With the COVID-19 pandemic pushing pause on most live programming, Condé Nast hopes to fill gaps for pharma marketers with a new lineup of health and condition-specific shows.
Condé Nast’s second Health NewFront buying showcase for advertisers teed up a slew of shows set to air on its TV, video and podcast channels. The event—held virtually this year—built on its inaugural lineup of health programs, now totaling 57. The latest round is another 20 shows set to go live this year.
“We are truly programming like a network now,” said Eden Gorcey, senior VP of agency partnerships at Condé Nast.
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What does that mean for pharma advertisers? Condé Nast Health’s pitch is premium content that patients trust. Debra Harris, head of marketing for Conde Nast Health, pointed to evidence from RealEyes eye and facial tracking showing that 88% of patients who viewed its content said it authentically represented their condition.
That’s a big change from just last year, when Condé Nast surveyed people on its own directly and found that in general, only one in three people thought their conditions were well represented by the media.
New video series this year partnered across Condé Nast's branded publications. For instance, Self’s Day to Day looks at the daily routines of people with a variety of conditions, while GQ Sports’ show Road to Tokyo teams with Wired and Glamour to show how athletes with health conditions train and compete on the world’s premier stage.
“Last year we built the script—a network of video around health to facilitate conversation to help make the lives of our viewers and audience informed, empowered and generally brighter. This year we’re looking at how stories around conditions are not the same,” said Lloyd D’Souza, Condé Nast head of content development, adding that they’ll be looking to “shining a light on unique stories that drive health.”
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Condé Nast is also broadening digital, expanding its online health condition center begun three years ago and its audio content offerings with the launch of seven new podcast series.
Along with the new advertising possible in health, the company also announced a cookie-less solution called Obsidian. Health and pharma advertisers will be able to target audiences using artificial intelligence data analysis around behaviors, content views and transactions, versus traditional opt-in cookies that target through web browsing.