By Nancy Turett
We're getting older, but we're obsessed with feeling and looking younger, an obsession that puts us on a boundless quest for health. We try to eat well and exercise more. We
get our blood pressure and cholesterol checked, and if we're women, have mammograms; if men, we have prostate check-ups. If we're over 40, we have learned the importance of colon
screenings.
Health-related technology fuels our zeal. The Internet zips information to us in seconds; we've learned that just a few minutes of Botox injections can erase years.
This column explores how more and more companies are capitalizing on lifestyle consumer issues to build brand loyalty. Whether your organization sells clothes or paper
products, there's an opportunity to create stronger bonds with various constituencies.
Our research at Edelman shows that being healthy -- and feeling healthy - is a reflection of how satisfied we are with life at a given time.
In addition to what we're eating and how much we're exercising, health speaks to our self-esteem, how happy we feel, how well we're coping with the stress in our lives, and
whether we think we look good.
This new purview -- in which health considerations are behind so many everyday decisions we make about products and services we use, places we go and companies and causes we
support -- gives any brand that touches a consumer's life multiple opportunities to approach and engage stakeholders.
Obviously, healthcare companies are interested in promoting healthy lifestyles. But here are some equally healthy examples of non-health commercial brands that have taken a
successful stand as part of their commitment to the well-being of their customers and the world at large. Consider your own business as you read about them.
If your brand needs to build relationships with multiple publics, chances are it can do so by improving one or more aspects of health and by building bonds with key
stakeholders where they "live." Consider these examples:
- Georgia-Pacific is dedicated to helping people maintain a healthy home environment through improved personal and family hygiene practices. To do this, the company
established the Georgia-Pacific Health Smart(tm) Institute, which proposes, among other solutions, that consumers replace cloth with paper products, such as Sparkler and Coronetr.
- In the early 1990s, Liz Claiborne launched the Women's Workr program to
help stem domestic violence.Today the program includes a Web site that talks to teens about dating
abuse, and public service announcements by men to encourage male leadership
in this area. This social health campaign has supported the Liz Claiborne
and Claiborne (for Men) brands.
- Avon, a company that caters to women, founded the Avon Breast Cancer Crusade to help find a cure for a prevalent disease among their stakeholders.
- Through their "If You Let Me Play" campaign, Nike educated the public about the lifelong health benefits of encouraging girls to participate in sports (i.e., reduced
incidence of teenage pregnancy, drug addition, spousal abuse, etc.), while they increased the profile of their women's athletic shoe and apparel lines with key stakeholders.
- 3M has developed and marketed products that make work more comfortable and improve employee health and productivity. They have supported these products with PR that
provides important health information and builds a market for their brand.
In addition, companies have an enormous opportunity to respond to the public's desire for achieving mental, physical and societal well-being.
Whether your company is in travel, fashion, automotive, telecommunications or any other industry, each and every one of your stakeholders is interested in health. Consider, on
their behalf, the benefits of responding to our quest for a healthy body and soul.
Be healthy and prosper!
Nancy Turett is President & Global Director of Edelman Health.
She can be reached at (212) 704-8195 or [email protected].