DTC National Reinforces the Human Element of Consumer Care and the Role Brand Communication Plays in Ensuring Positive Health Outcomes
IQVIA Digital recently joined discussions with brand marketers, advertisers, agencies, medical device and technology brands, and other healthcare and life science professionals at DTC National in Boston, Massachusetts. DTC National is a patient-centric conference at its core, and the sessions on the main stage – and the various breakout tracks focused on multi-cultural health and women’s health – helped reinforce the critical human element in serving the needs of individuals and their caregivers. Additional tracks focused on the rise in importance of hospital and medical device marketing, including a session led by IQVIA experts on best practices to engage DTC and healthcare professional audience with high-value medical device messages.
Consumer marketing’s human element and the effects on mental health in navigating health challenges
The two-day conference critically reinforced that consumers are “people first” and that each person’s patient journey is unique. Sessions also focused on driving improvements in cultural inclusivity and diversity in healthcare and brand marketing, noting for attendees that a “one-size fits all” approach is fundamentally flawed. As brand marketers, our communications strategies and supporting content should be as robust as the patient populations we serve.
Other sessions reminded the audience that healthcare challenges don’t start and stop at the time of diagnosis or onset of therapy. Sharecare, joined by physicians and healthcare influencers, focused on the sobering reality of how mental health can affect patient outcomes – most notably on its’ negative affect on adherence. With many patients surveyed noting that the toll on mental health and managing chronic conditions caused issues with compliance, it is paramount that brands personalize patient support programs focused on reducing burdens on patients and caregivers, allowing the attention to be on treating (and beating!) the conditions they are facing.
Point-of-care marketing’s return to prominence
As COVID-19 restrictions are phased out and society at-large begins to reopen, many consumers are returning to regular in-person consultations to manage their health. As a result, point-of-care marketing has seen a rebound in its role in communicating key brand messages with both patients and health care professionals.
The Point-of-Care Marketing Association stressed how in-office materials play a key role for brands looking to build relationships with newly diagnosed individuals ─ particularly for life-altering diagnoses like cancer and infectious disease. Echoing sentiments shared elsewhere throughout the conference, it was noted that multi-cultural and multi-lingual materials are a necessity in many offices to ensure social determinants of health do not negatively affect portions of the newly diagnosed consumer population.
The latter point was reinforced in a session led by Patient Point which featured Dr. Kashyap Patel of Carolina Blood and Cancer Care Associates. As he noted, one in three cancer deaths in the U.S. would be preventable if socioeconomic disparities could be addressed, the need for brands to partner with healthcare professionals in point-of-care settings is of the utmost importance. “Point-of-care is more than media,” Dr. Patel stated, “it is working with healthcare professionals to improve patient outcomes.” Brands can assist here in many ways, most notably providing materials and programs aimed at reducing the financial burden of treatment, which are critical in bridging this disparity.
Rise in consumer marketing within the Medical Device and MedTech industries
DTC marketing in Medical Device and MedTech has increased in relevance as consumers exhibit more interest in learning about medical devices and stronger preferences in choice of device or technology used in their care. While COVID-19 did play a big role in influencing this behavior shift, new technologies are also allowing for more opportunities to reach and support consumers at home.
Brands must be thoughtful about which digital channels are relevant to their audiences in the moment of opportunity and engagement, whether CTV, linear TV, social, programmatic, or email, and use the right strategy and message to reach consumers across these channels. It’s also critical to ensure that the data used to activate and measure campaigns can seamlessly support end-to-end digital efforts.
Final thoughts on DTC National
With many conferences and white papers rightly focused on what is new, next, and novel in health care as well as on key advances in data and technology, DTC National served as a reminder that all of this is done in service of people in need of care, and alongside the friends and family that support them on their journey. Brands that help to build relationships and offer solutions to reduce burdens ─ mental, emotional, financial ─ will be the most successful in helping to transform lives and improve health outcomes.
To learn more about these themes and how we can work together to improve building relationships with both patients and healthcare professionals, please contact Andrew Burkus and the IQVIA Digital Thought Leadership team at DETL@iqvia.com.
