The promise of “health” at the touch of a button sounds so enticing. But do these apps actually help us to be healthier?

According to experts, it’s too early to tell. Mainly because the pace of academic research lags behind the pace of consumer technology. However, a research team from George Washington University recently examined smoking cessation apps and found that none of them followed the gold standard for anti-smoking programs. And weight-loss apps fared only slightly better at providing effective methods for weight loss.

But public health officials remain optimistic. “The main advantage of what these new technologies are offering is the ability to reach and potentially engage very, very large numbers of people,” says Erik Augustson, a psychologist in the tobacco control research branch of the National Cancer Institute (NCI).

At Remedy, we’re big fans of anything that makes health accessible, easy, and fun. We’ll be interested in learning more about the efficacy of apps in the coming year. Until then, check out some of our favorite, albeit novel, health apps:

Play It Down – enables you to check your hearing and determine the “age” of your ears.

Skin Scan – allows you to scan and monitor moles over time.

Lifelens – lets you snap a photo of a blood sample to determine if it’s affected with malaria.

MapMyFitness – helps you find running, walking, and biking routes in your area.

MealSnap – provides the nutritional breakdown of a meal simply by taking a picture of it.

Ever wonder why movie ads tout the “Number 1 comedy in America”? It’s because we assume when enough people, or the right people, endorse something, we should too. It’s called social proof. And with the explosion of social media, it’s even easier to measure a brand, product or service’s social proof.

Even healthcare decisions are influenced by social proof— from turning to Yelp to find a new dentist based on recommendations—to connecting with other patients on sites like Patients Like Me.

Check out other kinds of social proof from Tech Crunch.

With all the focus on social channels like Twitter and Facebook, many clients are wondering if email marketing still has a place in their tactical mix. We say yes. Definitely.

Email marketing remains an essential part of a brand’s digital strategy. In fact, an online study by technology company StrongMail reported that 60% of organizations plan on increasing their email marketing budgets. Smart move considering email is a targeted, economical, and effective way to connect with your audience. In fact, the Direct Marketing Association reports that email open rates increase nearly 8% year-to-year.

The challenge is making sure the emails are relevant. For client email campaigns, we focus on creating value-added content the audience will find useful. For more helpful tips, we recommend checking out the Email Marketer’s Success Kit.

Manicures, expensive wine, and fresh sushi don’t typically come to mind when you think of a chain drugstore. But it’s exactly what you’ll find at Walgreen’s new flagship store in downtown Chicago.

Just two days after its grand opening, Remedy president, Carol McCarthy had to see for herself. “Talk about repositioning a brand. There were so many beautifully merchandised products and services—freshly made smoothies, a virtual sommelier—completely unexpected for a retail pharmacy.” If their goal was to drive store traffic, it worked. But to get repeat visits, the new Walgreens leveraged another service: healthcare.

The second floor has a spacious clinic, and a place where consumers can interact with a pharmacist, one-on-one. A smart move since today, consumers are expecting convenient health services from chain drugstores.

(Daniel Acker/Bloomberg, Chicago Tribune)

(Jos M. Osorio, Chicago Tribune)

Remedy gives the new decked out Walgreens a thumbs up. “I’m not a sushi connoisseur, but my dragon roll was delicious,” remarks Carol.

Everyone knows a logo is an important visual expression of a brand. But other elements—color, typeface, graphics—play a bigger role than many people realize. To illustrate this, check out Brand Memory—a game that tests your ability to identify brands without seeing their name or logo. You’ll be amazed at how brand-aware you are. We highly recommend it.

Answers 1.) Coca-cola  2.) Absolut Vodka  3.) Heineken  4.) Ferrari  5.) Toblerone  6.) Penguin Publishers  7.) KFC  8.) Chiquita

Third post in the Transforming healthcare series.

Transformative idea 3: integrate health into existing behavior

The topic of engaging people in their health was one of many at the Transform Symposium that had us on the edge of our seats. It’s the nut we try to crack daily, so we were eager to hear new thoughts on the subject.

Of the ideas presented, one in particular struck a chord: integrate healthy behaviors into activities people are already doing. The example given was Vote & Vax, a campaign designed to increase seasonal flu vaccinations by offering shots to people waiting in line to vote.

Vote & Vax worked. It captured the right audience (adults 50+, part of the recommended demographic according to CDC guidelines) at the right time (onset of flu season). And it was successful: more than 21,000 flu shots were administered.

The takeaway

People are busy. So take a cue from Vote & Vax and make healthy decisions convenient. Instead of focusing on ways to get consumers to engage with your brand, focus instead on integrating into what they’re already doing.

Second post in the Transforming healthcare series.

Transformative idea 2: Don’t be anti-creative

Transforming healthcare—the focus of the 2011 Mayo Clinic  Transform Symposium Remedy attended this fall–is no small task given the complexity associated with healthcare delivery. Making it even more challenging is the mindset of many inside the healthcare industry, according to Symposium speaker, Jay Parkinson, M.D., M.P.H.

“The medical culture is not uncreative; it’s anti-creative,” says Parkinson.

Instead of resigning himself to this state, Parkinson saw an opportunity to be bold. In 2007, he developed Hello Health, a combination social network and EMR that enables doctors and patients to connect via email, IM, and video chat—all in a secure environment compliant with federal privacy standards.

We appreciate Parkinson’s spirit. When you’re working to transform the patient experience in a big, bold way, you need to get creative–and uncomfortable. As Hello Health shows us, it can pay off.

Hello Health’s interface allows patients and doctors to easily communicate via online chat, making quick check-ins easy.

Staying on top of healthcare innovation is critical to our ability to help clients identify opportunities and solve complex branding problems. So we made sure Remedy was represented at Mayo Clinic’s 2011 Transform Symposium, to learn first-hand from thought leaders across the industry.

To put it simply, we were wowed. In a three-part series of posts, we share some of our favorite transformative ideas.

Transformative idea 1: Build your own Center for Innovation
In 2008, Mayo created the Center for Innovation (CFI). A laboratory for R&D and prototyping new ideas, the CFI tackles a variety of healthcare challenges—most recently, the patient exam room: a space that has gone unchanged for more than 50 years.

(more…)