News Release

New PERQ/HCI Study Delivers Exclusive Insights on Physicians’ Most Useful Web Sites

(East Windsor, NJ – November 22, 2004) PERQ/HCI has released the 2004 edition of its Insights Into Physician Internet Usage study. The comprehensive data presented in the study explores new areas of Internet usage to help manufacturers, advertising agencies and healthcare publishers optimize their integrated marketing efforts. For the first time anywhere, PERQ/HCI offers information on the top healthcare Web sites according to physicians.

To further assist healthcare-focused companies in making the most informed decisions, PERQ/HCI asks physicians to rate their top three Web sites for medical research, medical journals and product information. These valuable data will help determine how the Internet fits into an overall marketing plan. Examples of some of the useful sites mentioned for medical research include Medscape, Pubmed and Up-To-Date. Medical journals mentioned include Medline, NEJM/New England Journal of Medicine and MD Consultant. For product information, some favored sites include Merck & Co., WebMed and Pfizer Inc.

The study results offer an inside look into physicians’ preferences for specific Web sites. According to Kathleen Henderson, Senior Vice President and General Manager of PERQ/HCI: “This year’s Internet usage study is truly ground-breaking. New open-ended questions allow us to measure information not available anywhere else. This will be of great value to companies that are looking to create targeted online marketing strategies.”

Everything from general Internet usage data to what motivates physicians to visit specific sites and how they interact with sites is also examined. The study reveals how often physicians use the Internet for professional purposes versus personal usage, as well as the importance of various features of an Internet site.

The 2004 edition of PERQ/HCI’s Insights Into Physician Internet Usage study delves into areas of Internet usage that up until now have been unexplored. Healthcare marketers or publishers with questions about this study should contact Stephen Davis at 800.243.2702 ext. 235.

PERQ/HCI has reported on advertising in healthcare journals across a variety of healthcare market segments for over 35 years, and its survey techniques, sampling approaches and report formats are used at over 95% of the nation’s major pharmaceutical advertising agencies. For more information, visit www.PERQ-HCI.com.

VNU is a global information media company with leading market positions and recognized brands in marketing information (ACNielsen), media measurement and information (Nielsen Media Research) and business information (Billboard, The Hollywood Reporter, Computing, Intermediair).

VNU is active in more than 100 countries, with headquarters in Haarlem, The Netherlands and New York, USA. The company employs 38,000 people. Total revenues amount to EUR 4.3 billion in 2002. VNU is listed on the Euronext Amsterdam (ASE: VNU) stock exchange.

Contact:
Stephen Davis
Vice President, Sales
Phone: 800.243.2702 ext. 235
E-mail: sdavis@perqhci.com