17209: On Big Pharma, Bias, And Bullshit.

 

Advertising Age reported on the perceived proliferation of pitches for pharmaceutical accounts, partly prompted by presidential poppycock.

 

While no one knows the true reasons behind such account moves, a few points seem certain:

 

• Big Pharma brands award business exclusively to White holding companies.

 

• As accounts bounce between holding companies, worker drones become collateral damage—and overall job numbers appear to decrease vs simply shift.

 

• Independent White advertising agencies are relegated to lesser, subservient roles—or must settle with serving emerging biotechs for significantly smaller billings.

 

• Independent Non-White shops are non-entities—denied even crumbs and/or positioned for Prime Redlining.

 

The healthcare system is broken, with tremendous inequities for underserved and underrepresented entities. Ditto the healthcare account awarding system in Adland.

 

Behind the rise in health care reviews—and how agencies are bracing for a pharma ad crackdown

 

By Ewan Larkin and Jack Neff

 

A barrage of health care marketers are putting their agency rosters under the microscope—and the trend shows no sign of abating.

 

Just this week, there were three major moves in the space: Bayer hired Interpublic Group of Cos. to handle global creative, production and media duties for its consumer health division, which includes over-the-counter drugs such as Claritin, Aleve and Alka-Seltzer; Haleon, the maker of Advil, Panadol and Sensodyne, split its global creative business between Publicis Groupe and WPP; and Tylenol marketer Kenvue launched a comprehensive global creative and media agency review, Ad Age reported.

 

Health care reviews have been accelerating over the past 12 to 18 months, said Michael Knopf, principal at MediaLink, who added he doesn’t see that slowing anytime soon: “I think it’ll continue to be a very active space.”

 

The pharmaceutical category represented just $193 million, or 1% of global spend under review, in the first half of 2024, according to billings tracker COMvergence. That figure surged to $975 million, or 6% of total spend under review, in the first half of 2025. Pharma now makes up 13% of all currently active reviews, per COMvergence.

 

Several factors are driving the uptick, including health care marketers’ lagging transformation efforts, consolidation in the agency sector and the growing strength of independent players. At the same time, marketers and their agency partners are preparing for stricter drug advertising regulations under the Trump administration, developing contingency plans to reach both consumers and health care professionals in new ways.

 

Stalled by regulatory and privacy constraints, along with reliance on advertising strategies like consumer testimonials, the pharma sector has lagged behind other categories in modernizing its marketing approach, said Knopf. Now, brands are racing to become “leading consumer brands,” investing in more personalized content and exploring areas such as sports sponsorships, he added.

 

These transformation efforts—including a greater focus on data and technology for audience targeting—are partly driving marketers to reassess their agency relationships, Knopf said.

 

“A lot of pharma clients are looking to optimize or, in some cases, upgrade their agency partners,” Knopf said.

 

Samantha Avivi, chief marketing officer of Bayer’s consumer health division in North America, previously told Ad Age the company’s review was driven by tech shifts and a need to future-proof brand-building strategy. Explaining its decision to hire IPG, Bayer this week pointed to a need to “capitalize on the acceleration of generative AI tools and capabilities to better engage with consumers at the local level.” It also stressed the need to produce more personalized content.

 

Bayer set up its review process to show how the winning agency could foster a faster, more agile creative development approach that the company terms “Dynamic Shared Ownership,” Avivi said in an interview Sept. 30. That included having small teams globally and locally working together with agency teams on projects that were briefed in the morning and produced creative work by the end of the day. The process helped Bayer understand the agencies’ strengths and weaknesses, as well as their chemistry with its marketers.

 

“By the time we were done with the global work, and then the local variations, it was probably done in the matter of a month from pitch to execution,” Avivi said, including feedback and revisions. At each step, the approach reduced a process that once took three or four months down to a day, she said.

 

It was all part of an effort to meet consumers’ increasing demands to be better connected with brands they’re using and understand them better, as well as meet the growing demand for personalization and take advantage of industry progress in efficiency and automation. “So I would call that modernization for sure,” she said.

 

How the Omnicom-IPG merger fits into the health care moves

 

The agency landscape is shifting rapidly, particularly as Omnicom nears completion of its acquisition of IPG. That consolidation, combined with increasingly robust independent options, has prompted marketers to reevaluate their partnerships, said Greg Paull, president of global growth for marketing consultancy MediaSense.

 

“Independents are getting far more professional and active thanks to private equity,” said Paull, pointing to agencies including Klick Health, Syneos Health and Fingerpaint as examples.

 

Bayer nodded to the Omnicom-IPG deal in its review announcement Monday, with Consumer Health Chief Marketing and Scientific Officer David Evendon-Challis noting the “opportunity of what is possible” when the merger is complete.

 

Health care marketers, like peers in other sectors, are under “a lot of pressure,” said Frank Mazzola, global chief creative officer of medical marketing agency Real Chemistry. As a result, many are trying to work with fewer agency partners, streamline costs and combine overlapping areas like advertising and medical education, he added.

 

“They’re moving into more of a consolidation world,” Mazzola said.

 

Haleon’s review provides a clear example. The consumer health giant consolidated its roster from three primary holding companies to two—Publicis and WPP—while IPG, which said it declined to participate in the pitch, was removed. Publicis (OTC drugs) and WPP (oral care and wellness) have been assigned by categories to “enable a more simple, focused way of working,” according to Haleon.

 

How the industry is preparing for stricter pharma ad regulations

 

President Donald Trump last month signed a new memorandum ordering his health department to crack down on direct-to-consumer pharma advertising. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) also sent warning letters to pharma companies related to misleading ads.

 

Some ad agency executives downplayed the immediate impact of the FDA’s enforcement letters; Mazzola noted that most of the actions reinforce existing rules rather than introducing new ones. However, he raised concerns about the possible elimination of the adequate provision, the FDA rule that lets drugmakers run TV ads with only a summary of major risks as long as they direct viewers to full prescribing information through another source.

 

In a statement about its crackdown on drug advertising, the FDA said it is “initiating rulemaking to close the adequate provision loophole created in 1997.” The federal agency stated that drug companies have used the policy “to conceal critical safety risks in broadcast and digital ads, fueling inappropriate drug use and eroding public trust.”

 

“If adequate provision went away, then it would be very hard for marketers to do TV in a branded way,” said Mazzola.

 

While Real Chemistry doesn’t expect that to happen, it is planning for such a reality. Contingency strategies include shifting dollars out of branded TV into unbranded disease-awareness campaigns, then using those spots to steer patients toward social and digital platforms such as TikTok or YouTube for deeper education, Mazzola said.

 

Marketers are taking precautionary measures, too. One marketing consultant, speaking on the condition of anonymity, noted that their contract with a brand to run an agency review included a clause allowing the process to be paused depending on how new federal rules around pharmaceutical advertising play out.

 

“Honestly, it’s just such a crazy time,” the consultant said. “It’s difficult for all marketers.”

Agencies heavily focused on paid DTC marketing need to broaden their services to reflect where marketers are headed, said Knopf. This includes expanding into influencer campaigns, earned and owned media, community engagement, and healthcare professional-focused or unbranded educational content.

 

“Agencies are going to need to diversify their services to really stay relevant here,” he added.

17120: Considering Inequities In Healthcare Marketing.

 

Advertising Age reported consumer health giant Haleon is launching a global creative review to likely award its business to a White holding company.

 

IPG, WPP, and Publicis Groupe currently serve the client, underscoring the obscenity of worldwide pitches.

 

After all, IPG may soon be gone and WPP should be gone, possibly narrowing the exclusive field of competition.

 

Additionally, a global review means holding companies have the advantage and may be viewed as the only options for a client like Haleon. In short, non-White agencies will be eliminated from consideration—or relegated to subservient “partner” status and ultimately experience Prime Redlining.

 

The healthcare industry has always presented disparities and inequities to people of color. Looks like ditto for healthcare marketing and agencies of color.

 

Haleon launches global creative agency review

 

By Ewan Larkin

 

Haleon, the consumer health giant spun out of GSK, is looking to streamline its agency roster, Ad Age has learned.

 

The maker of Panadol tablets, Sensodyne toothpaste and Centrum vitamins has launched a global creative agency review aimed at consolidating work currently primarily spread across three advertising holding companies.

 

Interpublic Group of Cos., WPP and Publicis Groupe currently work with the company, according to a person familiar with the matter. The pitch is said to be handled by R3. It wasn’t immediately clear whether the incumbents are pitching for the business; none of them immediately provided comment. R3 couldn’t be reached for comment.

 

Haleon declined to comment.

 

IPG and WPP are currently pitching for another consumer health company, Bayer, in a review that encompasses global creative and media responsibilities. Bayer owns over-the-counter drugs such as Claritin, Aleve and Alka-Seltzer.

 

Haleon spent $1.2 billion on global media in 2024, according to estimates from COMvergence. The company had measured U.S. media spending of $492 million in 2024, up from $429 million in 2023, per MediaRadar.

 

Haleon has made other agency moves over the past year. In February 2024, the company hired Brandtech Group’s Collectively as its principal influencer marketing agency in the U.S. under a three-year deal. That marked an uncommon commitment in a space where year-to-year assignments are the norm.

 

Contributing: Bradley Johnson

16834: Not Kidding With Kidneys.

 

Get answers to the headline from LiveOnNY.

16734: Wild Wild West Side…?

 

Habilitative Systems, Inc presents “How Wellness Is Won” with odd cowboy imagery. Maybe the company is acknowledging—especially for people of color—the healthcare system feels like the Wild West.

16073: A Half-Hearted Effort To Address Inequities…?

MediaPost spotlighted how two Big Pharma companies—Eli Lilly and Boehringer Ingelheim—allegedly “aim to solve health inequities for Black and Latina women.” Okay, but are the brands doing anything to solve the inequities for Black and Latina women (and men) in Adland—or do they continue to exclusively partner with White advertising agencies?

 

Fair balance only applies to pharmaceutical advertising, not the people getting paid to produce it.

 

Take Heart: 2 Pharma Companies Aim To Solve Health Inequities For Black, Latina Women

 

Pharma companies Eli Lilly and Boehringer Ingelheim have expanded an eight-month-old “Hear Your Heart” initiative targeted at Black and Latina women with the launch of Spanish-language materials under the “Cuide Su Corazón” banner. Marketing Daily discussed the program via email with Elena Livshina, U.S. head of cardiovascular portfolio, commercial, Boehringer Ingelheim. The interview has been edited for length and clarity.

 

Marketing Daily: What’s the significance of the target market to heart health?

 

Livshina: One in three Latina women have a form of cardiovascular or heart disease, and yet studies suggest that Latino adults are the racial and ethnic group least likely to visit a doctor’s office. The reasons vary but may include a strong preference for cultural or family remedies, distrust in the medical system, language barriers, lack of time, or even some combination of all. And when it comes to heart failure, due to significant health disparities and inequities, Latina women have even worse health outcomes.

 

Marketing Daily: Since Latina women were one of the two target audiences for “Hear Your Heart,” why wasn’t the Spanish-language content launched back in April?

 

Livshina: With a large-scale initiative like this, it was important to take a phased approach, to ensure we can gather learnings from our initial launch to apply to future program expansions.

 

“Hear Your Heart” and “Cuide Su Corazón” are multiyear efforts, and we plan to continue to keep them fresh with new content, resources and spokespeople.

 

We saw the success of communicating our messages of hope and resilience through authentic voices. We first brought those messages to life through real stories from Tannie, a woman living with heart failure, and Dr. Alanna Morris, an expert cardiologist.

 

For “Cuide Su Corazón,” we developed relevant content featuring two Latina spokespeople: Lupe, a woman living with heart failure and Dr. Johanna Contreras, a cardiologist.

 

Marketing Daily: What elements have been involved in “Hear Your Heart”?

 

Livshina: “Hear Your Heart” includes traditional media education, partnerships, social media, digital media, video content, expert content, and a content hub at HFHearYourHeart.com.

 

Marketing Daily: What have been the results of the English-language campaign so far?

 

Livshina: As a result of our media outreach efforts, a variety of news outlets covered the initiative including, consumer, industry, health and wellness and medical trade outlets.

 

We’ve also seen strong results from social media campaigns, which raise awareness of health disparities and inequities, encourage our audience to prioritize their health, and drive to the content hub. To date we have seen 1.4M+ video views and 45K+ English-language program content hub visits.

 

We’ve also launched paid editorial integrations including custom articles, social content, digital banners and pre-roll video featuring program spokespeople. To date, we’ve seen 8.8M+ impressions across social content, digital banners and pre-roll, and 2.5M+ impressions on our articles.

 

Marketing Daily: How do the Spanish-language materials differ from the English-language content (besides the language, of course)?

 

Livshina: Given health inequities and disparities, we wanted to bring the experiences of Latina women living with heart failure to the forefront of “Cuide Su Corazón.”

 

Content was developed based on extensive research, as well as the real-world insights and opinions of Dr. Contreras and Lupe, to ensure our audience sees some of their own personal journeys in these stories and are empowered to better manage their condition.

 

Unique, tailored content to help Latina women better manage their care, found at CuideSuCorazonIC.com, includes videos featuring Lupe and Dr. Contreras and resources for Latina women living with heart failure.

 

Given the success of our social media campaigns and editorial integrations for “Hear Your Heart,” we’ve employed similar strategies for “Cuide Su Corazón,” launching social campaigns and paid editorial integrations with targeted media.

 

In 2023, we plan to launch additional Spanish-language materials for both care partners and healthcare professionals.

15863: The Nature Of Freedom And Juneteenth In Adland.

 

Given the true inspiration for Juneteenth—and relating matters to Adland—it’s interesting to consider the musings of management guru Peter Drucker on freedom (depicted above).

 

For the ruling majority in advertising—ie, White men and White women—freedom may be viewed as choosing to maintain the status quo. It involves ignoring systemic racism and/or opting against intentional action to address the situation, both of which lead to similar outcomes.

 

In short, industry “leaders” fail in their duties to achieve diversity, equity and inclusion—they are ultimately responsible for the state of exclusivity, inequality and privilege.

 

And Blacks are denied the benefits of freedom that come with fair employment opportunities.

15796: WPP = White Privilege Promotions.

 

A closer examination of the Wunderman Thompson Health patronizing promotion detailed in the previous post—We Love You to Health—has inspired further diagnosis.

 

First of all, We Love You to Health does not have a corporate sponsor. Actually, it does—and that’s what makes matters peculiar. The stunt is part of an initiative dubbed Health4Equity, brought to you by WPP. Campaign stated that We Love You to Health was bankrolled by a WPP Racial Equity Program grant.

 

Based on reports, the campaign is ultimately tied to the 2020 WPP promise to invest $30 million over three years “to fund inclusion programs within the holding company and support external organizations fighting racism.” Hell, maybe it was also subsidized by the White holding company’s general diversity budget.

 

In short, Wunderman Thompson Health and WPP hatched a tax-deductible heat shield that even allows them to generate self-promotional hype—as well as submit the work for award shows. It’s a win-win scenario for White people.

 

And it’s a safe bet that any WPP Racial Equity Program grant far exceeds the crumbs that a minority-owned advertising agency might have received to execute a similar scheme.

 

For Wunderman Thompson Health and WPP, We Love You to Health professes self-centered love—and represents crafty self-interest.

 

15640: McInequality At Mickey D’s…?

 

Crain’s Chicago Business reported the National Black McDonald’s Operators Association—an organization that has been in existence for over 40 years—is declaring that the fast feeder must “address systemic barriers” that lead to inequities and inequalities for Black franchisees. Gee, it must feel like 365 Black complaints at Mickey D’s.

 

McDonald’s must do more for Black owners, group says

 

The chain “needs to address the systemic barriers to success that are currently facing existing Black franchisees,” according to the group’s leader.

 

An association of Black owners of McDonald’s Corp franchises says the company needs to do more to reduce the inequities they face, beyond the $250 million that the fast-food chain is providing for new minority store owners.

 

McDonald’s last week pledged to do more to recruit, train and invest in minority franchisees, including offering them loan assistance. In its statement Monday, the National Black McDonald’s Operators Association said it’s encouraged by the moves but added that minority restaurant owners still face structural difficulties.

 

“McDonald’s needs to address the systemic barriers to success that are currently facing existing Black franchisees,” said Larry Tripplett, chairman and chief executive officer of the association, which was founded more than four decades ago. “Without permanent change to address existing inequities, new generations of franchisees will be saddled with extraordinary debt, huge financial challenges, and unable to become meaningful contributors to the communities they serve.”

 

Black franchisees collectively earn lower profits than non-Black McDonald’s franchisees “due to systemic inequalities at McDonald’s Corp.” and this gap is “unacceptable,” the group said. It said it’s working with company leadership to address these issues.

 

[Read the full article here…]

14156: Paying For Divertsity.

Campaign published divertsity demands from Now CEO Melissa Robertson, who presented forceful directives for collapsing the gender pay gap. It’s amazing how White women take bold stances on issues affecting White women, despite never coming close to displaying such revolutionary bravado for true diversity. For example, Robertson exhibited outrage at the “excuses” given for salary disparities between White men and White women, underscoring her displeasure by listing the top lies. Yet it’s a safe bet Robertson has quickly embraced the “excuses” routinely shat out to justify the underrepresentation of racial and ethnic minorities. Robertson backed mandating annual audits for all companies to clearly show income inequities. But would she approve annual audits to honestly reveal the industry’s lack of people of color? Why, Robertson was quick to publicize specific figures detailing how her company dramatically addressed the gender pay gap in a single year. Let’s see the inclusion numbers for non-Whites at Now—right now. Next, Robertson ordered special amenities and considerations for women in the field, including flexible work schedules, paid parental leave and returnships. Minorities, on the other hand, are expected to undergo additional training and assimilate to the White culture in order to gain access into adland. Robertson calls for “a complete cultural and behavioural overhaul” to ensure her paycheck matches her male peers’ paychecks. Okay, but the total reprogramming should start by confronting the dilemma of true diversity—a problem that has been ignored waaaaay longer than the gender pay gap. To be fair, Robertson is not unique among White women, and the intent of this post is not to single her out. Rather, the goal is to use Robertson as representative of a larger group and collective attitude covering both White men and White women. The road to true diversity requires simply applying the tips Robertson highlighted for the gender pay gap. After all, those tips were hijacked from the tactics of civil rights icons in the U.S. and U.K. In the end, White women—in concert with White men—will eventually close the gender pay gap. And minorities will pay the price by having to once again experience another deliberate delay of authentic equality.

A view from Melissa Robertson

When does doing the right thing become illegal? Tips on closing the gender pay gap

How should businesses even get started solving the gender pay gap? Now’s chief executive shares some advice.

For the last month, I’ve been slightly obsessed by all the gender pay gap chat, and notably all the ridiculous ‘excuses’ given to justify — sorry, ‘explain’ it. You know, things like women choose to work in low paid roles and sectors, women want to work fewer hours, women don’t really like technical jobs, women don’t want high paid jobs. Almost as if there is nothing that can be done about it. But of course we all know that isn’t true. The bigger question is how quickly?

According to YouGov, over 50% of people in the UK don’t believe the gender pay gap will ever close. The World Economic Forum is slightly more cup-half-full with a prediction of 217 years. But the introduction of mandatory annual auditing is a crucial first step to doing something about it. Currently this is only for companies with over 250 staff, which accounts for around 11,500 companies. Hopefully this will extend downwards, so that medium size businesses have to do it, and in time, everyone. I know this is a bit controversial, because in smaller companies, just one person of either gender can make a huge impact on the data. But it forces companies to think about it more consciously.

It’s not the first time I’ve banged the drum about this. We worked out our pay gap last year. We’re a company of around 50 people, with two female founders and a female managing director. Most people in the agency would say that this was a company where women have a powerful voice, which made the stark reality of the numbers surprising and hugely disappointing. We hadn’t quite computed the obvious discrepancy in, crudely, the number of men at the top and women at the bottom. In a year, we have dramatically changed our stats — from a median gap of 34.6% last year to 14.3% this year. We now have a female head of film and content, a female lead designer, and two female associate creative directors. Our transition has been actively managed around natural churn, but shows what can be achieved when you are determined and focused. We’re pleased at the progress, but not resting on our laurels just yet.

But… you can’t just ring up a headhunter and specify that you want a woman for a role. That’s been illegal since 1975. And here lies a potentially legal conundrum because I don’t think the 2010 Equalities Act is entirely cut and dry. In terms of corporate reputation, there will be an imperative to improve on gender pay gaps. And the Labour party has talked about imposing fines and sanctions on companies that show no improvement in their statistics. But there’s a real danger that the only way to truly deliver against expectations is to replace an unfortunate, but not-entirely-illegal-because-it’s-difficult-to-prove unconscious bias, with potentially-illegal-if-you’re-not-careful conscious bias.

Yet it’s so much more than that. What is really required is a complete cultural and behavioural overhaul. Book in some unconscious bias training and take a long hard look at your working and hiring practices. With this more positive and less illegal hat on, there are plenty of things you can do. You can insist on shortlists that always have at least one woman. You can make your business more attractive by improving your policies on flexible working and paid parental leave. You can change your attitudes (and pay) on the financial worth of certain roles that often have gender biases (HR vs Finance let’s say). You can appreciate the value of a returning mother (or father) — Creative Equals have an awesome programme of Creative Returnships, which agencies should be crying out for. From personal experience I was much better at my job after becoming a mother, because you have totally learnt how to focus and get shit done.

So, for all those businesses that haven’t yet dared to work out their pay gap, I urge you to do it. Do it urgently. Set it in motion today. Whatever your size. You will almost certainly be disappointed. But use that as impetus. Because it’s only when we confront our frailties that we then do something about them.

Melissa Robertson is the chief executive of Now.