By Bruno Rebelo, Executive Creative Director at Grey Health
The Healthcare industry touches us all, whether it’s managing chronic conditions, finding treatment for life-threatening illnesses, or just staying on top of our health as individuals. This is a category that impacts people’s lives in ways other industries cannot. Therefore, as creatives, we are responsible for communicating some of the most important messages in culture today.
But the problem is clear: pharma ads are seen as beige wallpaper by most people in our industry. They’re safe, sterile, and often indistinguishable from one another. You’ve watched them — the same glossy shots of smiling families, actors jogging in sunlit parks, a list of side effects that runs longer than the creative concept itself. These ads stick to a tired formula, not because it works, but because it’s the safest path through a thicket of regulatory hurdles.
In 2024, pharmaceutical companies in the U.S. are projected to spend around $30 billion on advertising. While sectors like fashion, tech, and even insurance have embraced bold, attention-grabbing campaigns, pharma ads have remained stuck in the past, hampered by strict regulations. The result? Bland, cookie-cutter ads that feel more like legal disclaimers than meaningful storytelling.
It is our responsibility as creative leaders to shift this mindset. How? By focusing on creative disruption, finding brand connection with consumers through powerful ideas, and viewing health regulations as creative challenges.
Disrupt the landscape.
A prime example of creativity disrupting the landscape is Evofem’s Phexxi campaign, which made history as the first contraceptive ad to boldly talk about sex and use the word ‘vagina’ on national TV. By breaking taboos and embracing real, candid conversations, Phexxi set a new standard for how contraception is marketed, challenging conventions and sparking a cultural shift in the way we discuss women’s health in mainstream media.
Ad agencies in the pharma world often use regulations as a crutch, claiming that creativity simply isn’t possible when the legal stakes are so high. But let’s be real, other heavily regulated industries have figured this out. Insurance, once considered a dry and boring category, is now a gold mine for creativity. Look at Geico’s iconic Gecko or Progressive’s Flo, campaigns that only comply with stringent legal requirements but also manage to be wildly successful and memorable. If insurance can evolve, why can’t pharma?
Everyone has a story.
Pharma advertising is one of the last creative frontiers in the industry that’s otherwise brimming with innovation. In a world where healthcare is more personal and vital than ever, pharma brands are missing a golden opportunity to connect with audiences in ways that truly matter. We have an opportunity to transform how people talk about health, medicine, and the very things that affect our daily lives.
Pharma ads have the potential to be vehicles for hope, empowerment, and real connection. Drawing inspiration from Genentech’s Vabysmo Mother’s Day ad, which set a new benchmark by focusing on emotional storytelling rather than traditional clinical claims, this innovative approach to branded pharma advertising could significantly reduce the legal fair balance to a mere 8-seconds. By prioritizing a deep emotional connection with the audience, we can create a more engaging and less regulatory-heavy narrative, shifting the focus from product features to personal, relatable stories that resonate with patients and caregivers alike.
Regulations as a creative challenge.
The path forward starts with a mindset shift: from seeing regulations as a barrier to viewing them as a creative challenge. There’s a growing hunger from consumers for more authentic, relatable health content, and the brands that figure out how to deliver that will be the ones that win in the long run. Even Cannes Lions must reevaluate the Pharma category criteria. Ironically, not a single branded pharma product has ever won the Grand Prix in the entire history of the Pharma Lions.
We’re already starting to see hope. Campaigns that tackle mental health, cancer treatment, or chronic illness in more thoughtful, human-centered ways are showing that there’s room for creativity in this space. Ads like Now You Know from Abbot, an epic film that brings to life the confusion, frustration, and disappointment people with Type 2 diabetes are getting it right. https://youtu.be/iqx5bMtQ1eg . These ads don’t just check regulatory boxes; they tell real stories about real people, and that’s the future of pharma advertising.
In the end, the brands that embrace this reality, that push past the status quo, will be the ones that redefine pharma advertising for good. The stakes have never been higher. The potential for breakthrough work is enormous. The future of pharma advertising isn’t just about compliance. It’s about creativity, humanity, and the power to tell stories that really matter. The brands and agencies collaborating to solve this puzzle will win the hearts and minds of the very people it seeks to help.
