After years of caution, pharma advertisers are embracing influencer marketing

Healthcare and pharmaceutical advertisers such as Gilead Sciences are injecting more and more of their media budgets into the creator economy.

Brand advertisers in the health and pharma sector are some of the biggest-spending clients on media agency books. In the past, though, they’ve steered clear of influencer marketing. Now, despite uncertainty over the future of TikTok, industry experts say that influencer marketing has matured enough that healthcare clients are embracing it. And with the third-party cookie on its (albeit delayed) way out, pharma brands are hoping it’s an alternative means to target key audiences.

“I’ve always found pharma, as an industry, to be a couple steps behind,” said Klick Health executive creative director Tim Jones. Now, he said, “it’s getting in lockstep with [consumer brands], as we get braver and braver clients.”

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