Nielsen: Pharmacy Health Network Ads Make Consumers Act

A recent audience-research study conducted by Nielsen confirmed that ads on Dublin, Ohio-based Cardinal Health ^[1]’s digital advertising network for retail pharmacies, called Pharmacy Health Network, make consumers react at the point-of- purchase.

The Pharmacy Health Network is installed in more than 900 locations across the U.S.. The network streams ads and educational content to flat-panel LCD screens placed in retail pharmacies, enabling advertisers to target consumers while they wait for prescriptions to be filled. Nielsen interviewed consumers as they were leaving Pharmacy Health Network locations included in the study. The results revealed that 41% of respondents recalled seeing advertisements displayed on Pharmacy Health Network screens, and that consumers are taking action based on what they see on screen.

The study found:

• Approximately half of consumers surveyed indicated that they felt encouraged to discuss a product or brand they had seen on Pharmacy Health Network with their pharmacist;
• 16% indicated that after seeing ads on Pharmacy Health Network, they later discussed those products or brands with their physicians;
• 20% took materials from the brochure rack that accompanies each Pharmacy Health Network screen; and
• 11% purchased products that they had seen promoted on Pharmacy Health Network.

John Disher, senior manager of Pharmacy Health Network, says that, in a time when savvy consumers are significantly impacted by the credibility and quality of advertising and marketing messages, Cardinal Health is particularly pleased that the Nielsen study found that more than 80% of respondents rated the network’s programming as excellent or good; and nearly 90% found the content to be informative.

“We’re thrilled that advertising messages heard on Pharmacy Health Network are being extended outside the pharmacy,” says Disher. “Consumers are taking action and talking with their physicians about products they learn about on our network. Pharmacy Health Network has received an overwhelmingly positive response from advertisers and consumers alike, and we look forward to expanding the number of stores and advertisers that participate in the program.”

Pharmacy Health Network is also the first and only in-pharmacy advertising network to be featured in Nielsen’s Fourth Screen Report, which measures audience exposures in digital out-of- home network locations. Nielsen’s Fourth Screen Report indicates that Pharmacy Health Network garnered more than 1.2 million advertising exposures over a four week period.

Participating retail pharmacies receive installation and ongoing maintenance for a flat-panel LCD screen and directional, targeted audio system, on which the health-related content plays. Participants also receive a custom brochure rack to provide pharmacy customers with easy access to health-related materials, coupons, brochures, business reply card and other promotional and educational materials.

Cardinal Health Inc., a $103 billion health care services company, helps pharmacies, hospitals, ambulatory surgery centers and physician offices focus on patient care while reducing costs, enhancing efficiency and improving quality. Cardinal provides pharmaceuticals and medical products to more than 60,000 locations daily. The company is also a leading manufacturer of medical and surgical products. It also supports the growing diagnostic industry by supplying medical products to clinical laboratories and operating the nation’s largest network of radiopharmacies that dispense products to aid in the early diagnosis and treatment of disease.