"Multimedia-ize" Your Display Ads with Embedded Playback Widgets

Simple banner and other format (e.g., box) display ads are usually static .jpg or .png images that solicit site visitors to "click through" to more information; i.e., the core message or "call to action" such as registering to attend a webinar or live event or to download a white paper, etc.

Aside from using eye-catching graphics and concise text, there's really little else that display ads can do to entice visitors to click on the ad and take the desired action. The formats of these ads are usually set in stone and do not allow for much detailed information to be delivered in an compelling format.

Pharma Marketing Network offers more value to our advertisers who purchase display ads to run on the network by "multimedia-izing" the ad! That is, we take your simple static image and combine with an embedded widget to playback an audio or video clip or even display a Twitter timeline. An example of a display ad with an embedded audio playback widget is shown in the image below:

(click on image for an enlarged view)

In this particular case, the ad appears on Pharma Marketing Blog. The top portion of the ad is what you might see in a typical simple display ad; i.e., a combination of graphics and text that links to the sponsor's landing page.

Inserted at the bottom is a widget that allows viewers of the ad to play back a short, 1 to 2 minute audio snippet from an Pharma Marketing Talk interview or a PharmaGuy Audio Snippet. Youtube videos and Twitter timelines can also be embedded within display ads.

So, which is more compelling and likely to generate clickthroughs? A simple graphical display ad or an audio-enhanced display ad as described above?

For details about display ads of all types -- including audio-enhanced display ads -- please contact sales@pharma-mkting.com

Effective Conference Promotion Requires More Than a "Contra" Media Partner Deal

Many conference promoters request a free listing in the Web version of the Pharma Marketing Network (PMN) Conference Calendar, in exchange for "Media Partner Recognition." The latter usually includes placing the PMN logo and link somewhere on the conference site -- either at the bottom of the conference home page or on an internal Media Partner page. Sometimes, such recognition also includes a short paragraph description and inclusion of the PMN logo in the printed conference brochure that is handed out to attendees.

These "contra" deals are valuable to conference producers who often must promote their conferences on a limited budget and PMN is happy to help our clients reach their goals while at the same time informing our Web audience of interesting pharmaceutical industry conferences.

But let's look at some numbers to see if  a pure "contra" deal is the best option for your conference.

The Web version of the Pharma Marketing Conference Calendar receives over 2,500 unique visits PER WEEK. Usually, for strict swap deals, the listing of your conference begins 45 days prior to the event. Thus, your conference listing is potentially seen by over 16,000 visitors! So, getting your conference listed in this calendar is very valuable.

A version of the PMN conference calendar -- Conference Calendar Update -- is sent via email to all 8,000 Pharma Marketing News subscribers every 2 weeks. It is the emailed version of the Update that generates the greatest number of clickthroughs.

If you just promote your conference via a Media Partner contra deal, your conference only appears in the Web calendar and NOT in the Update email version sent to all subscribers. The result is fewer clickthroughs on your conference listing.

Here's a typical timeline showing the clickthroughs on a conference that is listed in BOTH calendars:

Notice how many more clicks this conference gets from the email Update version of the calendar (the tall bars). A pure Media Partnership contra deal only gets you about 25% or less of the potential clickthroughs you would get with a paid, discounted Media Partnership deal that includes the listing in the Update.

Obviously, neither PMN nor its clients can reach their financial goals via pure "contra" Media Partner deals alone. Sometimes you need a more integrated, paid campaign that is more likely to get you results. What you pay for this -- at a discounted Media Partner rate -- can be a fraction of the return you are likely to get in increased registration fees.

Topics of Interest to Pharma Marketing News Subscribers & Pharmaguy Followers

Advertisers often ask questions such as "How many of your subscribers are involved in data or marketing analytics and market research?" One way to answer this question is by surveying Pharma Marketing News (PMN) subscribers and Pharmaguy™ Twitter followers to learn more about our audience and their interests.

Without further ado, here are the results of surveys to date. Remember, every e-mail ad (blast) sent to the PMN subscriber list is also posted to the Pharma Marketing Network® web site. When the e-mail goes out, a tweet is also sent to Pharmaguy followers -- learn more about them here -- with a link to the Web version of the e-mail blast. In addition, the ad is also summarized with a link in a "Messages from Our Sponsors" widget (see an example on the right) embedded on the most-visited pages of the Pharma Marketing Network. Thus, your ad reaches many more pharma professionals than just our subscribers and followers.

Topics of Interest to PMN Subscribers (N = 437)

(Click on the chart for an enlarged view)

Topics of Interest to Pharmaguy Followers (N = 2032)

(Click on the chart for an enlarged view)