Multimedia Advertising Kent R. Anderson Executive Director, International Business & Product Development Journal Advertising The New England Journal of Medicine Medical professionals today have more ways than ever before to discover new information and recover archival materials, and more physicians are using multiple formats — print, e-mail, online, and handheld devices — seamlessly for news and research on a daily basis. Print remains at the center of this diversifying universe, but online formats have more relevance and availability with each passing year. Print’s role is shifting, from an archival format to a transitional format complementing other sources. In fact, online is becoming the archival format for many physicians with print arriving at and leaving an office more quickly than ever, creating awareness in a new information environment. Coordinated Media For advertisers, messaging across these media in a coordinated and well-planned manner is key to reaping the benefits of advertising. Cutting-edge medical publishers have been diversifying for more than five years into almost every imaginable format, including robust Websites, audio outlets, animations, handheld computers, and videos. Technologically savvy publications are supporting Podcasts and videos that are proving to be very popular with physicians for training and in clinical medicine settings. Some journals also are providing handheld versions of their Websites as another media option, and adoption of this medium is growing steadily as physicians adopt wireless handheld computers into their workflows. Search is the current “killer app” online, with Google and others delivering information with just a few keystrokes. NEJM’s search engine supports more than 1.5 million searches per month. A Format for Any Message Forward-thinking journals are providing a multitude of platforms to accommodate any type of advertising format. The effectiveness of journal advertising is well-known and its effectiveness has been documented many times over. It is targeted and reliable, and reaches a very broad audience. But print is now just the beginning for a comprehensive advertising approach. Banner advertising (both traditional banners and newer tower advertisements) has been a staple on Websites for several years, and the growth in this business speaks to the benefits advertisers have derived from messaging through this part of a publishing platform. Recently, audio advertising has been gaining popularity. Formats include weekly audio summaries, with short lead-in and fade-out messages akin to NPR sponsorship messages. E-mail advertising is another format advertisers are using to great advantage to reach professionals with regularity and in a format that is useful and trusted. For example, the NEJM weekly e-mail table of contents (eTOC) reaches more than 500,000 professionals each week. Advertising on handheld devices is also available and reaches a growing community of early adopters in technology, physicians on the vanguard. Mixing it Up In the coming months and years, mixed media platforms will continue to diversify. Users are driving these changes, so there will be growth in audiences and capabilities. Weaving appropriate advertising into offerings will help to support a journal’s initiatives while providing advertisers with important strategic messaging outlets. Awareness of these new options, and integration of these formats into a comprehensive and well-planned media campaign, can help advertisers reach their goals. Expanding Menu of Options For advertisers, an expanding menu of options requires more foresight and planning. Reaching medical professionals in today’s world depends on a marketer’s ability to cut through the clutter using brand alignment, messaging frequency, and precise campaign coordination. This can be achieved via platforms that integrate print and online, and allow for a multichannel approach. For advertisers, an expanding menu of options requires more foresight and planning. Reaching medical professionals in today’s world depends on a marketer’s ability to cut through the clutter, using brand alignment, messaging frequency, and precise campaign coordination. The New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM), Waltham, Mass., is a weekly general medical journal that publishes new medical research findings, review articles, and editorial opinions on a wide variety of topics of importance to biomedical science and clinical practice. For more information, visit nejm.org. March 2007 VIEW on Advertising

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