Guest Column | July 7, 2025

Dear Pharma, The Creator Economy Is NOT Only For Beauty

By Denise N. Bronner, CEO, Empactful Ventures

The pharma industry has always relied on a select few channels to reach its audience: doctors, medical journals, and direct-to-consumer (DTC) advertising. For decades, this model seemed sufficient where authoritative voices shared tightly regulated messaging, and ads filled the gaps with glossy, compliance-friendly content. But the world has changed.

Today, consumers are inundated with content from all directions, and the way people absorb health information, make decisions, and build trust has been transformed. The creator economy, once dismissed as influencer fluff or Gen Z marketing, has become a powerful cultural force. It drives conversations, shapes behavior, and redefines credibility. Yet, while industries like beauty, fashion, and even finance have embraced creators as essential partners, pharma remains hesitant, cautious, and behind.

That hesitancy might soon come at a cost. With Robert F. Kennedy Jr. calling for a ban on pharma’s DTC advertising¹, the industry could soon find itself without one of its most prominent tools for public engagement. And here’s the kicker: Most pharma companies aren’t ready for what comes next.

This isn’t a niche media trend. It’s a structural shift in how information flows, and pharma is either going to adapt or become invisible.

Where People Actually Get Their Health Information

Globally, the average person spends over 2.5 hours a day on social media. Gen Z, in particular, spends upward of 4 hours daily, mostly on TikTok, Instagram, and Snapchat². Over 70% of social users check their feeds within 10 minutes of waking up. That’s not idle time, it’s information time².

While doctors are still the most trusted source of health information, we’re witnessing a shift in how and where people begin their health journeys. Especially among younger audiences, health education is often crowdsourced, first from Google, Reddit, or YouTube, then confirmed with a doctor if the topic seems urgent enough. It’s not ideal, but it’s real.

What’s more concerning is that trust in public health authorities has eroded over the last few years. In a vacuum of credible, culturally competent messaging, creators have stepped in, whether they’re medical professionals, patient advocates, or simply people with compelling health stories. And the engagement speaks for itself: influencer content in healthcare sees up to 45% higher engagement rates than branded content from health organizations³.

Pharma’s Late Arrival To The Party

Despite this landscape, pharma’s engagement with creators has been minimal and inconsistent. Much of this stems from legitimate concerns around regulatory risk: What if an influencer says something inaccurate? What if the message is misinterpreted? What if this opens us up to liability?

But these concerns shouldn’t be viewed as a barrier, but more of design constraints. And other companies have already shown it’s possible. Gilead Sciences, for example, ran a successful influencer campaign for its HIV-prevention drug Descovy, resulting in twice the engagement compared to previous digital efforts⁴. They didn’t just throw content at creators; they crafted partnerships grounded in education, clarity, and impact.

The influencer marketing industry is projected to reach over $107 billion by 2030, and agencies like Ogilvy and Digitas Health are actively helping pharma companies find their footing in this space^4,5. But industrywide, adoption is still sluggish, often stuck in the pilot phase.

The Real Risk? Doing Nothing

If RFK Jr.’s proposed ad ban becomes reality, pharma will be forced to rethink how it connects with the public. But rather than seeing this as a threat, it’s better viewed as a much-needed shake-up.

Because here’s the truth: Relying on 60-second commercial spots and glossy brochures was never a long-term strategy. Not in an era where patients demand transparency, relatability, and community. The creator economy is a strategic evolution that resonates better with the current societal mindset. This delay is a missed opportunity. Creators are more than marketing channels because they’re cultural translators. They can take complex science and make it digestible, engaging, and emotionally resonant. They can shift perception, address stigma, and inspire action.

Untapped Power Of Social Media In Clinical Trials

Clinical trials are one of the most important levers pharma has for innovation, but they remain one of the most misunderstood, mistrusted, and inaccessible parts of the healthcare system.

Low awareness, cultural mistrust, and lack of education are persistent barriers to participation, especially among historically excluded communities. Despite years of industry pledges to improve diversity, many trials still struggle to enroll participants who reflect the real-world populations most affected by disease.

This is where the creator economy can make a real, measurable difference.

Creators can humanize clinical trials in a way that traditional channels cannot. They can explain why research matters in relatable language, share personal or family experiences with illness, demystify the trial process, and combat long-standing myths or fears. When a trusted voice in someone’s community shares why they participated in a study or why they wish they had, it resonates more than any static brochure ever could.

We’re already seeing trailblazers in this space:

CliniSpan Health has built a network of medical influencers and local leaders to boost trust and participation in clinical trials. Their work reframes recruitment as relationship-building, not just outreach.
Acclinate leverages culturally relevant storytelling, digital advocacy, and community insights through its NOWINCLUDED platform to engage communities in health conversations, including clinical trials.
CureClick creates a network of trusted health advocates and micro-influencers who share curated, IRB-approved trial opportunities with their communities, proving that recruitment can be compliant and community-driven.
GCI Health, a global healthcare communications agency, has increasingly invested in influencer and patient advocate campaigns that align with regulatory standards while still embracing authenticity and representation. They've led efforts to incorporate real patient voices into clinical and commercial narratives for life sciences clients.

What these companies understand is that clinical trials don’t have a patient recruitment problem. What they have is a trust and visibility problem. And creators are uniquely positioned to solve for both. The days of email blasts and sterile trial websites are over. What’s needed now is community credibility, delivered by trusted messengers in spaces where patients are already listening. The next evolution of recruitment won’t come from more tech or bigger budgets — it’ll come from the authentic voices people already trust, showing up with clarity, empathy, and cultural fluency.

So, What Should Pharma Do? Here's The Blueprint

It’s not enough to acknowledge the power of the creator economy; pharma must learn how to responsibly and strategically operate within it. This doesn’t mean abandoning rigor or opening the floodgates to unvetted voices. It means evolving the model and building new muscles for engagement.

The smartest place to start? Partner with creators who already have healthcare-verified content. These are clinicians, advocates, and educators who’ve spent years earning trust and translating complex medical topics for digital audiences. They understand nuance, compliance, and how to walk the line between education and promotion.

Next, pilot with specific disease- or demographic-focused cohorts. Don’t try to go broad from day one. Focus on where your messaging is struggling the most: conditions with high stigma, underserved communities, or clinical trials in need of a recruitment boost. This kind of specificity allows for real learning, iteration, and, ultimately, scale.

Medical advisory boards should be enablers, not roadblocks. Involve them from the outset. They are not there to shut down creator messaging, but to help shape it. When creators and medical teams co-design campaigns, it leads to content that’s both compliant and compelling.

Prioritize education over promotion. If your only goal is branded exposure, you’ll miss the opportunity entirely. What creators do best is demystify, humanize, and contextualize. Let them help patients understand, not just recognize, your brand.

Finally, build trust through long-term partnerships, and skip the one-off campaigns. One sponsored post isn’t going to move the needle. Relationships, consistency, and shared purpose are what make creator strategies work in beauty, and they’re what will make them work in health.

Final Thoughts

The creator economy isn’t only for beauty. It’s not just a Gen Z fad or a nice-to-have social media strategy. It’s where culture lives. It’s where trust is built. And it’s where pharma needs to be, especially if its most visible ad channels disappear. Patients don’t just want data. They want dialogue. They want to see people like them: navigating diagnoses, asking questions, and making informed choices. Creators offer that bridge. So, dear pharma, if you’re still wondering whether this space is for you, let this be your answer: The creator economy isn’t coming. It’s already here. And it’s time you joined the conversation.

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About the Author

Denise N. Bronner, Ph.D., has roughly 15 years of organizational thought leadership experience within the global healthcare space and has held various roles in academia, consulting, pharma, and venture capital. During her career, she has specialized in health equity, data-driven global therapy program strategy development, pitch and storytelling refinement, and identifying business opportunities within pharma. Beyond her professional endeavors, she's passionate about enhancing diversity in STEM fields, serving on advisory boards, participating as a judge in pitch/business competitions, and mentoring young professionals. She holds a bachelor’s degree in biological sciences from Wayne State University, a Ph.D. in microbiology & immunology from the University of Michigan - Ann Arbor, and certification from the Venture Capital Executive Program from UC Berkeley Haas School of Business. She is the founder of Empactful Ventures, which currently consults healthcare-focused startups and venture funds, and she is a member of the Clinical Leader editorial board.