Healthcare Marketing Helps Save Lives: So Why Aren’t We Obsessed About Measuring It?

Let’s be honest, in healthcare we use a lot of data: clinical, market, manufacturing, prescription - the list goes on. Somehow, when it comes to healthcare marketing, we tend to use a narrow view of effectiveness and how we measure its success, and we often settle on prescriptions, views or clicks alone. How can we be so good at the rigorous clinical testing of our medicines, yet our marketing is not held to the same high standards to show its impact?

With people’s health — even lives — on the line, it’s not enough to settle on clicks, views, or prescriptions. We must prove that our work drives lasting behaviour change and better health outcomes. Why does it matter? Well, if we get it right, healthcare marketing has the power to help doctors adopt life-changing treatments and, ultimately, support them in improving patients’ health and lives using the right solutions.  Helping drive change at the service of both doctors and patients is what makes our marketing work so meaningful at IPG Health.

As a member of the Effies Grand Jury late last year, I saw just how powerful great marketing can be at driving change across industries. The entries that stood out? They weren’t just creative; they delivered real human impact. And yet, when it comes to healthcare, we’re still underrepresented in effectiveness award shows. But why? Given the life-changing potential of what we do, we should be front and centre in showing how we drive meaningful behaviour change and its impact on society.

But here’s the challenge — proving creative impact in healthcare isn’t easy. Unlike fast-moving consumer goods, where success is often measured in short-term conversions and sales, healthcare marketing takes time. It’s a complex web of touchpoints that gradually influence doctors and people’s health behaviour to help lead to long-term health improvements. It’s all about marginal gains and aggregating positive changes over time. And measuring that? It takes time, expertise, precision and a whole lot of dedication too.

Thankfully, things are changing. With AI and data-driven tools, we can now dive into vast amounts of data and unstructured information to uncover customer insights like never before. At IPG Health, we’re leveraging our new End-to-end Platform for Insights, Creativity, and Content (EPICC) to do just that. This platform gives our teams the power to bring data around our target audience to better understand them, but it also ensures we track, measure, and optimise the impact we have with them and all that at speed and scale. It’s all about making sure every piece of content we create leads to more valuable interactions with the doctors and their patients, and in turn, that allows us to see how we drive measurable behaviour change over time and, ultimately, improve health outcomes.

Our industry has a unique opportunity — and responsibility — to use creativity, data, and technology to make a real difference in public health. So, I’m hopeful that as healthcare marketing uses more of those analytical tools, AI, and more work gains visibility in effectiveness awards, we will become a shining light in showing how we positively contribute to society and help save lives. 

Who knows? Maybe it’s time for healthcare to have its own Effie healthcare and pharma category, just like the Cannes Lions in Pharma, Health & Wellness.

Ultimately, we have the tools and the talent to use data to make a real impact on people’s lives. With data-driven innovation, technology, and creativity, we can drive behaviour change like never before and move towards a healthier world. 

And isn’t that what healthcare marketing effectiveness should really be about?