Most marketers would agree that one of the fundamental yardsticks for measuring the success of healthcare PR and advertising programs is increased sales. This can most
effectively be accomplished by changing patient behavior.
In other words, a successful campaign that generates action among target audiences to ultimately improve health outcomes will sell more product. It's logical. Help cigarette
smokers abstain using a nicotine patch, convince HIV/AIDS patients to comply with a three-drug "cocktail," or get consumers to choose one product over another. In the end, the
more behavior changes and improvements, the more sales will result.
The understanding of how to best influence attitudes and behaviors - in individuals, organizations and communities - has advanced significantly over the last 20 years. Today,
marketers can take advantage of an increasingly wide array of emerging tools to generate the desired result. The most critical being in-depth research into motivations and
barriers to change so that an effective communications plan can be put into place.
Leaders in Behavioral Motivation
Not-for-profit and government organizations have been at the forefront of this pursuit for years. Because their primary goal is to positively influence health behaviors, their
communication strategies are focused on motivating patients, rather than advancing product messages. Using this technique of "social marketing," government agencies like the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Heart Lung Blood Institute and National Cancer Institute have been successful at understanding patient motivations and
changing behaviors. Commercial healthcare marketers should study their success.
Social Marketing Exchange
At the core of social marketing is exchange theory: individuals, groups, and organizations have resources that they are willing to exchange for perceived benefits. To affect
this exchange, the marketer must know which benefits to offer target audiences that they perceive are of value (for example, taking control of health; being able to have an active
lifestyle; not being a burden to family). That is why research is fundamental to defining barriers, perceptions, knowledge and beliefs of key target audiences. One technique to
accomplish this is called The Consumer-based Health Communications (CHC) model.
CHC research asks key questions about the target audience, including:
- What will motivate the target audience to change behavior; what are the perceived risks to the target of not making the health change?
- What does our communication promise that addresses these motivations/barriers?
- How will we support the promise?
- At what stage is our target on the "change" continuum: pre-contemplative, contemplative or relapse?
- What communication tools will be used?
- Will the communication reach the target with the right message at the correct stage in the continuum?
CHC is a solid starting point for developing relevant, original and effective communications.
For example, answers to the CHC questions could determine whether a toll-free number is the correct way to reach a target audience segment, and if so, CHC writers could help
draft telephone scripts appropriate for that audience segment. This research approach also can be used for programs directed to a variety of other audiences, such as healthcare
professionals, beneficiaries or patient groups.
The understanding of how to best influence attitudes and behaviors - in individuals, organizations and communities - has advanced significantly over the last 20 years.
Ilyssa Levins is chairman and chief creative officer of GCI Healthcare in New York, a global full-service healthcare agency. She is responsible for new business development,
new ventures and acquisitions. She can be reached at 212/886-3500.
Her partner for this month's column is Jorge del Mazo, an SVP, Principal Communications at GCI Group.
Driving Patient Compliance Results
Here are some examples of how using CHC insights can enhance medication compliance among chronic disease patients.
- Vaccination increased five-fold after a simple educational brochure was given to elderly patients with low literacy (JAMA, V.281, pp 646-50, 1999) Clearly, educational
interventions are successful if they are provided in an easy-to- understand format. - Schering-Plough used public transportation posters to reach target consumers who needed to be screened for possible Hepatitis C infection. Results: decline of new cases
reported. (Pharmaceutical Executive, October, 1999) - Glaxo Wellcome used aspirational role models and celebrity endorsers to effectively reach and motivate disenfranchised patients to become more involved with their health. In
1998, the company ran an unbranded "Asthma Control Program" with Jackie Joyner-Kersee as the spokesperson/sufferer. Calls into the database exceeded expectations within a few
weeks (over 600,000 calls in three weeks).