Cheryl Hunter (shelflife at marklives.com)’s weekly pick of all things new — product, packaging, design, insight, food, décor and more!
- Keeping Kardiofit
- A Scottish graffiti perspective
- Samsung and SodaStream sparkle together
Mobilising against hypertension
Healthcare technology company, KardioFit, this month unveiled a new advancement in connected healthcare that promises to revolutionise the way patients monitor and manage hypertension, with a focus not only on providing data but on enriching the lives of its users.
According to Johannesburg-based cardiologist Dr Riaz Motara, founder of KardioFit, this is the most-important development in mobile health and fitness applications since the invention of mobile health monitoring itself. “The difficulty most patients have with existing mobile healthcare technology is that it provides them with data, but it does not help them interpret that data, or provide them with any guidance about how they should act in response to it,” he says. “KardioFit remotely manages the decision-making for them.”
KardioFit’s app connects with a portable Bluetooth-enabled blood pressure monitor from partners, iHealth Lab, described as a world leader in the design and manufacture of consumer-friendly, mobile personal-healthcare products.
The app connects patients with medical professionals, empowering them to interpret data to manage their conditions and share their healthcare data with their doctors, explains Motara. “With KardioFit, we’ve developed an approach that focuses on the patient’s experience, helping individuals manage their healthcare and connecting them with their doctors and caregivers, and linking mobile technology with emergency services when needed.”
The app allows patients to view their daily blood pressure readings and trends, while also automatically saving the history, backing up in the cloud, and emailing a comprehensive graph of the readings to patients and their doctors or healthcare providers monthly.
“The app helps patients to schedule monitoring and medication times by sending them messages to remind them to check their blood pressure and it also informs them what they should do in the case of certain results, such as book an appointment with their doctors,” continues Motara. “The app is also linked to medical support and will dispatch an ambulance immediately in the case of a hypertensive emergency, bridging the gap between information and active healthcare, and includes a panic button.”
South Africa has the world’s highest rates of high blood pressure in the emerging markets reported among people aged 50 and above, and its worst control rate. According to the World Health Organisation, less than eight% of hypertension in SA is controlled. Comments Motara, “Although we have excellent physicians and doctors, and access to medication, we haven’t impacted positively in the last 50 years in terms of the incidence of high blood pressure. I believe the problem isn’t necessarily in the diagnosis, or in the actual treatment for hypertension, but in the aftercare of patients.”
A subscription to KardioFit for R239 a month includes the cellphone app, plus a blood pressure monitor worth R1 600. It includes monthly reporting, securely stored in the cloud and emailed to you and/or your doctor; a free 24-hour medical transfer to your nearest hospital in a hypertensive emergency; and a link to ER24’s emergency callcentre.
www.kardiofit.co.za • Twitter • Facebook
A new perspective for Scottish leader
Whisky brand, Scottish Leader, has seen double-digit volume growth in SA, the second biggest market for the brand globally, at a time when whisky sales are generally down. SA marketing manager, Lucindi Branfield, tells Shelf Life that “a new perspective” brand campaign is behind its recent success and explains its outdoor elements.
“Despite intensifying competition and the decline in sales of many other Scotch whisky brands, Scottish Leader is flourishing. The introduction of Scottish Leader Signature, our premium tier, has opened up new channels and opportunities for the brand, allowing us to achieve a greater foothold in both on- and off-consumption channels,” says Branfield.
“A new perspective” is a TTL national promotional campaign on various marketing platforms, including TV, outdoor, digital, PR, in-store and in restaurants and bars. The brand is also raising its visibility with large billboards in Johannesburg and Cape Town. “[The campaign] builds on the new global Scottish Leader TV commercial shot in Cape Town earlier this year,” she explains. “It has created widespread awareness of the new direction the brand has taken, underscored by its tagline, ‘a new perspective’. 3D graffiti artwork seemed a fitting way to give expression to a new perspective in a way that would resonate with a younger adult audience.”
According to Branfield, research has shown that graffiti and street art engage with consumers in an appealingly disruptive and therefore surprising way: “We commissioned 3D graffiti artist Prefix to create two unique artworks for the brand that reflect a new viewpoint, to underscore the ‘a new perspective’ positioning.
“The eagles portrayed in the Newtown Junction artwork depict the brand icons in a refreshing way and the V&A Waterfront site depicts an ocean theme as a way of highlighting the location of the artwork.”
The artwork will remain in place until the end of the festive season.
The primary consideration for the locations has been the target market and where they work, live and play. “We also wanted high-traffic areas to raise consumer awareness. The trendy Newtown Junction in Johannesburg and iconic V&A Waterfront in 
Cape Town both fulfill these objectives,” she says.
Scottish Leader is available from SA liquor outlets. Scottish Leader Signature is also offered for sale online.
www.scottishleader.com • Twitter • Facebook
Prefix on Facebook
A sparkling collaboration
New in South Africa is Samsung’s four-door Sparkling Refrigerator, which uses a standard SodaStream 60l CO2 carbonator to provide sparkling water at the touch of a button, right from the fridge door, at a fraction of the price of buying in-store.
Samsung fridges have long offered the convenience of built-in water dispensers. SodaStream, reportedly the world’s largest manufacturer, distributor and marketer of home carbonation systems, saw this as an opportunity for a brand collaboration that dovetails well with its core values of hydration and convenience. According to Hugh Wilson, commercial manager of Sodastream SA, Samsung and Sodastream are also like-minded brands in terms of target market, so the partnership makes sense.
Says Wilson, “This collaboration brings home carbonation to the next level. Partnering with Samsung helps bring our revolutionary technology to consumers and this product is a key milestone in a vision that represents the future for enjoying fresh carbonated beverages at home, easily made at the touch of a button, and without the clutter and waste that is produced by the old prepackaged beverage industry.”
First launched in Israel, where it was well-received, Wilson says SodaStream is a global organisation constantly looking for innovative opportunities to partner with the best in order to offer consumers the best: “We believe that this pioneering four-door refrigerator, with sparkling [its] water dispenser that delivers the crisp delicious taste of sparkling water straight from the refrigerator door, does just that.”
Users may choose between three levels of carbonation; still water and ice are also dispensed; and SodaStream’s syrups increase refreshment options further.
www.samsung.com • Twitter • Facebook
www.sodastream.co.za • Community • Twitter • Facebook
Shelf Life is MarkLives.com’s weekly column covering all things new. Notify us of yours at shelflife at marklives dot com. Want to sponsor Shelf Life? Contact us here.
Cheryl Hunter (@cherylhunter) has written for the South African media, marketing and advertising industries for more than 15 years. A former editor of M&M in Independent Newspapers and contributor to Bizcommunity, AdFocus, AdReview and the Ad Annual, she has also produced for various television networks and currently consults on communication strategy and media liaison.
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