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Combatting medical misinformation online is an unconventional battle for health brands.

As more people receive insights through social media platforms like TikTok, Instagram and YouTube, they are increasingly exposed to an ocean of incorrect health information.

Lies about diseases, medical conditions, treatments and vaccines have proliferated on social media in recent years. This was spurred, in part, by the politicization of the COVID-19 pandemic and social media platforms democratizing health opinion leadership.

The omnipresence of medical misinformation has fundamentally changed how certain portions of the general public approach their health and make care decisions. One study in 2021 found 43% of posts on social media about vaccines contained misinformation.

Yet one indispensable part of the modern social media environment — the influencer — could be a key to righting the ship. 

Amaris Modesto, SVP of creator marketing at Edelman, posits that creator-first ads are health and wellness brands’ best bet against misinformation online.

She advises health brands to lean into creator-led ads, noting that these trusted, digitally-savvy individuals can work within the confines of a highly-regulated industry to deliver genuine, engaging content that counteracts the effects of widespread medical misinformation.

“Creators are community builders — authentic community builders. They do a great job of adding that relatability and trust, especially among niche communities,” Modesto says. 

The trust factor

Trust is the currency for influencers — if they don’t establish an authentic relationship with consumers, they don’t work. That level of trust is something pharma brands have largely lacked with consumers over the years.

In light of this gap, Modesto suggests drugmakers embrace collaborative approaches with influencers, allowing for more natural content by having influencers deliver pharma’s messaging. 

To create an effective partnership, she underscores the importance of maintaining the creator’s voice, aligning brand messages with the creator’s existing content style and avoiding robotic, scripted content.

The latter part can be a challenge since paid creator ads are regulated by two separate government entities: the Federal Trade Commission and the Food and Drug Administration. 

However, that’s where marketers need to work with creators to strike a balance between regulations and creative freedom.

Health creators — be they HCPs, wellness advocates or patients — who can blend personal experience with scientific information, often lead the way on social media.

Erin Fitzgerald, chief marketing officer at HCP social network platform Sermo, says she considers HCP influencers to be the “frontline defense” against medical misinformation.

Drugmakers look to influencers

Still, just slapping an HCP influencer into a campaign isn’t an overnight fix.

Trust in healthcare information relayed from HCPs is steadily declining, according to a study released by the Edelman Trust Institute in April.

One of the most notable findings is the surge in the percentage of young people — those between the ages of 18 to 34 — who disregard medical advice from professionals in favor of advice from friends, family and social media.

As young people turn away from academic credentials when it comes to evaluating health information, brands may be well-advised to select more approachable communicators for their messages. 

Pharma marketing has long counted HCPs, patient advocates and celebrities as reliable messengers but that tide may be shifting.

Look no further than AbbVie’s annual Science of Skin event, which was held on Wednesday. 

Typically featuring celebrities like actress Melissa Joan Hart or interior designer Nate Berkus, this year’s edition featured a group of influencers — indicating the shift may already be underway. 

Additionally, some pharma brands have achieved meaningful marketing success by collaborating with influencers.

An analysis released by Econsultancy last week highlighted a trio of pharma brands that drove results with influencer marketing.

These included Pfizer’s Using Valued Voices to Vaccinate a Nation campaign, Novartis’ partnership with actress Jamie-Lynn Sigler to promote Kesimpta, a treatment for relapsing multiple sclerosis, as well as Advil’s gamer-focused campaign in Canada.

Pfizer’s campaign messaging reached more than 499 million people on social media, generating 5.1 million engagements, while overall campaign visibility exceeded 4.3 billion impressions across the US, supported by earned media efforts.

Meanwhile, the TikTok ad featuring Sigler accrued 25,000 likes and the campaign increased website traffic by 27% and encouraged nearly 300,000 visits to the Reframing MS portal.

Notably, these drugmakers leveraged non-HCP influencers to deliver their messages to a range of target audiences. 

A health influencer weighs in

Ziba Lennox is an influencer who has worked with health brands on social media-focused marketing work.

A lifelong asthma sufferer, Lennox partnered with AstraZeneca and Amgen last year as part of the joint Know Asthma Peaks campaign to raise awareness about the condition. 

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A post shared by Ziba Lennox Style (@zibalennox)

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A post shared by Ziba Lennox Style (@zibalennox)

Lennox notes a change in the relationship between brands, agencies and influencers from years ago. 

In the early stages of her career, she says brands would approach her with messaging that was scripted and prescriptive, rather than letting her lead the way with her content.  

Now, she says influencers have largely been afforded more leeway when it comes to creating content that resonates with their audience and aligns with the brand’s mission. 

From a creator’s perspective, Lennox acknowledges the growing need for reliable health information and how influencers can provide accurate health information to combat misleading content.

Still, she recognizes that consumers are skeptical of transactional content, valuing influencers who consistently provide genuine, helpful information.

She adds that she prefers to incorporate health information organically, sharing personal experiences rather than feeling like she’s making a hard sell to her followers.

“It’s really not about selling something, it’s about asking, ‘How can we make your life better?” she says. 

Influencers are likely to remain an industrious component of the digital ecosystem for the foreseeable future. 

So if medical marketers are serious about positioning their pharma clients in a way where they can push back on medical misinformation online, creators may be a worthwhile endeavor to explore.

However, adhering to the key tenants that dominate the influencer landscape — authenticity, relatability and consistency — is what will separate the strategic pharma brands from the rest of the pack.