Consumers' Use of Health-Related Mobile Applications Will Grow, Predicts Euro RSCG Life 4D, Based on National Survey of Mobile Device Users

NEW YORK, Nov. 10, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- Euro RSCG Life 4D announced results and insights gleaned from an online survey conducted in partnership with MicoDialogue, a digital and social media research firm, which are captured in a new report entitled "Bigger Than DTC?  The Promise of Mobile Health."  The first in a new series of POVs from the agency, called "4Thought," the paper is available now for download at http://www.eurorscglife.com/sites/default/files/u12/4THOUGHT.pdf.  Other key findings from the survey will be featured on the Euro RSCG Life 4D blog in the coming weeks.

The survey, which builds upon previous research conducted in October 2009, examined usage and uptake of mobile applications (or "apps") among a sample of 502 online users.  According to its findings, mobile apps are being embraced by a growing population of "Smartphone" users (an 8 percent increase in uptake in the last year).  By extension, Euro RSCG Life 4D predicts use of healthcare-related apps will mirror this growth in the coming year, as consumers acclimate to "ambient healthcare"—that is, the implementation of the myriad digital, mobile and social tools available for health management.

"At Euro RSCG Life 4D, we constantly measure the current cultural mindset in order to advance the state of the art in the digital space," said Larry Mickelberg, chief digital officer, Euro RSCG Life Worldwide.  "Last year, we listened to what consumers had to say about digital and social media with regard to health, and we presented those results to the FDA at their Part 15 hearing in November.  This year, we took a deeper look at these communication patterns and found that mobile has the potential to become the primarily digital channel through which health information and support flows."

Among the survey's many findings was the insight that the uptake in mobile communications is largely being driven by Smartphone usage.  While only 27 percent of consumers polled have ever downloaded an app of any kind, this represented an 8 percent increase in usage from the previous year and the concentration of Smartphone users within this population was a full 67 percent. The overall number of consumers who stated they would be willing to use a mobile device to obtain health information also increased in the past year, from 37 to 48 percent.

"As recently as last month, even Wired magazine declared 'The Web is dead.' We know consumers are moving away from previously established Internet habits and gravitating toward mobile apps and social tools to drive their online experiences," stated Marian Salzman, president, Euro RSCG Worldwide PR, North America. "Therefore, it makes sense that this trend would also extend to the way they collect and utilize health information online. Euro RSCG intends to be at the forefront of this new phase of communication."

Additional findings from this research include:

• While only a small fraction of consumers have downloaded healthcare apps, approximately half of the total consumers and approximately three-fourths of Smartphone users expressed a willingness to do so
• While the market penetration for healthcare apps remains quite low, 62 percent of those who have used one ranked their experience as positive
• Of those willing to use mobile devices to capture healthcare info, 67 percent agreed that having available info on a mobile device would be helpful or improve the information's value
• The majority of consumers discover apps by either browsing an "app store" or from recommendations by friends or family
• Consumers trust doctors most of all for recommendations on health and wellness apps, followed by friends and family; they trust social networks least of all these options
• The future is optimistic for mobile health and wellness apps—44 percent of Smartphone users surveyed expect to use more mobile health and wellness apps in the future

In addition to the full survey report, over the next four weeks, additional statistics and expanded commentary on the survey data will be posted to the Euro RSCG Life 4D blog, located at: www.eurorscglife.com/life/4d/blog.

For more information about Euro RSCG Life, please visit http://www.eurorscglife.com.

About Euro RSCG Life 4D

Euro RSCG Life 4D (web: http://www.eurorscglife.com/life/4d twitter: @Life4D) is a digital-led agency that helps simplify the connections between people and health around the world.  Part of Euro RSCG Life, which aligns 60 health-focused agencies in 50 countries into a single network with more than 2,000 employees offering clients comprehensive communications disciplines, including advertising, public relations, event promotion, medical education, digital marketing, direct-to-patient and consulting services. The network's client roster includes Bristol-Myers Squibb, Novartis, Pfizer, and sanofi-aventis. Euro RSCG Life is part of Euro RSCG Worldwide, a leading global marketing communications agency, and the largest unit of Havas, the world's fourth-largest communications group (Euronext Paris SA: HAV.Pa).

About Euro RSCG Worldwide

Euro RSCG Worldwide, the parent company of Euro RSCG Worldwide PR, is a leading integrated marketing communications agency and 2006 Global Agency of the Year in Advertising Age and Campaign. Euro RSCG is made up of 233 offices in 75 countries throughout Europe, North America, Latin America, Asia-Pacific and the Middle East and provides advertising, marketing, corporate communications and interactive solutions to global, regional and local clients. The agency's client roster includes Air France, BNP Paribas, Charles Schwab, Citigroup, Danone Group, Heineken USA, IBM, Jaguar, Kraft Foods, Lacoste, L'Oreal, Pernod Ricard, PSA Peugeot Citroën, Reckitt Benckiser, sanofi-aventis and Schering-Plough. Headquartered in New York, Euro RSCG Worldwide is the largest unit of Havas, a world leader in communications (Euronext: HAV.PA) (Paris: HAV.PA).

SOURCE Euro RSCG Worldwide