TP429 - Are We Wasting our Digital Media Spend?

In 2024, U.S. healthcare and pharma ad spending will top $30 billion—but how much of it actually drives results? In this episode, Chris Boyer and Reed Smith dig into the hidden inefficiencies in health system media budgets and ask a bold question: Are we investing strategically, or just fueling the machine? They dive into: Why Media Waste Persists – From inherited budget models to disconnected teams and shallow KPIs, the current approach to digital spend is full of cracks. The Illusion of Strategy – Why having a media plan isn't the same as having a strategy—and how vague goals and channel-first thinking lead to missed ROI. The Hidden Costs of Poor Alignment – From creative mismatches to lack of CRM integration, unmeasured waste is hiding beyond the dashboard. Agency Transparency & Trust – What health systems need to know about principal media buying, opaque reporting, and misaligned incentives. They’re joined by Jane Crosby of True North, who shares her performance marketing playbook: how strategic bid management, integrated media planning, AI tools, and smarter collaboration are turning wasteful spend into efficient, results-driven campaigns. In 2025, it’s time to stop asking if media is being wasted—and start asking how to turn it into a high-yield investment. Mentions from the show:  Healthcare and pharma marketers go digital, but traditional media stays relevant Eliminate waste and complexity in your digital advertising budget - the Proxima Group Brands threw away $6 billion in wasted digital ad spend WG Content How AI search ranks healthcare content: A ChatGPT vs. Google experiment Diane Hammons on LinkedIn Reed Smith on LinkedIn Chris Boyer on LinkedIn Chris Boyer website Chris Boyer on BlueSky Reed Smith on BlueSky Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices