Gail Chiasson, North American Editor
A recent audience-research study conducted by Nielsen found that Cardinal Health‘s digital advertising network for retail pharmacies, called Pharmacy Health Network, really gets advertisers’ products into the mindset and shopping carts of consumers.
Dublin, Ohio-based Pharmacy Health Network, installed in more than 970 pharmacies across the U.S., broadcasts both educational healthcare content and ads to millions of consumers while they wait for prescriptions.
Pharmacy Health Network flat-panel LCD screens in retail pharmacies enable advertisers to target consumers while they are waiting for prescriptions to be filled. Nielsen interviewed consumers as they were leaving Pharmacy Health Network locations. The study revealed that 94% of those surveyed said that their pharmacist or physician was their primary information resource when researching health and wellness products. Further, a total of 63% of viewers recalled advertisements on Pharmacy Health Network; 91% indicated that the Pharmacy Health Network was informative, while 74% found ads are more believable when viewed in a pharmacy.
The research also found that:
- Approximately half (49%) of viewers surveyed indicated that they felt encouraged to discuss a product or brand they had seen on Pharmacy Health Network with their pharmacist;
- 48% indicated that after seeing ads on Pharmacy Health Network, they felt motivated to discuss those products or brands with their physicians;
- 13% of consumers who have seen ads on the Pharmacy Health Network have purchased those products or brands.
The average audience dwell time in proximity to the screen was just under 12 minutes.
“This study confirms that consumers consider advertising messages on Pharmacy Health Network to be informative and highly credible, and that ads on our network drive action by encouraging consumers to talk with their pharmacists and physicians about products they see on our network,” says John Disher, senior manager, Cardinal Health’s Pharmacy Health Network. “As our network continues to receive a positive response from advertisers and consumers alike, we look forward to expanding the number of stores and advertisers that participate in the program.”
Pharmacy Health Network is the only in-pharmacy advertising network to be featured in Nielsen’s third quarter Digital Place-based Video Report, which measures audience exposures in digital out-of-home network locations. Nielsen’s Digital Place-based Video Report notes that Pharmacy Health Network garnered more than 2.9 million viewers over a four week period.
A comment from Justin Ceravolo, pharmacist and assistant pharmacy manager at Cypress Pharmacy in Fort Myers, Florida, is an example of how pharmacists view the network: “The Pharmacy Health Network provides a perfect digital inter-medium between my patients and their much-needed counseling. I have seen an increase in pharmaceutical sales, as well as an increase in patient comfort with speaking to the pharmacist, which can be attributed substantially to the educational content aired while the patients wait for their prescriptions.”
Pharmacy Health Network is managed by Respario Digital Advertising Group, a full service digital signage agency based in Dallas. 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.
Respario’s client’s are in four categories: healthcare, retail, commercial real estate, and banking.
Headquartered in Dublin, Ohio, Cardinal Health Inc. is a $101 billion health care services company. As the business behind health care, Cardinal Health helps pharmacies, hospitals, ambulatory surgery centers, clinical laboratories and physician offices focus on patient care while reducing costs, enhancing efficiency and improving quality. Cardinal Health provides pharmaceuticals and medical products and services to more than 100,000 locations each day and is also the industry-leading direct-to-home medical supplies distributor. The company is a leading manufacturer of medical and surgical products, including gloves, surgical apparel and fluid management products.
In addition, the company operates the nation’s largest network of radiopharmacies that dispense products to aid in the early diagnosis and treatment of disease. Ranked #19 on the Fortune 500, Cardinal Health employs 33,000 people worldwide.
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