2. Introduction
Health and wellness has captured the attention of the technology industry.
Two of the largest technology gatherings, SXSW Interactive and Consumer
Electronics Show (CES) have expanded focus on health and wellness tracks.
As health behavior change specialists, Ogilvy CommonHealth Worldwide has
had teams attend these as well as other industry events to understand what
innovations are going to impact our industry, who is leading the charge, and
how these new products are going to change the lives of patients, caregivers,
and healthcare professionals.
Our innovation team has identified the following trends and technologies
that we believe are likely to affect the healthcare industry this year.
3. An R&D Mindset inHealthcare Marketing
Facebook hangs posters touting “Done is better than perfect” and “Move
fast and break things,” while Google[x] notoriously rewards failure to
encourage people to drop “doomed ideas.” But say “research and
development” (R&D) almost anywhere in marketing these days and you'll get
quite the look. R&D is just for scientists and engineers, right? With so much
data available, the assumption is we should be able to target to an N of 1.
Unfortunately, that's not the case — quite the opposite, in fact.
Testing and optimization have always been at the core of marketing. Long
before the Internet, our own David Ogilvy famously said, “Never stop
testing, and your advertising will never stop improving.” Today he'd tell you
that that makes you good, but testing and optimizing will make you very,
very, very, very, very good.
4. An R&D Mindset inHealthcare Marketing
(continued)
Having access to mountains of data hasn't negated core philosophies, it has
only made them more important. If, for instance, we can lead with a
targeted social campaign that we test and optimize, then the insights can
extend the process out to all the major efforts.
In an environment where the variable cost of additional assets and changes
is very high, pharma tends to shy away from testing and optimizing. But a
little diligence upfront can go a long way toward effectiveness. Social may be
taboo for some, but predictive modeling in campaign and asset testing can
help make small tweaks to media that can make it massively more effective
down the line.
For pharma brands, this type of R&D budget will provide the “holy grail” of
innovation and a proven model that teams require to scale brands and help
carve out niches in a competitive environment. Start small, build multiple
versions, and get them approved at the same time. Then manage your
marketing and figure out what's working and why.
5. RealityIs Becoming More Augmented &
Virtual
Augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) seem to have made the list of
big technology developments every year for the past few years, as has
mobile. That said, AR/VR made some really important strides this past year.
Facebook's purchase of VR headset maker Oculus for $2 billion back in early
2014 sent shocks through the technology industry. While AR/VR interactions
are scoped to be the future of computing, even Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg
notes that the technologies are currently in their awkward stage.
Along with Facebook's Oculus purchase was Google's announcement that
the controversial Google Glass AR project was moving from their
experimental Google[x] group into the main company.
6. RealityIs Becoming More Augmented &
Virtual (continued)
Microsoft also surprised the industry with the announcement of Hololens,
AR glasses that allow you to interact with virtual imagery that the device
inserts into your real-world view.
AR is about real-world experience and it's quickly becoming a multichannel
experience. Starting with hi-res 3D video imagery, content can be
repurposed across many channels. Other examples of other AR/VR
initiatives include Space, a tablet and glasses technology for medical
education and training, Samsung's glasses-less 3D television, and Google
Cardboard, a low-cost VR experience that makes use of currently available
smartphones.
AR/VR content assets can also be included on the web, in interactive rep
details, and even distributed as videos to play anywhere. Add hands-free
motion sensors like Leap Motion or Kinect or the ability to print parts of the
experience in 3D, and the possibilities of AR/VR content creation are
limitless.
7. Wearables Are a Force to Reckon With
Wearables have arrived. 2014 ushered in wearables as both a consumer
trend and one of the new fetish objects for the technorati. The trend is not
letting up as devices become smaller and find themselves on our faces,
wrists, and clothing. The market is not projected to slow down: the market
for smart watches is projected at $3.1 billion, with over 11 million units in
the market. Fitness bands will have over 20 million units in market, and a
new category of smart eyewear will break $120 million.
CES kicked off in 2015 with a huge showing in the wearables industry, from
Samsung's Simband, which can produce upwards of 1GB of data daily, to
Intel's biometric earbuds, and the Muse headset, which measures brain
activity and cognitive function.
As the wearables space matures, widespread sales of smartphones and
incentives from employers and insurers will likely change the market in
surges. Patients will become comfortable with sharing data, and influencers
will emerge teaching patients how to use their data for better outcomes
and care.
8. Wearables Are a Force to Reckon With
(continued)
The FDA opened 2015 with draft guidance on what it deemed “low-risk
devices.” While not groundbreaking, the draft guidance drew the lines in the
sand for most consumer devices on the market today, and to what extent
pharma can leverage them.
As consumers (our patients) begin to leverage their wearable devices and the
data they generate to manage their health and wellness, pharma will look to
leverage this data to provide context in the information they provide: how do
metrics such as pulse rate, blood pressure, and quality of sleep equate to a
condition or particular state of disease?
Unfortunately, the wearable-device market for consumers is still young and
very much in flux. As new devices and sensors are coming to market quickly,
each supported by isolated platforms, a new industry of health data
aggregators has sprung up. But with all this flux, choosing a device to
support can be hard. Brands plan to be around for years, but specific
wearable devices will quickly come and go. This makes the decision to go
with support for a range of devices versus focusing on what any one device
can accomplish.
9. Connectedand Data-RichHealthcare
Concepts of connected health and the Internet of things mark a dramatic
shift in the way healthcare will be delivered in the future. More than half of
Americans surveyed by telemedicine group A & D Medical say they want
connected health solutions to help manage conditions and wellness. Such
solutions would give healthcare professionals (HCPs) flexibility in monitoring,
improve the quality of data, and allow personalized alerts for individual
patients.
So what is holding us back? The biggest challenge facing the industry is the
lack of standards for developers and manufacturers. Right now there is an
influx in the market of connected devices and sensors. With major players
like Google, Apple, Samsung, Intel and Qualcomm all participating in the
space, standards need to be developed to help facilitate adoption of
technologies and to help the industry move away from proprietary data
formats.
10. Connectedand Data-RichHealthcare
(continued)
Adoption of wearable sensors can be seen in sports. Recently, the NFL has
begun using sensors to aid in the evaluation of college prospects. Sensors
provide an immense amount of data to help the teams decide on whom to
select and when. Downstream, the data collected can further the study of
anatomy, and possibly find ways to prevent sports-related injuries in the
future.
The adoption of sensors and connected devices by the NFL introduces the
notion of quantitative analysis to support decisions. This will also apply to
clinical decision making outside of the clinical environment, providing insight
that was previously unavailable to HCPs. Commonly, when patients self-
report data and observations, they are providing HCPs inaccurate
information. They often are reporting from memory and struggle to provide
the detail necessary or are afraid of being honest because they do not want
to disappoint their doctor. We are now experiencing the Health Technology
Revolution.
11. Healthcare Access for Everyone
As healthcare reform takes hold, thousands of Americans are signing up for
healthcare. For many, this is their first time getting health insurance, and any
language and education barriers may make the usually complex healthcare
system even more difficult.
Pharma marketers need to make sure that healthcare communications
are clear and actionable, especially for people with lower-than-normal
reading skills.
12. Healthcare Access for Everyone
(continued)
It's likely that these new entrants have access to the Internet and
smartphones, and have used their devices to search online and to watch
videos on sites like YouTube. Knowing this, healthcare marketers will need to
make sure that videos are clear about health conditions, treatments, and the
compliance routine for people who are new to the language of the
healthcare industry. Health and treatment processes can be pretty
intimidating for anyone already familiar with it, let alone someone who is
new to the system. Using video can bridge the gap for people who are more
comfortable watching and learning. This is especially important if these
people use English as a second language. The video imagery can make it
easier for them to go back and watch sections again, until they feel
comfortable with the information.
Pharma companies should be investing in simple, affordable videos that
clearly communicate health conditions, treatments, and health compliance.
Care should be taken to balance video-production quality with clear,
comprehensive, and accessible content.
13. Consumer Technology Leaders Becoming
Healthcare Influencers
Apple, Google, and Microsoft are all competing, not only in the hardware
space, with significant and important platforms to acquire data, but more
critically, in managing your health and fitness data.
Apple is the favored leader, with HealthKit already in market and many app
developers porting their fitness apps to the local device database and taking
full advantage of the health data visualizer.
14. Consumer Technology Leaders Becoming
Healthcare Influencers (continued)
At their annual I/O developer conference in June 2014, Google announced
Google Fit, an open platform running on their Android platform that will
store and manage data from the Google Wear device platform and a wide
variety of other health accessories. Microsoft predated both Apple's and
Google's efforts with a cloud-based records-management solution titled
HealthVault. Microsoft now has an updated product offering in wearables
and their own data aggregator called Microsoft Health app.
A late entry, but still one of the largest players in this space, Facebook is also
making a play into healthcare. As the #1 global social network, Facebook
unites people with like interests and ideas to share. Chronic diseases are
plentiful in their representation, and as baby boomers continue to adopt
Facebook, there is an increasing expansion of health-related communities,
forums, and groups.
15. Consumer Technology Leaders Becoming
Healthcare Influencers (continued)
Though Facebook is the only purely social platform in the mix, each of these
significant offerings has social elements at their core. Pharmaceutical
marketers will quickly need to galvanize themselves with guidelines and
figure out a governed approach to social networking.
Beyond that, these big players are the cutting edge in both technology
development and user experiences. Historically, pharma has maintained a
level of customer experience and engagement well below that of other
industries. And the pharma industry has gotten a pass.
However, as third parties like Google and Apple become more invested in
health, they will leverage their consumer industry expertise to quickly raise
the experience and engagement expectations of healthcare stakeholders and
hire against the knowledge of healthcare they lack.
Savvy marketers will recognize the opportunities for their brands and
establish processes and partnerships early on to take advantage.
16. Open and Actionable Health Data
There are many trends in healthcare behavior change, but the one
overarching trend has to be data. From wearables to electronic health
records (EHRs), to social and beyond, data is an enabling platform that drives
them all.
On the consumer side, we have over 150 wearable devices on the market
providing personalized lifestyle data. On the professional side, we have EHR
systems that consolidate health records. In the middle are three major health
and wellness data aggregators: Apple's HealthKit, Google's Fit, and
Microsoft's Health, all released last year. Supporting them are tools like
HealthData.gov, which provides over 1,700 data sets from the U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) open-data initiative.
17. Open and Actionable Health Data
(continued)
There is a breadth of data available, but data without interpretation or
visualization is not useful. Pharma has to become savvier at understanding
the resources available to them and the business models they are competing
against. It's no longer a brand-on-brand battle for attention. Major
platforms, government, and innovative third parties are all part of the
landscape of data gathering and exchange.
Healthcare marketing has become less about advertising and more about
behavior change, with positive outcomes as the primary performance
indicator. In the digital world, we can measure ourselves on effectiveness at
both the tactical and patient level. The most successful programs are those
that provide the most value to our audiences. Liberated data is the first step
to garnering the actionable insights that will help differentiate your brand
from others.
18. 3D Printing Matures
In short, 3D printing is poised to disrupt healthcare. In fact, the reality is that
3D printing is already shaking up the industry.
Already in 2015 it was reported that MakerBot PLA Filament was used to 3D-
print custom tracheal scaffolding, which was combined with living cells to
create a tracheal segment. In another example, a surgeon printed a 3D
model of a little girl's skull to get a better idea of how to perform surgery. In
yet another example, a man aided in saving his wife's life by 3D-printing a
tumor that was misread and sending it to a doctor to convince him to try a
new procedure.
Surgeons and researchers are already using 3D printing for practice and
experimentation with human prosthetics and small implants. It is an
attractive technology for surgeons because it is easy to use, inexpensive,
reduces cost of experimentation, and has the potential for patient
customization. As more physicians get access to the hardware, we are
expecting to see newer uses for 3D printing in patient surgery, treatment,
and beyond.
19. 3D Printing Matures
(continued)
3D printing is more than just a novelty. It has the potential to shake up
traditional models in the same way downloadable mp3s shook up the music
industry. To truly take advantage of the space, pharma marketers need to
understand the capabilities and limitations of the technology. But more than
that, new models require new ways of thinking that can't be learned
overnight.
In the same way NASA was able to email a wrench to space, innovations like
the Open Hand Project have evolved the prosthetics industry while making it
affordable to more people. Companies like Hershey are experimenting using
3D printers with food production. Bio-printing and cell augmentation are
some of the highly anticipated applications of 3D printing not far over the
horizon.
20. Unstoppable Mobile Adoption
There is so much going on in this space, we could write only about the many
facets of mobile marketing alone. According to eMarketer, mobile is the #1
place marketers plan to increase spending in 2015.
So what's driving this? Starting with social, consumers are far more likely to
check their favorite social platform from a mobile device. Mobile search is
also tipping past desktop despite the difficulty in calculating true ROI (ie,
what's the value of reading a review while standing in an aisle?). Mobile ROI
is being bolstered by location-aware technologies such as near field
communication, geofencing, and iBeacons. Combine this with apps, feeds,
podcasts, and videos in media and the general multiscreen engagement,
personal nature of the device, sophisticated segmentation, and contextual
messaging, and we're well positioned for a marketing gold rush in mobile
advertising.
21. Unstoppable Mobile Adoption
(continued)
Smartphones are ubiquitous. Tablets are in a majority of physicians' routines
and in many patients' homes. The old display-advertising model is changing
rapidly from point-of-sale to an always-on, always-available, multiscreen
ecosystem of connected experiences. As a result, we need to expose users to
brands on any device in any location or mode of engagement.
Just a few years ago only a small percentage of Fortune 500 companies had a
mobile experience on their website. Today, most have at least a mobile-
specific experience, and many even have a responsive design. In healthcare,
that number has remained low, but it's given us the opportunity to leapfrog
the multiyear learning process, skipping right to great experiences.
On the app side, there are lots of “over-the-counter apps” out there to help
manage our health from a wellness perspective, but this year also saw the
first prescription-only app, BlueStar, which helps people with type 2 diabetes.
Looking forward, though, to do the things we need to do to make real
change in healthcare, we're going to have to bite the bullet and get some
more apps approved by the FDA.
22. It's All About the (Social) Network
Social is a feral animal to healthcare marketers: mired in mystery, draped in
risk, and difficult to justify the investment for pharmaceutical brands. With
Facebook installed on almost 80% of smartphones and Twitter offering
brands a more controlled advertising platform, healthcare needs to recognize
social media as another channel and must command it as a powerful
communication medium.
Social networking is here. It is established, mature, and, depending on which
blog you read, already an over-the-hill medium. For many pharmaceutical
brands, having a two-way, unmoderated conversation is not a practical
option because of regulation and liability. Recent FDA guidelines, though,
are opening new opportunities for pharma to allow real-time one-to-one
communications and to correct the misinformation that is observed within
social networks. So where do pharmaceutical marketers go with social?
23. It's All About the (Social) Network
(continued)
In 2015, healthcare brands will begin to adapt to a trend already adopted
and proven by packaged and consumer good manufacturers: customer
support via social networks. For regulated industries, this presents several
challenges, but patients and caregivers are already taking to social media to
seek support and identify the best source for care. Not being present in this
space will leave large gaps in communication and open an opportunity for
competitors.
24. Summary
Technology continues to change the healthcare treatment-and-engagement
landscape at a rapid pace. Where in the past the healthcare industry could
be described as regulation-focused, doctor-led, and predictable, today the
pool of influencers and participants has expanded, bringing about new
approaches to healthcare.
With technology showing no slow down, barriers to healthcare will continue
to fall as patients take more and more control of their health and collaborate
with organizations and specialists of all kinds for health insights and
management. The future of healthcare is technology-dependent,
experiential, personal, connected, and open. As patient and doctor
behaviors and expectations evolve, pharma marketers will need to adopt a
collaborative, test-and-learn mentality to maintain relevance.