Aug
9
An Increasing Need For Branded Traditional “Advertising” In Pharmacies
Filed Under Advertising, Digital Signage
My little supporting saying for Digital Signage at retail where the product can be bought is:
The power of above the line marketing with below the line punch.
This basically just means that using Digital Signage, with the right scale, you can reach millions of consumers, monthly, and have an opportunity to speak to the benefits of a Brand/product, educate consumers, etc the way traditional media does (the above the line component) and still have the “First Moment of Truth” (FMOT) aspect that is inherent in Point-of-Purchase (PoP) displays and merchandising. …Pretty powerful if used correctly.
Dave Haynes posted an article a while ago (See: Rethinking Checkout Screens…) after he had a conversation with Jeff Dickey at SeeSaw.
Dickey’s premise was basically that Checkout TV (the medium in this argument) actually makes a TON of sense because today’s consumer is migrating quickly away from Brand Affinity (I like a brand therefore I buy) towards “Product Type” Affinity (I need a product therefore I buy). Basically, it’s the battle of the “Generics”.
So I was interested when I saw this commentary that just came out on MediaPost
on THIS ARTICLE, from the NYT wherein they reported that Johnson & Johnson
just laid off 4800 workers because generic drugs are stealing marketshare due to the Branded drug’s high costs. Ultimately, the “generics” market has created a massive commodity market of the drug business wherein the competition is centered around “price” instead of “value” (or perceived value).
As Jeff Dickey said in his conversation with Dave, “it’s an image thing”. People either aren’t aware of or don’t care what the Brand is as long as it works. If it really comes down to true capitalism and you have to compete without your patents, what are your differentiators and how are you going to out-Maneuver your competition.
If Digital Signage has better ad recall than other mediums and is a little less susceptible to the rules and regs of other ad media than it could be used as a powerful Branding medium for “Big Pharma” to keep their herd at the trough…not sure if you’re going to be able to compete with the HMOs and pill dispensers though (the companies mentioned in the NYT article that substitute generics in place of prescribed Brands)
By using Digital Signage, you can speak to millions in a place where they can actually ask for your product by name
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To follow upon your comments, we’ve moved into a media environment where the old descriptive “Tell them and sell them” is progressively less applicable. Before the Internet, it was incredibly difficult to gather any product or service related information – hence the :30 or :60 second spot evolved, loaded with the “story” that was directed to the highest common denominator consumer. Now, it takes about a minute to get more info than anyone could possibly need or want.
Brands now need to surround the consumer with short burst messaging and imagery that project the products attributes, allowing the viewer to assemble the messaging as they see fit. This is actually far more broad-based in its effect, as it no longer takes a single creative approach targeted to a “likely” consumer, but a far more informational approach that allows the consumer to paint the picture themselves.
Brands can and will survive and thrive, but they way they go about their brand equity retention and new customer acquisition will have to change.