Publicis Health Media is once again hosting its annual HealthFront and has some big names in store.

Since its debut in 2019, the PHM HealthFront has brought together media luminaries and leading medical marketing minds to assess the state of the industry and offer their predictions on how trends will unfold from here.

This year’s two-day event will feature panels focused on the latest trends in health media, including the proliferation of streaming platforms, the evolution of digital and social media marketing as well as the continued emergence of generative AI capabilities.

The 2024 PHM HealthFront will also include keynote addresses from actresses Brooke Shields and Gabrielle Union, in addition to panelists from Meta, Novartis, Reddit, Paramount and Sasha Colby, winner of RuPaul’s Drag Race season 15.

PHM President Andrea Palmer, a 2020 MM+M Women of Distinction honoree, told MM+M that attendees for this year’s event should come prepared to see leaders talking about the need for innovation and why health media should push the boundaries. 

Palmer said that every year, the agency seeks to bring on well-known public figures with a tie-in to healthcare. Last year, actor Patrick Dempsey, a 2024 MM+M Healthcare Influencer, spoke about his push into cancer advocacy.

The inclusion of Shields as a speaker this year brings one of the leading celebrity voices for mental health and a vital advocate for improvements in postpartum depression care into the fold. 

The connection to PHM HealthFront that was most appealing to Palmer was involving someone who has used their sizable platform to discuss their care journey in a way that is relatable and empowering for other patients. 

“It was interesting to hear her [discuss in the book] what she went through that journey,” she said. “We connect to that in a major way because what we do in our industry is try to connect people with options to make better healthcare decisions through media and different innovations.” 

Every year, the PHM HealthFront tackles the role of disruptors in the industry and this year’s number one target is – no surprise – generative AI. This technology has taken medical marketers, media companies and the general public at large, by storm.

Palmer said attendees can expect several sessions dedicated to the topic, what it means for the future of health media and how to navigate both its positive and negative impacts.

Other panels will deal with the current state of streaming platforms, shifting audience preferences and how retail media seems to be playing a larger role in the marketing space. She added that data privacy and how organizations should maximize their usage of this critical information.

As always, Palmer said her agency crafts this event with a particular audience in mind.

“The vision of this event is to focus specifically on things that healthcare media and marketing professionals, clients and the industry are going to be interested in,” she said.

For an article on Brooke Shields unpacking postpartum stigma and toxic beauty at PHM HealthFront, click here.