• by Les Luchter , Yesterday

Members of healthcare’s Point of Care Marketing Association (POCMA) exceeded $1 billion in point-of-care revenue for the first time last year, a 16% increase over 2023, the trade group has reported. 

However, “total industry spend is likely higher when accounting for non-participating organizations and market segments not represented in the current membership,” POCMA President Nicole Divinagracia told Marketing Daily,

POCMA, founded in 2013, currently has 38 members, including agencies CMI Media, Havas Media and Publicis Health Media, nonprofits like the American Heart Association. and brands like Labcorp and WebMD.

The $1 billion figure was based on revenues supplied by 23 media company POCMA members.

Point of care marketing has transformed “from a supporting tactic into a strategic cornerstone for healthcare marketers,” Divinagracia said.

In a recent Ipsos study commissioned by POCMA, 74% of patients who had been exposed to posters, brochures or videos in medical offices said they were the most effective tools in helping them understand and manage their health issues. This was followed by health websites or blogs (56%), TV (31%), social media (15%), podcasts (14%). and radio (6%).

POCMA had previously reported that point-of-care revenues had grown 171% from 2019 to 2023, with run-of-site digital display and print ads declining by 22% and direct-to-consumer advertising up 26%.

“Unlike open digital platforms, where pharmaceutical ads risk appearing next to controversial or irrelevant content, POC media operates within a closed network,” noted the group in a press release, “preserving both patient trust and brand reputation”

POCMA also pointed to a recent case study from analytics firm Veeva Crossix, which it said demonstrates how POC can reinforce digital efforts. In this case, patients exposed to both digital and POC ads were 200 times more likely to convert, POCMA said, and while POC represented just 14% of media investment, it generated 35% of new patient starts.

The pharma company involved in that Veeva Crossix case study was not identified, but POCMA’s website does cite a success story from Novartis, although not the specific condition involved.

Through a bilingual POC campaign, POCMA says, Novartis was able to outperform English-only initiatives by 20%, while achieving a 3.7x higher utilization of a company brochure.

The POCMA press release, meanwhile, quoted Kelli Diveley, Pfizer’s senior director, integrated media strategy – primary care: ”As we continue to hone in on strategies to reach the right patient at the right time, POC continues to be the cream that rises to the top.”

Per the IPSOS research, point-of-care marketing can be particularly effective in the push for health equity, with black patients, for example,  92% more likely to read POC materials and 21% more likely to ask questions based on those materials.