Study highlights effective ways to advertise to scientists on the web

Study Highlights Effective Ways to Advertise to Scientists on the Web

The Web has come to play an indispensable role in life science research and its importance as an advertising medium cannot be overstated. According to a recent study, most scientists actually prefer product advertisements on the Web over those found in printed journals, direct mail and other traditional sources. Additionally, scientists frequently turn to the Web to find information related to their work, with more than 40% going online seven or more hours each week.

ARLINGTON, VA (PRWEB) February 11, 2004 -

–The Web has come to play an indispensable role in life science research and its importance as an advertising medium cannot be overstated. According to a recent study, most scientists actually prefer product advertisements on the Web over those found in printed journals, direct mail and other traditional sources. Additionally, scientists frequently turn to the Web to find information related to their work, with more than 40% going online seven or more hours each week.

These findings were recently published in “Evaluating Online Advertising Opportunities @ Life Science Portals,” the latest report from BioInformatics, LLC (http://www. gene2drug. com (http://www. gene2drug. com)). Based on a 36-question survey of more than 1,300 life scientists, this report examines scientists’ perspectives on Web content, banner ads and e-newsletters to help marketers make better ad placement decisions not solely on the basis of "hits" and "CPM," but on the value of a portal in the eye of the scientific customer.

The best place to advertise has always been where potential customers congregate, and life science executives are challenged to place their online ads at the sites that contain the best mix of content and features considered useful by scientists. Of the hundreds of Web sites vying for the scientific community's attention and competing for advertising dollars, scientists most frequently visit Nature (www. nature. com), BioMedNet (www. bmn. com), Science Magazine Online (www. sciencemag. com), The Scientist (www. the-scientist. com) and BioMed Central (www. biomedcentral. com).

Since many Web sites vastly differ in focus, quality, depth and functionality, the report suggests that suppliers be more discriminating when spending their online advertising budgets, otherwise they may be tarnished by associations with sites that disappoint, lead astray or misinform. "Brand perceptions are formed extremely quickly online and can be damaged with equal speed. Although higher clickthrough rates cannot be guaranteed, it is reasonable to assume that affiliations with quality sites will garner positive brand associations," says Dr. Robin Rothrock, Director of Market Research at BioInformatics, LLC.

Online advertising can take a variety of forms including banner ads and content in email newsletters. Although scientists infrequently click on banner ads, their clickthrough rate exceeds that of the general population of Web users. Therefore, it is essential that when a scientist does choose to click on a banner he or she finds precisely what it is they were looking for. Email newsletters are also a potentially valuable advertising medium because of their ubiquity and the convenience with which readers receive them. Indeed, 78% of those surveyed subscribe to at least one email newsletter from a commercial life science portal.

Clearly, online advertisers must look beyond traffic and clickthrough statistics to fully evaluate the attractiveness of an online advertising venue. “Delivering the right message to specific customers by means of the most appropriate form of online advertising requires an intimate understanding of the targeted audience, and this report provides a framework that can be adapted to better understand the unique requirements of those customers in terms of their information needs, content preferences and navigation tools,” says Rothrock.

For a complimentary Executive Summary of this report, please visit http://www. gene2drug. com/reports.70.html (http://www. gene2drug. com/reports.70.html)

About Bioinformatics, LLC

BioInformatics, LLC (http://www. gene2drug. com (http://www. gene2drug. com)) is a market research firm located in Arlington, Virginia. BioInformatics supports marketing, sales and R&D; executives in the life science, medical device and pharmaceutical industries through published research reports, custom research and consulting. BioInformatics sponsors the world’s largest market research panel of scientific customers—The Science Advisory Board (http://www. scienceboard. net)—which (http://www. scienceboard. net)—which) consists of more than 17,800 scientists, physicians and other life science and medical professionals from 62 countries who participate in surveys that address emerging technologies, test customer reactions to new product concepts, measure brand awareness and assess advertising effectiveness.

For more information, please contact:

Alyssa Martin

BioInformatics, LLC

2111 Wilson Blvd., Suite 250

Arlington, VA 22201

703.778.3080 x12 (phone)

703.778.3081 (fax)

A. martin@gene2drug. com

Http://www. gene2drug. com (http://www. gene2drug. com)
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