Advertising in Pharmacies
Place-Based Advertising in Pharmacies Using Prescription Bags and Hand Sanitizers
Prescription Bags Metrics:
- Targeting: pharmacies targeted by DMA or Zip Code
- Reach: 50-60,000 visits per month
- Average exposure: 15 minutes
- Impressions per month: 220,000 to 310,000
- CPM (cost per thousand impressions): $1 to $5
Hand Sanitizing Station Metrics:
- Targeting: pharmacies targeted by DMA or Zip Code
- Reach: 50-60,000 visits per month
- Average exposure: 5 minutes
- Impressions per month: 153,000 to 180,000
- CPM (cost per thousand impressions): $3 to $10
In the world of healthcare, timing is everything! Place your brand message on a hand sanitizer station or prescription bag, and let it work wonders while they’re already thinking about their well-being. Ready to partner with health-conscious customers?
Prescription Bag Advertising
Prescription bags are essential in pharmacies, given to every customer who picks up medication. This creates a unique opportunity for advertisers to directly place their brand message in the hands of a highly relevant audience. Advertising on prescription bags is especially effective because it reaches customers at a time when their focus is on healthcare, increasing the likelihood that they will notice and absorb the ad.
Each prescription bag offers about 15 minutes of exposure during the customer’s pharmacy visit, and the ad continues to have a presence when the customer brings the bag home, potentially exposing it to other household members. Pharmacies typically distribute around 5,000 prescription bags per month, leading to approximately 220,000 to 310,000 impressions per month. This makes it a cost-effective way to promote products or services related to healthcare, wellness, or local businesses targeting a health-conscious demographic.
Benefits of Prescription Bag Advertising
Direct Audience Engagement: Every pharmacy customer receives a prescription bag, making it a guaranteed touchpoint for advertisers. Since customers typically focus on their health during pharmacy visits, they are more likely to engage with messages promoting healthcare products, wellness services, or local businesses. The bag travels home with them, offering extended visibility beyond the pharmacy visit, and potentially reaching other household members.
High Recall and Repetition: Many pharmacy customers, particularly those with chronic conditions, are repeat visitors. Prescription bag ads allow for multiple exposures over time, helping reinforce the brand message. With each visit, customers receive a new ad, which increases brand recall and familiarity.
Hyper-Local Targeting: Prescription bag advertising is ideal for local businesses, as pharmacies serve their immediate neighborhoods. Businesses like healthcare providers, gyms, or restaurants can effectively target the local community with relevant offers or services, ensuring the ad reaches the right audience.
Hand Sanitizer Station Advertising
Hand sanitizer stations in pharmacies offer another high-visibility advertising opportunity. These stations, often placed at entry points or near counters, can incorporate digital signage or branded static ads above the dispenser. Since customers pause to sanitize their hands, they are naturally drawn to the ad. The average interaction time with these stations offers ample opportunity for an impactful brand message.
Advertisers can use digital screens on hand sanitizer stations to display rotating ads, public health messages, or even interactive content. This method is particularly effective for engaging customers in high-traffic areas, such as pharmacies, hospitals, and clinics, where health and wellness are top of mind(
Both methods—prescription bag and hand sanitizer station advertising—target captive audiences in healthcare settings, offering brands direct access to consumers in moments when their attention is likely to be focused on health-related issues. These strategies help build brand awareness and credibility in a trusted environment.
Benefits of Hand Sanitizer Station Advertising
Captive, Health-Conscious Audience: Hand sanitizing stations are strategically placed in high-traffic areas such as entrances or near checkout counters. Customers typically use these stations on their way in or out, offering an opportunity for direct engagement with the ad. Given that these stations are often used multiple times during a visit, brands benefit from repeated exposure.
Positive Brand Association: Advertising on hand sanitizing stations positions the brand alongside health and safety measures. This fosters a positive association with cleanliness and care, which can help build trust and credibility. Products or services related to health, wellness, and hygiene are particularly well-suited for this form of advertising, as they align with the customer’s mindset in the pharmacy.
Digital and Static Options: Many modern hand sanitizer stations come equipped with digital screens, which allow advertisers to display dynamic, rotating ads. This increases engagement and allows brands to deliver more information through short videos or interactive content, further enhancing visibility and customer interest.
In both cases, these methods leverage the captive audience of a pharmacy, where customers are already in a mindset focused on health and wellness. The high foot traffic and repetitive nature of pharmacy visits amplify the effectiveness of these advertising tactics.
Use Cases for Advertisers
Here are 6 creative and clever use cases for advertisers utilizing prescription bag and hand sanitizing station advertising in pharmacies:
Health Insurance Providers
Use Case: A health insurance company partners with local pharmacies to advertise their affordable plans on prescription bags. They feature a clear call-to-action such as “Protect your health, protect your wallet” and offer a QR code to get a quote instantly.
Creative Twist: The ad highlights simple health tips (e.g., “3 ways to stay healthy this winter”) that align with the insurance plan benefits. It appeals to customers focused on managing their healthcare costs and staying well.
Nutritional Supplement Brands
Use Case: A vitamin or supplement brand advertises its latest line of immune-boosting products on both prescription bags and hand sanitizing stations in high-traffic pharmacies. The ads emphasize, “Boost your immunity, one tablet at a time,” paired with visuals of vitamins.
Creative Twist: The ad includes a seasonal promotion (“Buy 1, Get 1 Free”) with a scannable QR code on the hand sanitizer stations. This ties directly into the heightened health awareness of the customer, promoting easy access to preventative care.
Fitness Centers
Use Case: A local gym uses hand sanitizer stations to promote its health and wellness programs, offering special memberships. The ad could say, “Get Fit. Stay Healthy. Claim your FREE trial!”
Creative Twist: The digital hand sanitizer screen shows a short video of gym-goers, encouraging people to scan the code for a free one-week pass. The message aligns perfectly with the health-conscious mindset of pharmacy visitors.
Pharmacy Delivery Services
Use Case: A prescription delivery service advertises on prescription bags, highlighting “Get your meds delivered—fast and free!” Customers who pick up their prescriptions are given a flyer detailing how they can switch to home delivery.
Creative Twist: The ad plays on convenience, urging busy individuals to sign up for delivery services via a simple QR code for quick registration, emphasizing contact-free convenience, which resonates in the current health climate.
Telemedicine Services
Use Case: A telemedicine company uses prescription bags to promote virtual doctor consultations, with a message like “Skip the waiting room—see a doctor from home!” Ads are tailored to suggest telemedicine as a convenient follow-up option after their visit.
Creative Twist: The ad features a first-time user discount and simple instructions for accessing telemedicine services. This capitalizes on the customer’s immediate engagement with health concerns and offers a timely solution for future care.
Skincare Products
Use Case: A skincare brand leverages hand sanitizing stations to advertise its range of moisturizers and soaps. The ad reads, “Clean hands, soft skin—Discover our nourishing skincare range,” highlighting how constant hand sanitizing can lead to dry skin and offering solutions.
Creative Twist: The digital ads include interactive quizzes on skin health and offer personalized skincare solutions, creating a deeper level of engagement for those waiting in line or sanitizing frequently.
These examples illustrate how place-based advertising in pharmacies effectively leverages customer focus on health and wellness, allowing brands to make an impact during their customers’ pharmacy visits. The creative execution ensures relevance to the environment and audience.
