Earth Day was April 22. Like many people, you might’ve missed it. But why not recognize it belatedly? We’ve got a great way how.

We’re inspired by what’s actually a sad stat from the EPA: American children spend 90 percent of their time indoors. And for the 10 percent of time kids do spend outside, precious little is devoted to physical activity. It’s a fact we know well; it’s central to our pro bono work on childhood obesity prevention.

Children need to run and play outside. It’s fundamental to their health—and to the experience of being a kid. So for your belated Earth Day celebration, spend some time outdoors with a child in your life. Take a long walk, hit the park, ride bikes, or toss a ball in the backyard. You’ll both feel better.

Well into year two of her Let’s Move! campaign to fight childhood obesity, Michelle Obama has been making appearances on hit TV shows to get her message out. Last month, the first lady was on The Ellen Show—challenging the host to a push up contest. This month, she participated in two episodes of The Biggest Loser. We think it’s smart. With obesity rates exploding, mass media tactics are just what this epidemic needs.

From our own pro bono work in childhood obesity, we know how important it is to connect with the audience. And it’s not just kids. Change needs to start with parents. So appearances on shows like, The Biggest Loser, that are widely viewed by both adults and kids, is strategic. And Michelle Obama’s message about how adult behavior directly impacts kids’ behavior, was right on.

So where will we see the first lady next? We’ll certainly be watching.

It’s every brand’s dream: People lining up to hug your product. That’s exactly what Coke has orchestrated with its highly sophisticated vending machine that dispenses Cokes for hugs. Installed overnight on the campus of National University in Singapore, this machine joins other unexpected tactics in Coke’s “Open Happiness” campaign.

Being Coke loyalists, we might be biased, but we love it. It associates Coke with fun, and most important, this guerilla tactic is so buzz-worthy, a single installation is making headlines around the world. It’s sure to be as viral as Coke’s Happiness Machine which has more than 4.5 million views on YouTube.

In our 22 years, Remedy has developed (too many to count) heart campaigns. As we close out heart month, we’re sharing two of our most effective campaigns.

Edward Hospital, heart screening
Overview: Remedy leveraged humor to engage and convince the target audience, healthy men and women, to schedule a heart screening
Impact: During the 12-week flight, appointment volume increased a whopping 90 percent

Sparrow Health System, cardiovascular service line campaign
Overview: As a testament to Sparrow’s leading heart program, and to promote its newly acquired cardiology group, Remedy developed a campaign featuring more than 24 Sparrow heart patients
Impact: Physician referral calls increased by 15% for the duration of the campaign

If only we had a dime for every client that’s dreamt aloud “a million people will watch our YouTube video….”

The reality is, the most viewed YouTube videos typically have nothing to do with brands (save for the adorbs “The Force” VW spot last year), evidenced by the list of the most popular of 2011. Still, while YouTube may be best known for baby and cat videos, when leveraged strategically, it can be a useful component of a brand’s overall social media strategy. Here are some tips for making the most of video content:

1. Tell a story
Video’s advantage over other media is that it can convey emotion. For healthcare marketers, video can be a great way to bring to life extraordinary personal stories and inspirational events.

2. Keep it fresh
A common mistake we see brands make is letting YouTube content stay up too long. Viewers can see when the latest video was uploaded, and having old material on your channel reflects poorly on your brand. If you don’t have new content to upload, we recommend taking down outdated videos.

3. Cross promote
The more paths you create to your YouTube content, the more chances for viewers to come. We encourage clients to add an icon at the bottom of their website, include links in tweets, and embed videos in email marketing. Even something as simple as a link in your organization’s email signature can help drive significant traffic.

More proof that the retail pharmacy category is reinventing itself. First it was Walgreen’s—with its new, flagship store in downtown Chicago, complete with massage services and fresh sushi. Today it’s Swedish pharmacy chain, Vårdapoteket.

In a bold move, Vårdapoteket introduced a new graphic identity that uses fun, colorful illustrations of the human body across its prescription bags, environmental graphics, and collateral. According to the design firm, SDL, the new spirited approach was strategic. Since Vårdapoteket is chiefly located in hospitals, SDL designers wanted to insert a small glimpse of cheer in an all-too-often stressful setting.

At Remedy, we’re big fans. We believe hospitals have many opportunities to positively impact patient and staff well-being. One way is through their physical space. See how we added bright colors and upbeat messaging in the facility branding work we did for client, Swedish Covenant Hospital.

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.