyn Phillips, one of our "Stin-terns"

For the past few years, I’ve been getting all my medical advice from my most trusted health advisor: WebMD. Unfortunately, we’ve had a rather tumultuous relationship. It’s always the same thing: I feel a new pain somewhere on my body, I enter my symptoms on WebMD.com, and I am told that I basically dying from either some form of cancer, or a rare strain of some awful virus. So imagine my relief after I encountered the article, “What’s New (Or Improved) In Health Sites” in the Wall Street Journal.

According to the article, health-care sites are dramatically evolving into more than just medical “encyclopedias for dummies” and symptom checkers. Sites are finally being receptive to consumer health concerns, “including prescription drug safety, quality of care, and the ability to network with other patients facing similar health problems.” Sites such as Microsoft Health Vault even offer patients the option of storing – and later sharing – health records online. Of course, this is controversial due to privacy issues and whatnot, but for patients with multiple doctors performing multiple tests, it can be extremely helpful, even lifesaving.

Even more sites are focused on helping patients manage their care more effectively and efficiently. Here’s a quick sampling of some new – or improved – health sites to whet your appetite:

Consumermedsafety.org - Option to “fill out an online form on the medications you take, and the institute will send you information on drug-safety ratings, possible interactions among your medications, side effects, and reviews from other patients” – all for free!

WhyNotTheBest.org - Allows consumers to compare how hospitals in their areas are performing on various measures of safety and care

HazMap (hazmap.nlm.nih.gov) - Database providing information on “exposure to chemicals and biologic substances at work and with certain hobbies”

EverydayHealth.com - Links together 24 separate health sites, including WhatToExpect.com for pregnancy and CarePages.com for posting patient progress, as well as provides custom health resources

It’s nice to know there are more options available for patients and consumers to reference as a second opinion when WebMD is diagnosing a death sentence. For more information on other new or improved health sites, click here to check out the rest of the article.

4 top-performing healthcare companies are adapting to changing market forces

The blog was written by Robb Hughes, our finance manager and one of the newest innovators on our team.

Every year BusinessWeek analyzes the trailing 36 months average return on capital (EBIT/[long-term debt + equity]) and sales growth for all of the companies listed in its sister company's S&P 500 index and then ranks fifty standouts to the BusinessWeek 50 Best Performing Companies list.

This year's “BusinessWeek 50” is teeming with game changing health sciences companies like #1 Gilead Sciences, #12 Varian Medical Systems, #22 Express Scripts and #33 Waters. Pioneering companies like Apple, Google, Starbucks and Amazon.com also met the financial criteria to be included.

Common tactics or tools used by many of the finalist on this year's list include:

• Generous pay for performance incentives that align employee interests’ with owners
• Employment of experimental technologies for product differentiation
• Disruptive and innovative strategies

These traits shouldn't be surprising in view of results of a McKinsey study on performance conducted in 2002. McKinsey studied 1,000 companies over an 18-year period. The study showed that "those that made the biggest leaps in profitability were often the ones that increased their spending on acquisitions and innovation the most amid recessions."

Coincidentally, the #1 Performer on this year's list, Gilead Sciences, is a member of the pharmaceutical industry. For those new to our blog, Stinson Brand Innovation, is a global health, science, and technology brand consultancy. We help define the core strengths of brands like Gilead Sciences.

Gilead's original approach to simplifying complicated drug regimens, especially those for HIV/AIDS, has been a key factor in it successfully surpassing $5.3B in sales and better than $2B in net income.

Like many of the 33 returning companies to BW's list, Gilead is not new to the BW 50. The lucrative returns from its popular treatments for HIV/AIDS have positioned Gilead on BW's list for five years running. Sales growth over the past three years eclipsed 38% with an average return on capital exceeding 43%. These returns were the rewards for a well executed game changing strategy that put patients back in control of their lives.

Previously, HIV/AIDS patients took cocktails of medications that sometimes had to be administered intravenously. Gilead was among the first companies to invent a once-a-day-pill. According to the article, "today, nearly 8 out of every 10 new patients diagnosed with HIV in the U.S. start on Gilead drugs and, typically, remain on them for many years." Even as the company tries to grow the drug into untapped markets, the company is beginning to focus on a new strategy: broaden the usage of once-a-day pills into other disease areas such as Hep B and C that have patient pools much larger than the U.S. HIV population.

Gilead isn’t immune to the recession. It is predicting lower sales for 2009, like most companies, but instead of nailing down the hatches and playing defense, Gilead will invest $1.4B to purchase CV Therapeutics, a cardiovascular disease drug developer.

At Stinson Brand Innovation, our expertise is assisting specialty pharmaceutical companies do more than map their strategies and tactics that achieve successful commercialization and sustainable competitive advantage like Gilead has. We employ a tool called Strategic GPS^® that can create an advanced guidance system for a life science brand that helps move the product adoption curve forward, faster.

For more about Stinson’s Strategic GPS^® tool read our white paper #20 “How to Create a Guidance System for Life Science Brands.”

4 ways to repurpose failed innovation

Sometimes inventions just don't pan out. But they may turn out to be useful if you apply them to other challenges.

And as recession-racked companies search for ways to cut costs, some are rediscovering innovations in previously unsuccessful projects.

Here are four tips on making the most of first-round disappointments:

1. Prepare for comebacks -- Notes should read like how-to manuals so any product or process can be easily replicated.
2. Regularly review shelved ideas -- A specific person or team must reevaluate disappointing inventions periodically.
3. Try them again elsewhere -- Look for ways that flawed projects might solve problems in other arenas.
4. Look into the future -- Project how technological advances could transform yesterday's ideas into breakthroughs.

Read more ideas at "IN: Inside Innovation."

4 SEO Tips to Move Your Brand Up -- in the Search Results

This blog is by Greg Dosmann, our Associate Creative Director and rockin' web CHEMist

Search engine optimization (SEO) techniques are not quite rocket science; they can be implemented by anyone who wishes to increase the exposure of their web site business.

SEO is all about optimization and is crucial for success on the web. By optimization, I mean two types of methods:

• On-Page optimization -- editing the web site code and content keyword research, choosing the best keywords used to find your business and coupling this with relevant content that is useful to your readers.
• Off-Page Optimization -- back linking from quality sites that sell or display information related to your business. This is best achieved through contextual one-way links to your site from a high traffic site where your target audience will browse for information on your products. One-way links shine bright in the eyes of Google, if they are relevant

B to B Magazine recently published a list by Stephen Riegel, director of search and co-founder of Faction Media.

His 4 tips on nudging up the SEO rankings are simple and can be implemented with little effort.

1. Describe yourself. You should not have “Home” as a descriptor of business in search results unless you’re a Realtor or a builder. Every page on your site should have a unique title and description based on page’s content.
2. Check title tags. Title tags are among the most important elements of most search engines’ algorighms. Meta information helps the search engines define content as well as provide added relevancy to searchers.
3. Optimize keywords. Capture your sites internal search results to understand the content navigation needs of your audience. Isolate the terms that are leading towards success and test these directly in a “pay per click” environment.
4. Localize. Whether you sell directly or through distribution channels, you can support your sales efforts by placing detailed sales contact information on your site. Let your audiences know where and how they can contact you or your distribution partners at the most local of levels.

When you look at it, it’s really another application of C.H.E.M.^®

• Connect relevant information to your website.
• Honestly define the content of the pages.
• Easy to optimize content because you know it best.
• Motivate your audience to locate and contact you.

Can you “hear” me now? Telemedicine networks save critical time

Today's blog is written by Layne Shapiro, one of our brand engagement managers.

With new technologies available, how can the healthcare industry improve patient care while maintaining patient confidentiality? Remote access improves efficiencies across many industries, and it’s finally beginning to be implemented in the healthcare industry.

Patient privacy concerns have slowed the healthcare industry from moving to remote access solutions. With the passing of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), the demand for privacy and security of electronic healthcare information has increased. With HIPPA, compliance is not a choice - it’s a requirement. Since remote access can lower costs, raise productivity and improve patient care, there is an increase interest in providing remote access while maintaining patient privacy.

Healthcare professionals frequently require timely access to confidential patient information in order to provide the highest quality care, which in some cases can mean the difference between life and death. With Skype and Google Videochat already offering live-streaming video communication, it only makes sense to use this technology to improve access to healthcare via telemedicine. Now doctors can view patients from anywhere telemedicine is available online instead of staying at the office all hours. Expert specialty physicians practice at specialized centers and have limited accessibility. With the use of live-streaming video and audio communication, access to care will be increased and critical time can be saved improving diagnosis and increasing the frequency of appropriate treatment choice.

Eventually, if telemedicine networks connect with a majority of the specialty physicians it would increase access to care for people through the world. This would allow for preliminary review immediately, even if the patient requires a visit during the night. With increased access to care, the demand for the highest quality of care would increase and we could begin to see outsourcing for initial diagnosis.

6 Ways Branding Can Address Current BioPharma Trends -- free teleseminar for Mid-Atlantic brand marketers Thurs 9/17 at noon

We at STINSON Brand Innovation have been following the developments of the biopharma corridor that extends across the Mid-Atlantic states - including Virginia, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee, Kentucky.

The Mid-Atlantic region is home to more than 15,000 health, science, and technology companies. The region enjoys vibrant entrepreneurial leaders, proximity to FDA, NIH and other federal labs, as well as a diverse mix of research universities and medical centers.

In just the last month, we have established a Mid-Atlantic region business development presence out of Charlotte, NC. Our target is emerging life sciences companies, along with biopharma companies with products in earlier stages of development

Now, we're offering our first educational event specifically created for Mid-Atlantic biopharma companies.

Date: Thursday, September 17, 2009
Time: 12:00 1:00 PM Eastern
Registration: http://www.forward-fast.com/teleseminar

Teleseminar Overview:

Is your product "stuck" because of internal resource limitation? Stuck because of external forces like changes in regulation and industry practices? Stuck with low brand awareness, attitude, or usage? Stuck with the same old promotional tactics? Stuck with unenthusiastic meetings and conventions? Worst of all, stuck on a flat sales curve?

Do you need some new and innovative ideas to accelerate the adoption of your brand?

If so, join a select number of your professional colleagues on Thursday, September 17, for a free teleseminar on How to Accelerate Your Brand.

What you will learn:

• What is "brand innovation"?
• What makes a brand more likeable?
• Why is your brand more than a logo?
• What does your brand offer to the customer and how is that what you're really selling?
• What brand associations can be connected to your product?
• What is your brand experience and how can it make the most difference?

Register now at http://www.forward-fast.com/teleseminar

Seeing the same brand hallmarks in new ways: Lessons for N-of-8 from “Indiana Jones”

When using the N-of-8 process, it’s important to remember that you’re not just writing a story – you’re developing a BRAND story.

So the core brand hallmarks must be presented and maintained consistently. But that doesn’t mean the story can’t be told in many different ways.

Consider the series of Indiana Jones movies. The respected, intellectual professor pulls off his bow tie and glasses to search for treasure. Even across four installments, there are elements that make an “Indiana Jones” story:

• Jaunts to exotic destinations
• Dodging booby traps
• Fighting hand-to-hand with the bad guys
• Unearthing ancient ruins
• Hacking through jungles
• Taking unusual transportation
• Dining on spectacular, even bizarre meals
• Snakes!

And there are the hallmarks of Indiana Jones’ personal brand: hat, whip, watch, journal, unshaven beard, even the influences of his father.

With these central and fundamental ingredients, many stories can be crafted with their own unique locations, characters, plots, dangers, and fantasies.

It can be extended from Raiders of the Lost Ark to Temple of Doom, The Last Crusade, and 20 years later, Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. What’s more, it can provide the story platform of media extensions into TV series, pinball and video games, and an amusement park ride.

Far from limiting your creative potential, defining the brand hallmarks gives a structure to which you can then build endless story possibilities.

The same principles can be seen when analyzing other popular movies series, like Star Wars, James Bond, Pink Panther, and Rocky. That’s why I often use these as a warm-up exercise with our creative teams before we start writing stories for N-of-8 groups. It helps us find parallels, archetypes, villains, conflicts, and climaxes. We recall the look of the titles and credits. We even sing the theme song or hum the main chorus.

As you begin crafting your brand’s story, put together a list of the escapades you’ll experience – plunging into a pit of snakes, cruising around on elephants, hitching a ride of a zeppelin, or searching for the Holy Grail.

GM "Reinvention"

When General Motors executives heard the pitch for a mea culpa TV commercial titled "Reinvention" - which is airing now and ends with the line "The only chapter we're focused on is chapter one" - the brass needed convincing. (Click on the image below to view the spot.)


"They had to man up and own their mistakes," says Eric Hirshberg, president and ad maker Deutsch LA. For GM and Chrysler, getting people to buy their cars is a marketing challenge for the ages.

Here's how five advertising gurus would go about, as they told Newsweek writer Matthew Phillips:

1. Sell the cars, not the companies. The GM and Chrysler logos smack of failure, but some of the cars still have cachet. "Push Cadillac," says Crispin Porter + Bogusky's Chuck Porter. "Push minivans. Chrysler invented them."
2. Stop sugarcoating. Prior to "Reinvention," GM ran a cringeworthy ad that said, "America needs a comeback. Let's put on our rally caps." Rally caps? "That's dangrous," says Euro RSCG's Andrew Bennett. "It evokes pity."
3. Give us real people. If you take the misty-eyed approach, focus on people whom we'd actually root for. "Show me plants shutting down; let me hear the workers," says Element79 CCO Dennis Ryan. "That story's powerful."
4. Embrace changing habits. Car ads don't get us into the dealer anymore, they make us feel good after we've left. "People seek the ads to justify the purchase," says Interbrand's David Martin. So remind us why we love your cars.
5. Be the future. Automakers need to talk about next-wave strategies: building from the buyer's specs, no more one-car-fits-all. "What they're doing feels very 1970s, like gray-haired marketing," says Anne Bologna, CEO of Toy.

11x26 mm pill with microprocessor -- The iPill

Today's blog was submitted by Norah Tang, an intern with our company and a student at University of Illinois at Chicago in public relations and communications.

It has been a year since Philips announced the patent for its cutting-edge R&D efforts in the development of a remote control pill known as iPill.

The 11-by-26-millimeter capsule is a reality now.

The iPill is a miniature capsule packed with a microprocessor, power supply, medicine reservoir and pump, and a radio. The greatest feature of the pill is to allow doctors to deliver drugs to any particular area by navigating the human digestive system via gauging pH levels, and then communicating to the outside unit via wireless transmitters.

According to Philips, though the current design is a prototype, it is suitable for serial manufacturing.

Click here to view a video on this amazing little robot pill.

17.5% drop in Gatorade brand sales - but they still say "G" is not a gamble

PepsiCo Inc. executives say a high-profile makeover of its Gatorade sports drink is on track despite recent weak sales, and they plan to introduce an array of new beverages to appeal to consumers who have drifted away from the powerhouse brand. This according to a posting on WSJ.com.

In an interview, PepsiCo's Americas Beverages chief Massimo d'Amore said that a new marketing campaign with a big letter "G" is proceeding "fully in line with our plan." Internal research conducted by the company shows that the "G" campaign scores high in the "coolness factor," he said.

A summer promotion offering Gatorade in limited-edition bottles that feature Michael Jordan is exceeding expectations, he said.


"We did not just decide to change the identity on the back of an envelope," Mr. d'Amore said. "'G' is not a gamble. 'G' is a deliberate strategy that will work in the long run."


In January, PepsiCo ran teaser television, online and print advertisements asking, "What's G?" During the Super Bowl, advertising revealed that "G" was Gatorade, "the heart, hustle and soul of athleticism" as bottles hit store shelves.

In the first six months of this year, sales volume dropped 17.5%, according to estimates from Beverage Digest, an industry publication. That caused Gatorade to lose 4.5% in share of the sports drink market, but the brand still dominates the category with a 75% share. Soft beverage sales in the Americas and currency fluctuations weighed on the company's second-quarter profit of $1.66 billion, down 2% from $1.7 billion. Revenue fell 3% to $10.59 billion.

Pepsi says Gatorade sales have been hurt by a weak economy. Casual consumers who bought the sports drink because it was cool - not to replenish themselves after a workout - are seeking out cheaper alternatives, particularly tap water, the company says. They have also been drawn to other products such as enhanced water and tea, executives say.

Chairman and Chief Executive Indra Nooyi said, in a Wednesday, July 22 earnings conference call with analysts and investors, that during the housing boom, construction workers en route to job sites routinely bought a half-dozen bottles of Gatorade each morning at convenience stores. That's not happening now, she said.

"We grew past our core occasions," Mr. d'Amore said. "The key question we should debate is, should we chase those occasions or not?"

Click here to read more.

4 billion opportunities for mobile computing innovations

The blog today is written by Peter Erickson, one of our Verbal Brand CHEM-ists (and mobile evangelist)

A recent article in NYSE Magazine quoted Nokia’s market research that “indicates sometime in the next 12 months the number of people around the world who have cell phones will surpass the 4 billion individuals who use a toothbrush.”

World dental hygiene notwithstanding, this data points to the reach and potential impact of cell phones in our world. The article continues by focusing on the news that Visa and Nokia have teamed up to produce an application that enables next-gen Nokia phone users to access their Visa accounts worldwide, pay for goods and services, transfer money, receive real-time alerts on account activity, and receive discount offers. Consumers don’t even have to live near a bank or ATM.

The Apple iPhone message that “there’s an app for that” makes it clear that not only are mobile computing innovations enabling consumers to do more, they have expanded the range of where information can be exchanged and commerce conducted.

Regardless what device or computing platform we us, mobile innovations like these are making a positive impacting our work and personal lives through increased productivity. And now, many of these consumer-driven innovations have migrated to the healthcare field.

Imagine that your physician can access highly detailed patient information regardless of the practice office. It’s already available. The physician can manage a patient’s health wherever the physician and patient meet – even evaluate and authorize prescriptions. In addition, mobile computing is enabling healthcare professionals to access CME programming though the handsets, and even listen to streaming content design specifically for them.

Our Stinson Brand Innovation White Paper #60: A Look in the Crystal Ball covers this topic in more detail. To read more on mobile computing innovations in the healthcare environment, click here.

"Aja" performed by Steely Dan at Chicago Theatre -- the brand was remarkable and musically perfect

I used to listen to my "Aja" album til the grooves wore out. And I may know nearly every note and word. So I expected to really enjoy Monday’s concert that featured the super-duo performing the album in its entirety.

But I never expected such “sonic brand perfection” as I experienced.

Donald Fagen, Walter Becker – along with a full band and Dan-ettes back up singers – gave a remarkable and musically perfect show of their best record.

From the first chords of “Black Cow” and into the dime-dancing title track “Aja,” Fagen established his stage centerpiece. And even better, there was no audience chit-chat until the whole album was played. “Peg,” “Deacon Blues,” “Home at Last,” “I Got the News,” and “Josie” were each delivered better than the last.

Finally, Fagen welcomed us with “Hi ya, kids.” Then took us right back to the ‘70s with their brand of jazz-rock-blues fusion we came for. Jenny and I have adopted “Hey Nineteen” as our anthem. We also imagined if the group could ever play “Time Out of Mind” at places like, say, the White House. I thought the Dan-ettes put new attitude behind “Dirty Work.” And I waited patiently to the encore to sing along with “Reelin’ in the Years” at the top of my voice. (The only regret is that someone did indeed lose Rikki’s number.)

I have seen all the classic brand-name acts in concert, and this will absolutely go down as one of my top ever.

4 parts to a Change Agent story – How you manage and respond to change is the difference between success and disruption

This book review of Our Iceberg is Melting by John Kotter was submitted by our account executive Brandy Gonsoulin.

John Kotter’s acclaimed change agent book uses an easy-to-read fable to illustrate the timely and sensitive topic. Using a penguin colony faced with news that their iceberg is melting, he demonstrates the team struggle and creates scenarios similar to the ones we non-penguins encounter daily in our quest or resistance to change – and shows how a collective, driven and organized process can bring results. How individuals manage and respond to change is the difference between success and disruption.

Most literature on change deals with a logical process. In Kotter’s case, there are four parts:

1. setting the stage
2. deciding what to do
3. making it happen, and
4. making it stick.

Read by itself, the effect on the reader is minimal. Read through the lens of a heroic story makes it easy for the educated mind to drop its analytical reasoning and put change in the context of the human element.

Whether or not you have a melting iceberg, the roadblocks the colony faces and triumph of innovative thinking creates a story that we all want to be a part of as we navigate our organizational changes. If penguins can be successful in change, why can’t we?

Read more book reviews and other news about our company in the latest issue of Accelerate.

7 Professional Inputs on "Selling Health Care Reform to Voters"

Today’s blog was submitted by Kendal Brown, a Visual CHEMist and rising design star in our firm

I currently follow the Daily Heller newsletter of Print Magazine written by Steven Heller, who has been in the creative industry long enough to have a valued opinion. Every morning Steven brings me interesting insights or creative discoveries from past, present, and future players in the creative world.

Being that we are in the consulting world for Health, Science, and Technology branding, it was particularly exciting for me to receive the newsletter regarding his involvement in a New York Times opinion article on selling the Healthcare Reform. At the end of his newsletter Steven asks, “how would you sell health care (or not) given your design acumen?”


Looking closer, the NY Times article (in the Opinion: Room for Debate section) published expert opinions on this topic (Steven Heller's included). Listed below are the 7 experts and some of their key suggestions for President Obama to consider:

1. Robert Shrum, presidential campaign strategist - Don't abandon, don't delay. President Obama needs to hold his ground. It won't be easy.
2. Julian E. Zelizer, professor of history and public affairs - "Sell a vision for health care where government plays a larger role" Work on the message.
3. Mark Penn, former adviser to Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton - Appeal to both/all sides, people need to know it won't how it will affect them and that the impact won't be negative for them, even if it helps other people.
4. Mike Murphy, Republican Party consultant - Remain truly bipartisan. "Talk to people like grown-ups."
5. Harold Pollack, professor, University of Chicago - Tell the stories, share why this is all so important. (Case Studies)
6. Robert Blendon, professor of health policy and political analysis - Stay specific and make it easy to understand.
7. Steven Heller, art director and design critic - "Whatever the words and image, be sure to make a convincing promise and prove it can be kept"

Here at Stinson Brand Innovation, we might approach the idea of selling Healthcare Reform much like we approach any one of our client's campaigns. We could use a tool like CHEM to ask the questions of our own messaging:

C - Does it Connect with the desired audience in a meaningful way? In this case, does it connect as a bipartisan message, that is relevant to both audiences? Do people understand how it will affect them as an individual?

H - Is the message Honest? Are the promises realistic, is there evidence or are there case studies to back it up?

E - Is it Easy? Is the message easy to understand and specific yet simple enough?

M - Does it Motivate the audience into taking action? Reform is absolutely necessary, but few can predict the outcome or see the light at the end of the tunnel. People need to understand that it might get worse before it gets better yet still be able to believe in a positive outcome. Do they want to share the message with others?

Below are the links to the mentioned Newsletter and Article in case you want to read more:
"Sick of the Health Care Debate?"
"Selling Health Care Reform to Voters"

2 leaders in blood collection and transfusion technologies -- Fenwal and Golden Meditech -- form joint venture in China

Fenwal, Inc. of Lake Zurich, Illinois and Golden Meditech of Hong Kong have agreed to form a joint venture in China to focus on blood collection and transfusion products for the fast-growing Chinese medical market.

Medical professionals in China are expected to benefit from the combination of:

• Fenwal's technological leadership in blood collection, separation, preservation and transfusion, and
• Golden Meditech's expertise in China's blood-related medical device and blood-banking fields.

The joint venture will operate from Beijing and serve customers throughout China.

Initially, the joint venture will focus on sales and distribution of a range of Fenwal and Golden Meditech products – including the Fenwal AMICUS^® cell-separation system used to collect platelets; and the Golden Meditech 3000H Plasma Exchange system designed to remove toxins from patients' blood.

"Fenwal is a pioneer and leader in advanced blood technologies," said Mr. Kam Yuen, Golden Meditech chairman and chief executive officer. "We're looking to bring together the leadership, knowledge and capabilities of both companies to expand and customize our offerings for blood collection and transfusion medicine in China."

"Golden Meditech is a respected medical leader with extensive knowledge of the China market," said Ron Labrum, Fenwal president and chief executive officer. "Its people, technologies and infrastructure will complement Fenwal's current offerings in China. Together, we expect to create new opportunities to expand the market for advanced blood technologies that will benefit patients throughout China."

For more information, visit the companies’ websites at www.fenwalinc.com and www.goldenmeditech.com

4 Characteristics of a Diverse Brand Team

Blog entry submitted by Nancy Stearns Burgess, one of our creative CHEMists and a card-carrying “ESTJ”

Something I learned early in my career was the importance of diversity on a team. Not just cultural and ethnic diversity — though they have their own rewards. Instead, I believe a blend of personality types can make work teams more effective—as long as mutual understanding reigns. This insight can also give branded communications a more targeted edge.

“Personalities” are some of the most rewarding, fascinating—yet also frustrating—aspects of work, family, and social experiences. Tools, such as “Personality Quadrants,” can be helpful models. Perhaps you’ve heard of Quadrant I, Quadrant 2, etc. Similarly, some businesses ascribe to the model of Directors, Socializers, Relaters, and Analyzers to help bring focus and meaning to interactions.

Granted these tools have their merits. But they’re also overly simplistic—segmenting people into just 4 categories. Years ago, when I managed a multidisciplinary team in the hospital, I learned about the Myers-Briggs characterizations of personalities from psychologists on our team.

Myers and Briggs based their ideas on the work of Carl Jung. I’ve found these characterizations to be helpful at work and at home. According to Myers and Briggs, people’s traits fall on continuums of 4 characteristics:

• Extravert (E) ------ Introvert (I)
• Sensate (S) ------ Intuitive (N)
• Thinker (T) ------ Feeler (F)
• Judger (J) ------ Perceiver (P)

That means there are 16 possible combinations, such as INFP, ESTJ, etc. People can be at one end of the continuum or closer to the middle. What is perhaps most interesting is that people with specific characteristics tend to gravitate toward professions that match their personalities. For example, many nurses and teachers are ESFJs. Most dietitians are ESTJs. INFPs are often psychologists, social workers, and clerics.

When drafting targeted communications to these audiences, insight into their perspectives and how they like to receive and process information, can be invaluable. Likewise, better cooperation in the workplace can take place when you know how to speak the language of those who are opposite yourself on the spectrum.

Once you know your natural inclination, you can use that awareness to both understand (and work effectively with) those with a different perspective and to develop within yourself the opposite pole of the continuum. Check out the online tools to help you recognize which of the 16 combinations best describe you.

Click here to learn more at the Myers and Briggs Foundation.

2nd consecutive “Best of Chicago” Award for STINSON

Stinson Brand Innovation has been selected for the 2009 Best of Chicago Award for the second consecutive year. We were recognized in the Marketing Consultants category by the U.S. Local Business Association (USLBA).

Each year, the USLBA identifies companies that they believe have achieved exceptional marketing success in their local community and business category. These are local companies that enhance the positive image of small businesses through service to their customers and community.


Read more news about our company in the latest issue of our Accelerate newsletter.

#1 out of 122 medical device companies: Covidien recognized as “Top Innovator” with strongest patent portfolio in the industry

One of our client companies, Covidien, has been ranked the top innovator in the medical devices and services industry by The Patent Board™, the official patent ratings partner of The Wall Street Journal.

The Patent Board Scorecard ranked 122 companies in the industry by patent portfolio strength. The Scorecard is a tool to recognize that patent portfolios are measurable financial assets that can be market-value drivers.

In 2009, Covidien moved up to take the #1 spot in rankings for the first time, driven by:

• a 50% increase in Technology Strength™ (an overall assessment of a company’s intellectual property quality and quantity); and
• a 27% increase in Industry Impact™ (the extent to which others are building on Covidien’s portfolio of US patents)

Covidien first appeared on the Patent Scorecard in 2007, when it became an independent company, ranking #4 that year.

Joe Almeida, president of Covidien Medical Devices, said, “Covidien’s continued dedication to the innovation process is reflected in our achieving this prestigious number one ranking. It underscores the depth of our intellectual capital and our collaborative approach to intellectual property development.”

We at Stinson Brand Innovation agree that Covidien has a strong science-linked patent presence in all four of its segments – Medical Devices, Imaging Solutions, Pharmaceutical Products and Medical Supplies.

I believe the company will continue to strengthen its technology development efforts, because Covidien’s businesses work together to turn its technology advances into patents and other valuable IP assets.

Co-creation in health brands?

There is certainly a macro trend-shift from Experience Economy (here is the experience we're creating for you) to Participation Economy (here is the space in which you can participate to create your experience.)


It's happening everywhere on the web, and it's also creeping into actual customer experiences (i.e. Linux, Lego Factory, Apple retail stores, self-service hotels). Yet there's an interesting challenge when it comes to health, science, and technology brands.

I was inspired by a post on http://brand.blogs.com and have been thinking about the concept of co-creation as it relates to our categories.

I'd be interested in your ideas on how to bring co-creation to life within a medical, pharma, biotech, or diagnostic brand setting.

Thoughts?

400th anniversary of Galileo’s astronomical observations

The stars often align for Stinson Brand Innovation with clients in Philadelphia. And now to celebrate the astronomical observations of Galileo, the Franklin Institute has an exhibit of his star-gazing.

“Galileo, the Medici and the Age of Astronomy” commemorates the 400th anniversary of his work – and the role of Medicis as science patrons.


So let’s set our GPS to Philly, and make our way to see the display of Galileo telescopes (through September 7).

Click here to read more about the exhibit.

4 core elements of our Ethos of Learning

Learning and sharing experiences are at the heart of everything we do at Stinson Brand Innovation.

In our company’s first 5 years, I’ve learned about the importance of a culture based on the core elements of a:

• Learning atmosphere: with mutual respect, diversity of ideas, and practical guidance
• Learning channels: interconnecting media of information and development tools
• Learning responsibility: personal strategic plans to raise expectations, knowledge, and performance
• Learning partnerships: cooperating with clients, partners, vendors, and medical consultants.

Together, these elements make learning more stimulating, vibrant, motivating, fun, challenging, and rewarding. That’s why we feel so strongly in this Ethos – because it helps us support each other in the exploration and creation of new ideas. Having a positive, productive attitude to learning is crucial to success both as a company and as creative individuals. Recognizing we face challenging times, we strive to help our team members to be proactive and innovative about learning.

That’s the essence of our company’s Ethos.

To read more about our company’s creative reflection, click here to read the latest issue of our company newsletter.

Applying design to tackle tough problems of the developing world

The International Development Design Summit (IDDS) is a month-long collaboration that brings together people from around the globe to build technologies for communities in the developing world. It’s being held at Kwame Nkrumah University Of Science And Technology (KNUST) in Kumasi, Ghana.


The program is the brainchild of MIT Senior Lecturer and D-Lab founder Amy Smith, a past winner of the MacArthur “genius” grant.

It is a conference about innovation, and we believe that innovation thrives in the intersections of disciplines that come from bringing together such an eclectic group. Its draws inspiration from several current models of innovation, design and community empowerment: co-creation, cross-disciplinary collaborations and crowd sourcing.

IDDS is not strictly an academic conference, with papers and proceedings. Instead it emphasizes development of prototypes. It is part of the revolution in design that aims to create equity in the distribution of research and development resources by focusing on the needs of the world’s poor.

The final presentations, along with demonstrations of the prototypes, are today, August 10, at the KNUST Museum.

Click here to follow the International Development Design Summit blog.

2 Chicago-based patient organizations awarded CSL Behring LEAD Grants for grassroots advocacy

CSL Behring, a global leader in the plasma-protein biotherapies industry, has awarded six advocacy grants totaling $100,000 to patient organizations in the United States through the Local Empowerment for Advocacy Development (LEAD) program. LEAD grants support grassroots advocacy efforts by organizations that are committed to helping people who use plasma-derived and recombinant therapies to manage their health conditions.

Since the LEAD program’s inception in 2008, CSL Behring has awarded more than $250,000 in three semi-annual grant cycles.

"CSL Behring is dedicated to advocacy and is honored to be able to collaborate with patient advocacy organizations to improve access to life-saving plasma-derived and recombinant therapies," said Dennis Jackman, CSL Behring Senior Vice President, Public Affairs. "CSL Behring is committed to helping organizations expand their advocacy initiatives and capabilities on both the state and federal levels."

In this most recent round of awards two Chicago-based patient organizations were selected to receive grants, from among the 19 submissions received. LEAD grants were awarded to:

1. The Respiratory Health Association of Metropolitan Chicago, which promotes healthy lungs and fights lung disease through research, advocacy, and education, will use its funding for advocacy and education. It will advocate for legislation mandating that the Illinois Department of Health assign a staff member exclusively to COPD/Alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency. It will also advocate for the creation of a $250,000 line item in the Illinois state budget to develop a statewide education, awareness and surveillance plan for COPD/Alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency.
2. The Hemophilia Foundation of Illinois, a state chapter of the National Hemophilia Foundation (NHF) dedicated to the treatment of all bleeding and clotting disorders, will use its grant to fund advocacy efforts depleted by a $700,000 reduction in the state hemophilia program. The Foundation also plans to create a public health program guide for Illinois residents with bleeding disorders.

LEAD grants are awarded semi-annually. The fourth round of grants will occur in October 2009. Applications, specific criteria for applying and more information about the LEAD program are available on the CSL Behring Web site at www.cslbehring.com/leadgrants.

Quote on "Innovation"

Yesterday, I wrote about how Dr. Brian J. Druker persuaded Novartis to take a chance on Gleevec – based on good science, not just the economics. That led me to a great quote from another scientist/executive, Trevor Mundel, head of Novartis' Global Drug Development Division.

He said, “Arguing about commercial value is precisely what paralyzes the industry and leads to the destruction of innovation.”

8-year perspective on Gleevec -- the “selling” of a drug innovation

Since its approval in 2001, Gleevec has turned a rare form of leukemia from a death sentence into a manageable disease. But with only an estimated 10,000 patients worldwide afflicted with chronic myelogenous leukemia, Novartis initially had little interest in the drug.

Dr. Brian J. Druker at Oregon Health & Science University's Knight Cancer Institute, whose lab did the basic work on Gleevec, persuaded Novartis to take a chance on it.

In a 2003 Science Watch interview, Druker explains how he made the case.
Science Watch correspondent Gary Taubes asked Dr. Druker, “How did you convince a major pharmaceutical company to develop a drug for a disease that strikes a comparatively small group of roughly 5,000 Americans a year?”

Here is his reply:

“That was certainly the hard part, and a lot of things had to fall into place. We faced three major hurdles. One was that it was a drug for a small market. Second, there was some liver toxicity in early animal tests. For a variety of reasons, Ciba-Geigy was adverse to taking a risk with a potentially toxic drug. But for me, I was dealing with cancer patients who were dying, and I was accustomed to giving drugs with significant toxicity. Thus, I was much less concerned about potential risks. Here was a compound that might help patients, and I absolutely wanted it to be given a fair trial in people. If it proved to be toxic in people, then of course it wouldn’t move forward. But if it worked with a therapeutic window, that would be worth developing.

“The last hurdle was that Ciba Geigy had just merged with Sandoz to create Novartis. That led to down-sizing and re-evaluations of all the programs. STI571 wasn’t even on anybody’s radar screen. In addition, Nick Lydon, who was the lead investigator of the tyrosine kinase inhibitor program at Ciba Geigy and the main internal proponent for the development of STI571, had left the company.

“Ultimately, I was able to convince a few key people at Novartis to move this compound forward to clinical trials. One of the factors that helped was that this compound also inhibited the platelet-derived growth factor receptor (PDGF-R) tyrosine kinase. The PDGF-R is expressed in most cancers, including most of the common ones, such as breast and prostate cancers. Whether its activity is required for the growth and survival of these cancers is unknown, but if STI571 worked in these diseases, this would be the market size that would interest a large pharmeuctical company. So the view was that if it worked in CML, Novartis had an easy way to the market. It could then be tested broadly and might have a very large market potential.”

You can read the full interview on the journal’s website archive.

4 pitfalls in clinical decision making – from “How Doctors Think”

In his book How Doctors Think, Jerome Groopman, MD, identified traps that physicians must avoid on the path to a clinical decision, including these:

1. "Satisfaction of the search." The tendency to fall back on lower-level decision-making rules when we want to eliminate alternatives.
2. "Diagnosis momentum." The tendency to ignore findings that might lead us in a different direction than the one we're already headed in.
3. "Commission bias." The tendency to do something rather than watching and waiting.
4. "Intuitive leaps." The tendency to make a jump to a diagnosis that may not be supported by evidence or even by logic.

Could these pitfalls also apply to those of us in the clinical “innovating” business?

HE4 Diagnostic Biomarker Test Shows Promise in Monitoring Ovarian Cancer

Ovarian malignancies are a leading cause of cancer death in women because they are usually detected in the late stages when the disease is incurable.

Encouraging new research presented by Abbott and Fujirebio Diagnostics last week at the AACC (American Association for Clinical Chemistry) annual meeting shows that a novel diagnostic marker HE4, combined with other tests, can be used to more effectively monitor for early-stage ovarian cancer.

This can improve treatment options for many of the 22,000 women in the US who develop this deadly disease each year.

New research on HE4 presented by Richard Moore, MD at a scientific workshop provides important validation for the use of the HE4 test in combination with CA125 (the current standard for monitoring ovarian cancer) in estimating EOC risk in women presenting with pelvic masses.

The HE4 test was developed through research efforts aimed at identifying combinations of biomarkers to add sensitivity to the CA125 test, which is limited in its sensitivity and specificity, as well as its ability to monitor early stage epithelial ovarian cancer.

“Our results show that the dual marker combination of HE4 and CA125 can aid in the differentiation of benign pelvic masses from ovarian malignancies in women diagnosed with a pelvic mass,” said Moore. “This is exciting as it will help us improve the care we give to the many women who are afflicted by this deadly disease.” Dr. Moore is associate professor in the Program for Women's Oncology at Women and Infants’ Hospital and Brown University.

“More than 250,000 women present to their physician each year with a suspicious pelvic mass, yet there is still no reliable tool to differentiate malignant disease from other benign gynecologic conditions, making early detection a significant challenge,” said Robert Doss, Ph.D., divisional vice president, research and development, Abbott Diagnostics. “HE4 represents an important advancement in monitoring these pelvic masses.”

Fujirebio Diagnostics, Inc. and Abbott have signed a license agreement to develop this new ovarian cancer marker for use on Abbott’s automated ARCHITECT^® diagnostic analyzers. A manual form of the HE4 test has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as an aid in monitoring recurrence or progressive disease in patients with EOC and is CE marked for use within the European Union as an aid in estimating the risk of epithelial ovarian cancer in premenopausal and postmenopausal women.

The team from Stinson Brand Innovation attended the AACC conference in support of Fujirebio Diagnostics. We created a brand experience in the booth, including a touchscreen kiosk program to inform lab directors of the clinical application of the HE4 biomarker. Here are a few photos from the exhibit.




About Ovarian Cancer

Ovarian cancer is the leading cause of death from gynecologic cancers in the United States and the fifth-leading cause of cancer death in women. An estimated one in 72 women will develop ovarian cancer in their lifetimes. It accounts for 31% of cancers of the female genital organs. Women who are postmenopausal are at the greatest risk for ovarian cancer.

About Abbott Diagnostics

Abbott Diagnostics is a global leader in in-vitro diagnostics and offers a broad range of innovative instrument systems and tests for hospitals, reference labs, blood banks, physician offices and clinics. With more than 69,000 institutional customers in more than 100 countries, Abbott’s diagnostic products offer customers automation, convenience, cost effectiveness and flexibility. Abbott has helped transform the practice of medical diagnostics from an art to a science through the company's commitment to improving patient care and lowering overall costs. The history of Abbott Diagnostics is filled with examples of first-of-a-kind products and significant technological advancements, including the development of the very first diagnostic test to detect HIV.

About Fujirebio Diagnostics, Inc.

Fujirebio Diagnostics is the premier cancer diagnostics company and the industry leader in cancer biomarker assays. Fujirebio Diagnostics specializes in the clinical development, manufacturing and commercialization of in-vitro diagnostic products for the management of human disease states, with an emphasis in oncology. Fujirebio Diagnostics is a wholly owned subsidiary of Fujirebio Inc. Fujirebio Inc.is a leading healthcare company in Japan with a focus on diagnostics, and is a group company of MiraHoldings. Fujirebio Diagnostics has a worldwide distribution network which enables physicians and patients to access its diagnostic products. For more information about Fujirebio Diagnostics, please call 610/248-3800 or visit www.fdi.com.

3 Lessons on The Culture Behind Japanese Brands

A couple of months ago, we had a wonderful week in Asia. While in Tokyo, we appreciated the business culture, as well as the social. Here's an excerpt of an article by Chauncy Zalkin with three lessons on the culture behind Japanese brands (shared with me by Nancy Burgess, a Verbal CHEMist at Stinson Brand Innovation).

"Historically, in a simpler time before the jet age, Japan was geographically isolated, surrounded by treacherous seas and formidable fault lines. Mountains cover three-quarters of Japan. Earthquakes and challenging terrain are constant reminders of nature's strength and have contributed to the importance Japanese people place on having a dependable, manageable social system. Japanese people value the group over the individual, and the society consequently possesses an enviable system of organization and an ethos that gave rise to innovative brands and services. The branding world has taken notice.

Lesson 1: Consideration of the Group
Kuuki wo yomu means to "read the air"-to get a sense or feeling of group sentiment. In a recent social experiment, Japanese and Western participants were shown a picture where an individual stood in front of a group and were asked to describe the situation. The Japanese test takers "read the air," meaning they considered the facial expressions of the group behind the individual, whereas westerners focused solely on the expression of the individual to make their assessment.

Lesson 2: Ritual and Restraint
One set of slippers is for the house. Another, for the bathroom. Sake comes before, not during, the meal. After a Japanese meeting, it's time for karaoke and raucous good times. The working day is done. Each experience has its place, and for that time, every other experience is put aside.

Lesson 3: Reverence for Nature and the Human Touch
Products that exhibit the human touch and an understanding of the environment are what consumers-and society-demand now. Japan is known for sci-fi style innovation but also for employing nature's materials in unique and reverent ways.

In Conclusion
Brands are about values, and values are about people. It is the Japanese people-their culture, their society and their sensibilities-that are the power behind Japanese brands. From Toyota to Sony and Muji to Uniqlo, Japanese brands enjoy global respect for their high quality, attention to detail, technological edge and commitment to the environment. Japan, take a bow."

Click here to read the article in its entirety.

Chauncey Zalkin is the founder Girlonthestreet.com and served as a senior brand strategist and resident trends expert at creative shops before moving to Paris to write and continue her cultural research projects from a different lens.

4 guiding principles supporting our R & D of innovation tools and techniques

Blog topic submitted by Melanie Stinson


The R & D for medical treatments that can save, prolong, and improve lives begin with inspiration. Then, they take form through innovation and collaboration. And finally, they emerge ready to meet patient needs.

We at Stinson Brand Innovation work closely with leading healthcare corporations, clinical institutions, and universities R& D to brand, and launch these advances in biomedical technologies.

Every day, we’re applying and integrating our core capabilities to R & D for biomedical technologies so we can accelerate new treatment options for physicians and patients across a broad spectrum of specialties including immunology, oncology, endocrinology, cardiology, neurophysiology, and research bioreagents.

This R & D view applies to our own consulting tools, too.

Here are four guiding principles that help support our research & development of new techniques and creative ideas:

1. Go early, go often. Building experimentation into your business is harder than you think. Start small and stay focused. Try everything, but don’t try it all in one prototype.
2. Learning by doing. Build value for the business as you prototype. If you fail, what will you have learned? What will you salvage?
3. Inspiration through constraint. Don’t exhaust yourself searching for money and resources. The tighter your constraints, the more creative your prototypes will be.
4. Open to opportunity. Look for unanticipated ways customers are using your offering. Their improvisations may be the future of your business.

3 unlikely items used to create "inFamous" soundtrack -- old metal shelving unit, bungee cord, flowerpots

To create a unique soundscape that matches the ruined urban environments and desolate atmosphere of the recently released PlayStation3 game "inFamous," the sound engineers and musicians at Sony drew sounds and music out of a wide variety of found objects and musical instruments used in unorthodox ways.

Sony invited WIRED out to its Foster City studio to find out about the creative process. The result is the video you can watch below.

Stringed instruments like zithers and cellos were used for percussion. A violin bow drawn over a garbage can lid produced a haunting wail. In the hands of well-known composers like Amon Tobin and Sony’s internal music staff, a room full of unlikely objects were coaxed into giving up a most intriguing game soundtrack.

10 inner voice lessons: master your fear of failure and harness your power story

Many of us will facing our summer holidays with concerns about the state of the economy, the world, and even our personal wellbeing.

"This year, more than any time I can recall, we are subject to an epidemic of mental, spiritual and emotional fatigue," says Dr. Jim Loehr, whose latest book is The Power of Story: Change Your Story, Change Your Destiny in Business and Life.

"If ever there were a time for people to increase their ability to manage their inner conversations and overall wellness – this is it." He adds, “The ability to see clearly in the storm is neither inherited nor something that necessarily develops with age. It comes from repetition and practice, much like strength develops from workouts at the gym.”

Dr. Loehr is a performance psychologist who has spent an entire career helping high performing athletes, military Special Forces, medical professionals, business people, and organizations master the fear of failure and harness their "inner voices" in service of their goals and missions.

As I was using Dr. Loehr’s book as a reference for Stinson Brand Innovation’s N-of-8^® story development tool, I wanted to share his insights to help you take control of your inner voice during turbulent times.


TEN INNER VOICE LESSONS

1. Take Control of Your Inner Discord. This sets the stage for the next steps. Consciously turn to an activity that engages and absorbs you completely. Continue it until you can talk with yourself calmly.
2. Summon the Voice of Your Conscience. Ask yourself questions like, “Is this (the stress-producing activity or thought) really something I should be spending my mental energy, time, money or other resources on?”
3. Summon Your Voice of Reason and Wisdom. Listen to the disturbing inner chatter and then write down the facts—just the facts—of what is happening. Then write a brief story—beginning, middle, end—around those facts, using your best wisdom and perspective.
4. Summon Your Voice of Support and Encouragement. Whatever tone of voice you would use with people you care about the most, use that same tone with yourself.
5. Summon Your Voice of Toughness. Without access to the voice of toughness, many of us are too easily pressured by the world. Listening to this voice will help you to “hang tough” in an environment where we're surrounded by catastrophizing.
6. Summon Your “I Don’t Buy It” Voice. When there is negative or nervous talk around you, maintain a healthy inner skeptic; distance yourself from negative group-think.
7. Suspend Your “I Don’t Buy It” Voice. When you feel positive energy from the groups around you, sign on.
8. Summon Your Voice of Compassion. Every time you stimulate feelings of compassion within yourself, you increase this capacity. It is a practice that has as many benefits for you as it does for the recipient of your compassion.
9. Summon Your Voice of Sincerity. This voice gains volume when you listen to and acknowledge your deepest private voice, and then find an appropriate and honorable way of using that voice when speaking publicly to others.
10. Summon Your Voice of Intuition. Intuition doesn’t follow the standard pathways of conscious logic and reason. Training this voice, listening to and respecting this voice, can pay enormous dividends in just about every avenue of life.

N-of-8 of innovative companies in health, science, and technology

Even in these tough times, surprising and extraordinary efforts are under way in businesses across the globe. In our fields of health, science, and technology, eight companies were highlighted this year by FAST COMPANY for their power and potential of innovative ideas and creative execution.

These are the kinds of enterprises that will redefine our future and point the way to a better tomorrow.

1. WuXi PharmaTech, Shanghai, China

As big drugmakers in the U.S. and Europe cut staff, WuXi PharmaTech has been a major beneficiary. A China-based drug-research company that provides scientists-for-hire to conduct R&D, WuXi is growing so fast that this year it expects to employ more chemists than Pfizer, the world's largest drugmaker. In China, entry-level scientists make less than half what their American counterparts earn, and WuXi's scientists are often at the lower end of the expertise chain. Still, the company is carving out an ever-larger role. In the near term, WuXi is accelerating the development of blockbuster drugs for the likes of AstraZeneca, but it is poised to become big pharma's next competitor.

2. Gilead Sciences, Foster City, CA

Gilead developed the first single-pill HIV regimen, which now boasts an 85% market share, as well as Tamiflu, which is stockpiled by governments worldwide against avian flu. In 2008, it won approval for Viread, a significant improvement in treating hepatitis B. By focusing on life-threatening illnesses, the company has achieved steady growth, despite a tiny marketing effort. "All the large companies have thousands of reps," says Gilead founder Dr. John Martin. "Our HIV U.S. sales force is less than 100 people." Gilead's strategy reaps both financial rewards -- $3.5 billion in profits last year -- and good karma. Its Access Program helps deliver low-cost HIV drugs to 97 countries, and a nonprofit foundation has given $8 million for HIV education, prevention, and treatment. In the pipeline: a less toxic and more effective drug for hepatitis C.

3. DSM, Heerlen, the Netherlands

Powder to the people! That was the Dutch life- and materials-science company's novel approach in the fight against "hidden hunger," defined by the United Nations as the lack of essential vitamins and minerals (not food) affecting more than a billion people in developing countries. "We wanted to improve the quality of the food basket," says sustainability director Fokko Wientjes, of the partnership between DSM and the UN's World Food Program, established in March 2007. DSM's answer: a tasteless powder called MixMe that for 2.5 cents a day can be added to fortify staple foods. It can be customized to suit different cultures, and the packaging (the size of a sugar packet) can withstand extreme transport conditions. Pilot projects in Bangladesh, Nepal, and Kenya have so far benefited 250,000 people. This year, DSM expects to produce 100 million packets.

4. Genzyme, Cambridge, MA

The patient biotech giant came to prominence by developing treatments for rare genetic disorders, a process usually fraught with risk and expense. But in January, the company announced that it expects its 20% compound annual earnings growth to continue through 2011. Genzyme has recently added renal, bone, and cancer treatments. A 10-year study by the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons just reported good news for the company's Carticel, a cell therapy that uses a patient's own cartilage to repair damaged knees. Says Dr. Lyle Cain Jr., an orthopedic surgeon in Birmingham, Alabama: "This is the beginning of the next generation of procedures."

5. Aravind Eye Care System, Madurai, India

In a 33-year quest to end blindness in India, Aravind has developed everything from cheaper intraocular lenses to a 20-minute cataract surgery that allows high volume at lower cost. The network of not-for-profit hospitals and vision centers performs 300,000 eye surgeries each year -- 70% for free -- using broadband connections to on-call doctors in city hospitals for instant diagnosis. Camps in rural areas screen thousands of patients weekly. "We are going from village to village to provide eye care to the unreached," says Aravind's chairman, Dr. P. Namperumalsamy. Aravind won the 2008 Gates Award for Global Health.

6. Affymetrix, Santa Clara, CA

The life-sciences company makes lab tests that scan tissue samples for variations in thousands of genes. It had a rough financial year as the market for genome and RNA analyzers has waned. Rival Illumina, meanwhile, did well by selling gene sequencers. Now the race is on to develop advanced tests for genetic predisposition to heart disease and the most common types of cancer.

7. Narayana Hrudayalaya, Bangalore and Kolkata, India

The hospital performs more than 20 heart surgeries a day at low cost and high quality -- including the first artificial heart implant in Asia, last April. Some call it a temple. Some chose to call it the abode of saints who heal. To some, it's a last chance of survival. But to no one, is this just a hospital. In its genre, Narayana Hrudayalaya may well be one of the biggest hospitals in the world, but the fact that it’s one of the biggest hospitals, with a heart, is becoming legendary. The rich come here for the world's best heart care. The poor come here for the world's kindest care.

8. Verenium, Cambridge, MA and Jennings, LA

The company's scientists use a brew of enzymes to turn sugarcane waste into fuel at the nation's first demonstration-scale cellulosic ethanol plant, in Jennings, Louisiana. BP inked a $90 million partnership last year. Verenium is a leader in the development and the commercialization of cellulosic ethanol, an environmentally-friendly and renewable transportation fuel, as well as higher performance specialty enzymes for applications within the biofuels, industrial, and animal nutrition and health markets.