Stephen Mapes
|
Some studies show that physicians on the exhibit floor of a medical meeting have a maximum attention duration of seven minutes
per booth. So the question is: Can you get physicians to stop at your booth among a sea of 500 other competing exhibits—and
can your message be delivered in seven minutes or less? More important, will physicians recall it later?
You can answer yes to those questions when you incorporate technology. New technologies are intriguing, exciting additions
to any exhibition booth—but only if they deliver a branding message with style and speed. Here's a battle plan to connect
with doctors throughout the booth visit: Attract, Retain, Educate, and Reward.
Attract
When it comes to attracting physicians to your booth, the creative use of technology can count for more than exhibit size
and will ultimately be a key driver in increasing traffic flow.
For instance, we have all seen an explosion in the use of beautiful video screens that are fully viewable in daylight thanks
to LED video technology. Think Times Square or televised award shows, which feature big video screens with dynamic content.
Exhibitors at conventions have appropriated this same technology because it is a great way to grab the attention of your target
market from a distance.
Be discerning about the video content you use. Keep it moving, and keep it simple. Research shows that viewers don't retain
any more than six topic changes in 30 seconds. And don't use any messages that require fair balance—that's an attention killer.
The reality is that an attendee will spend approximately three seconds viewing a video from the aisle, so don't use talking
heads, complex medical content, or audio.
Another rule to follow is keeping the message highly targeted to the physician you are trying to attract. It's great to play
your brand logo animation, but it would be better to connect your brand to clever imagery that is intuitive and relevant to
your audience's product-search needs.
Retain
Now that you have attracted the attendee, how do you get him or her to stay? Beyond product detailing, engaging attendees
in a variety of interactive technologies can increase the time that attendees will spend in your booth as well as product-message
recall.
In the popular game Race Under Pressure, bio-interactive technology connects a physician via pulse meter to a simulated driving
challenge. The goal is to establish a clear link between the disease state and the brand name, and to throw in a big "wow"
factor for good measure.
|
Your communication must be fast, hard-hitting, and (hopefully) fun and engaging. Even if you have 10 great product attributes
to describe to a physician, you have to make the hard decision and pick the one most important point to communicate. Establish
a clear link between the technology/activity, the attendee's area of interest or expertise, and your brand message. Brand
and therapy relevance are key to success.
One application of technology, bio-interactivity, has garnered great success—especially in the medical-convention environment.
For example, an exhibitor marketing a hypertension medication engaged physicians at a recent cardiology show by creating an
interactive video game challenge called Race Under Pressure. Participants steered a virtual car using a mock steering wheel.
Players wore computer-monitored pulse meters, which caused the virtual car to speed up or slow down depending on their pulse
rate. On-screen controls kept players informed of their current pulse status and the elapsed time. Typically, the cardiologist's
pulse increased as the race ensued, thereby making it difficult to control the car. If a player lost control of the car and
crashed, he or she had to answer a product question to get back on course. The ultimate goal was to leave the cardiologist
with a strong sense of connection between hypertension control, blood pressure alleviation, and the brand name.
PharmExec Blog
Follow Us
RSS
Bookstore
