A funny thing happens when you talk “convention media.” People focus on how it helps them at the convention. They should think about how it helps them during the convention.

Think: Super Bowl.

This year it was in Minneapolis. U.S. Bank Stadium seats about 66,000 people. Last year 172 million people watched SB LI on TV. That’s about 2600x more people.

Events attract people. The venue, yes. The content, yes-er.

“Venue folks” can miss the big picture. They buy ads in “conference apps” to reach people on-site. That’s like Coke buying signage at The Linc to sell fountain drinks. Nice.

Buying a half-time spot builds the Coke brand. That’s big-er.

“Content folks” think big. Here is how to apply a Super Bowl strategy to your next big event.

Home Audiences Engage Around Content

Folks who can’t be in the stadium still want to feel the vibe. So, NBC puts cameras all the over the field. They cover every angle. They produce replays and highlights and features on star player and nifty stats. They deliver a great home experience. Unique to that channel.

Doctors who can’t get to the big medical congress aren’t ignoring it. Quite the contrary. They’re following along. Twitter hashtags like #T2D spike up to 300% during the American Diabetes Association meeting.

The home audience wants to be reached…with a unique home experience. For them, it’s related reads, highlight sessions, features on KOLs, and nifty stats. Oh yeah, and it should be on their phone.

Home audiences can be 2x to 4x bigger than on-site audiences during medical events. “Conference apps” only reach the people on site.

Ads Aren’t Great Content

The skip button. Ad’s bane. People will skip even your most compelling ads. That’s a lot of money to create and air your unseen messages. Not to mention all the analytics you can’t run.

To combat this, the NFL puts their best stuff on the half-time stage. People actually tune in just for this. This year was Justin Timberlake. Like him or not, to most people, he beats most ads.

Doctors don’t skip pharma ads on websites or in apps. No, 65% of docs block ads, according to COMPAS. Ouch. That’s a lot of money to create, place, and not analyze your message.

So, what’s a pharma company to do? Infographics. Well, that and reprints, videos, and your big product theater. Also, consider new platforms with alt-assets. Ad blockers don’t see alt-assets as ads. So, they don’t get blocks.

“Conference Apps” display ads. About two-thirds of which will be blocked.

Your Content Has to be Yours

Okay, it ain’t the Super Bowl. So, we’re straying a bit. In Canada, Rogers lets viewers stream hockey (it’s Canada, what did you expect?) from their favorite angle.

Before, editors chose content for audiences. Now, people choose content for themselves. This is huge trend in media: 67% of Americans get their news from social media.

Clinicians are people first. They curate a community to bring them news in their personal lives. They expect the same in their professional lives.

Today, personal media wins awards. Even in medical. The more personal the better. User control is a given.

“Conference apps.” They’re one-size-fits-all.

Data Targets Premium Content

We shift back to NBC. In March, they said they will sell $1b of ads based on data. Not the more traditional Nielsen metrics. Linda Yaccarino, their Chairman of Ad Sales and Client Partnerships, explained, “This is giving marketers the targeting they crave with premium content.”

Great platforms use data to tailor experiences. As people use them, they get smarter. Think Facebook and Google.

Some go a step further. They give data back to their clients.

Media agencies say this is a big trend. Their marketers want more personalized promotion for HCPs. They go a step further. Some agencies say that brands are willing to pay more when you make media personal and share data.

“Conference apps.” Well, they can’t share because they don’t know.