Healthcare and pharma digital ad spending surged in the years running up to and during the pandemic, but growth will slow significantly going forward in the US. This industry’s share of digital spending won’t keep up with those of industries like retail and automotive, but healthcare and pharma advertisers are following consumers across digital media channels and are learning to target more carefully.

Key Question: What’s the current state of healthcare and pharma digital ad spending, and what trends will affect it over the next few years?

KEY STAT: Healthcare and pharma digital ad spending skews heavily to search, unlike most other industries we cover, because consumers typically turn first to the internet with specific health-related queries. This industry also lags others in mobile spending share. Video ad spending will drive growth in display advertising.