A Modest Proposal

MEDICAL JOURNAL APPS: DIGITAL DESERVES A DIFFERENT APPROACH
BACKGROUND
Medical journals have long been the key resource for healthcare professionals (HCPs) to acquire the most up-to-date clinical information. While HCPs still regard medical journals as a top informational source, the overall percentage of medical professionals utilizing digital versions of these resources has increased substantially with the adoption of mobile devices.
It is has been standard practice for HCP-focused media campaigns to leverage traditional journals. However, as the landscape has shifted with the rise in mobile usage, so must an advertiser’s approach. Journal applications are coming of age, and they provide an excellent opportunity to reach this target audience,

The majority of physicians are spending an average 1.7 hours each day accessing digital resources for professional purposes.
The increase in device adoption, coupled with the high professional value doctors place on medical journals, provides an opportunity to engage this audience using a multimedia approach.
POTENTIAL FOR KEY DECISION-MAKER CHANNEL
To be clear, digital journal ads should not be approached in the same way as print, nor are they simply an opportunity for traditional branded “reminder” banner ads. The true opportunity lies in developing a strong, customized creative execution and providing embedded supplemental content, such as videos, demonstrations and article ePrints. The goal is to put information in front of physicians that they will see as valuable.
Another key consideration is how to invite interaction with the content. When planning for a journal app campaign, the question needs to be: “How do we get users to engage with our information?” Assets should look interactive, with a clean user experience and clear calls-to-action. Taking advantage of digital journal apps offers exciting new ways for marketers to engage the HCP audience and offer interactive messaging opportunities that are not feasible in print or standard banner

Print placements still have their place as part of a wholistic media campaign and can be leveraged to reach HCPs via standard journals. And while print does not allow for the immediate engagement of interacting with an ad, viewing an embedded video or downloading a form, it can still drive users toward this same valuable content online by providing a unique, campaign-specific URL. Digital and print are often included in the same flat cost or at a discounted rate when run together, making this making this a very viable and cost-effective