November 9, 2006 in Celebrity, Healthcare PR, Media, Media Orchard by Scott Baradell
Pierce Mattie to Talk About Boobies on BTR Today


If you’re not familiar with Pierce Mattie, it’s a well-respected New York PR firm that specializes in the business of beauty. They have a fun blog – and now, have decided to complement that blog with a live call-in show on BlogTalkRadio.

We missed their first show, but their second is today. The topic: Breast Implants 411, a Web site that shares information about breast augmentation surgery. The show’s at 3 p.m. Central. Go here to listen and ask questions of Steve Hultgren, Pierce Mattie and Edy Eliza.

(Disclaimers: BTR is a client of the Idea Grove, and Breast Implants 411 is a client of Pierce Mattie.)

 
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September 28, 2006 in Healthcare PR, Media, Media Orchard by Scott Baradell
Everybody Has a Right to Be Depressed

Terrell Owens, the flamboyant, highly paid Dallas Cowboys wide receiver, may or may not have tried to commit suicide after experiencing depression this week.

Clay Aiken, the flamboyant, highly paid “American Idol” runner-up, admitted he’s on medication as a result of depression this week.

In both cases, members of the media have felt compelled to self-righteously state that these people “have no right” to be depressed. After all, they’re rich and famous.

How stupid. How judgmental. And ultimately, how narrow these commentators must be to project their own desires and values on another person’s life.

Listen to what Dale Hansen, the sports director for WFAA-TV in Dallas, had to say about Owens.

When I watched this commentary, the hair on the back of my neck stood up — but I wasn’t sure exactly why.

Then I remembered that girl in high school; the pretty, smart, popular girl with whom I was friends — but wanted to be more.

One morning, she came to class and sat down in front of me. She looked sad; she seemed to have the weight of the world on her shoulders. This girl represented all that I wanted at that time. So, for some reason, resentment built up in me when I saw her like this.

I said to her: “What do you have the right to be depressed about? Your life is perfect.”

She just looked at me and turned around, even sadder now.

Years later, I found out that her mother had been physically abusive to her. And that’s why I remember that little exchange so well to this day.

 
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July 14, 2006 in Healthcare PR, Media Orchard, Technology PR by Scott Baradell
The Idea Grove Needs Some Writing Help

We’re looking for an experienced freelancer to help us with long-form writing projects, particularly for our technology and healthcare clients. Please contact Scott if you’d like to learn more.

 
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April 3, 2006 in Healthcare PR, Media Orchard, Public Relations by Scott Baradell
More Doctors Are Turning to PR Firms

The Idea Grove has been talking increasingly with health-care practitioners lately, and we recently took one on as a client.

Dawn Fallik reports on the trend:

PHILADELPHIA — Just hours after the government approved a medicated patch for depression, an e-mail went out offering reporters the opportunity to speak with a “doc in private practice stunned at FDA approval of depression patch.”

While Eric Braverman was being interviewed over the phone by a reporter, another call came in: CNN was on the line.

Score another one for the doctor’s public-relations agent, Hope Kaplan.

A decade ago, the idea of doctors and dentists marketing themselves would have been shunned by the medical community. Now, driven by higher costs and inspired by direct-to-consumer pharmaceutical ads, doctors are hiring publicists to increase business…

Zachary Gerut, a plastic surgeon in Hewlett, N.Y., hired a publicist to get the word out about a face-lift procedure he created using a local anesthetic. He draws the line between a tasteful media campaign and taking out an ad…

Of course, fame doesn’t come cheap … A doctor promoting a book might pay $9,000 for a publicist to set up phone interviews with radio stations in 10 U.S. markets, said Leigh Fazzina, who represents health-care publicists at the Public Relations Society of America.

Winslow Murdoch started working with a public-relations firm five years ago. Using direct mailings and speaking to groups, he saw his practice grow from 125 to 250 patients.

“I’m like a doctor that’s just starting out, and I have to have my name out there and my face out there,” he said.

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March 29, 2006 in Healthcare PR, Media Orchard by Scott Baradell
A Defense of the Pharmaceutical Industry


Here’s your thought for the day:

The pharmaceutical industry has many issues. The biggest issue, however, is that pharma’s ultimate goal is not to cure illness and disease, but to make money.

According to free-market fundamentalism, it’s OK that pharma acts in its self-interest, because if everybody acts in their self-interest, the public interest will be served through the invisible hand of capitalism.

Unfortunately, the invisible hand — like any other intellectual construct — doesn’t always work. For example, the public’s interest in this case would be for pharma to focus its research dollars on curing illness and disease. However, if pharma actually does cure illness and disease, it doesn’t make more money — it goes out of business.

Pharma makes the most money by treating chronic illnesses and diseases that never go away. The more ailments we have, the better.

And that’s where they put their R&D dollars. Make sense?

Free-market fundamentalists are like religious fundamentalists. They like to stick to their simple, comforting beliefs rather than face facts — principally, that life is complex and that the solutions to our problems therefore also require some level of complex thinking.

Which means that even though public policy proposals like national health care plans and increased public funding for research will always be imperfect (and to some a “waste of taxpayer dollars”), they are better choices than abdicating our collective responsibility to the “free market.”

Oh — and why did we label this post “A Defense of the Pharmaceutical Industry”? Because it’s not their fault; it’s ours.

(If this topic interests you, this post contains some suggested viewing.)

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