The advertising playbook is like theatre. But health brands had to ditch the script
VML Health’s Jason Gloye is also a musical theatre major, two jobs he argues are surprisingly similar. For health brands, the marketing playbook was ripped up after the pandemic, opening up new approaches. Here are five.
/ https://jasongloye.com/theatre
Having dreamed of performing on Broadway, only to wind up on the adland side of Brooklyn, I’ve always told myself that advertising is just another form of theatre.
A pitch is really a production, a campaign is actually like directing a show, and brand loyalty – that’s a standing ovation. The metaphor works, I promise. Except in health. We’ve needed to evolve it. After years of traditional productions, we’ve finally ditched the old scripts.
Five years ago, health marketing had a predictable rhythm. Creative processes were as routine as the Brooklyn commute. Whether we were launching a brand or pushing for growth, there was a playbook for everything or a center of excellence to consult.
Today, the playbook is dead, replaced by critical thinking, creative collaboration and laser-focus on solving complex business challenges.
Redefining patient engagement
The focus on building ‘patient-centric’ brands has shifted from checking a box to deep collaboration and understanding. At the heart of any health issue is the story of life – we’re all people, not patients. That’s why, in recent years, we’ve adopted a more human-centered approach to engagement, partnering with communities across the spectrum to uncover insights that connect with real life.
Multimedia events like ‘A Night for MS’ are building communities and sharing patient stories to raise awareness of disease. Creative like ‘Invisibles’ - inspired by conversations with patients that reveal real-world truths. And initiatives like ‘The Cancer Currency’ – which helped change cancer policy in Europe – show patients aren’t just guiding the creative; they are creative.
Five years ago, we validated work with patients. Today, we’re co-creating with them.
Health equity: built-in, not bolt-on
Where you live shouldn’t determine if you live. Neither should age, ethnicity, gender or income. But they do. Health disparities are everywhere.
Just a few years ago, the standard approach to this felt bolt-on – content translated into multiple languages or ads featuring people from different ethnic groups. Today, we’re putting health equity at the heart of our campaigns as the industry goes full throttle to accelerate equitable care for all. Brands are showing up at Events like the Essence Festival to amplify voices in underserved communities. And campaigns like ‘Advil Believe My Pain’ show that equity considerations are being baked into work from the outset.
Going above brand
There’s no one in adland that won’t wax lyrical about the power of brands. They’re why we’re here. But partners are increasingly looking above-brand to cement positions as leaders in their space and get to the heart of unmet needs.
Disease leadership strategies have been around forever, but too often those budget lines were cut as companies pushed to improve brand revenues and see a “direct tie to sales”.
That’s history. Clients recognize disease leadership can galvanize change, providing opportunities to connect stakeholders, define challenges and co-create solutions. All agnostic of products. And all intent on improving the lives of people living with (and treating) conditions.
We’ve relaunched the launch
The blockbuster launch is dead – there, I said it. The ‘matching luggage’ approach – where core campaign messaging was crowbarred into every channel, ad nauseum – has been displaced by derivative, dynamic campaigns and messages built more natively for different audience segments.
The way we work at launch has changed too. 18 months of linear working is no longer a thing. Expectations are higher, and leveraging the power of a global footprint to ‘follow the sun’ is driving real-time delivery of breakthrough thinking.
Advances in tech and data obviously help – AI, for example, gifts us speed, scale and efficiency – but we’re maximizing the opportunity to create personalized experiences that make a difference to lives. For proof, Google ‘I Will Always Be Me’ or ‘Scrolling Therapy.’
That’s how far we’ve come.
Killing cancer with creativity
Arguably, our best showcase of creative transformation is cancer, where science is advancing at pace, but cases are stubbornly increasing. Brands are turning to creativity to disrupt cancer, with bold ambitions to revolutionize outcomes. Examples of creativity stepping up are popping up everywhere as the industry throws everything at cancer. They show what’s possible if we dump the old templates and boldly explore a more agile approach.
That’s the message. Health advertising isn’t changing, it’s already changed. So, if your agency offers you a playbook, don’t get Frozen in time. Instead, remember the theatre, channel your inner Elsa and ‘Let it Go.’
This piece ran as part of The Drum’s Health and Pharma Focus.