GEO-YOUNG Delivery Vehicle Ads Attract Pharmaceutical Companies' Interest Ahead of Cold-Medicine Peak Season

[Financial News] As demand for cold medicines rises with the change of seasons, pharmaceutical companies are showing growing interest in advertisements on the delivery vehicles of pharmaceutical distributor GEO-YOUNG. The trend is seen as an effort to use delivery vehicles, which have frequent contact with consumers visiting pharmacies, to market seasonal medicines.
GEO-YOUNG said on the 22nd that it has been receiving a steady stream of inquiries from pharmaceutical companies about advertising on its delivery vehicles next year ahead of the peak season for cold medicines.
Cold medicines are representative seasonal products whose demand is concentrated from fall through winter. Pharmaceutical companies typically step up marketing activities, including advertising and promotions, before the number of cold patients begins to rise. This year, the cold season started earlier than usual, accelerating related marketing efforts as well.
According to Careinsight, a pharmacy data analytics service, sales of cough and cold medicines at pharmacies nationwide rose 32.4% from the previous week during September 6-12. The increase is attributed to more consumers visiting pharmacies with cold and flu-like symptoms as the recent daily temperature range widened to 10-15 degrees.
GEO-YOUNG delivery vehicles travel to pharmacies nationwide every day to supply medicines. About 500 advertising-equipped delivery vehicles are currently in operation, supplying medicines to approximately 80% of pharmacies across the country.
Pharmaceutical companies are interested in delivery vehicle advertising because it provides direct contact with consumers visiting pharmacies. The approach exposes consumers to products on vehicles traveling near pharmacies, helping them recognize a brand when they are actually purchasing medicine.
The advertising industry views this approach as potentially helpful in improving brand recall. Brand recall is a measure of how easily consumers think of a particular brand when purchasing a product.
Lee An-guk, a director at Seojin, an outdoor advertising agency, said, "An advertisement seen just before entering a pharmacy is likely to remain in consumers' memories." Lee added, "That brand may come to mind first when they are choosing a medicine."
Consumers also visit pharmacies after seeing advertisements on delivery vehicles, according to pharmacists. Kim Seong-seon, a pharmacist at Ujin Medical Pharmacy in Guri-si, Gyeonggi-do, said, "Some customers come in after seeing the delivery vehicle advertisement in front of the pharmacy and ask for 'the cold medicine displayed outside.'" Kim added, "This happens more often as the number of cold patients increases in winter."
Meanwhile, GEO-YOUNG delivery vehicles currently display advertisements for major cold-medicine brands, including Panpyrin in the Capital Metropolitan Area and Gangwon State, COLDAEWON in the Yeongnam region, and Pancold in Daejeon and Honam.

[email protected] Jeong Sang-hee Reporter