PRINT MEDIA IS DEAD
Not according to 40 years of HCP media experience
If you’re reading this, it’s likely that you have seen either our digital or print advertising. The awareness we have created has encouraged you to want to find out more about the statement. Thanks for taking the time to do this. You may agree or disagree, or you just may want to understand more about it. Ultimately, it’s likely that you are interested in a perspective which could help you deliver more effective media campaigns and achieve better outcomes.
Very few individuals receive information via a single media channel. Most of us absorb information from different channels, at different times, for different reasons. In many cases, individuals have a preferred format for certain content or certain situations. To effectively reach healthcare professionals, it’s essential to understand their preferences. HCPs need to be aware of your brand or messages. They then need to be encouraged to learn more to build the trust required for them to change or reinforce their behaviour. As a specialist HCP media agency, our role is to understand the most effective ways of achieving this goal. We need to communicate your messages to HCPs in the most appropriate environments to generate their interest and encourage engagement. This may be mainly via digital channels, but print media still has a strong and influential role to play.
Independent research in primary care shows that 54% of GPs find printed medical journals useful. Just to put that in context, 71% of GPs find medical journal / publisher websites useful and only 20% find Pharma company/product websites useful. *
In secondary care, 69% of hospital doctors find printed medical journals useful, while 78% find medical journal / publisher websites useful and only 29% find Pharma company / product websites useful. *
This independent data demonstrates print media has a far higher value to healthcare professionals than pharma websites, yet companies are missing this hugely influential opportunity for reaching their key audiences. Focus and budgets are increasingly on digital strategy and digital solutions, rather than focussing on the best way to achieve objectives. From a media planning perspective, we need to follow the evidence. We need to fish where the fish are. This means bringing together the most effective combination of media channels and platforms, not deliver a one-dimensional campaign that ignores valuable audiences and media environments. Print media may not be the only solution, but it should not be discounted from being part of the solution.
Aligning with any single media format or channel without understanding its limitations will only provide frustration and disappointment. Channels should be used to leverage their strengths and ability to help us achieve our objectives.
So, what happens next and how do we keep the HCP on the pathway to enlightenment and ultimately influence their behaviour?
We’d love to discuss this further, so please get in touch. Media is not just advertising and print and digital media are channels that achieve stronger results when used in combination. With over 40 years as a specialist healthcare media agency, we can help you separate the reality from the myth.
Andrew King
01932 345519
*GPMS (General Practitioner Media Survey) & HDMS (Hospital Doctor media Survey) 2024 Data
