Words by Isabel O’Brien
As the pharmaceutical industry marks World Health Day, VML’s new Health Futures report calls for a strategic rethink of how pharma engages with patients and healthcare professionals. The analysis highlights that the current landscape is one of eroding trust and heightened expectations, and makes several recommendations on how to address these challenges.
Based on VML’s Future 100: 2025 trends forecast, the Health Futures study identifies the cultural shifts affecting health behaviours and their implications for pharma. A key theme is the ‘brand paradox’ of balancing powerful storytelling with transparency and proven efficacy to build trust and credibility.
Jason Gloye, Chief Client Officer and NA Lead, VML Health, notes: “In a landscape where healthcare decisions are increasingly discretionary, the industry must move away from a volume-driven mindset toward a more intentional, outcome-based narrative.” In other words, push tactics must become a thing of the past. “Positioning treatments not as more healthcare, but as the right healthcare, at the right moment, for the right reasons, is essential for building trust,” Gloye clarifies.
The report pinpoints five macro trends that require new strategies for education, access and engagement: selective healthcare, reality-shifting digital environments, the analogue movement, the need for hybrid expertise and the brand paradox. With only 13% of consumers strongly believing that brands provide accurate information, pharma must combat misinformation while maintaining emotional resonance, the report says.
Gloye adds, “Our analysis highlights some of the challenges presented to the health sector by broader global trends,” noting that the risk of being forgettable is as significant as being untrustworthy.
To navigate this complex landscape, the report recommends integrating AI with human insight to inform strategic decisions. It also underlines the importance of real-world experiences and partnerships with those who genuinely embody healthy lifestyles.
Read the full findings here.
