Digital Health Marketing Trends and Brand Strategy — May 2025 Roundup

May 2025’s most relevant health marketing news — brand strategy, digital trends, and industry shifts curated for health marketers.

Why cameras are popping up in eldercare facilities

The push to install cameras in nursing homes and assisted-living facilities has moved from a fringe experiment to a fast-growing movement, driven by families’ horror stories of neglect, new state laws, and the pandemic’s forced separation.  Read more here Read more →

Big Pharma’s Reputation Declines for Second Year in a Row

The PatientView “Corporate Reputation of Pharma” report, polling over 2,500 patient groups worldwide, finds pharma’s reputation slipping—56% rated it “excellent” or “good” in 2024 versus 57% in 2023 and 60% in 2021. High drug costs and limited pricing transparency remain the primary concerns, with only 14% applauding fair pricing and 17% citing transparent practices. Read more here Read more →

Retail Giant Invests in Telehealth Startup (Australia)

Supermarket group Woolworths (via subsidiary HealthyLife) became lead investor in Hola Health, a telehealth platform offering GP appointments within 15 minutes, 24/7, with medication delivery via Uber Eats/DoorDash. Read more here Read more →

Healthcare Marketing Budgets Under Pressure (USA)

The 2024 HCMS study, based on feedback from 113 senior biopharma and medtech marketers, found average promotional budgets falling to $7.2 million, a 21.1% drop from last year. While a smaller sample size and a revised methodology may exaggerate the decrease, it clearly reverses 2023’s nearly 20% budget increase. Rather than reacting to external pressures, companies are deliberately reallocating resources: sharpening focus on high-value audiences, optimising channel mix and message frequency, and trading broad reach for more data-driven precision. Read more here Read more →

Amazon Expands One Medical Clinics

Tech giant Amazon is aggressively growing its primary care network One Medical. In April, it announced new clinic openings in New Jersey, New York (Westchester), and Ohio, integrating care with its Prime membership offering. While rivals like Walmart scaled back health clinics, Amazon’s model partners with major hospital systems and leverages virtual care. Read more here Read more →