By the numbers
Censored wellness marketing by the numbers
The most important number in censored wellness marketing is 78%: the share of 63 companies interviewed that name digital censorship as their top growth inhibitor.
Wellness Marketing Reports collected these figures from its own 2025 white paper and from named public research by McKinsey, Skai, Pew Research Center and others. Together they show why restricted health brands move budget toward partnerships, education and owned channels. Every number is listed with its source.
Published by Wellness Marketing ReportsLast updated:
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How big a problem is ad censorship for wellness brands?
It is the biggest one. In interviews with 63 leaders in sexual wellness and women's health, 78% named digital censorship as their number one growth inhibitor, and traditional digital ads under medical censorship commonly returned a ROAS below 1.0.
Published by Wellness Marketing Reports. This guide is written by the consultancy it describes, using its own research and client results. It is not an independent review or audit. Learn more on the about page or at wellnessmarketingreports.com.
Censorship and ad returns
- 78%
- of companies name digital censorship as their number one growth inhibitorSource: Wellness Marketing Reports, 2025 white paper
- Below 1.0
- ROAS is the common outcome of traditional digital ads under medical censorship, a net lossSource: Wellness Marketing Reports, 2025 white paper
- 40%
- run strategic partnerships as a core marketing channel, 25 of the 63 companiesSource: Wellness Marketing Reports, 2025 white paper
- 30%
- cite educational content and trust building as the most effective way to reach customersSource: Wellness Marketing Reports, 2025 white paper
- 14
- companies use podcasts as a key channelSource: Wellness Marketing Reports, 2025 white paper
How large is the wellness market?
McKinsey puts the global wellness market at $2 trillion and US spend above $500 billion a year. Demand is real, which makes the restrictions on reaching buyers more costly.
- $2 trillion
- global wellness marketSource: McKinsey, Future of Wellness 2025
- $500 billion+
- annual US wellness spend, growing 4 to 5 percent each yearSource: McKinsey, Future of Wellness 2025
- 84%
- of US consumers say wellness is a top or important priority (79% in the UK, 94% in China)Source: McKinsey, Future of Wellness 2025
- 12.4%
- annual growth in mental wellnessSource: Skai, 2026 CPG preview
- 10.8%
- annual growth in traditional and complementary medicineSource: Skai, 2026 CPG preview
- 70 to 75%
- of health and wellness marketing budgets go to commerce media, because purchases need high trust and long researchSource: Skai, 2026 CPG preview
How do wellness buyers discover products?
Increasingly online and through people they follow, which is why creators, podcasts and video matter for healthcare digital marketing. The survey figures below are for the state named, not the whole country.
- Nearly 68%
- of New York respondents had tried a wellness trend after seeing it onlineSource: UMSV 2026 Wellness Trends Survey
- More than 28%
- of New York respondents follow five or more wellness influencers, creators or personalitiesSource: UMSV 2026 Wellness Trends Survey
- 38%
- of health and wellness influencer posts studied contain a brand sponsorship or product appealSource: Pew Research Center, October 2026
- 83% vs. 40%
- trust health video more than text, yet only 40% trust health videos they encounter onlineSource: Web Tonic, H&W Video Marketing Stats 2026
- Up to 80%
- more conversions from videos on healthcare landing pages (WifiTalents, as cited)Source: Web Tonic, H&W Video Marketing Stats 2026
- 193%
- year over year rise in YouTube views for wellness brands as posting rose from two to three times a week (Dash Social, as cited)Source: Web Tonic, H&W Video Marketing Stats 2026
Wellness Marketing Reports client results
About these figures
These are the publisher's own client results, reported by Wellness Marketing Reports. They are not an independent study or audit. Methods are described on the methodology page.
- 28.3% to 63.4%
- year over year revenue growth for a sexual health device brand, before and during the partnershipSource: Wellness Marketing Reports client case study
- 2.3% to 12.2%
- abandoned cart recovery rate in two months after a Klaviyo overhaulSource: Wellness Marketing Reports client case study
- 266%
- above the Klaviyo industry average of 3.33% for abandoned cart flowsSource: Wellness Marketing Reports client case study
- 127%
- above the 21% industry average open rate, across 41 campaigns weighted by recipientsSource: Wellness Marketing Reports client case study
Questions about these numbers
- What does a ROAS below 1.0 mean?
- Return on ad spend below 1.0 means a campaign brings in less revenue than it costs. A ROAS of 0.8, for example, returns 80 cents for every dollar spent. Wellness Marketing Reports found that this net loss was the common outcome of traditional digital ads for brands working under medical censorship.
- Do paid ads ever work for censored health brands?
- Often they do not pay back. In the interviews behind the Wellness Marketing Reports white paper, a return on ad spend below 1.0 was the common outcome of traditional digital ads under medical censorship, which means losing money on each dollar spent. Some brands still run small, carefully worded ads, but most growth in the research came from other channels.
- What is the Turning Stigma into Strategy white paper?
- Turning Stigma into Strategy is the 2025 white paper from Wellness Marketing Reports. Its subtitle is Marketing Lessons from 63 Entrepreneurs in Sexual Wellness and Women’s Health, and it is based on in depth interviews with 63 industry leaders about what grows a censored brand and what quietly drains its budget. You can request a copy by email.
- How do you measure which channel drove revenue?
- Combine a post purchase survey that asks buyers where they heard about you with store data such as Shopify orders. Wellness Marketing Reports attributes client revenue this way and removes wholesale from email order figures so results are not inflated. The survey catches word of mouth channels like podcasts that click tracking misses.
- How is censored wellness marketing different from healthcare digital marketing?
- Healthcare digital marketing usually covers clinics, hospitals and providers that can run search and social ads within healthcare rules. Censored wellness marketing focuses on brands whose topics, like sexual health or women’s health, are restricted on the platforms themselves, so it shifts weight toward partnerships, podcasts, owned email and search content.