NEW ADS TOUT MEDICAL PUBLICATIONS AS REVENUE BOOSTERS

With detailing, direct-to-consumer and physician meetings and events gobbling up the lions share of marketing dollars, b-to-b proclaims its ROI message

NEW YORK, Feb. 25, 2003 -- Advertising in medical publications makes for a healthier brand. Thats the message of a new ad campaign for medical publications, targeted towards healthcare-oriented advertisers, which will debut in the March issues of leading industry publications including Healthcare Marketers Exchange, Medical Advertising News, Medical Marketing & Media and Pharmaceutical Executive. The campaign aims to win back some of the ad dollars that have been siphoned off to physician meetings and events and direct-to-consumer marketing in recent years.

The campaign is a collaborative effort between American Business Media, the trade association for b-to-b media companies, and the Association of Medical Publications. Together, the two groups represent more than 300 healthcare titles.

The first execution is a full-page ad showing an executive smiling contentedly, with the headline, Want a dramatic rise in your brands ROI?" and the signature line, Medical Publications: For a healthier ROI." The copy cites independent studies by faculty at Yale and Dartmouth, as well as ACNielsen HCI that prove that advertising in medical publications at the proper level can help maximize a brands overall marketing return on investment.

To illustrate: An analysis of 21 major brands revealed that reallocating $1 million of the marketing budget out of detailing into medical publications could result in a $2.1 million revenue increase, or an additional investment of $1 million in medical publication advertising could boost sales by $4.2 million. To learn more about this research, visit www.RxPromoROI.org.

These studies indisputably show that medical publications are an important part of a brands media mix," said Gordon Hughes, President & CEO of American Business Media. Marketers that ignore this medium do so at their own risk."

Alan Imhoff, president of the Association of Medical Publications, said, These studies confirm what many people have known for years -- that medical publication advertising is a surefire way to increase brand revenue."

The print ads are one element of a million-dollar integrated campaign that will include direct mail, e-mail and events.

Founded in 1906, American Business Media is the association for b-to-b information providers. Its member companies represent over 2,500 print and online titles and reach an audience of 90 million professionals.

The Association of Medical Publications is a non-profit organization with 23 member publishing organizations, representing over 230 publications.