Authored by Guidemark Health, now part of Lumanity
The seismic shifts in the healthcare industry over the past 5 years have been challenging to navigate but awe-inspiring due to the opportunities they bring. The pace of change will only continue to increase as worldwide as the need for better healthcare and access to that care grow.
Being a creative soul working in such a dynamic landscape allows me to continually learn and push the limits. In my estimation, there are two roles of creativity as it relates to healthcare—building brands and leveraging the rise of technology as a form of marketing—often these are one in the same. In the realm of oncology, the two roles are integral as technology continues to interact with our target audiences at almost every point of their journey in ways we never thought possible. It is an exciting time to work in the high sciences and oncology specifically because we, healthcare marketers, are on the cusp of creating trends and gaining the recognition and respect typically equated with consumer pharma brands. I firmly believe that the new, big brands will be in the oncology/rare disease space and this can only be achieved by applying the same gusto and bravado with which we approached the Crestors and Viagras of the past.
The unknowns that we navigate in these novel digital spaces should be seen as a creative challenge to overcome versus an excuse for hackneyed approaches to connecting with our audiences. Regardless of the many considerations we encounter in our healthcare world—FDA guidelines, access issues, limited budgets—we need to intimately know our audience, where to reach them and how to let them experience a story born out of strategic insights. A commitment to curiosity coupled with a need to elevate the status quo will ensure that healthcare continues on its trajectory to inspire the wellbeing of all people through novel and never seen before approaches.
