When advertising educates: How interactive creative empowers patients and providers
In healthcare marketing, creativity is often perceived to be constrained by rigorous legal and regulatory requirements. Compliance sits at the core of pharmaceutical advertising, given the sensitive nature of the industry, but it does not have to come at the expense of differentiation.
The real challenge for brands today is finding compliant, thoughtful ways to stand out in a crowded marketplace while meaningfully educating both patients and healthcare providers.
The need for education
Connected TV and online video advertising have proven effective at communicating what a therapy treats, but awareness alone is rarely enough. Increasingly, marketers are tasked with driving deeper education around clinical efficacy and benefits to differentiate themselves from competitors. To accomplish this, brands are turning to interactive, cross-device video platforms that deliver consistent, educational messaging to both patients and physicians. When executed well, these experiences empower patients to ask better questions and help create a more seamless dialogue around treatment decisions.
The need for better education is clear. According to PatientPoint’s 2023 Patient Confidence Index, nearly half of Americans (48%) reported feeling underprepared for a doctor’s appointment, while 43% said receiving health education prior to their visit was particularly helpful. These findings highlight a meaningful opportunity for advertising to play a more active role earlier in the patient journey.
Laying the groundwork for more informed decisions
Imagine a world in which every patient arrives at their doctor’s appointment prepared with printed resources, thoughtful questions, and a clear understanding of the treatment options available to them. While physicians remain the most trusted authority in treatment decisions, informed patients are better positioned to engage in productive discussions and make educated choices based on what is currently available in market. Notably, research from MAGNA found that more than 90% of physicians believe pharmaceutical advertising improves patient awareness of their condition and encourages more proactive health management, and 55% of patient respondents credited pharma ads with helping them discover new health conditions.
Physicians, however, face their own challenges. While they work continuously to stay current on treatment options and clinical research, the sheer volume of new medical information can be overwhelming. One widely cited analysis published on PubMed Central estimates that the doubling time of medical knowledge has accelerated dramatically – from 50 years in 1950 to just 73 days by 2020. Keeping pace with this level of change makes efficient information digestion increasingly difficult.
In this context, digital advertising can serve as a valuable educational touchpoint. Interactive formats allow brands to surface clinical research in concise, digestible ways that support ongoing physician education while delivering content in a personalised, one-to-one manner.
Through interactive ad experiences, brands can convey key data points, such as clinical efficacy, mechanism of action, and patient testimonials, helping both patients and providers assess whether a therapy may be appropriate. For more serious or complex conditions, brands can provide condition-specific explainers that add meaningful educational value to patients who are seeking to learn more about a specific disease state.
Delivering firsthand insight
When two commercials for the same condition appear side by side, how does a patient determine which therapy to ask their doctor about? Considerations such as route of administration (oral versus injectable) or insurance coverage often play a role. Patients are also focused on efficacy and on how others have responded to treatment in real-world settings. Just as consumers rely on reviews when making everyday purchasing decisions, patients increasingly turn to testimonials to help evaluate and build confidence in a new therapy.
These firsthand perspectives provide valuable context, helping patients envision how a treatment may fit into their own journey. According to a RepuGen Patient Review survey, 73% of patients consider online reviews when selecting a healthcare provider. This behaviour reinforces the broader role of patient testimonials in the healthcare decision-making journey, suggesting that trusted peer experiences can influence how patients evaluate treatment options by building credibility and confidence.
For healthcare providers, testimonials can also offer insight into patient experience, but consideration is further strengthened when advertising includes physician-focused education. Clearly articulating a therapy’s mechanism of action helps providers understand how it works, while insights from key opinion leaders can reinforce clinical confidence and support decision-making.
Advertising to create meaningful conversations
Ultimately, the shared goal of engaging both patients and healthcare providers is to enable more informed, productive conversations about personal healthcare. By delivering consistent messaging across audiences, and equipping patients with tools such as efficacy summaries, “how it works” content, and downloadable discussion guides, brands can help support more meaningful dialogue at the point of care.
Interactive CTV and cross-screen creative formats make it possible to embed these educational elements directly into the advertising experience. Below are examples of features that can drive deeper education and consideration across both audiences:
Direct-to-Consumer audiences:
- Patient testimonials
- How it works and educational explainers
- Efficacy highlights
- Downloadable doctor discussion guides
- Side effects and safety information
- Savings and co-pay support
Healthcare provider audiences:
- Clinical efficacy data
- Mechanism of action
- Key opinion leader videos or testimonials
- Patient profiles
- Access and safety information
By rethinking creative as an interactive educational experience, and not just a promotional message, pharmaceutical brands can allow advertising to do more of the heavy lifting, supporting informed decision-making on both sides of the exam room.
About the author
Candace Chang is director of client partnerships, healthcare, at VDX.tv. She has over 15 years of experience across media agencies and ad tech. Over the last five years, she has led the growth of healthcare advertising at VDX.tv, spearheading strategic partnerships with pharmaceutical advertisers and key data and measurement partners to drive performance, innovation, and measurable outcomes.
