Here’s a way to reach folks with targeted advertising:

Advertisers love a captive audience. With their long dwell time, doctor’s offices offer one of the most captive audiences available in out-of-home advertising.

Patients often wait 20 to 25 minutes to see a physician, and advertisers, particularly in the pharmaceutical and health food categories, see it as an opportunity to reach people with their health on their mind.

Posters and pamphlets have long been popular vehicles for waiting room advertising, but increasingly advertisers are using digital options, mainly LCD screens that air a mixture of health-related video content and advertising.

To find out how to get your client in waiting rooms, read on.

This is one in a Media Life series on buying out-of-home venues. They appear weekly.

Fast Facts…

What
Advertising in medical waiting rooms.

Who
There are a small number of companies that specialize in waiting room advertising, some in the offices of general practitioners and others in more specialized settings such as dental offices or diabetes clinics.

How it works
Digital video advertising networks are now common in medical waiting rooms, where their messages are delivered on a 32-inch LCD screen.  The networks run a 25- to 30-minute loop that’s typically 70 percent editorial content and 30 percent advertising.

There’s also a small amount of time reserved for messages and information from the clinic or office itself.

Some networks use licensed content from TV networks such as CNN or NBC, while others create original health-related content. Physicians demand credible sources for all the material, because they do not want to feed their patients incorrect information. Offices often check content for accuracy.

Advertisers can sponsor segments but they’re rarely integrated into the content. Rather a relevant brand will follow a segment with a 15-, 30- or 60-second spot detailing the benefits of their product.

For example, a segment on diabetes might be followed by a spot for a brand of insulin, or a piece on dietary fiber could be followed by an ad for a fiber-rich cereal.

Non-digital options for medical waiting rooms such as posters or pamphlets are also available, but those are becoming less common. Usually they’re used as a complement to digital ads in the waiting room and sometimes are available in the exam room.

Read the full article

Conference Agenda: Creating a Profitable Business via Subscription, Merchandising and Ad-based Models

“Achieving a sustainable revenue model is key to success. Join to hear network leaders address:

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Understand how to create a sustainable money making network.”

The telephone survey of 1,501 US adults, the 12th conducted by Rodale’s Prevention Magazine, found that the number of respondents saying an ad prompted them to seek information about a condition declined 5 points to 29%. Similarly, 33% said an ad prompted them to seek information about a drug a family member were taking – down 6 points from last year – and 30% said they sought info about a drug they were taking after seeing an ad, down 7 points.

Read the full article

In the report, PQ Media distinguishes between two major categories within the DO marketplace: digital place-based networks, which typically display video content and advertising, and digital billboards, which display a mix of static and video-animated digital ads. Overall, the first category — DPN — saw global revenues increase 14.5% from $4.41 billion in 2009 to $5.06 billion in 2010; PQ Media expects global growth of 15.2% in 2011, to $5.83 billion.

Read the full article at Mediapost.com. 

Digital out-of-home (DOOH) has been in retail for more than a decade, but even with an already solid footprint, the opportunity for growth is tremendous.

Read the full article that includes the projections believed to occur in 2011.

COLUMBUS, Ohio (February 1, 2011) – Digital-out-of-home advertising (DOOH) is the fastest growing segment in the out-of-home market with no signs of slowing down. According to preliminary numbers reported by PQ Media, a leading provider of alternative advertising and marketing research, the digital out-of-home market was expected to grow 15% for 2010, to $2.07 billion. This trend is consistent with patterns seen by DOmedia, (www.domedia.com), the Out-of-Home Advertising Marketplace and leading provider of planning and buying tools for alternative, traditional and digital out-of-home media. DOmedia has seen continuous double-digit growth since its founding in 2007.

Read the full article at domedia.com

Rishi Shah, CEO of Context Media, talks about the high ROI of Point of Care and the unique challenges in the diabetes sector to reach and enhance the lives of busy patients and doctors.

Source: Vimeo