Supply Marketing, Inc., Wins 2003 Ben Franklin Most Innovative Service Award

Entrepreneurs Forum of Greater Philadelphia and Ben Franklin Technology Partners honor Supply Marketing

March 10, 2003, King of Prussia, PA Supply Marketing, Inc., is pleased to report that they've been honored as the winner of the annual Ben Franklin Emerging Business Award for Most Innovative Service.

The Ben Franklin Emerging Business Awards ('Bennies'), now in its 9th year, honors regional companies that are fast emerging on the business scene. Founded by The Entrepreneurs' Forum of Greater Philadelphia and Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Southeastern Pennsylvania, the awards afford stellar companies the opportunity to be recognized for their tireless efforts. Winners receive seed money, contacts, and exposure, which help them further accelerate their business growth. This years awards were held on March 7th at the Ben Franklin Ball Room in Downtown Philadelphia.

Supply marketing creates highly visible and effective marketing opportunities for companies within the physician office by providing disposable products to doctors free of charge, which have branded content printed upon the face. The content ranges from advertising, to educational material, to public service announcements. Companies looking to present content to the doctor, their patients, a particular consumer demographic, or all of the above, pay for the messages, and Supply Marketing distributes the branded materials to targeted physicians within its extensive network. The primary vehicle of promotion is examination table paper, thus transforming the exam table into a six-foot billboard within the examining room, and creating a marketing vehicle that can give higher visibility and interaction with the brand over almost any other marketing program. Other products that include: cover-ups, disposable gowns, tongue depressors, tissues, surgical caps, dentist bibs, scale liners and more.

The concept came from two studies that showed the following: First, drug companies spent $15.7 billion dollars on promotion in 2000, up from $13.9 billion in 1999; and second that the average medical office spent $20,000 on office supplies in 2000. "If a company could find a way to help both sides of the coin achieve their goals, cost savings for the doctors and promotion of their brands for the pharmas" begins Co-Founder Robert L. Robinson, Jr., "they could have a lucrative business. We believe that we are that business and are thrilled that both the Entrepreneurs Forum and Ben Franklin Technology Partners selected us for this prestigious award."

With the difficulties that pharmaceutical representatives have in achieving face-to-face time with doctors, coupled with doctors looking for cost savings, the concept is a new twist on an old model. With the printed products made available from Supply Marketing, there is zero pressure on the doctors from the pharmaceutical companies to prescribe their brands or to meet with their sales representatives. However, the brand awareness is created and maintained via exposure through every aspect of the doctor's office.

"There is literally no other marketing program out there that can give a company the level of exposure, persistence, and interactivity within the physician office." Explains Co-Founder Jeff Erb. "An obvious category of advertising clientele for us is pharmaceuticals. The physician sees the brand throughout 94% of their working day. However we also are seeing a huge uptake in consumer products and entertainment companies. Consumers spend 15 to 20 minutes in that room with the brand, generally without anything else to look at or to read, and we can target specific consumer demographics. According to Audits and Surveys Worldwide, 90% of all consumers leave the physicians office and go to a supermarket or drugstore within three hours."

The advertising on the examination table paper is of great value for a variety of reasons. First, it allows the pharmaceutical companies the ability to present information and branding in a manner that conforms to the Pharmaceutical Industry Guidelines that went into effect July 2, 2002. Second, it presents information and educational material viewed by the doctor, the patients, and the medical assistants, while encouraging a dialog between all three. Third, it allows the advertiser to have complete competitive insulation. While a brand is on the paper in the examination room, no other brand can appear during the duration of that campaign.

The company has partnered with one of the largest PPOs on the Eastern Coast, Devon Health in King of Prussia, PA. Devon. "Devon's network represents a large number of medical offices that can benefit from the cost savings that Supply Marketing creates, while in turn providing eyeballs and brand awareness for the Pharmas brands," comments Co-Founder Andy Burstein. "It is a win-win for everyone."

"The cost of being a doctor has gotten ridiculously expensive," explains Doctor John A. Bennett, founder and President of Devon. "This plan allows our network of doctors to save money, put the money they would have spent on supplies back into the practice, get educated on the latest pharmaceutical products and spend time doing what they love, practicing medicine."

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