Social Marketing Strategies in the Pharmaceutical Industry, Characteristics and Impact; a scoping review.

OBJECTIVE

To describe the social marketing strategies implemented by the pharmaceutical industry and their potential impact on consumer behavior and access to medicines, through a scoping review.

METHODS

A scoping review was conducted following the PRISMA-ScR guidelines. For data collection, scientific articles published between 2006 and 2025 in English and Spanish were selected using the PCC criteria (Population, Concept, Context), which are recommended for this type of research. The databases consulted were SciELO, Google Scholar, and PubMed. Articles published in peer-reviewed academic journals were included if their title, abstract, or keywords contained at least one of the descriptors used in the search equation.

RESULTS

Four categories of analysis emerged: 1) marketing and positioning, 2) corporate social responsibility, communication, and ethics, 3) digital transformation and innovation, and 4) pharmacy and access to medicines. A critical inflection point was identified, highlighting the intersection of access to medicines with the role of community pharmacies, which are implementing strategies to balance social commitments with commercial objectives.

CONCLUSIONS

The pharmaceutical industry's social marketing strategies can be multidimensional. They have evolved from traditional corporate positioning to emerging categories that integrate ethics, digital transformation, and public health innovation. The current challenge lies in balancing business viability with the population's health and social needs.