The centres offer companies a unique and highly engaged in-content sponsorship that enables users who are looking for specific medical information to simultaneously find information about a relevant solution, product or service.
Currently, the HealthEngage section is divided into over 70 centres, each of which focuses on a specific medical condition.
The content in these centres, which range from mini centres such as knee pain to maxi centres such as cancer, is made up of breaking news, research, user experiences and multimedia, along with solid information on symptoms, treatment, diagnosis, prevention, causes and an ‘about’ section pertaining to the relevant disease.
Some maxi health centres are supplemented by a free, dedicated expert-led Q&A forum, weekly health action tips, multimedia and quizzes or assessment tools.
Since the launch of the HealthEngage sponsorship model, 20 condition centres have been sponsored, for periods ranging from three months to a year.
"Within the HealthEngage centres, we’ve replaced overt display advertising by integrating the client’s message into the centre itself. This way, brands can build strong, meaningful relationships with their target audience" says Dr Danie Pauw, MD of Health24.
"Statistical data has shown that click-through rates and engagement, including client collateral is much higher than with traditional ROS advertising. The result has been that sponsors are eager to retain their presence in this market and have renewed their sponsorships," adds Pauw.
The sponsorship model allows brands to leverage tools like polls and surveys to get feedback directly from their potential customers. It provides advertisers with a number of different solutions such as interactive client displays, weekly condition-specific action points, advertorials, multimedia and branded content.
"The HealthEngage centres are informative, interactive and user-friendly. As a user you have everything at your fingertips to manage your condition while the sponsor has the unique opportunity to subtly augment the user experience with a highly relevant message. Our aim is always to provide useful, credible information in a variety of content formats, which includes dedicated and creative areas for the sponsor to communicate their message in" says Laura van Niekerk, editor of Health24.
"Surveys conducted across the 24.com platforms show that 98% of our users rely on Health24’s dedicated medical area as a source of health-related information; in fact our users are twice as likely to turn to the internet for medical advice as they are to consult a doctor" adds van Niekerk.
For more information on the HealthEngage Centres, email Juan Schmidt at [email protected].