Full Report Details
- Trinity has published its 5th Annual TGaS Digital Marketing Competency Report, which benchmarks the digital marketing maturity of more than 150 biopharma brands globally. (Trinity Life Sciences)
- For the 2025 edition:
- A headline finding: There was a 19% increase in brands rated “Proficient” compared with the prior year, indicating a meaningful uplift in digital sophistication. (Trinity Life Sciences)
- Another key finding: A 112% rise in brands integrating the platform Reddit into their social‑media strategy — pointing to diversification beyond traditional platforms like Facebook/Instagram. (Trinity Life Sciences)
- The report ranks brands on a maturity scale from Novice → Proficient → Transformational, measuring 100+ characteristics including omnichannel presence, patient‑centricity and digital execution. (Trinity Life Sciences)
- The top‑ranking “Transformational” brands cited include:
- Hemlibra (Genentech)
- Trelegy (GSK)
- Arexvy (GSK)
- Tezspire (Amgen & AstraZeneca)
- Mavyret (AbbVie) (Trinity Life Sciences)
- The press release headline states: “GSK, Amgen and AstraZeneca Lead the Pack in Trinity’s 2025 Digital Marketing Competency Report.” (Trinity Life Sciences)
Why This Matters
- For commercial teams in biotech/pharma: The report offers benchmarks that help assess how your own digital‑marketing maturity stacks up against peers. The fact that ~150 brands were evaluated gives scale.
- The rise in “Proficient” ratings (+19%) suggests that digital marketing is becoming less of a fringe competency and more of a requirement. Companies still lagging may be at competitive risk.
- The diversification into platforms like Reddit signals that patient/consumer engagement strategies are changing: more community‑based, less reliant on legacy social channels. This has implications for content strategy, channel spend, creative formats.
- The mention of “Direct‑to‑Consumer Access” models shows that lifecycle marketing is evolving: brands are moving from purely awareness to direct engagement, potentially shortening the path between manufacturer, patient/caregiver and intervention.
- The scale of characteristics measured (100+) across omnichannel, patient‑centricity and execution implies that digital‑marketing competence is multi‑dimensional, not just about “posting on social media” or “running Google ads”. The depth required is higher.
Key Comments from the Report
- Jerry Luciano, VP of Omnichannel Marketing at Trinity:
“Innovation in digital marketing in life sciences is accelerating at a pace we’ve never seen. This year’s report highlights how pharma brands are not only advancing in their digital maturity, but also transforming how patients experience care — through deeper, more human‑centred engagement.” (ciobulletin.com)
- One summarising insight:
“Brands aren’t just measuring reach any more; they’re redesigning the patient experience, integrating wellness, behavioural insights, and personalised engagement.” (Trinity Life Sciences)
- On channel trends:
“The 112% increase in Reddit usage shows an industry movement towards more authentic, community‑driven engagement, shifting away from traditional social‑platform dominance.” (Trinity Life Sciences)
Implications for Your Team & What to Focus On
Given your interest in marketing operations, pipeline acceleration, and digital maturity, here are actions to consider:
- Assess your maturity: Use the “Novice → Proficient → Transformational” framework as a diagnostic for your brand or therapy area. Are you still “Novice” in key dimensions (omnichannel coordination, patient‑centricity, digital execution)? If so, target your development.
- Channel strategy review: Given the shift toward platforms like Reddit and community formats, evaluate if your channel mix is stuck in legacy modes (e.g., Facebook/Instagram) while competitors are moving to niche/community‑based platforms.
- Patient/caregiver engagement: The report’s emphasis on transforming the patient experience means digital marketing strategy must align with patient journeys, not only HCP (health‑care provider) or traditional brand channels. How patient‑centric is your content, channels, measurement?
- Measurement & capability development: With 100+ characteristics measured, most organisations will have capability gaps. Use this as a map to identify weak spots: e.g., digital creative, measurement, omnichannel data integration, DTC access models.
- Leverage benchmarking: If you’re working in a biotech or pharma brand, use the report’s published summary to benchmark your performance vs. peers, and align your team’s KPIs accordingly (not just “digital ads” but deeper metrics).
- Organisational readiness & investment: A 19% increase in “Proficient” brands signals competitive pressure. If your organisation lags, investments in talent, technology, process may be required.
- Here are case‑study insights and commentary relating to Trinity Life Sciences’s “2025 Digital Marketing Competency Report” (TGaS series) — focusing on how companies such as GSK, Amgen and AstraZeneca are leading, and what other life‑sciences marketers can learn.
Case Study Highlights
— Digital Marketing Competency Report Overview
Trinity’s 5th annual report benchmarks the digital‑marketing maturity of more than 150 biopharma brands. (Trinity Life Sciences)
Key findings:- Brands ranked from Novice → Proficient → Transformational based on 100+ characteristics (omnichannel presence, patient‑centricity, digital execution) (Trinity Life Sciences)
- The 2025 edition shows a 19 % increase in brands ranked “Proficient” compared to prior year. (ciobulletin.com)
- A striking 112 % rise in use of Reddit by brands as part of their social‑media strategy (i.e., moving beyond Facebook/Instagram). (Trinity Life Sciences)
— Who’s Leading & How
The report names top “Transformational” brands including:
- Trelegy (GSK)
- Arexvy (GSK)
- Tezspire (Amgen & AstraZeneca)
- Mavyret (AbbVie) (Trinity Life Sciences)
What these top brands appear to be doing differently:
- They are leveraging direct‑to‑consumer (DTC) access models, shortening the bridge between manufacturer and patient/caregiver. (Trinity Life Sciences)
- They are diversifying channels (including Reddit and other non‑traditional platforms) to engage authentically with communities.
- Their digital execution is tied to patient‑centric thinking rather than just brand awareness or HCP outreach — focusing on experience, personalization, digital journey.
— Example Scenario: GSK & Digital‑Only Strategy
Although not drawn directly from the Trinity report, a past GSK case shows how GSK adopted a digital‑first video campaign (YouTube‑only for a region) to drive reach and brand recall, demonstrating how legacy pharma can shift into more digital fluid strategies. (thinkwithgoogle.com)
Commentary & Insights
Why the Report Matters
- Benchmarking becomes crucial: For life‑sciences marketers, the presence of a large‑scale benchmark (150+ brands, 100+ criteria) means you can assess your maturity against peers — not just for media metrics but for digital infrastructure, omnichannel, patient‑centricity.
- Shift from “nice to have” to “must have”: The 19 % uplift in “Proficient” brands indicates that digital marketing sophistication is increasingly table‑stakes rather than optional.
- Community/alternative channel engagement is rising: The 112 % rise in Reddit usage is a signal that patient/caregiver engagement spaces are expanding beyond the usual social platforms — life sciences brands need to pay attention to where communities gather.
- Patient experience over simply “digital ads”: Top brands are not just posting more content; they are rethinking the patient journey, integrating personalization, direct engagement, and seamless transitions across channels.
What Marketing & Commercial Teams Can Learn
- Perform a self‑assessment: Use the maturity scale (Novice/Proficient/Transformational) and the 100+ criteria as a checklist: Where are your gaps? Omnichannel activation? Data & analytics integration? Patient journey mapping?
- Extend beyond traditional channels: If your strategy is still heavily reliant on Facebook/Instagram or standard HCP outreach, question whether you’re missing emerging platforms and community spaces.
- Link digital marketing to outcome metrics: Brands leading in the report tie digital marketing to measurable outcomes (patient engagement, journey progression, conversion points) rather than only reach or impressions.
- Organizational investment matters: Digital maturation often implies investment in technology, data, analytics, and talent. The report suggests there’s a capability and infrastructure gap still for many.
- Patient‑centric mindset is key: It’s not sufficient to “do digital”; you must connect it to the patient/caregiver experience — content tailored, journey mapped, channels aligned.
Some Cautions
- Benchmarking data is useful but doesn’t automatically translate to business outcomes (sales, launch success) — so your internal narrative must connect digital maturity to commercial results.
- Channels like Reddit may offer authenticity but also require brand safety, moderation, regulatory/legal oversight — life sciences has special constraints.
- Being “Transformational” takes time; companies still in “Novice” need realistic roadmaps — rapid shifts risk being superficial.
Summary
Trinity’s 2025 Digital Marketing Competency Report highlights that brands such as GSK, Amgen and AstraZeneca are leading the biopharma industry in digital maturity, patient‑centric engagement, and channel diversification. For marketing/commercial teams, the key take‑aways are: conduct maturity self‑assessment; invest in channels, analytics and patient experience; move beyond legacy social platforms; link digital strategy to measurable outcomes.