By Emily Keith
Digital transformation is redefining what consumers expect from brands, especially within the pharma and health care sectors. Today’s patients aren’t passively waiting in doctor’s offices for answers — they’re actively searching online for information, advice and treatment options. However, with an overwhelming amount of content available at one’s fingertips — much of it irrelevant or too generic — finding trustworthy, personalized information is a challenge.
To cut through the noise, pharma advertisers are increasingly turning to AI-powered personalization tools to deliver timely, tailored content that resonates with patients’ specific needs.
Personalization is key
According to McKinsey, AI has the potential to generate $60 billion to $100 billion a year in economic value for the pharma industry, with an opportunity for marketing alone to generate $18 billion to $30 billion. With AI, pharma marketers are moving beyond generic, one-size-fits-all campaigns and instead are delivering relevant information and treatment options based on real-time signals and patient-specific insights.
For example, Cadent ran a campaign with the intent to effectively reach those with a specific affliction, via privacy-first, anonymized practices. By targeting patients during moments when they were most receptive to the brand message, 77% of viewers took interest or action — whether that meant researching treatment options or asking their doctor about a medication by name. These findings illustrate the power and potential of the right message at the right moment.
Smarter targeting, greater relevance
AI allows pharma marketers to process large amounts of data and uncover actionable patterns. Pharma marketers can use this capability to segment audiences based on indicators like health status, demographics or treatment history. By analyzing this historical data, they can predict which message will resonate most and tailor their campaigns accordingly.
One of the greatest advantages of AI in pharma advertising is its ability to optimize campaigns in real time. If a patient clicks on an ad related to managing chronic migraines but focuses more on reading about the side effects of a certain medication, AI can adjust messaging and fine-tune campaigns to better reflect consumer behaviors and interests. Real-time feedback like this ensures marketers always deliver the most relevant content to their audience.
Navigating the challenges
While AI provides powerful personalization, the technology is not without its challenges — especially within pharma. Pharma marketers face the complex task of navigating stringent patient privacy laws and data regulations, taking care to ensure compliance every step of the way. By leveraging AI, pharma marketers unlock additional layers of complexity.
AI systems are trained on data, which can reflect historical trends and patterns that can inadvertently perpetuate existing bias within the data. In pharma advertising, this could mean promoting certain treatments over others unfairly if data, machine learning and AI models are not carefully managed. To help mitigate these risks, marketers must train AI systems on diverse, high-quality datasets and regularly audit to ensure ethical, evidence-based recommendations.
As heavily regulated as the pharma industry is, there’s a fine line between helpful personalization and intrusive targeting. Though effective, hyper-targeted campaigns can quickly feel invasive when patients feel their privacy has been violated — even if the data use is legal. Pharma marketers must exercise caution when leveraging data for targeted campaigns, avoiding invasive ad experiences.
The future of AI in pharma advertising
AI is more than a performance tool — it’s reshaping how pharma brands connect with patients throughout the entire health care journey. When done right, AI tools can create experiences for patients that guide them with more timely and relevant information, specific to their health journey.
Whether anticipating the needs for treatment before symptoms escalate, refilling prescriptions or targeting educational content to specific health conditions, personalization driven by AI ensures that the right message reaches the right person at the right time. Beyond targeting, AI also supports compliance with tools for automated consent tracking and real-time risk monitoring.
Ultimately, AI in pharma advertising empowers marketers to create more meaningful, impactful campaigns, so consumers get the information they need, when they need it most. As technology evolves, so will pharma marketers’ ability to create campaigns that are not only more effective, but more human.
Emily Keith is senior vice president of Cadent Health.
