Session Recap: The Netflix Effect: Key Takeaways from Stephanie Loiseau at Future Pharma 2025

At Future Pharma 2025, Stephanie Loiseau, Senior Director of Marketing at Sun Pharma, captivated attendees with her keynote session, “The Netflix Effect: Creating Binge-Worthy HCP Content.” Loiseau’s talk drew parallels between streaming platforms and pharma marketing, exploring how healthcare leaders can use proven entertainment strategies to drive engagement among healthcare providers (HCPs). The session emphasized the critical need for pharma marketers to rethink their content, making it not just informative, but genuinely irresistible to time-strapped HCPs.

Key Takeaways

1. Treat HCPs Like Consumers

Modern HCPs share media habits with everyday consumers and expect personalized experiences. Loiseau underscored that pharma marketers often make the mistake of treating HCPs as a different species, when they in fact engage, shop, and stream content much like everyone else. Catering to consumer behaviors can elevate HCP engagement and drive better open rates, similar to what’s seen on Netflix and Hulu.

2. Lead with Emotional Hooks

Forget textbook approaches: emotional engagement is vital. Starting campaigns with an emotional trailer or hook, instead of a dense PowerPoint or clinical jargon, proved instrumental. Loiseau presented striking examples, such as the epilepsy ransom note campaign, showing how bold, unexpected creative can stir meaningful action and challenge provider complacency in treatment decisions.

3. Data-Driven Personalization Wins

Using data to personalize content is a Netflix hallmark and a pharma opportunity. Loiseau described leveraging AI-driven solutions, like conversational content featuring real KOLs, to answer nuanced HCP questions and create tailored experiences. Early results showed significant increases in website engagement and answered questions, illustrating the effectiveness of personalization.

4. Keep It Short and Visual

Short, impactful messaging is more likely to hook distracted HCPs. Loiseau recommended micro-content and high-impact visuals, emphasizing that a single clear message outperforms dense emails. Her approach via social media delivered notable improvements in reach and click-through rates, while simplifying complex concepts for rapid comprehension.

5. Leave Them Wanting More

Cliffhangers and tension, hallmarks of bingeable entertainment, also increase content engagement. By crafting campaigns that leave questions unanswered or preview upcoming solutions, pharma marketers can foster curiosity and repeated interaction, turning educational material into episodic experiences HCPs return to.

6. Feature Real Characters

Audiences binge for relatable characters and stories. Loiseau advocated for spotlighting real patients and caregivers over sterile, animated models, recounting powerful brand stories in dermatology and neurology campaigns that achieved stopping and staying power through real-life transformation narratives.

In Their Words

“There's dopamine release that occurs when we are watching something or streaming something. It makes us feel good. There's a sense of escapism out of reality... There's a science behind it, Netflix is so successful that 70% of users on average binge watch three episodes in one seating... So seeing the success of this, what if we marketed like Netflix? And what if they binge our content in the same way that HCPs are watching their shows? How can we be successful like Netflix?” — Stephanie Loiseau, Senior Director of Marketing, Sun Pharma

Why It Matters

For pharma marketing leaders, these takeaways spotlight the urgent shift toward consumer-centric, emotionally resonant, and data-driven HCP engagement. As competition intensifies and attention spans shrink, leaders must balance regulatory constraints with creative risk, adapting content strategies to resonate and drive action. Approaching HCPs not merely as clinicians, but as multifaceted consumers, pharma teams can unlock higher open rates, deeper connections, and ultimately, improve patient outcomes, aligning sales, scientific communication, and real-world impact in a crowded marketplace.

Actionable Insights

• Lead with an emotional narrative to spark HCP curiosity.
  
• Use data and AI to customize educational content for each provider.
  
• Focus messaging: one strong visual, one clear call to action.
  
• Integrate episodic and cliffhanger elements to foster ongoing engagement.

Explore What’s Next in Pharma

Eager for more future-facing strategies from Future Pharma? Learn more about the event or catch up on other keynotes for actionable ideas every pharma marketer needs.