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

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