Why sports are the next big win for pharmaceutical marketing

Consumers are used to watching paid actors implore them to ask their doctors about any number of pharmaceutical drugs or treatments. But when more than a third of Americans say they follow or pay attention to sports teams, leagues, or favorite athletes at least semi-closely, according to a 2023 Pew Research survey, there is a whole field of underutilized marketing opportunities available for pharma. CMI Media Group’s proprietary 2024 Media Vitals™ research across healthcare consumers and professionals showed that 2 in 3 patients/caregivers regularly engage in sports content. We also know that doctors are consumers too, and in digging into healthcare professionals, we found that they have a strong affinity with sports, with 72% stating they regularly follow at least one sport or league.