New ‘Canadian Health Media Network’ Alliance
Gail Chiasson, North American Editor
PHSN Ltd. and Cruise Media Group Inc./IDS Canada, both of Toronto, along with a young Quebec company called Medik-TV, have formed a strategic marketing alliance and created the Canadian Health Media Network – believed to be the largest national network of digital screens in the medical waiting room environment.
Ed Voltan, managing partner of PHSN, says that the companies currently offer 500 sites (usually with one screen per site), delivering healthy lifestyle programming and sponsor messages to over 3 million health-conscious consumers in Canada each month.
The formation of the Canadian Health Media Network will make it much easier for advertisers with a health and wellness message to purchase airtime across all networks involved. The affiliates will also offer advertisers the opportunity to integrate their message with poster boards, and a literature display and distribution service – generating greater impact, exposure, and opportunity to connect with their target audience.
Voltan says that the alliance is of true benefit to health and wellness advertisers and their agencies.
“Bringing affiliates together under one banner not only provides a single source for media in the healthcare environment, it also facilitates the opportunity to reach over 10% of the Canadian adult population each month, a number which should rise to 20%, by mid 2009,” says Voltan.
The companies currently offer screens in Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba, Alberta and British Columbia.
“We want to grow these, as well as expand to cover all of Canada,” says Voltan. “To that end, we’re currently in talks with companies on the east coast and in south-eastern Ontario, as well as with the Optometry News Network.”
“With the rapid expansion of digital-out-of-home media and growing acceptance of digital signage by consumers, we believe this new alliance, with its extended reach, is poised to offer advertisers a compelling media platform to target and engage a captive audience of health-minded consumers where and when their health is top of mind,” says Ryan Cruise, president and CEO, CMGI.
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