The current healthcare climate has healthcare professionals stretched thin and becoming more self-sufficient, meaning brands are now competing for the same impressions in the limited screen time between patients. How can you tell what’s getting their attention while proving it mattered?
Relevance over reach:
Digital now accounts for more than half of pharma’s interactions with HCPs, but quantity doesn’t always equate to quality. More HCPs are leaning into digital adoption, with the proportion of digital adopters increasing to 22%, reflecting the growing importance of consistent engagement across digital channels. However, a 2025 study conducted by DT Consulting about the pharmaceutical industry found that trust, relevance, and simplicity had all declined for HCPs across 13 countries for the first time since COVID-19, and the industry’s overall experience score slipped from 58 to 54.1 MD Analytics reports that physicians see a wide range of digital pharma ads, yet many take no action afterward, and only a smaller group visits a company website or connects with a rep.2 Being seen is the easy part; being relevant is what earns the click; being helpful encourages action.
Lead with what helps their practice:
IQVIA’s 2025 survey of more than 33,000 HCPs across 38 countries found face-to-face visits still made up about 40% of preferred interactions, while preference for email reached a new peak of 15%.3 Some physicians favoured in-person meetings when the discussion centred on disease-area information or patient pathways rather than product updates. IQVIA also found that rep emails work best as a bridge, connecting in-person and digital touchpoints with follow-ups before and after meetings. Leading your healthcare campaign with the latest relevant trial or patient information, followed by complimentary personalized omni-channel touchpoints, can give you a competitive edge over those casting a wide net batch send and hoping for a conversion.
Building a plan to reach both early and late adopters
More channels doesn’t necessarily guarantee more impact, but a strategic channel plan with efficient reach/frequency, combined with relevant messaging, may help improve on its predecessors:
- Start with the HCP’s need: If they need information, where are they looking? More Canadian HCPs are becoming self-sufficient with the use of AI, so consider including a credible, trusted AI Healthcare platform for your campaign, like OpenEvidence.
- Plan for helpful touchpoints, not just visibility: For example, a traditional rep conversation, then a personalized email with a relevant resource, and trial information display banners when they’re browsing Medscape for additional information.
- Encouraging instead of pushing: Canadian digital pharma analysis suggests HCPs naturally enter a deeper educational flow based on behaviour-based triggers instead of rigid calendar pushes.4 Retargeting based on on-site action may encourage more meaningful subsequent visits vs. a scheduled generic reminder.
- Cover all of your digital bases: Be mindful of English and French content to ensure all relevant audience members are receiving the message, and that the impact does not get lost in translation.
Proving what worked:
A user saw the ad, then what?
- Reach & Engagement: Did the right HCPs see it? Did they spend time with it? Useful metrics include click-through rates, time on site, video views/completion, and meaningful conversion actions on site (such as requesting contact with a rep).
- Business outcome: Did anything change afterward, such as follow-up requests, rep interactions, or (where data privacy allows) prescribing trends? Did the campaign connect to brand performance?
As user-level tracking gets harder with increasing privacy measures, keep a running temperature check on whether or not engagement builds for the brand when a campaign runs. Keep reporting consistent, and be mindful of how your first-party data increases/changes.
The takeaway
Getting the attention of Canadian HCPs in an evolving digital landscape comes down to three things: leading with relevance, coordinating channels to effectively engage and encourage audience members at all levels of digital adoption, and measuring meaningful actions. The brands that do this consistently will find it easier to earn their attention, trust, engagement, and action during a critical point in Canadian healthcare advertising.
Sources
- DT Consulting, “The State of Customer Experience in the Global Pharmaceutical Industry, 2025: HCP Interactions,” December 12, 2025 (survey of 6,020 HCPs across 13 countries, conducted April to June 2025). https://dt-consulting.com/latest-insights/the-state-of-customer-experience-in-the-global-pharmaceutical-industry-2025-hcp-interactions/
- MD Analytics, “Survey Results Canada,” Health & Pharmaceutical Marketing Research (accessed September 28, 2026). https://mdanalytics.com/en/survey-data/pharma-online-presence/
- Toby House and Kirstie Scott, IQVIA, “From Preference to Practice: Understanding the Evolving Channel Preferences of Healthcare Professionals,” November 17, 2025 (2025 ChannelDynamics Channel Preference Survey, more than 33,000 HCPs across 38 countries; percentages cited are for the EU4+UK and US combined; the Nordic finding draws on IQVIA’s June 2025 analysis of HCP communication preferences in the Nordics). https://www.iqvia.com/locations/emea/blogs/2025/11/from-preference-to-practice
- Elite Digital Agency, “2026 Digital Pharma Marketing Trends in Canada,” January 12, 2026. https://elitedigitalagency.com/blog/2026-digital-pharma-marketing-trends-in-canada/
