The new marketing tool from Cardinal Health, Cardinal’s Pharmacy Health Network, is a closed-system video advertisement service fed to digital monitors in retail pharmacies. Programming includes traditional pharma advertising, health education, and in-store promotions. Cardinal had been talking with pharma manufacturers over the past few yeas as it developed the program and found that there was considerable interest in purchasing video space.

“This network is a way to provide or enable manufacturers to get patients to opt into existing compliance programs,” says Jeff Foreman, VP for strategic purchasing at Cardinal Health. He explains that companies can use the network to talk about these programs in a 60-second television spot and point patients to a brochure rack in the pharmacy for more information. There will be brochures addressing patient relationship marketing, opt-in loyalty programs, adherence information, and other pertinent take-away information.

Cardinal has approximately 750 stores signed up for the network. Pharmacies do not have to shell out a penny or install the equipment. Local contractors are being used to set up the monitors at Cardinal’s expense, with the expectation that costs will be recouped through advertising

“Digital signage is one of the newest and most rapidly adopted forms of media delivery and it’s growing as much as online advertising,” says Foreman.