How Out-of-Home can help pharma connect responsibly, efficiently, and in ways that actually support patients.
For decades, pharma marketers have treated prime-time television as the cornerstone of their media mix. It delivered reach, visibility, and consistent access to one of the industry’s most valuable audiences: adults 60 and older. But that foundation is under strain.
As MediaPost recently reported, the FDA has issued sweeping cease-and-desist warnings against misleading drug ads, with TV singled out as a particular concern. And in a New York Times op-ed, FDA Commissioner Marty Makary went further, blasting drug ads as “distraction by design” that distort the physician–patient relationship and drive inappropriate demand.
The FDA isn’t ending DTC advertising. But regulators are clearly tightening enforcement at the same time TV audiences are shrinking and fragmenting. Together, those forces are making the old model less reliable, more expensive, and more risky.
The Case for OOH: A Channel Evolved
Out-of-Home has quietly reinvented itself. Once seen as a blunt awareness tool, it is now a precision, data-driven, and compliance-friendly channel:
- Dynamic creative: Digital billboards and place-based screens can rotate messaging by time of day, geography, or season.
- Geographic targeting: Campaigns can align with micro-markets where condition prevalence and demographics point to real patient need.
- Contextual relevance: OOH can meet patients and caregivers in pharmacies, clinics, grocery stores, and community hubs — touchpoints that reinforce trust.
A powerful example of this shift is Lamar’s new Health Connect platform. As one of the largest OOH companies in the world, Lamar is putting healthcare at the center of its strategy. Health Connect integrates data from providers like IQVIA, OptimizeRx, Veeva, and PurpleLab to deliver hyper-targeted campaigns for pharmaceutical brands.
OOH as a Tool for Adherence, Not Just Awareness
There’s another opportunity here that most marketers miss: OOH can support medication adherence and persistence, not just awareness.
- More than 25% of first-time prescriptions are never filled.
- About 40% of patients fail to pick up new medications, and 37% don’t refill existing ones.
- Globally, around 50% of patients with chronic illnesses don’t take their medications as prescribed.
These gaps translate into worse outcomes for patients and $100–300 billion in avoidable healthcare costs annually.
Instead of simply telling people to “ask their doctor,” OOH can reinforce the steps that matter most after the prescription is written: filling it, taking it as directed, and sticking to the regimen. Messaging around support, reminders, or adherence is inherently less promotional and more public-health oriented — making it not only compliant but also more trusted by patients and caregivers.
Placed near pharmacies, on transit routes to medical centers, or in community hubs, OOH can function as a behavioral nudge embedded in daily routines. In this way, OOH becomes part of the care journey, not just the media plan.
Five Reasons OOH Is Better Positioned Now
1.Compliance & Credibility Edge
TV and social media ads often bury or skip risk disclosures — exactly what the FDA is scrutinizing. OOH, by design, forces brevity and clarity. A single message on a digital board or transit shelter can’t hide behind fast-talking disclaimers.
2.Audience Efficiency & Reach
The 60+ demo pharma has long chased on TV is still accessible — but increasingly through OOH. Older adults are highly mobile, and OOH intersects with their routines: pharmacies, clinics, grocery stores, and community life. It’s a more efficient way to reach them as TV ratings continue to decline.
3.Integration with Omnichannel Healthcare Marketing
OOH fits seamlessly into omnichannel strategies: trigger-based campaigns synced with digital, reinforcement of point-of-care messaging, and attribution through mobility and prescription data.
4.Public & Patient Sentiment
Patients often see TV ads as manipulative. OOH, by contrast, is less intrusive, more contextual, and well-suited to educational, community-focused messaging — exactly what Dr. Makary argues the industry needs more of.
5.Cost & ROI
OOH CPMs are typically lower than TV or digital video, with proven high recall. And with modern attribution tools, marketers can tie OOH exposure directly to prescription fills and adherence outcomes.
Smarter Reach, Not Just More Reach
The FDA’s renewed enforcement combined with shrinking TV audiences creates a perfect storm: less certainty, more cost, greater risk. OOH doesn’t replicate TV’s mass impressions — it offers something more valuable: smarter reach.
Scale plus precision. Visibility plus compliance. Awareness plus adherence support.
The Takeaway
Out-of-Home is the responsible bridge between healthcare marketing and the real-world lives of patients and caregivers.
At a time when regulators are raising the bar and patients are struggling to stay on therapy, OOH gives pharma a chance to reset. It’s not just a safer channel — it’s a channel that can actually improve outcomes by helping people stick to the treatments their doctors prescribe.
Pharma’s most trusted audiences haven’t disappeared. But the media channels for reaching them are shifting. The marketers who embrace OOH’s smarter, patient-centered role first will capture not only competitive advantage — but also the chance to rebuild trust with patients and regulators alike.