Four rules for smarter ad testing in medical device marketing
By Guy Pascoe, Co-Founder
When I last wrote about ad testing back in 2021, the world of medical marketing was already shifting rapidly. Doctors were telling us they had no patience for glossy slogans, smiling stock photos, or emotional fluff. They wanted evidence, with clear, data driven messages that respected their intelligence and time.
That hasn’t changed - but almost everything else has. Since 2021, the way clinicians engage with content, the tools marketers use, and the expectations around authenticity and compliance have all evolved dramatically. Digital first has become the default. AI now shapes content strategy, and healthcare professionals (HCPs) are even more selective about what captures their attention.
Yet one truth remains constant: beneath the white coats, doctors are still human. They respond to good stories, authentic visuals, and messages that feel credible and relevant. At Purdie Pascoe, ad testing continues to be one of the most revealing parts of our work, helping medical device manufacturers understand not just what their audiences say they want, but what they actually respond to.
Having conducted hundreds of ad tests across MedTech specialties over the years, we’ve refined a clear sense of what resonates, and what misses the mark. Here are four enduring lessons, refreshed for 2025:
1. Skip the “Abercrombie & Fitch” patients
If there’s one thing that hasn’t changed, it’s that authenticity still trumps aspiration. In 2021, we warned against using patient images that looked like fitness models. In 2025, that warning stands, but now, it’s also about representation and realism.
Clinicians expect to see diversity in age, ethnicity, and condition severity. They want imagery that reflects the real-world patients they treat, not sanitised versions of them: “These people look like actors. My patients look tired, anxious, and sick, and that’s okay. That’s real.”
Visual authenticity builds trust. In an age when generative AI can produce almost any image, being real (or even imperfect) has become a form of credibility.
2. Avoid obvious (and not-so-obvious) bloopers
If accuracy was important in 2021, it’s a non-negotiable in 2025. Doctors’ attention spans are shorter, but their attention to detail hasn’t diminished.
We once tested an ad for a diagnostic product which showed a doctor with an otoscope, yet it looked more like a toy version which naturally, the Doctor picked up on and immediately derailed the conversation. Even mock-ups now need to meet a higher bar, as audiences assume every image they see online is fair game for critique.
Today, the issue extends further. We have seen that clinicians are alert to any sign of inauthenticity, from mislabelled anatomy diagrams to AI-generated visuals that don’t quite line up. A single technical mistake can spread across networks and damage brand credibility.
In short: if your ad wouldn’t pass a hospital’s internal review for accuracy, it won’t pass the real-world test either.
3. Match the media (welcome to the digital-first era)
In 2021, doctors were already moving online. In 2025, they live there.
Few HCPs now flip through printed journals; instead, they consume content through digital platforms, clinical news apps, and professional social media. The explosion of medical podcasts, short-form videos, and AI-curated newsletters has changed how (and how long) you have to capture their attention.
Yet many ads still look like they were designed for print, dense, data-heavy, and hard to digest on mobile. That approach no longer works. Digital first design demands immediacy, clarity, and visual simplicity. Data can still be the hero, but it needs to be presented in ways that are dynamic and scannable.
The key difference since 2021 is that doctors are not just online, they’re mobile. Your ad has about three seconds to make an impact. Design accordingly.
4. Show me the data (still true — but smarter now)
Our 2021 advice to “show the data” still stands, but the expectation around how you show it has evolved.
Clinicians still want evidence, but they seem to also want context and clarity. Graphs, infographics, and micro case studies can outperform traditional data tables when they make results instantly understandable. With the rise of AI-assisted tools, doctors are quicker to fact check what they see. That means transparency and source credibility matters more than ever.
The principle hasn’t changed: data builds trust. What’s changed is that now, how you deliver that data determines whether you get attention in the first place.
Final thoughts: Facts first, feelings second
So, what’s really changed since 2021? Doctors are even busier, more digitally connected, and more sceptical. The creative tools are smarter, the channels are faster, and the competition for attention is fiercer. But the core truth remains, credibility is everything.
Doctors respond to emotion, but only when it is anchored in facts. They reward authenticity, precision, and respect for their expertise. Ad testing remains one of the most reliable ways to find that sweet spot where logic meets humanity.
As we approach the end of 2025, AI-generated content floods the digital landscape, genuine insight and honest storytelling have become your sharpest competitive edge. Ad testing ensures your creative ideas don’t just sound good in a meeting room, they work in the real world.
About Purdie Pascoe
At Purdie Pascoe, we can support you by testing creative campaigns to ensure your messages are accurate, credible, and effective before you launch. In an era where data drives decisions and trust drives engagement, our research helps you speak to your stakeholders in the language they value most: truth.