Healthcare Advertising Faces Upheaval with Small Share of Total Online Spend

Healthcare Advertising Faces Upheaval with Small Share of Total Online Spend, Yet Fastest Rate of Growth, According to New Outsell Report

Analysts Issue the Industry’s First Study to Compare and Analyze Spending Among Business, Healthcare and Consumer Advertisers

MEDIA ADVISORY—APRIL 24, 2006 

WHAT:
Outsell, Inc., the leading research and advisory firm for the information industry, has released its “Annual Ad Spending Study 2006: Business, Healthcare and Consumer Advertisers.” The study is the first in the information industry to reveal detailed trends about advertisers within these three distinct segments. This is the second report in Outsell’s Ad Spending Study Series and analyzes results of a Web-based survey Outsell fielded to 1,214 advertisers in November 2005.

INDUSTRY FIRSTS:
The report reveals “where, why and how fast” business, healthcare and consumer advertisers are moving online, as well as the impacts of these shifts on print ads, events, and TV/radio. It is the first to make sector-by-sector comparisons of adoption rates for online advertising, budget allocations, and even the effectiveness of Google versus Yahoo! versus MSN. The Outsell research also includes a list of essential actions for companies wanting to navigate the changing advertising marketplace.

AMONG KEY FINDINGS:

-     Total healthcare sector is facing the largest upheaval, with the lowest share of online spending but the fastest-growing rate for online advertising, search engines, Webinars, sponsored online content, and e-mail marketing combined.         

-     Total online ad spending will grow 18.8 percent in 2006, eight times faster than TV/radio and six times faster than print. Outsell estimates that online ad spending growth in business and healthcare will continue near 20 percent through 2008 and will remain higher than consumer markets. Consumer markets were early adopters of online ads, so they have already reached 20.4 percent of total spending, twice the 10 percent online share for healthcare.

-          Search engine spending, set to rise 26.3 percent in 2006, is the fastest growing of all major marketing methods. Healthcare search-based ad spending is the runaway growth leader at 66.1 percent.

-   Webinars and lead-generation using sponsored content are also surging, with healthcare again growing twice as fast as other markets. 

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Journalists who would like to talk with Outsell about the report should contact Dawn Ringel, Warner Communications, 781-449-8456 or dawn@warnerpr.com.  

Companies that would like to purchase this report should go to http://content.outsellinc.com/coms2/summary_0245-3002_ITM or contact Outsell directly at 650-342-6060 or info@outsellinc.com.

ABOUT OUTSELL, INC.:

Outsell, Inc. of Burlingame, CA is the leading research and advisory firm providing actionable market analytics for the information industry. Founded in1994, Outsell helps publishers, commercial information providers, and content software technology vendors identify, maintain, and grow markets and revenue streams. Outsell also works with information management executives in top corporations, government agencies, and educational institutions to benchmark spending, optimize performance, and demonstrate best practices. Outsell invests heavily in unique information industry data assets that form the core of its high-quality, fact-based research, analysis, and recommendations for clients worldwide. For more information, see www.outsellinc.com.