PulsePoint’s annual HealthNEXT Summit focuses on the most pressing issues health marketers face today. This year’s summit, hosted in New York City on August 4, was a high-impact, single-day event where the industry’s top doers, thinkers, and innovators came together to discuss how health marketing is changing and what they can do to future-proof their strategies.
This post is part of a series of the top takeaways from each of the summit’s sessions, including expert-led panels, innovation breakouts, and product releases.
The Plot Twist Panel Breakdown
Consumers are changing how they find, evaluate, and act on health information. At the same time that some consumers are losing trust in conventional medicine and pharmaceuticals, many are turning to large language models and AI-powered platforms for health answers.
Moderated by PulsePoint CCO Andrew Stark, “Plot Twist: How Shifting Patient Behaviors Are Forcing Pharma To Keep Up” featured marketing experts and leading industry voices from Bayer and two health media agencies digging into who the pharma consumer is becoming, and what it will take to reach them effectively. Here are five top takeaways from the panel:
1. Maintaining Trust is Still the Gold Star
From the rise of consumerism to increasing distrust in conventional approaches to medicine, consumer habits are changing, in large part because of how they use technology to search for health answers.
"From a brand discovery standpoint, it used to be through search … That's completely flipped and people are turning to TikTok and influencers to find this information," said Cliff Covey, EVP of Activation, Platforms and Partnerships, at CMI Media Group.
But the front door changing doesn't mean the house looks different once you're inside.
"Everything has changed, but at the same time nothing has changed," Cliff added. "The patient experience, from getting from symptoms to going to the doctor to aligning on a medication and a treatment plan … really is the same as it's been for a very, very long time, but ... everything behind the scenes has completely changed."
That gap, new discovery channels, same patient journey, is where that trust gets tested. For brands sitting on the other side of that mistrust, the response isn't reinvention, it is discipline to ensure the right information is getting to the right people.
"In terms of how we're reacting to … thoughts of mistrust, it's business as usual and continuously pushing forward the right information for informing patients, caregivers, the like," said Glenniss Richards, Senior Director of Digital Media Activation at Bayer.
That "business as usual" instinct is a bet that consistency and accuracy is what earns trust back. And it is even more important as AI enters the picture.
"We are living in a world where trust is at times almost commoditized, but could not be more critical or more important," said Melissa Gordon Ring, Global President of Omnicom Health Media. Trust is a human feeling, she added, and it isn't something you can get from AI.
So if the channels are new, the influencers are new, and even the tools are new, what hasn't changed about how marketers actually show up?
"From a technology perspective, it's holding true to old school people marketing," Glenniss said. "Be everywhere, unfortunately, where it makes sense, and make sure the right content is out there."
2. The GLP-1 Effect is Changing DTC
Arguably one of the biggest innovations to change modern pharmaceutical marketing is weight loss drugs. These GLP-1s are transforming how marketers are meeting consumer needs at a scale that crosses industries. Many brands are throwing out their traditional marketing plans and implementing highly visible DTC campaigns to market their GLP-1s.
“We are talking about the age of influence in a way we’ve never seen before,” said Melissa.
With unprecedented bleed into other industries, for example, beauty, GLP-1s have become a cultural phenomenon.
“We are having to think about, what does the GLP-1 mindset look like today? What does access look like tomorrow?” Melissa said. “That market in the future is actually going to bifurcate based on access and means.”
3. Build Out Your HCP to DTC Crosswalk
For years, marketers have been considering how to build a bridge between HCPs and consumers with their content. Now, with today’s technologies, the possibilities for reaching and connecting both audiences are only growing. While technology helps bridge these strategies, marketers must keep in mind that HCPs are still one of the most essential touchpoints in the patient’s health journey.
“We’ve spoken about for years making sure that the same content that we have from a patient perspective is presented to the HCP, so those conversations are happening,” Glenniss said. “At the end of the day the HCP is the one holding the pen to write the script.”
Cliff agreed that this crosswalk is imperative.
“An informed patient and a prepared HCP is critical to driving powerful conversations that lead to better health outcomes,” Cliff said.
4. Be Comfortable With Not Knowing
Increases in AI-driven search and discovery and highly personalized marketing experiences don’t seem to be slowing down any time soon. To future-proof their strategies, marketers must consider what the industry will look like at least five years in the future.
“Be comfortable with not knowing for a little bit, which goes opposite from 20 years of experience … this new age and how we’re shifting with AI and managing against the LLMs is going to be uncomfortable for the next couple months,” Glenniss said.
“I think there will be greater connectivity between our data, greater connectivity between patients and physicians, greater connectivity between patients and pharmaceutical companies, but, more importantly, greater connectivity across the entire ecosystem that makes things simpler, easier, and hopefully we get to feel better faster,” Melissa said.
“We don’t really know what it’s going to look like. I think the privacy landscape is going to become more restrictive versus less … The goal, we all agree, will be meaningful personalization,” Cliff said.
As consumer habits change, the health marketing industry must change too. As these expert panelists discussed, meeting this change will require a combination of strategic agility, technological advancement, and a continued focus on the human experience.
Keep an eye out for more posts diving into each of the topics we discussed at HealthNEXT 2026. Want to be involved in our next event? Contact the team here.
.png)
