Healthcare and pharmaceutical advertisers such as Gilead Sciences are increasingly putting their media budgets into the creator economy.
Brand advertisers in the health and pharmaceutical sectors are some of the biggest spenders on media agency books. But so far they have avoided influencer marketing. Despite the current uncertainty about TikTok's future, industry experts say influencer marketing has matured enough that healthcare clients are adopting it. And as third-party cookies are (belatedly) being phased out, pharma brands are hoping this will provide an alternative way to target their core users.
“I've always felt that the pharmaceutical industry is a few steps behind as an industry,” said Tim Jones, executive creative director at Click Health. Now he said: [consumer brands]As more and more brave clients emerge. ”
The campaign launched by Digitas Health in March to promote Descovy, a brand of HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) drug made by pharmaceutical company Gilead Sciences, includes previous paid digital and It included partnerships with influencers that went beyond paid social work. Brian Mook, vice president and group director of engagement strategy at Digitas, declined to provide specific growth rates.
He said: “We're seeing an incredible increase in engagement, not just with the actual content. People are clicking on campaign sites and spending twice as much time on the content that's there.” said.
An agency that adapts according to your interests
Mae Karwowski, founder of influencer agency Obviously, told Digiday that 10% of the agency's revenue now comes from healthcare clients, and open pitches have increased by a third. he said. “It's a meaningful amount. Next year, it will be a significant portion of the business,” she said, though she did not provide specific numbers.
Executives at WPP Agency Network Ogilvy hope to capitalize on this increase. Last week, the network launched Health Influence, a creator-focused division that combines staff from its PR and healthcare departments.
“Health is the new frontier for influencer marketing,” said Rahul Titus, global head of influencer marketing at Ogilvy. Titus declined to release numbers on influencer spending by Ogilvy's healthcare clients, but told Digiday that client investments increased 60% in the first quarter of 2024 compared to the same period last year.
He suggested that healthcare clients aim to meet social platform users' demand for wellness content and medical advice. An April survey of more than 1,000 U.S. adults conducted by polling firm Big Village on behalf of Mr. Ogilvy found that 70% reported researching or learning about medical issues on social media. did. 93% of people who engaged with that content reported that they subsequently took action, such as making a doctor's appointment.
“Choosing the right one can really help a subject matter expert build trust with their audience,” says Greg, account director at WPP Goat, one of the largest influencer agencies. Tobin says.
Healthcare advertisers are looking for more than just message credibility. Elle McComsey, executive vice president of strategy at Digitas Health, said clients are keen to target creators' audiences, noting that “instead of third-party cookie fidelity, influencers can drive targeted conversations. It will help us achieve this.”
“In a world without cookies, this is the way to bring back behavioral targeting,” Tobin agrees.
Brands need to lead the conversation
Patient testimonials have long been standard issue in healthcare advertising, but until recently, creator-driven content was not included. Strict regulations regarding healthcare and pharmaceutical marketing place significant constraints on the activities of influencers.
Robin Doan, vice president of strategy at Saatchi & Saatchi Wellness, said precedent for consumer brands and marketers working to align with FDA regulations means the market has reached a tipping point of maturity. That's what it means.
“You want influencers to sound natural and resonate with your audience, but if there are Important Safety Information (ISI) or regulations, have influencers say something specific to their personality. “It becomes difficult,” she says.
“All influencer messaging needs to meet the same standards as brand-created messaging, and partnerships require active management,” says Jessica Botte, vice president of strategy, influencer marketing at Klick Health. Ting said in an email.
U.S. healthcare advertising rules apply to social platforms like Instagram and TikTok as well as television. However, incorrect medical advice is easy to find online.
“The health advice people are getting on social media isn’t 100% accurate. Let’s be honest, it’s rarely accurate,” Titus said, adding, “Brands don’t own the conversation. But someone else will own it,” he added.
Titus suggests that far from deterring healthcare advertisers, the shadow of medical misinformation is giving them reason to invest more in influencer marketing.
“Obviously, word of mouth works,” he says. “But when it comes to highly regulated medical fields, word of mouth should not be the primary source of information.”
