Consumers spend a third of their media time with audio. Health and pharma advertisers are leveraging this insight by incorporating innovative audio strategies into their media mix. Let’s dive into the freshest trends and groundbreaking strategies in audio that set brands apart.
Leading with Audio in Pharma: 5 Things to Know
1. Audio is on the Rise and Radio Owns the Car
Audio is a powerful way to connect with audiences. Did you know that radio still rules the car? 86% of in-car listening is dedicated to broadcast radio. This makes audio a great medium to reach consumers and influence decisions in ‘the last mile’, especially during key moments like trips to the doctor’s office or pharmacy.
Furthermore, integrating audio with other media channels can significantly boost your campaign’s effectiveness:
2. Audio Influencers: The Original Influencers
Audio influencers have a unique relationship with listeners. In fact, research shows that 7 in 10 iHeart listeners feel a personal connection with our influencers – they consider them a “friend.” That’s why 66% of listeners consider or purchase the products talked about by iHeart personalities. Let these trusted voices lend their voice to your brand’s messaging across our multiplatform audio ecosystem – radio, streaming, podcasting, social and consumer events.
3. Enhancing Patient Experience with Original Content
Creating impactful, tailored content is essential for effective disease education. Health and pharma brands leverage iHeart’s audio expertise to produce original podcasts and series covering broader conditions like chronic migraines and derm conditions to more niche such as myasthenia gravis and hidradenitis suppurativa. This original content helps build community among patients and drives education through authentic, engaging stories.
Conversations from the Pharma Sidelines
Rahul Sabnis, Chief Creative Officer, iHeartMedia & John Lilliquist, Senior Vice President, iHeartMedia Health sat down to talk about audio momentum in pharma.
The increasing volume of audio campaigns for pharma brands suggests that audio has become an important part of the media strategy. What are marketers considering when approaching the space, and what conversations is iHeart having with them?
Rahul: “Oftentimes when we’re making creative – as marketers, and myself included as a creative – we tend to bring our own biases into it. So, I try to remind marketers to put themselves in the mindset of what that patient is feeling and keep the message simple and be informative.”
John: “I think there’s been a huge shift over the past several years from ‘WHY audio?’ to ‘HOW audio?' and we've been guiding pharma marketers on audio creative, how to lean into short and long-form content, data targeting across audio platforms and audio measurement; first consumer and now increasingly HCP."
4. Multicultural Marketing: Having Local Conversations
Reaching multicultural audiences requires more than just a broad message—it demands authenticity and local and cultural relevance. At iHeart, we excel in local engagement, with influencers who foster genuine connections within their listeners and communities. By weaving your brand messaging into these authentic, local conversations and using SmartAudio targeting, you can effectively reach your patient populations and those who influence them. Explore our real-life implementation in the next section for insights.
5. Data Targeting & Measurement: Driving Impact
Success Story: To effectively reach Black and Hispanic adults with heart conditions, iHeart used Swoop-informed SmartAudio Broadcast Radio. This approach targeted top markets and formats with high concentrations of these demographics.
The campaign achieved remarkable results:
Audio helps you reach and connect with your audience in meaningful ways. Ready to take the next step? Contact us at [email protected].
Additional Sources: WARC Data, GWI; Edison Research, iHeartMedia; iHeartMedia, Power of Personality, June 2019