Creating a bridge of trust for consumer health brands, via HCPs

The good news for consumer health brands is that millennials place great value on health and reinforcing a healthy living philosophy in their children: generation Z and Alpha.¹

The not-so-good news is that when selecting healthcare products, these consumer groups rely on information provided by manufacturers of more trusted premium consumer products, only to then purchase less-expensive alternatives, frequently online.¹

This purchasing practice of course creates a problem for marketeers of premium healthcare brands. How can the trust consumers originally engendered in their product be leveraged to drive purchase? What might motivate consumers to spend a few dollars more on your trusted product?

Where a consumer healthcare product has been manufactured by a pharmaceutical company, it would seem logical that strict regulations in this industry might influence a purchasing decision based on trust and provenance. But with low health literacy amongst most consumers, this line of thinking may hold insufficient sway.²

Bloggers who endorse products may lack any genuine authority around claims in the pharmaceutical category. 

This is where HCP endorsement – GPs, pharmacists, dentists, nurses, etc. – can come in. They have a relationship with their customers and patients, and possess expertise in guiding choice of products. They are also well-versed in explaining health issues – both problems and treatments - in a language that consumers and patients can easily understand. 

However, after many years of evidenced-based medical training, gaining trust with HCPs to recommend your product is not necessarily a simple task. Competitor brands may also be vying for their endorsement. 

Consequently, this type of marketing requires the sort of strategic, rigorous approach that we at AS&K can provide – with our team of scientific, digital, and advertising experts. 

Drawing on our broad range of skills, we put our heads together to determine what value-based tools and/or communications your brand might deliver to help improve the professional lives of HCPs and wellbeing of their patients or customers. 

We then create a raft of multichannel, creative assets, backed by the science that the HCPs seek in anything they recommend. 

Get this marketing approach right, and your brand can gain trust with HCPs. They in effect become loyal agents for your product – passing on the importance of its provenance and inherent trust to their patients and customers/your consumers for years to come. 

If you’d like to find out about how AS&K might help with HCP endorsement as part of your marketing plan, contact Alana.Zdinak@asandk.com for a consultation today.

References

1. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/christinecarter/2017/10/29/the-business-of-feeding-health-conscious-gen-z-and-alpha-children/#58f0e6486b28
2. http://www.healthliteracyplace.org.uk/evidence/what-we-can-do-about-low-health-literacy/