In 1964, media visionary Marshall McLuhan coined the indelible phrase "the medium is the message," all but predicting the Internet and how advances in communications technology would come to shape the symbiotic relationship between what is said and how. The ascendency of digital, social, and mobile has progressively empowered once-passive consumers, now equal partners in content selection, redistribution and even creation. The good news is that digital channels provide unprecedented opportunities for targeting and personalization; the bad news is audiences now control how and with what they engage, tuning in and out as they desire.

For both patients and healthcare professionals, undiagnosed illnesses and rare diseases are some of the most frustrating cases. Often, symptoms span a broad spectrum and these conditions are little understood, so there is tremendous difficulty in establishing a diagnosis.

Have you ever gotten excited by an innovative idea, one of those "first of its kind" creative executions, the one that's going to put you on the map at your organization? Then only to submit it to MLR (Medical, Legal, Regulatory) and have it come out the other end, 18 months later stripped of all innovation and creativity? Or have you ever gotten so frustrated by the end product or process that you kill the program and forfeit the $75,000+ you spent on it in the first place?

Healthcare and pharmaceutical marketers will spend nearly $2 billion on digital advertising this year, a 15% increase over 2015 spending. But while these advertisers are ramping up their testing of digital, little has changed in the way they approach the challenge of building a target audience.

Last winter, I went online and bought a parka just in time for the New York cold snap. Like any right-thinking modern person, I researched it online, read the reviews and eventually bought the parka that met all of my expectations. Once it arrived, I was very happy with my purchase. Until I discovered that my cozy coat was haunted.

Emoticons are everywhere. They are part of our everyday lexicon and have even become a means of self-expression. The term "emoticon" is derived from the combined words "emotion" and "icon," and they are a graphic way to express feelings such as happiness, anger, or surprise. Emoticons are a quick way to express our moods. Instead of providing an entire line of text to tell someone you're unhappy, a simple graphic of an expressive face can tell the recipient exactly how you feel.

The customer relationship management (CRM) market has exploded in recent years, particularly among retailers, business and financial services companies, and technology companies. Not on the list? Healthcare.

Last week, an object lesson in health care marketing and branding nearly escaped notice outside of HIV/AIDS circles.

As long as there have been prescription treatments, a brand's salesforce has been the largest line item in its sales and marketing budget. Today, pharma brands are consistently spending more than $12 billion a year on sales efforts. This is a worthwhile investment, and these firms enlist some of the best salespeople in the world.