SPARK Conversations in Health - June 2007
 

I had an epiphany the other day, talking to my dad on the phone.

“Cuba, the Loire Valley, Prague, Tuscany,” he rattled off, listing the places he and my mother have taken destination bike tours over the last five years. Each vacation involved 20-50 miles of biking every day.

We in the healthcare industry recognize this is darn healthy living for a man who is 71 years old now.

My dad just thinks of it as fun.  And, when asked who his health role model is, he replied “Mom”.

Connecting with people about their health isn’t always about talking to them, I realized. It’s about listening. It’s about finding the fun that keeps them active.   

KC Healthcare’s conversations are about just that — listening and learning.   So, in
celebration of Father’s Day, let us help you create your conversation.   What better way to unlock
emotion, and gain a fresh point of view?  (see “Can You Hear Me Now?” article) 

Be Well,

Kelley

Kelley Connors, MPH

KC Healthcare Communications LLC
243 West Norwalk Road

Norwalk, CT  05850

www.kchealthcarecommunications.com

 

 

What’s Sparking Dialogue…Inspiring Action?
 
alli™. 

This month, Glaxo SmithKline launched alli, the only FDA-approved weight loss product available to consumers without a prescription.  How will alli meet the challenges of obesity
and weight loss in a culture trained for short-term sprints?  How will African Americans, the population most affected by obesity and its consequences, embrace this as a new weight loss option?

Addressing the obesity problem from a public health perspective requires that individuals take responsibility to change both diet and exercise habits. GSK takes a strong but refreshingly powerful stand for consumers to do so.  

Here’s why the campaign from a marketer’s point of view is stellar.

For Full Article:

http://kchealthcarecommunications.com/Newsletter/june2007/june2007-pg1.html

 
 

Happiness@Work

Although keynoters usually tell people how to do a better job – or how to do a better job of buying their products or services -  America Online Vice Chairman Ted Leonsis recently went one better, telling attendees at this year’s American Association of Advertising Agencies media conference instead how to attain happiness and fulfillment.

AOL’s research with some 60,000 consumer households, research analysts boiled happiness down to five things, according to Leonis.

* Relationships
* Community
* Self Expression
* Giving Back
* Pursuing A Higher Calling

But what happens at work?  My friend and mentor, Lelia O’Connor, Career Coach, President of Ngal So Authentic Leadership Group, and author of the soon-to-be-published book called Be Happy@ Work™ sheds light on changing our minds to find happiness.   

For Full Article:

http://kchealthcarecommunications.com/Newsletter/june2007/june2007-pg2.html

 


Desperately Seeking Wisdom

Looking to innovate or bring in new business?  James Surowiecki’s book The Wisdom of Crowds offers insights based on the concept of diversity.

Surowiecki claims that the lack of diversity can hurt both innovation and decision-making, sometimes with terrible consequences.  But he contends that it's not necessarily the lack of demographic diversity that's at the heart of the problem, it's cognitive diversity.

For Full Article:

http://kchealthcarecommunications.com/Newsletter/june2007/june2007-pg4.html



 

Out of the Blog

I just met the editor of Medical Tourism Insight and heard some astounding news.  I was running employer-based focus groups at the Consumer-directed Healthcare Congress in Las Vegas last month, where this attending magazine claimed to be the “Definitive Source on Overseas Medical Care.”

So who is going overseas for medical care? Women in the cosmetic surgery crowd? The Beverly Hills crowd?  Not necessarily!

To learn more about this trend among middle class patients, read the blog interview with
Josef Woodman, author of Patients without Borders at www.worldhealthcareblog.org/2007/05/31/interview-with-josef-woodman-author-of-patients-beyond-borders-transcript/

 


 

Can You Hear Me Now?

Remember those “aha” moments you had as a child exploring the universe and making new connections?  Remember the all-of-a-sudden understanding of why something worked or did not work?

As a healthcare marketer, you may be missing what turns out is the most important part of a conversation.  It takes a new tool that we call Motivational Listening.  

Here’s some ways you can improve your actively listening and discover patient, caregiver or healthcare professional insights beyond what market research could ever achieve.

For Full Article:

http://kchealthcarecommunications.com/Newsletter/june2007/june2007-pg6.html


 



Interested in creating profitable relationships with your customers?  E-Mail me at kelleyd@kchealthcarecommunications.com to find out how our conversational marketing program, TalkTank™ helps you discover and deliver authentic and meaningful conversations.


Quote of the Month

"One of the things I learned the hard way was that it doesn't
pay to get discouraged. Keeping busy and making optimism a way
of life can restore your faith in yourself."

-- Lucille Ball, Comic Actress


Save these Dates

July 27th - 29th -- Seaside Meditation Retreat, "Living A Joyful Life" with Lelia O’Connor, Executive Coach. Rooms overlooking the ocean, meditations and healings, yoga, dance kinetics, spiritual movies.  E-mail leslie.cirilloplante@gmail.com for more information and to register.

September 20th -- Diversity in Advertising Career Day (www.diacareerday.com), created to provide a forum where multi-cultural professionals can network and explore career opportunities in the advertising industry, will be held at the New York Hilton on Thursday, September 20, 2007, sponsored by Adweek, Brandweek, Mediaweek and Marketing y Medios magazines.

September 17-19, 2007 – Marketing to the New Healthcare Consumer Conference.
Chicago, Illinois.  Join your marketing and agency clients in the only conference to bring together all stakeholders in today’s health-driven marketplace.  Go to www.mtnhcc.com  to register and for more information.

September 17, 2007 -- Educating, Embracing and Engaging Women as Chief Health Decision Makers, (part of Marketing to the New Healthcare Consumer Conference) Chicago, Illinois.  Hear women in healthcare thought leaders share their thoughts and new data on reaching women about health and healthcare.   Go to www.mtnhcc.com  for more information on this pre-conference focus.




Marketing Tips for Reaching Women with Kids

Don’t think age…think life stage.  Here’s how to reach moms effectively:

Stay-at-home-moms are:

c More likely to check e-mail on weekends
c Consumers of e-mail newsletters
c Enticed to click through to a website from an e-mail

Moms Who Work Full Time Are:

c Using their business e-mail for personal exchanges
c Less likely to subscribe to promotional e-mails
c More likely to respond to limited time offers

Source: “Profiles of the Internet User”, www.epmcom.com/internet

July Issue Focus:   Building Health Conversations Through On-line Communities

 


 

 

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SPARK Conversations in Health