Stop Stagnating your Healthcare Brand…It’s Time to Get Disruptive.

Technology disrupts.

In healthcare, technological disruption isn’t new. As early as 2000, an article in Harvard Business Review called “Will Disruptive Innovations Cure Healthcare?” discussed the resistance of larger-scale hospitals and insurance companies, among others, to doing things differently. ¹

Obviously, things have changed in two decades. Many of the innovations in that article are now part of daily practice, and it’s hard to argue that we aren’t better off as a result. In fact, just recently we read about the first “smart bed” sensor technology for hospital beds.³ Inevitably, the process will continue as new ideas appear and shake up the industry.

Marketing needs to disrupt as well.

Disruptive marketing is the integration of new, evocative marketing tactics. For pharmaceutical and medical device product managers, this may mean exploring immersive multimedia, adopting innovative point-of-care tactics, or developing creative work that artfully excites the audience and invites curiosity (all while respecting the role of regulatory, of course).

A beautiful example of disruptive creative is the “The Hardest Crossword” Campaign for the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America. The piece ran in newspapers and featured an unwinnable crossword puzzle. It provided the audience a visceral, memorable experience of what life can be like for someone with Alzeimers.²

We get it (and we love to do it).

Xavier Creative house recently used the power of disruption to create a memorable, immersive experience for a brand launch.

Through live-action, 180-degree virtual reality, over 1000 medical professionals experienced living “In the Skin” of patients with plaque psoriasis, giving them a firsthand look at the emotional impact the disease has on their patients.  

The result? 98% of participants found the augmented reality experience meaningful, and many thought it was so cool that they made an appointment with sales reps to try it again. 

Get started, now.

There’s no need to wait until sales are booming to invest in disruptive marketing. Often the best approach is to “go big” and do something innovative during slow periods, in order to help offset revenue dips and renew audience interests.

Here are a few ideas:

• Get creative with media – Look into multimedia, like 3D animation, to make the most impact
• Use emotion & empathy – Use your insights about patients and HCPs to elicit an emotional reaction
• Provide an experience – Like the crossword example, don’t just tell your audience what you’d like them to know… let them live it

Could integrating a disruptive approach help grow your brand? Think about it.

Research references:

1. https://hbr.org/2000/09/will-disruptive-innovations-cure-health-care
2. https://clios.com/health/winner/direct-health-wellness/alzheimer-s-foundation-of-america-a-f-a-/the-hardest-crossword-31254
3. https://www.earlysense.com/press_releases/clinical-study-finds-combining-patient-risk-stratification-with-earlysense-continuous-monitoring-can-reduce-clinician-work-load-and-improve-patient-sleep-and-satisfaction-2/