The Future of Pharma Marketing and the Content Strategy That Wins

Direct-to-Consumer marketing for pharmaceutical companies may change. Change often means challenges, but also opportunities. While it’s too early to know exactly what recent regulatory shifts will mean for pharmaceutical advertising, one trend is emerging: an increase in transparency and balance in drug marketing.

What’s Happening 

The federal government has signaled updated guidance in direct-to-consumer pharmaceutical advertising. Since the late 1990s, the FDA has relaxed its rules on the transparency of drug marketing. The resulting loophole, known as the adequate provision standard, allows drugmakers to not include all of a drug’s risks in a broadcast advertisement, in favor of directing the consumer to a website or a medical source to learn more. The rise of social media ads and influencer marketing has tested the limits of this provision. Regulators are growing skeptical that today’s drug marketing falls within the federal guidelines, according to a recent op-ed written by the commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration.

What This Means

Looking forward, pharma companies may need to return to tighter standards of transparency in their marketing, with the potential of even tighter regulation going forward. The FDA has made clear its intention to increase its scrutiny of drug promotion through social media, influencers, and algorithm-driven campaigns.

Any seismic shift in policy will take time. But as any legal challenges play out, forward-thinking drug marketers can see an advantage. There are already effective DTC advertising tools at their disposal that increase transparency without losing any of the allure that safe and transformative pharmaceuticals offer consumers.

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Content Marketing for the Win

Properly balancing the benefits and risks of a drug requires a deft touch. In pharma marketing, a negative correlation persists between ad length and its ability to effectively educate and inform. As the length of an ad decreases, the difficulty of maintaining this balance increases.

Content marketing allows marketers to circumnavigate competing issues of length and message. As long-form stories that can be acutely tuned for a specific audience, content marketing allows companies to effectively promote their brand or product without falling afoul of tightening regulations. It’s advertising that rewards transparency, narrative, and meticulous attention to detail, producing campaigns that leverage consumer trust to produce impactful results.

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Here are the advantages of content marketing in the pharma space:

The space to be thorough: Because branded content and sponsored stories aren’t confined to 30-second spots, they afford the time and space to fastidiously outline all the potential benefits of a drug without shirking the responsibility of risks. Important Safety Information (ISI) can be included in full, without length limits and without hampering the message.

Build trust through transparency: Clear, balanced messaging strengthens credibility with patients and caregivers. When consumers feel like they know the full story, they assign higher validity to an ad’s truth claims.

Educational storytelling that empowers: When discussing the complexities of human health, details matter. The longer format provided by content marketing allows marketers to educate an audience with the proper context. Effective content marketing goes beyond drug promotion. It raises disease awareness. It explains treatment considerations. It shares patient perspectives. This knowledge empowers consumers to make the right choice for their unique scenario.

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The Right Approach

Content marketing is qualitatively different depending on who crafts it. At Hearst StoryStudio, we have a decade of experience crafting content marketing that works. By employing an ever-adapting suite of methods, our approach is comprehensive and effective. Best of all, it’s tailored to each client and each campaign.

For drug makers, we have extensive experience in pharmaceutical marketing. Our content balances compliance with compelling storytelling. It’s about finding the human element in each story and helping others identify and connect while also providing the education that empowers.

In the pharmaceutical space, experience is crucial, and ISI is complex. The experience of disease is nuanced. Every person’s story is different. Our experience crafting successful campaigns signals our ability to take complex knowledge and transform it into consumer-friendly content.

Lastly, we’re ahead of the curve. As regulations change, we adapt in real time, building on years of storytelling expertise. Peruse our track record working with the biggest names in pharmaceuticals, and it becomes clear our work already reflects the transparency and depth while also being highly impactful.

Let us show you how to escape the challenges of the 30-second ad spot. Contact us to see how we can craft a winning, compliant content strategy.