While pondering a topic for this column, it occurred to me that this was my first column of Y2K - good old overrated Y2K - and that led to an obvious issue: don't believe
unsubstantiated marketing hype.
In the past decade, pundits, consultants, analysts and experts have flocked to the healthcare marketplace in increasing numbers because, as the bank robber Willie Sutton said,
"That's where the money is."
While there are many substantive efforts under way to monitor, track and understand the changes that are occurring in the industry, there are even more examples of glossy
rhetoric and shallow predictions of the way people think about and make healthcare decisions. Often what's deemed "hot" in healthcare can leave marketers out in the cold.
When told "everyone's doing it," make sure you get a research-based definition of "everyone" and "it." The marketing dictate that cannot be emphasized enough is test your
market before commiting financial resources. A great idea that works with DINKs (double income, no kids) in Manhattan may be a hard sell for working dads with stay-at-home moms
in Salt Lake City.
That said, here are some thoughts on making practical decisions about the trends du jour in healthcare marketing.
Unsubstantiated Theory #1
Today's consumers are health-conscious and ready to act on the healthy lifestyle messages we send them. The research tells a different story. While the vast majority of
American adults say they know and understand the things they need to do to reduce their risk of cancer, less than a third are actually doing something. In a recent national poll
by the American Cancer Society, only 27% say they've had a screening or early detection test. Only a fifth try to maintain a healthy weight or exercise more often. Fewer than 20%
say they eat more fruits and vegetables, protect their skin from the sun, or reduce fat in their diet.
Reality: While there are consumers who are very committed to doing all they can to be healthy, they remain a minority. That may be painful to accept - but the statistics don't
lie. It's more fun to build a marketing strategy around a savvy, enthusiastic consumer than someone who doesn't really want to hear health messages. A strategy based on reality
has a better chance of success than one based on an illusion.
Unsubstantiated Theory #2
Branding fills beds and outpatient facilities. There it was, in a recent industry magazine considered the Bible for healthcare CEOs: The "old ways" of attracting patients
including "word of mouth and location" are "fading fast." Instead, branding is the "key to luring new customers." Research, however, suggests that in local markets across the
U.S. what most influences healthcare decisions are physician input and recommendations from family, friends and co-workers.
Reality: Applying branding models that work for consumer products like sneakers and pizza ignore a fact that social marketers have known for years - consumers don't make
healthcare decisions like they make retail decisions.
In addition, there are more parties involved in the decision-making process when the "commodity" is healthcare. It's not the classic two-party, buyer-seller relationship
studied in an MBA program. There's the patient, and the healthcare facility, of course, but is the patient, the physician or the managed care organization the real customer?
Accordingly, is the physician the distributor? While a hot brand may be all that is required to motivate a consumer to buy Nike, that consumer doesn't have to get a referral to
make the purchase or determine where to buy the shoes from a provider directory. In short, it's not enough to convince a healthcare consumer to take action.
Unsubstantiated Theory #3
The Internet can do it all. Are there millions of people on the Net? Are they going to healthcare sites? Does every doctor say "Sure" when asked if his practice is computer
savvy? Of course, the answer is yes to each of these questions. But that doesn't necessarily mean that the Internet - or any single communications channel - can reach all or
even the majority of any audience. Visiting a site does not mean understanding it. Downloading information from the Web does not mean a consumer will override a physician opinion.
And if doctors are so wed to the Web, why does the CEO of a major Internet company aimed at physicians use the word "computerphobic" to describe this audience?
Reality: Research in many markets reveals that that the information healthcare consumers value most comes from their physician. Yes, they want their own access to direct-to-
consumer promotions and online healthcare. But they want these informational components to be pieces of a larger healthcare pie that includes physician participation. To this end,
don't sink all your resources into a Web site and ignore physician relationships or traditional communication channels. Consider the experience of an HMO director of a large HMO
who said that 100,000 of his doctors were going online for billing and checking patient coverage, which he thought was awesome. But it was important for him to remember that the
HMO has 300,000 physicians. That's two-thirds who are still using traditional methods.
Kathy Lewton is SVP of Fleishman Hillard's healthcare/biotechnology division in New York.
She is author of Public Relations in Health Care: A Guide For Professionals. She can be reached at 212/453-2447, email: [email protected].