José Ma. Guido Avila

José Ma. Guido AvilaApr 25, 2026

Proof that the award was real: there is now an entire camera roll dedicated to me awkwardly posing next to it 😅 A few weeks ago I shared how honored (and still slightly puzzled) I was to be named one of the 2026 Top DTC Marketers of the Year. What I did not share is that, while smiling in these pictures, I was also internally negotiating with my anxiety. Because instead of preparing a nice safe acceptance speech like a normal awards ceremony… I had to answer one randomly selected question from a list that had been shared with me in advance. Which, for an overthinker, is a very special kind of torture. You know the question exists. You know several possible questions exist. You know you cannot fully prepare for all of them. So naturally your brain decides to rehearse 47 mediocre versions of every possible answer. Needless to say, I walked off that stage feeling like I probably missed the mark on giving a truly great answer 😅😅😅😅😅 But thankfully, the night was bigger than my internal post-game analysis. Because when I looked around the room, I had the people that matter most right there with me. My family! Thank you for being there and making this moment even more special. And while not everyone who wanted to celebrate with us could make the trip, I felt the love and support from every corner of the family. Awards may have one name engraved on them, but they are never earned alone. They are built on patience from the people at home, support from the people at work, and a long list of people who keep believing in you even when you are busy second-guessing your answer on stage. congratulations to Jessica Graf, another amazing marketeer from Sanofi recognized during the event (and yes, her answer was way better than mine 😆) A huge thank you to PatientPoint® for sponsoring and supporting an evening that recognizes the people trying to push DTC marketing forward. Thank you to my agency of record partners for helping transform ambitious ideas (and occasionally unrealistic timelines) into meaningful work for patients. Linda Watson Liza David Ben Epstein Deziree Dixon Stephanie Uva Elissa Aguirre Cole Nixon Claire Thomas and you too Devon Martone (Previte), Julia Morrissey and Rachel Wexler Thank you to Linda Ruschau for making the genuine effort to pronounce my name correctly. This was a small gesture that meant a lot on a very big night. And to the many colleagues, mentors, partners, and teams who have shaped this journey over the years: this recognition belongs to all of you too. I am incredibly grateful and I thank God for this award. And despite my questionable on-stage answer… I hope there is still more to come 😊 #DTCNational #DTCMarketing #PatientExperience #Gratitude #TopDTCMarketers

José Ma. Guido AvilaFeb 3, 2026

Of all the things I expected this year… this wasn’t on the list 😅 I’m incredibly grateful (and honestly a bit surprised) to share that I was named DTC Marketer of the Year 2026 by DTC Perspectives, as part of the Top DTC Marketers of the Year awards. This recognition means a lot, not because of the title, but because it reflects years of teamwork, curiosity, workshops, patient-first debates, and learning from some truly amazing people across pharma, agencies, and partner teams. Nothing about this journey has been solo. I’ll be receiving the award on April 22, 2026 at the Westin Copley Place in Boston… and yes, I will almost certainly be very nervous on stage 🙃 but also genuinely thankful for the moment. Thank God for this award and a huge thank you to everyone who has supported, challenged, trusted, and taught me over the years. This one belongs to all of us who believe Pharma Marketing can be done thoughtfully, creatively, and with real impact on patient outcomes. I'm already practicing my “don’t trip on stage” walk already.

José Ma. Guido AvilaMar 23, 2026

Apparently, doing more ads is no longer the answer. Looking forward to speaking at Pharmageddon about this!!! I’ll be talking about something that’s becoming hard to ignore: How marketing needs to evolve in a world where decisions are increasingly influenced by LLMs like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Google’s AI Overviews. Not just what we say anymore… …but how machines understand, prioritize, and surface it We’ve spent years optimizing for clicks, impressions… and yes, a plethora of webinars and RTEs. Now we need to ask: - Are we even visible to AI? - Our information is already out there and showing up in summaries… but how do we actually want to appear in those summaries? - Or are we still playing by rules that the internet has already outgrown? No big claims here, just sharing what I’m learning (sometimes the hard way) while trying to rethink how we approach influence in pharma. If you're also trying to make sense of this shift, would love to compare notes at the event. #Pharmageddon #AI #PharmaMarketing #LLM #DigitalTransformation #PatientExperience