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WPP’s Ogilvy advertising agency is creating a division specialising in online “health influencers” to help pharmaceutical companies tap a trend towards personalised health and combat misinformation.
People are increasingly turning to TikTok, Instagram and other social media platforms for medical advice and information, partly driven by a lack of direct access to healthcare professionals and a desire for quick solutions.
That is problematic given the amount of contested information and conspiracy theories about medicine and health services that is posted online, for example by members of the “anti-vaccine” movement.
Ogilvy, which has previously worked with a host of pharma groups including Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson, is launching a business that offers vetted influencers to talk about illnesses and possible solutions, as well as share their experiences of health conditions.
The influencers could include health specialists, expert patients and celebrity medics, who can help spot symptoms or check a diagnosis.
Rahul Titus, global head of influence at Ogilvy PR, said health influence was the “new frontier” in marketing.
“Like consumer and business audiences, authentic credibility has overtaken hard sales when it comes to increasing trust and business growth,” he added. “Own your conversation around health, or someone else will.”
About three-quarters of dermatology-related videos on TikTok and most such content on Instagram is not posted by certified dermatologists, according to US government figures, while half of social media posts about vaccines and 60 per cent about the pandemic were found to be misleading.
One in four people turn to social media when researching healthcare, according to Ogilvy. Influencers affiliated with Ogilvy will need to clearly say when they are being paid by a pharma company.
Wellness is another growth area on social media that has attracted influencers who offer advice without any medical experience and are seeking to sell products or services.
Most countries have regulations that restrict direct-to-consumer advertising of prescription-only medicines although some, including the US and New Zealand, allow the practice. In the UK companies cannot advertise prescription medicines to the public but are allowed to promote them to healthcare professionals.
“Society is at a point of peak illness and peak wellness,” said Caroline Howe, chief executive of Ogilvy Health. “An ageing population means more people are living with chronic illness, while more people than ever are seeking wellness and lifestyle solutions to better their health.”
Howe said the “family doctor is no longer the sole gatekeeper” of medical advice and that “many people are turning to influencers to help them in different ways: from checking and identifying their symptoms [or] a diagnosis, or lifestyle tips on how to manage that condition”.
Carolyn Solan, head of external partnerships at consumer drugs group Haleon, which largely produces over-the-counter drugs that can be advertised more easily, said that “while partnering with expert patients and healthcare professionals is not a new concept for Haleon, it is becoming only more critical as we look to help make everyday health more accessible and achievable for everyone”.
