The Courage to Change 

Friends, family, colleagues and even strangers have commented to me that I’m someone who embraces change. I’ve been told my career journey to date has been… unusual. While all of it has been spent in healthcare marketing, the rollout was 26 years leading Comms at a major EHR vendor (4K employees at its apex) after which I leapt with both feet into the agency world. I’m told that most others take the opposite path, going from agency to in-house gigs.  

This year, I made another significant change, leaving an agency healthcare practice that I was instrumental in building (and the incredible people who built it with me) to join a bigger agency with a larger healthcare footprint. As I embark on my tenure at MWW Health, my counsel to many of our client partners is to embrace new ways of thinking. Moving past “we’ve always done it this way” is not easy for healthcare marketing leaders, who have traditionally been surrounded at the leadership level by risk-averse preferences and institutional comfort zones. But as we enter 2025, it is imperative for leaders and their institutions to find the courage to change. As scary as it may sound to healthcare veterans, it truly is a brave new world.  

More Competition For Fewer Potential Patients 

Years of investment in the healthcare sector has birthed innumerable companies competing for the attention of an increasingly exhausted healthcare audience. Dwindling reimbursements combined with rising labor costs and persistent inflation have turned patient acquisition – and in turn, patient eyeballs – into the holy grail. Healthcare marketers from provider systems, urgent cares and clinics, post-acute care sites, pharma, payers and even consumer behemoths are all focused on courting patients. And all of these players have digital tools at their fingertips enabling them to analyze patient data and behaviors with unprecedented accuracy, leading to hyper-effective marketing programs. However, at the end of the day we must remember that patients are people, and as healthcare marketers, we need to ensure all of our programs are structured through a human lens. 

At the same time, the healthcare media ecosystem continues to consolidate, adding another layer of hurdles for brands to overcome as they promote their narrative. When I began my career, there were dozens of healthcare-specific media outlets staffing hundreds of reporters, augmenting robust segments from regional, national, trade and business press. Today, as we all know, that landscape has been dramatically reduced, and earned media has never been more challenging to generate. 

Focus on Message Clarity 

Amidst all this competition, healthcare brands must present a clear, compelling narrative that attracts the desired attention while also driving sales. The market has evolved and there is a very good chance that what matters to your customers and key stakeholders has changed too.  Don’t assume that your historical persona still holds up today, because the audience is savvier and more discerning than ever before – whether an average consumer or a hospital C-suite executive.  

And you may have more wind at your back internally than you may suspect. A recent study of Healthcare CFOs conducted by our client partner Deloitte revealed that when health care finance leaders were asked what levers they are prioritizing, “marketing and branding emerged as the greatest strategic growth priorities for both health plan and health system CFOs.” Isn’t it wonderful when Finance is aligned with Marketing?! 

Across our client partner portfolio, we’re seeing immediate demand for brand assessments, narrative refreshments, and crisis protocols. At a time when things are changing at the speed of light, we are encouraged to see brands adopting a proactive approach rather than “wait and see.” MWW Health offers a comprehensive Messaging Architecture program designed to align stakeholders, sharpen focus, and empower our client partners to emerge with strong narratives that resonate across key stakeholders and deliver bottom-line results. MWW Health also offers a proven Crisis Protocol Development service that ensures you have the right strategies, practices, tools, roles, and counsel in place. All of our programs are designed and delivered by healthcare marketing experts with decades of experience navigating our highly complex and regulated industry.  

The cost of being proactive and intentional about your messaging will be far less than being reactive when you have no other choice. We’re all operating in a reputation-driven economy, and courageous brands are best-positioned to capture media attention and advance their narrative on a national scale.