JUPITERRESEARCH REPORTS 20% OF ONLINE CONSUMERS TURN TO OTHER ONLINE CONSUMERS FOR ADVICE ON HEALTH AND MEDICAL TREATMENT
(New York, NY - March 7, 2005) -- Jupitermedia Corporation's (Nasdaq: JUPM) JupiterResearch division, today announced that according to their report entitled "Online Health Support Groups and Consumer-Created Health Content: Mitigating the Threat to Loyalty and Drug Sales", 20% of online consumers look to other consumers for health advice online, potentially weakening the grip of pharma marketers' messages, but also providing a potential means of influencing consumer drug choices via the grass roots.
According to the JupiterResearch report, online consumers use support groups, live chat, instant messenger and e-mail, among other online media, to discuss health issues, including information about medications and treatments, with other consumers. "Online consumers reach out to their peers for concrete information, not just emotional support," stated Monique Levy, Analyst at JupiterResearch. "Eighty percent of consumers that use consumer created health content (CCHC) said these interactions influenced their behavior, emotional well-being or attitudes," added Levy.
Marketers must leverage online marketing and advertising tools used most often by CCHC users to emphasize key product messages, especially those around efficacy and safety. For instance, CCHC users are twice as likely as non-CCHC users to read pharma-sponsored e-mail newsletters or to use drug branded Web sites. "With recent uncertainty about drug safety brought on by the Vioxx recall and increasing scrutiny on TV ads, marketers should use online marketing to protect their brands," stated Levy. The report outlines strategies for marketers to reach CCHC users.
The complete findings of this report are immediately available to JupiterResearch clients online at www.jupiterresearch.com. For more information on the report or JupiterResearch's Health research service please contact Kieran Kelly, Vice President of Global Sales and Client Service at 1-800-481-1212 or researchsales@jupitermedia.com.
About Jupitermedia Corporation
Jupitermedia Corporation (Nasdaq: JUPM), (www.jupitermedia.com),
headquartered in Darien, CT, is a leading global provider of original information, images, research and events for information technology, business and creative professionals. JupiterWeb, the online media division of Jupitermedia, operates five distinct online networks: internet.com and EarthWeb.com for IT and business professionals; DevX.com for developers; ClickZ.com for interactive marketers; and Graphics.com, for creative professionals. JupiterWeb properties include more than 150 Web sites and over 150 e-mail newsletters that are viewed by over 20 million users and generate over 300 million page views monthly. Jupitermedia also includes: JupiterImages, one of the leading images companies in the world with over 5.0 million images online serving creative professionals with products like Comstock Images, Thinkstock Images, Thinkstock Footage, Photos.com, HemeraImages.com, Ablestock.com, Clipart.com and Animations.com; JupiterResearch, a leading international research advisory organization specializing in business and technology market research in 18 business areas and 14 vertical markets; and JupiterEvents, which produces offline conferences and trade shows focused on IT and business-specific topics, including Search Engine Strategies and WiFi/VoWiFi Planet.
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