U.S. Healthcare, Pharma Online Ad Spending on the Rise

By Kyle Blankenship on September 2, 2010

Despite shifting regulatory hurdles, U.S. healthcare and pharmaceutical online advertising spending will reach $1 billion this year, up 10.6 percent from last year, according to a new report from eMarketer.

By 2014, online ad spending in the healthcare and pharmaceutical industry, which includes DTC and over-the-counter remedies, is expected to reach $1.52 billion.

The Internet is helping over 175 million US healthcare consumers become more involved in managing their personal health.  Increasingly, they are turning to online sources to gather information, seek care, compare diagnoses and find treatments. As consumer discussions of prescription drugs increasingly move online, the opportunity for pharmaceutical players to reach consumers in more targeted ways is growing exponentially.

Despite robust annual growth rates through 2014, pharma’s share accounts for only about 4 percent of overall U.S. online ad spending.

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Phyzoom’s Social Media Tips of the Week

By Kyle Blankenship on August 31, 2010

  • Promote your Practice through a Facebook page – Run specials, give updates, upload pictures of your office, staff and physicians – It offers another dimension for patients and referral partners to get to know your practice.
  • Update your Google Maps Account – Many patients are using it to find your location, especially if your practice does not currently have a website, so make sure they are going to the right place!
  • Check Out Google Fast Flip – Looking for a new topic for a blog post?  Try Google Fast Flip – Just type in a search for a topic, and Fast Flip will pull up all recent related news articles.
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Google Introduces Voice Calls to Gmail Service, Over 1 Million Calls Placed in First 24 Hours

By Kyle Blankenship on August 27, 2010

Skype just found itself a new competitor.

Google unveiled its new tool yesterday – Call Phones from Gmail – which now allows Gmail users to call a phone directly from any computer.  Calls will be completely free for the rest of the year within the United States and Canada, and international calls will be as low as $0.02 per minute.   According to Google, over one million calls have been made using service in just 24 hours.

Until now, Gmail users were required to both be at their computers to make a call.

Dialing a phone number works just like a normal phone. Just click “Call phone” at the top of your Google Chat list and dial a number or enter a contact’s name.

Google has already tried to conquer several markets through Gmail — its instant messaging counterpart is very successful, while Buzz, Google’s competitor to Twitter, was much less so. Voice calls seem like a natural addition to the Gmail lineup.

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LECOM Signs Major Sponsorship Deal with NBA Development League Team

By Kyle Blankenship on August 26, 2010

The Erie BayHawks and Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine have established a new three-year partnership extension that includes LECOM being among the first-ever sponsors in the NBA Development League to secure logo placement on the team’s jerseys.

The partnership, which extends through the 2012-2013 season, consists of numerous components including: LECOM serving as the team’s medical staff, the BayHawks recognizing LECOM as the team’s “presenting partner,” community programs to promote health, wellness and education, and placement of “LECOM” on the front of the team’s home and road jerseys.

The 2010-11 season marks the first time the NBA is allowing sponsorship of Development League jerseys.

The Rio Grande Valley Vipers have also recently established a similar partnership with Lone Star National Bank in Texas. Both Erie and Rio Grande Valley’s new deals have also been recognized in the latest edition of Street & Smith’s SportsBusiness Journall, a national publication read by business executives throughout the sports industry, and on the USA Today’s website.

Erie, the NBA affiliate of the Cleveland Cavaliers and Toronto Raptors, begins its third season in November.

Click here for more information on the partnership between the Erie BayHawks and the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine.

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Online Ads to Outpace Overall Ad Spending in 2011

By Kyle Blankenship on August 25, 2010

According to a study released by Borrell Associates yesterday, and reported by Katy Machman of AdWeek, online advertising will continue to top overall ad spending numbers in 2011, growing 14% to $51.9 billion.  In comparison, overall ad spending is expected to increase less than 5% to $238.6 billion.

The fastest-growing segment of interactive advertising will be local online, anything targeted and everything involving social media.  In 2011, local online is forecast to grow nearly 18 percent from $13.7 billion to $16.1 billion.

E-mail advertising will experience moderate strong growth, up 9 percent to $16 billion for national and local with most of the growth coming from national advertisers and only 3 percent from local.

Online promotions will hit $24 billion next year, a 10 percent increase, due to the rising use of online coupons, expected to grow 14 percent to $9.1 billion.

Fueled by more apps, mobile marketing will gain momentum, commanding 20 cents of every online ad dollar spent next year.

Click here to read the in-depth study from Borrell Associates.

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