Rewriting the Script: Why Pharma and Healthcare Advertising Must Center Multicultural Audiences
Healthcare and pharma advertising is at a crossroads.
On the one hand, advancements in digital media, data-driven targeting, and connected devices have enabled advertisers to reach patients wherever they are. On the other, pharma and healthcare brands must compete with each other to capture the attention of audiences across a fragmented advertising ecosystem.
However, fragmentation doesn’t have to be a barrier. For marketers willing to get granular, it’s an opportunity to meet consumers at the right moments with the right message. To build trust, drive outcomes, and use media budgets effectively, advertisers need to reimagine what healthcare marketing looks like in today’s diverse, device-saturated world. And that starts with a deeper understanding of their audiences.
One-size-fits-all doesn’t work in healthcare
Health is deeply personal—and how people engage with healthcare content is shaped by culture, language, values, and lived experience. What resonates with one group may fall flat with another. Yet far too many campaigns still rely on generic messaging or audience proxies that ignore the fundamental drivers of trust and behavior.
The US population is not a monolith, and cultural nuance isn’t a “nice to have.” It’s essential to making healthcare content that feels personalized, relevant, and actionable by addressing the specific concerns, expectations, and habits of different communities—from how they research conditions and access care to which media channels they trust and how they prefer to receive information. Brands that treat multicultural marketing as an afterthought risk falling behind. The future of healthcare advertising belongs to those who understand the cultural dynamics shaping consumer choices—and build campaigns that reflect the people they aim to serve.
Understanding how US audiences navigate healthcare today
Cadent partnered with The Harris Poll to survey more than 4,000 US adults and uncover how multicultural consumers use digital devices to engage with pharma and healthcare brands throughout their patient journeys. Download the full report to explore key insights and takeaways that can help you build more resonant, more inclusive campaigns.