The trend: Pharma and over-the-counter (OTC) health brands are embracing the World Cup as a marketing platform, combining national TV campaigns with local sponsorships and city-specific activations to reach fans before and during the tournament. Pharma and OTC brands accounted for 5.4% of World Cup national TV ad spending, airing 22 unique commercials 105 times for $13.1 million in media spending to date, according to iSpot data provided to EMARKETER.

Brand activations include:

• Haleon, the official consumer healthcare partner of US Soccer, launched its "For the Assist" campaign featuring US Soccer player Tyler Adams along with a Tums food truck 14-city tour, retail stadium bag product packs, and online sweepstakes.
• Bristol Myers Squibb is running its corporate "Won't Lose" campaign across broadcast TV, CTV, streaming, digital, and social media.
• Amgen and Sanofi have official World Cup host-city partnerships with Los Angeles and Boston, respectively.
• Kaiser Permanente is leveraging its role as the official team physician of LAFC to introduce its new logo and brand ahead of the World Cup.

Why it matters: Healthcare's investment in the World Cup reflects a broader expansion of sports marketing. In addition to major TV advertising, pharma brands have invested in high-profile partnerships with leagues, teams, and athletes, including Novartis with the NFL, AbbVie with Major League Baseball, and Eli Lilly with Team USA.

The World Cup audience is especially attractive to healthcare and pharma marketers looking to reach younger, more diverse audiences. Some 83% of soccer fans plan to watch at least part of the tournament with viewers skewing toward college graduates (48%), younger adults (46%), people of color (45%), and upper-income Americans (45%), according to a June Gallup poll. That gives brands an opportunity to build relevance with consumers who can be more difficult to reach through pharma and healthcare's traditional linear TV-focused advertising.

Implications for healthcare and pharma marketers: Pharma's long-standing sports marketing play has centered on national TV ad buys, from Super Bowl spots and NFL commercials to March Madness campaigns. What the World Cup shows is what else can happen around that airtime. Brands can support local team health programs, host youth sports clinics like Amgen, or create fan activations like Haleon's food truck and custom gear, translating World Cup-style host-city partnerships into lower-cost local market plays. Those efforts give health brands the kind of proximity to consumers and communities that helps build relationships, not just reach.

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