From Andy Smith, EVP, Managing Director of Global Operations, Palio

As I return to work from a two-and-a-half-week break that saw me finalize wedding preparations, host and entertain two sets of families, get married and enjoy a honeymoon, I’m happy that my decision to stay “offline” throughout my vacation went almost to plan…

Almost to plan meaning that it was virtually impossible to actually shut off completely. First, my email seems to only allow certain amounts of mail before it becomes “full” and even though I can no longer receive email until I clear it out, somehow I keep getting a “system administrator” message telling me I can no longer receive email.

Anyway, to the point: as I sit and plow through the 893 emails that made it, I’m noticing the trend of a lot more “articles of interest” – all kinds of things from How to Sell, Tricks for New Business, Is your Company Ready for the Digital Age?, Is a Company’s Culture More Important than its Business, etc. And whilst some of this is good reading, a lot of it is repurposed and sent multiple times with short notes “some good insights here” or “we should take a look at this” or “you’ve probably seen this, but….”

Keeping up to speed can be nearly impossible these days, with hundreds of daily postings competing for your attention from services like Facebook, Twitter, and RSS feeds. If you think you’re missing something, it’s probably because you are. The amount of online content out there can be way too much to handle. And it’s constantly growing.

The good news is there are lots of filtering devices out there that can help provide order, if not eradicate the problem. One of the more interesting approaches I’ve seen lately are tools that can predict what content you’d like based on what they know about you. They can then, apparently, use that knowledge to highlight content that’s more likely to suit you (I wonder if that also ties you to a database that will target you endlessly).

One app I heard about was the my6sense app for the iPhone. If you access your Twitter, Facebook and RSS content through the app, it uses algorithms to understand you as you go through your streams. For instance, it can see which links you click, how long you look at something, and whether you share the content with others… cool but a little scary.

As the founder of my6sense, Barak Hachamov, says: ”You could read 5,000 pieces of content and find what you want. But usually you want to do some other things with your life.”

Are you being bombarded with too much (irrelevant) information too often? How do you handle it?

From Steve Dubansky, MD, SVP, Medical Director, Palio

As a confirmed, proud, self-professed Luddite, I have somewhat stubbornly resisted the onslaught of social media, preferring to use the telephone (rotary of course) or the person-to-person meeting in order to do my socializing. Keystrokes, whether 140 (tweet tweet) or more (blog blog) just didn’t do it for me.

Strongly “encouraged” to tweet and blog by my employers, I hesitatingly dipped my toe into the social media water with a few very tentative blogs and tweets. However, rather than find the anodyne experience that social intercourse usually provides, I found the experiences polymorphously frustrating. What do I say? What about this? Would that interest anyone? How do I keep it ≤140 spaces? Who even cares what I think? Paraphrasing Groucho Marx, would I ever want to “friend” someone who wastes their precious timing reading my thoughts on-line?

Most frustrating was the simple fact that I never received feedback. Never. It was akin to talking to (not “with”!) someone at a party who spends the entire time looking everywhere but at you, searching desperately for someone more interesting and/or attractive. No real conversation. Kind of like dinner table conversation when you ask your children the dreaded question, “How was school today?” What you hear, minus the “Okay,” is the sound of silence that tweets and blogs give you.

But then one day, about 2 months into my daily enforced tweeting, after posting a tweet about an Environmental Working Group report on pesticides poisoning fruits and vegetables, my epiphany came in a tweet response from “Chem React.” Just a few simple words, “Agreed. Even just on Twitter, every day-so much evidence of the scary dangers around us. But nothing happens… Time to change.”

That’s all it took to get me to realize that while I may never see their responses, there are people who are reading what I’m writing. Perhaps they dismiss it, perhaps they think it unworthy of a response, or perhaps they simply don’t have the time to respond. Doesn’t matter. It’s kind of like a party, where not everyone is interested in conversing with you. It’s even better than a party in one important aspect. When tweeting or blogging, you don’t have to see the other people ignoring you, or looking past you for more fertile social intercourse.

So rather than curse the darkness, I’ve now lit the candle and brightened my attitude about social media. The applications are just waiting to be discovered. I can see potential utility in both the pharma and medical spaces.

Just this week, the Disney Company launched a Facebook application called Tickets Together, which lets you buy tickets via Facebook. When you do, your Facebook friends get messages letting them know where and when you’re going to the movies, in this case it’s “Toy Story 3.” Tickets, not available to the “general public” till the middle of June, may be bought in groups of up to 80.

Marketers in the pharma space should readily be able to use the social media to rapidly disseminate things such as drug-related information and discount coupons. Any marketer worth his/her salt should be able to come up with even better ideas than those.

Physicians can easily disseminate health maintenance, disease prevention information to their patients. Practice-related information (appointment times, doctor is running late, meet-up support groups of similarly affected patients) presents lots of opportunities.

While I’m not completely sold on the idea, social media is here to stay. It will without doubt evolve in ways we can’t imagine. An open mind is the prepared mind, and we better be prepared because things are moving fast. This deconstructed Luddite doesn’t want to be left behind. In fact, I think I’ll blog about this right now. Oops. First I’ll have to bike to the store and pick up some ink for my fountain pen.

From Walter Hertik, Group Art Supervisor, Palio

Being a creative in the pharmaceutical industry sure makes you aware of the pain and suffering so many patients endure – and yes, sometimes it is your own family member who learns they have cancer. I remember that day sitting across from the physician, when my wife, Candy (44 years old), was told the news that she had Stage 1 breast cancer; our son, Luke was just 5 months old. I don’t cry very much; I actually hide my emotions quite well. It wasn’t until I was at work the next day, creating a sales aid for lung cancer, that I had to stop, go outside, and take life seriously.

Years pass; it’s 2007, and a routine check discovers a very tiny, tiny lump – it was cancer, again. Another setback for my wife; and I start thinking about all of the lives that are touched by this. My wife is a fighter. 2010 and she is going strong.

As a cyclist, I find Lance Armstrong, another cancer survivor, a hero for those who are fighting this enemy every day. And I find this Nike commercial very inspiring, not only as the husband of a cancer survivor, but as an art director. Sometimes advertising is more than just advertising.

The Livestrong Foundation has created a new “yellow bracelet” – these stickers are another form of support. And yes, I ride for Candy.

From Peter Hopper, VP, Account Services, Palio

I’ve been teaching my 16-year-old son how to drive. Being aware of, and respecting, law enforcement is part of the syllabus.

We’ve noticed that there was a notably higher presence of local and state police on “speed-limit enforcement details.” And it wasn’t just at the end of the month, looking to fulfill quotas. Then I heard on the radio – maybe it was Click & Clack on Car Talk – that it was not our imagination. Indeed, across the country, it appears that there are more and more officers on the road. More patrols result in more tickets, which generates more revenue for local municipalities. Let’s do the math: 100 more tickets a day at an average of $200 per ticket equals $20,000. That can add up to real money. With strained budgets, this revenue flow helps offset deficit budgets.

Hmmm.

A colleague of mine, in a post-presentation discussion on the FDA’s new “Bad Ad” program, made the point that when the FDA levies penalties on pharmaceutical companies for non-compliance, which can easily be in the hundreds of millions of dollars depending upon the severity of the violation(s), that money goes into the US Department of Health and Human Services’ revenue stream when the action is taken by the Agency and not the Department of Justice. Just as an example, recently, biotech drugmaker Genzyme agreed to pay a $175 million penalty for long-standing manufacturing problems.

Now, the “Bad Ad” program has many attributes including great PR for the FDA to demonstrate its increased efforts to police the industry, and the casting of a wider net by enlisting the professional public to monitor and report. Perhaps we can add to the list balancing the budget.

For a government keen to regulate, but challenged with funding priorities, could it be the perfect way to pay the piper?

From Maureen Wendell, VP, Account Services, Palio

In 2009, I attended several diabetes medical meetings (ADA, AACE, ENDO, AADE) and noted a modest digital footprint – wireless café and abstracts on CD. Ho hum. At ASCO 2010, I was amazed at the transformation. Is it the progressive oncology community or a sign of the rapidly changing world of digital communications and social media? The answer is yes.

Oncology by its very nature is one of the more technologically savvy disciplines and its specialists are highly interested in engaging online according to Manhattan Research (2009 ePharma Physician v9.0 #6). Disease complexity, extensive tumor classifications, rapidly evolving diagnostics, genomics and treatments have created a community thirsty for information and communication. And ASCO has stepped up to satisfy its members’ appetite.

From their networking website – ascoexchange.org – to the ASCO 2010 “Tweetup” held in Chicago on Saturday to gather physician insights on unmet needs and new opportunities – ASCO is clearly telling us that online communities and social media matters. Here are a few examples:

Twitter – over 2,000 followers are kept up to date on trial results, award winners, podcasts, schedule changes and membership benefits.

Dr. Blayney’s Blog – ASCO’s President is leading the way with his own blog where he shares experiences on EHR, e-prescribing, and safety standards.

Oncology EHR Exchange – in this ASCO forum, 450 members, including EHR vendors, can discuss electronic health records. Dr. Blayney was recently quoted in ASCO News stating: “It would be great to see online conversations start up around each of the major EHR vendors, so that those who are interested in purchasing or acquiring this technology can learn from our experiences with EHR products. Vendor representatives participate in the Oncology EHR Exchange and check in to see what users are saying. Unlike a yearly meeting, we can use this forum to create a virtual users’ group with the opportunity for continuous learning.”

Here we have ASCO leadership asking an industry stakeholder for help in satisfying the need for continuous learning. While many pharma brands focus on patient communities as they navigate the brave new world, are they missing an opportunity to take a leadership role in meeting this important need for healthcare professionals?

From Steve Dubansky, MD, SVP, Medical Director, Palio

Let’s say you’re an oncologist with 25 years of experience in patient care, research, and teaching. You’re now working in a medium-sized pharmaceutical ad agency, and you’re the medical strategist and writer responsible for a small molecule tyrosine kinase inhibitor called pinkiemib, the first successful biologic therapy for cancer of the fifth finger. NouveauRx Pharmaceuticals, the originator and promoter of pinkiemib, is excited with the possibility that this will be their much needed blockbuster product, and you and your team are excited to help them promote it.

You’ve been working closely with the pinkiemib brand team for almost 2 years. You’ve recently developed a series of advertorials, and you’ve written content for its disease state awareness Web site. Concepts have been developed and testing is well underway. The client likes you and your agency team, and the feeling is mutual. The product is set to launch in 6 months. All’s right with the world.

This idyllic picture is suddenly and unpredictably shattered when your agency is told by NouveauRx that they have decided to consolidate their entire $175 million dollar advertising business with the McPharmold Group, an agency holding conglomerate with offices just about everywhere. Nouveau is looking for consistency and cost efficiencies. Their executives feel that they’re not getting back enough in return for their marketing dollars. More worrisome, their marketing dollars are not nearly as effective as their major competitors’.

So you and your agency are out the proverbial door, kicked to the proverbial curb, to the dismay of your now good friends on the pinkiemib brand team. You’ve lost out to a bigger company with multiple subsidiary agencies. Bad for you but good for NouveauRx. Or is it?

While there are undoubtedly reasons to trim the fat, cut costs and consolidate, the old adage, “penny wise pound foolish,” comes to mind. Certainly Nouveau’s costs may be lower with their new agency than they were with yours, but will that translate into improved pinkiemib sales? However, promises of access to the “best talent” and providing economies of scale are often mutually exclusive. Oftentimes neither promise is kept.

Will this new conglomerate have an agency with a team so smart that they can handle the now incredibly steep learning curve that’s staring them in the face?

Will this new agency have someone with the scientific acumen that you and your agency team has in this specialty area… yours gleaned over 25 years, and your colleagues’ gleaned with your guidance over the past 2 years?

Will the new agency have experienced account personnel with the time and the insights to handle pinkiemib on a day-to-day basis, or will Nouveau’s baby be left to bright (hopefully) but inexperienced and perhaps over-their-heads junior account people?

Will McPharmold’s agency have the same quality of creative people, steeped in learnings from first-hand observation of qual and quant research like your creative team? Will they even have brand planners, and, if they do, will their planners have the same depth of understanding of the 5^th finger cancer marketplace, as does your agency? Can the new agency provide invaluable support with research and analytics?

Will the new team have the passion? Will they develop that never-to-be-underestimated great working relationship with the pinkiemib brand team?

There’s more to life and business than consistency and efficiency. I believe they’re both overrated. I agree with Aldous Huxley, the British writer and humanist, who said both, “Consistency is the last refuge of the unimaginative,” and “The worst enemy of life, freedom and the common decencies is total anarchy; their second worst enemy is total efficiency.”

Could Bayer, Sanofi, GlaxxoSmithKline, and Johnson & Johnson be wrong? Possibly. They all have been wrong before. But then again, what do I know. I’m just an oncologist with 25 years of experience.

From Stephanie Hosmer, Group Art Supervisor, Palio

We’re moving further into the digital realm, creating a completely new experience for consumers through more involving graphic and interactive options. We’re dazzled by new delivery — like the iPad — for our messages but as we’re “ooo-ing and ahh-ing” over the technology and eye-candy graphics, are we missing an opportunity to reach our audiences on another level?

Sound is immediate; it’s a direct link to both the rational and emotional parts of our brain. Sound triggers recall and reaction. Just think of NBC’s 3-note flourish, the Intel logo, or the McDonalds tag, “I’m loving it.” Much like good visual or industrial design, sound has the ability to convey value and anchor consumer perception of a brand.

Today, practically every brand on earth has its own visual identity. Other senses are barely part of the equation. None of this is news but as we look at other ways to broaden user experience, we should consider the opportunities available to us to link brands and benefits using music, sound, or voice.

New technologies provide new avenues for sound branding. Sound branding can affect the user at multiple touch points. It could be as simple as setting a tagline over music, creating an audio component to a logo, or tones associated with interactive charts in our digital detail aids. Or it can be taken a step further to enhance an “experience” by setting a tone at conference booths, sales meetings, or even the hold music for toll-free numbers.

We’re all susceptible to different emotional appeals. Forty percent of people react strongest to visual appeals, but another 40% react as strongly to aural appeals, and 20% to kinetic appeals. This could be a huge opportunity to expand into a market dominated by visual appeals. Sound gives us another opportunity to differentiate our brands and engage consumers on a deeper level through a more dimensional experience. So maybe it’s time we gave our brands a different kind of voice in the marketplace.

From Mark McCoy, SVP, Brand Planning Director, Palio

The Brand Circle is a great tool that visually shows marketers the qualities and properties of their brand. It is very useful when developing, extending or periodically reviewing the performance of a brand. To briefly describe the Brand Circle:

• It has 4 regions. The core, outer core, extension area and the no-go area
• The core contains the elements that are essential to the brand. These elements can be benefits, attributes, personality traits or target customers for example
• The outer core contains elements that are consistent with, and complement, the core
• The extension area includes ideas about how the brand could be developed and broadened in the future

The no-go area is the off limits region. Things that would weaken the brand and confuse customers live in the no-go area. Which brings us back to the Phoenix Suns and why they need an emergency Brand Circle Exercise. The Suns management decided that the team would wear uniforms with the team name “Los Suns” in their Cinco de Mayo game against the San Antonio Spurs. No problem so far.

But then the Suns went off the rails like a crazy train, Ozzie Osborn-style, straight into the no-go area. They went political and started talking all kinds of smack about the newly enacted Arizona Immigration Law SB1070. Sun’s owner, Robert Sarver stated that Arizona’s immigration law was not “the right way to handle the immigration problem, Number 1. Number 2, as I read through the bill, it felt to me a little bit like it was mean-spirited, and I personally just don’t agree with it.”

Steve Kerr, the Sun’s GM added, “It’s hard to imagine in this country that we have to produce papers. It brings up images of Nazi Germany.” Steve Nash, a Suns player said, “I think the law is very misguided, I think it’s unfortunately to the detriment of our society and our civil liberties, and I think it’s really important for us to stand up for things we believe in.”

Politics is in the no-go area for all sports team brands, including the Phoenix Suns. The rationale for this is pretty simple. First, sports fans don’t want to be subjected to political messages while they are watching ball games. Watching a sporting event at the arena or on television is fun, entertaining and an escape from serious issues like politics. Second, sports bring people together and politics divides people. On any given political issue, roughly half of people are for it and half are against it. On the other hand, everyone in a given city can feel the love for their local sports team. If you doubt this fact, just watch “Major League.”

Suns General Manager Steve Kerr should know that it is bad form to insult your brand’s customers. When conducting brain storming meetings at Palio the issue of whether or not to compare a brand’s customer base to Nazis hasn’t really come up in any of our discussions. As a general rule, however, we would go on record as saying that likening your home market to Nazi Germany belongs in the no-go area for all brands except for Third Reich memorabilia brands.

Okay, so let’s review. In the sports team brand circle, “politics” and “calling your customers Nazis” belong in the no-go area.

From Mike Radigan, Senior Editor, Palio

Ever heard of the “fat-finger theory”? As someone who used to work in the financial services industry, I’m embarrassed to admit that I hadn’t. Well, actually, let me clarify: I knew this concept existed, I just didn’t realize it had a name. And a strange one at that.

The fat-finger theory is the moniker given to the idea of how something as innocuous as a careless digit can be responsible for casting a massive economic ripple effect in global financial markets. Basically, it has to do with typos. Yes, you read that correctly. No, it’s not a typo.

In an article published on CNN.com earlier this month, Bob Greene, a contributor and best-selling author, explains how a potentially devastating typographical error can wreak frightening and very real havoc in our world economy, and how a simple, ill-executed keystroke could be responsible for a monetary meltdown. Basically, he calls attention to the fact that typos hold the power to be so damaging and yet are so often overlooked or ignored in today’s lightning-fast wired society…until they cost us all piles and piles of money.

According to Greene, earlier this month when our fragile financial system was threatened once again and the Dow dropped nearly a thousand points in 15 minutes, Wall Streeters (amongst others) began desperately searching for answers. What had happened? How could stocks and other investments plunge so quickly out of left field? Apparently, nothing of this magnitude had ever happened so unexplainably.

That’s when the fat-finger theory reared its ugly nail bed. Financial industry insiders speculated that plummeting market values were due to a “simple” mistake. In this case, suspicion fell on an anonymous stock trader racing through one of many daily transactions. In his haste to keep up with the pace of the markets and the demands of brokers and clients, this phantom trader’s careless, “fat” finger had mistakenly keyed a “b” instead of an “m,” selling billions of shares of stock in the process instead of the intended millions.

As it turns out, by the time Bob Greene’s article hit the Web, no single cause of this swift financial hit had been identified, but it was looking increasingly unlikely that a typographical error was to blame. Greene’s response to this? “Drat.”

Mr. Greene sees the lack of evidence validating the fat-finger explanation as sad. He writes, “If a typo had been shown to have [the kind of muscle to bring down a financial system], maybe the societal trend to regard typos as no big deal might have been reversed. In our computer-screen age, typos – and their cousins, misspellings and grammatical errors – have been given a reprieve.”

Greene makes an excellent point – a point I certainly agree with. The ultra-fast pace of the digital age has forced many of us to place a premium on the speed of producing the written word at the expense of accuracy. When errors accumulate, credibility is lost and online reputations suffer. Web sites, e-mails, IMs, and text messages are now dominant mediums of communication – that is undeniable. But in our rush to communicate as much and as rapidly as possible, we’re not always making sure to put our best foot forward. After all, presentation is everything.