Six key takeaways for pharmacy communication campaigns
- Pharmacies are becoming increasingly important healthcare environments for people managing long-term conditions, offering regular and trusted touchpoints beyond prescription collection.
- Repeat pharmacy visits create ongoing opportunities for healthcare communication, helping messages build familiarity, confidence and long-term engagement over time.
- Patients visiting pharmacies are often looking for practical support around medication, symptoms, side effects and condition management rather than awareness messaging alone.
- Pharmacy communication is most effective when it focuses on clarity, reassurance and education rather than overtly commercial messaging.
- Supporting healthcare professionals alongside patients can create more informed and confident conversations around medication use, treatment and long-term condition management.
- Pharmacy digital signage and patient-facing education tools are creating new opportunities for more connected, responsive and behaviour-led healthcare communication.
Reaching people managing long-term conditions through pharmacy environments
For many people managing long-term conditions, pharmacies are not occasional healthcare touchpoints. They are part of everyday life.
Whether someone is collecting repeat prescriptions for asthma, diabetes, COPD, heart conditions or chronic pain, pharmacies often become one of the most regular and accessible parts of the healthcare system they interact with.
And increasingly, they are becoming far more than places to simply collect medication.
From Pharmacy First consultations and blood pressure checks to stop smoking services and weight management support, pharmacies are evolving into highly accessible community healthcare hubs – creating valuable opportunities for healthcare communication, patient education and long-term condition support.
Dean Gahagan, Joint Managing Director at IDS Media, believes many organisations still underestimate the role pharmacies now play in healthcare journeys.
“People still sometimes think of pharmacies as just a till and a counter where you collect medication. But they’ve evolved massively. They’re becoming little mini health hubs that provide all sorts of healthcare services and support,” said Dean.
That evolution is changing how organisations think about advertising in pharmacies and pharmacy communication more broadly.
Pharmacies sit at the heart of long-term condition management
Unlike hospital or GP environments, pharmacies often support patients after diagnosis – when healthcare becomes part of an ongoing routine.
People managing long-term conditions may visit pharmacies every few weeks or every month, creating repeated communication opportunities over time.
Dean believes this repeat exposure makes pharmacy environments uniquely valuable.
“People with long-term conditions are guaranteed to keep returning. Whether it’s every week, every month or every few months, pharmacies create repeated touchpoints where communication can slowly build over time.”
This repeated exposure creates what Dean describes as a consistent “drip drip drip” effect, where messages become more familiar, trusted and actionable through consistency.
That makes pharmacies particularly effective environments for:
- Medication adherence
- Lifestyle support
- Symptom management
- Patient reassurance
- Ongoing condition education
Why is the pharmacy mindset different from other healthcare environments?
Patients visiting a pharmacy are often at a different stage of their healthcare journey compared with people sitting in GP waiting rooms or hospital environments.
In many cases, they already have a diagnosis. They may already understand their condition. But they still have questions about managing medication, side effects, symptoms or long-term health outcomes.
“In pharmacy environments, people are often thinking about how medication is affecting them day to day,” said Dean. “They’re asking questions about side effects, sleep, tiredness, symptoms or whether something is actually working properly.”
That creates opportunities for healthcare communication that feels practical, reassuring and management-focused rather than awareness-led.
Dean believes pharmacies are particularly powerful because they combine accessibility with trusted healthcare expertise.
“Patients may not always want to wait weeks for another GP appointment if they’ve got a concern about medication or symptoms. Pharmacies become that accessible middle ground where people can ask questions and get support.”
Why does practical support matter in pharmacy communication?
Healthcare communication inside pharmacy environments needs to feel useful and relevant to people managing real conditions in everyday life.
Dean believes practical support is far more effective than overtly commercial messaging.
“People managing long-term conditions don’t want generic advertising. They want clarity. They want reassurance. They want information that helps them understand what’s happening with their health.”
This is especially important when supporting medication adherence and confidence.
Research continues to highlight poor inhaler technique as a major barrier in asthma and COPD care, despite ongoing treatment support.
Studies referenced in the Journal of Family and Child Health1 found that only 8-22% of children with asthma use their inhalers correctly, highlighting the need for ongoing support and clearer inhaler education over time.
That makes patient education critical.
Dean highlighted inhaler management as a strong example of how pharmacy communication can support better long-term outcomes.
“Something as simple as using an inhaler incorrectly can completely affect whether treatment works properly. And often patients don’t even realise they’re doing it wrong.”
This is where pharmacists and effective pharmacy communication can play a vital role.
Pharmacists are becoming increasingly important healthcare educators
Today’s pharmacists are supporting far more than prescription fulfilment. They are increasingly helping patients with:
- Medication management
- Symptom discussions
- Treatment confidence
- Side effect awareness
- Lifestyle advice
- Referral support
Dean believes this makes pharmacies highly valuable environments for behaviour-led healthcare communication.
“Pharmacists are often the people patients speak to most regularly about their condition. They’re helping explain medication, checking understanding and identifying when someone might need to go back to their GP.”
This educational role is becoming increasingly important as healthcare systems face growing pressure and patients seek more accessible support between appointments.
Why should pharmacy communication support both patients and healthcare professionals?
Successful pharmacy communication is rarely aimed at patients alone.
Dean explained that many campaigns work best when patient-facing communication is supported by educational HCP materials that help pharmacists feel more confident discussing treatments and condition management.
IDS Media’s work supporting AstraZeneca’s TRIXEO campaign is one example of this approach. The campaign used educational HCP packs focused on COPD treatment support and inhaler management, helping pharmacists and healthcare professionals better support patient conversations around medication use.
“The gold dust is when both the patient and the healthcare professional understand the same service or condition,” said Dean. “That’s when conversations become much more confident and productive.”
This approach reflects a broader shift in healthcare communication – away from promotion alone and towards education, confidence and practical patient support.
Pharmacy digital signage is creating new opportunities
Pharmacy communication is continuing to evolve, with digital signage for pharmacy environments creating new opportunities for patient education and healthcare messaging.
Alongside printed materials and HCP support packs, IDS Media also offers pharmacy digital signage solutions through digital screens installed within pharmacy environments.
Dean believes pharmacy digital signage can play an increasingly valuable role in supporting people managing long-term conditions.
“Digital screens allow messaging to become much more dynamic and responsive. You can educate patients while they’re waiting, encourage them to ask pharmacists questions or direct them towards support services there and then.”
Importantly, Dean sees digital signage working alongside – rather than replacing – educational pharmacist support.
“The most effective approach is when patient messaging and HCP education work together. A patient might see a digital message about inhaler management and then immediately speak to a pharmacist who’s already been educated on the same topic.”
This creates a much more connected communication journey.
Clarity and trust are essential in pharmacy environments
Because pharmacy communication often relates directly to medication and health management, clarity becomes critically important.
Dean believes unclear or overly commercial messaging can quickly damage trust in pharmacy environments.
“Healthcare communication inside pharmacies has to be clear, concise and genuinely useful. If messaging becomes confusing or too sales-driven, people switch off very quickly.”
Instead, communication should focus on:
- Practical next steps
- Symptom understanding
- Medication support
- Confidence building
- Clear signposting
- Condition management
That is particularly important for people living with long-term conditions, where healthcare communication may influence behaviours repeated every day for years.
Pharmacies are becoming one of healthcare’s most important communication environments
As healthcare systems continue evolving, pharmacies are becoming increasingly important touchpoints between patients and healthcare professionals.
They combine:
- Accessibility
- Trust
- Frequency
- Convenience
- Healthcare expertise
- Ongoing patient relationships
And for organisations looking to support people managing long-term conditions, that creates significant opportunities for more meaningful healthcare communication.
“Pharmacies are no longer just collection points for medication,” said Dean. “They’re becoming genuine healthcare support environments where people can ask questions, build confidence and better manage their conditions over time.”
For healthcare brands, charities and public health organisations, that shift may become increasingly important in the years ahead.
Get in touch to discuss your next healthcare campaign.
Source:
- Improving inhaler technique and adherence in children, Journal of Family and Child Health
