Walgreens Launches One-Minute Drug Marketing Videos

Walgreens has partnered with online video solutions provider One Minute Media to launch a series of one-minute videos aimed at prescription drug users.

Two videos, one with information on Walgreen’s prescription drug savings program, and the other on discounted pet medication, are now available for viewing on One Minute Media’s online platform, Knowitinaminute.com. Advertisers only pay when site visitors click on and watch each video. Other brands, such as Zyrtec and Johnson & Johnson, also have video placements on the site.

The videos open with a 10-second ad for Walgreens, followed by a companion ad that links to a landing page within the Walgreens Prescription Savings Club site. The push comes at a time when Walgreens has pledged to devote more attention to its prescription and in-store marketing program. Christine Kubisztal, Walgreens manager of media strategy and services, said the drug store chain is embracing online video advertising as consumers increasingly spend more time on the Web.

“Consumers are viewing information on their own time, selecting what they want and when they want it, which makes the universe very fragmented. We need to make information on our products and services available to consumers so it’s there when they are ready to retrieve it,” Kubisztal said.

Unlike ads for common household purchase items, such as deodorants or shampoos sold by Procter & Gamble and Unilever, One Minute Media’s platform closely monitors the videos to avoid reposting on sites such as YouTube or MySpace, said Devery Holmes, CEO of Spark Alliance Marketing, which worked with Walgreens on the launch. She said the strategy is meant to preserve the overall integrity of the videos.

Videos on the site get an average of 10,000 to 15,000 views a month. Site traffic is approximately one million views per month.

Andrew Pakula, CEO of One Minute Media, said one of the advantages of utilizing online video ads is its ability to target the right consumer. Pakula did not reveal the platform’s cost, but said it is significantly less expensive than TV advertising.
“Let’s say you pay $10,000 for a TV spot. But how many people are really in the market at that particular time to be in the mode to look at that product?” he said. With Knowitinaminute.com, “you are paying for whoever wants to look at that piece of content or brand. [And] we don’t charge as much for that.”