Health care marketers encouraged to develop innovative mind-set
ALONG with technological breakthroughs and digitization of health services, the millennial generation is coming in as both healthcare professionals and patients — creating an impact and changing the landscape of the health care industry today.
In the midst of this transformation, health care marketers are encouraged to have an innovative mindset and to have an in-depth understanding of millennials to be able to communicate their brand effectively as well as engage this generation better.
“We all have to understand that the best way to engage our different audiences is to drive meaning and engagement in the long term,” Maria Garrido, global chief executive officer of Havas X, said during the Vital Healthcare Marketing Conference held recently in Makati City.
The conference gathered speakers from pertinent industries including different groups under the Havas Media to inform health care marketing practitioners of the shifting trends and developments in health care.
Ms. Garrido further cited their study and shared that 84% of consumers in the world want meaningful content from health care brands and from every other industry. However, consumers perceive the healthcare category as less meaningful than other categories because it is primarily driven by a functional approach.
She underscored the importance of focusing beyond the functional; and to have purpose beyond the product because consumers want brands to deliver engaging products that drive more meaningful relationship with them in the long term.
Vicky Ortega, planning consultant of Havas Anthropology, echoed the importance of meaningful engagement especially for the millennials. According to her, this generation — having convenient access to online information — are into a lot of do-it-yourself medication and are used to handling illness in their own terms.
“That’s what is difficult now, having too much information; sometimes, they self diagnose, and sometimes it’s correct and sometimes it’s wrong. It’s a challenge for doctors now to be able to justify their value to millennials,” Ms. Ortega explained.
On the other hand, Rachael McLoughlin, digital director of H4B, a digital health care communications agency based in Manchester UK, discussed the impact of millennial health care providers in the world and underscored the importance of collaboration for this generation.
Ms. McLoughlin said that having a multidisciplinary team or forging collaborative partnerships, whether within an organization or with other companies, are beneficial in marketing campaigns.
“Engagement is massively important; it kind of ties into this idea of collaboration. We talked to the millennials and they are kind of really willing to collaborate. We want to engage that audience so we work with them, not for them,” she said.