When Pharmacy Marketing Crosses the Line

This week, the way pharmacies promote weight loss medication has been hitting the headlines. In the space of a few days there have been separate announcements about action taken by the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC), Advertising Standards Agency (ASA), and Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).

Pharmacy businesses are competing in increasingly sophisticated digital markets while regulators are paying closer attention to how healthcare services and prescription medicines are promoted. This latest action serves as an important reminder: There is a line between compelling communication and communication that can create regulatory, clinical or reputational risk.

Pharmacies need to attract new patients and grow private services but there has to be a balance between commercial objectives and professional responsibility. Communicating the expertise of the pharmacy team, explaining the benefits of accessing care through a pharmacy, competing with other providers and making services easier to understand and access are all legitimate marketing activities. But the way these messages are delivered matters enormously - and not only on social media.

Crossing the line

The GPhC announced that two pharmacies had failed inspections and highlighted issues around marketing. The regulator said one of the pharmacies had website and social media advertising  that did not always follow guidance issued by the MHRA, while the other had unlawfully advertised prescription-only medicines (POMs) to the public. In addition, the ASA has banned advertising for oral weight-loss medicines for the first time, following rulings involving two online pharmacies. And finally, nine companies have recently had to amend advertising following MHRA intervention, with issues identified across emails, website homepages and posters displayed in pharmacy premises. 

What's interesting from a marketing perspective is the breadth of what was considered promotional activity: paid social media advertising, website content, waiting lists, pre-orders and even language designed to differentiate a tablet from injectable treatment. In one case, the ASA considered phrases such as “no needle” and “no fridge” in context and concluded that they were effectively promoting prescription-only medicines to the public. The MHRA also highlighted indirect references to weight-loss injections or GLP-1 medication where those references were likely to lead someone to request a POM. 

The overall impression matters 

Weight management has become one of the most competitive areas of pharmacy. Huge consumer demand, significant commercial opportunity and an increasingly crowded digital marketplace has understandably created pressure for pharmacies to stand out. But weight loss is a really sensitive subject. People can be vulnerable and may feel pressure about their appearance, their health or their weight. They might be searching for quick solutions which aren’t necessarily right for them. 

The overall impression created by the marketing matters. It is important to think beyond individual words or images and consider what a potential patient is likely to understand from the complete customer journey. Pharmacy businesses, and the people they employ to market them, need to think differently. It isn’t enough to ask if the advert is compliant. You need to think about what the entire customer journey communicates - from the first Instagram or Facebook post, through to the website, consultation, pricing page, email follow-up and eventual dispensing.

Trust is a competitive advantage

In a crowded market, trust can be incredibly valuable. A pharmacy that communicates clearly throughout, avoids exaggerated claims, explains its service properly and puts patient care at the centre of its messaging, has an opportunity to differentiate itself from businesses competing primarily on price or convenience. A strong campaign doesn't need to shout or promise dramatic transformations. Nor does it need to make people feel that they're missing out if they don't act immediately. The best pharmacy marketing starts with asking: "What do we need people to understand and how can we communicate that clearly, responsibly and effectively?"

Sustainable growth comes from bringing together a pharmacy’s commercial objectives with professional standards, patient expectations and regulatory requirements. This requires experienced marketers and pharmacy teams to work together. 

The importance of marketing and pharmacy experience

Marketing is a specialist skill yet it is often treated as something that anyone can pick up. A few social media posts, a Canva account and some knowledge of Facebook or LinkedIn can make it look deceptively simple, but effective marketing is much more than producing content. It is understanding your audience, positioning, messaging, brand, customer journey, channels, conversion, reputation and how all of those things interact with regulation and professional standards, especially within the pharmacy sector. You need someone who understands marketing and pharmacy.

I believe there is enormous value in working with a qualified marketing professional who understands the pharmacy environment, the terminology, the professional responsibilities, the patient relationship, the regulatory landscape and the commercial pressures pharmacy businesses face. Specialist experience makes a difference and it brings together the strategic and creative thinking of a marketer with the understanding and caution needed when working in a regulated healthcare environment. 

A good time to review your marketing

If you operate a pharmacy which offers weight-management services, now is probably a good time to review your marketing because the regulatory environment is evolving quickly.

Look at your:

• website

• social media

• paid advertising

• email campaigns

• patient communications

• influencer or affiliate activity

• pricing messages

• before-and-after content

• claims about outcomes

• calls to action

• customer journey from advert to consultation.

Would you be comfortable explaining every part of this marketing journey to the regulator?

If the answer is yes, that's a good place to be. If the answer is "I'm not sure", it's worth getting the right people around the table. 

This article represents my perspective as a freelance marketing specialist working with pharmacy businesses. It is intended as marketing commentary rather than legal, regulatory or clinical advice. Pharmacy businesses should seek appropriate professional advice on their individual circumstances and ensure their marketing complies with current GPhC, MHRA, ASA/CAP and other applicable requirements.