How Health Communications Will—and Should Be Changed

If you’d told me a year ago that global healthcare would find inspiration on a Michelin star menu, I would probably have choked on my steak and frites. Then, Covid-19 happened. And it’s rewritten the recipe for health communications. It’s been 12 months since the World Health Organization declared a pandemic—and it’s totally reshaped our health experiences. The hospitality industry has been hit hard by lockdown, but the sector is already adapting. Smart restaurants are turning the dine-out concept on its head to bring Michelin star experiences into our homes. "Makeaways" (where top chefs do the heavy lifting, package it into a meal kit and leave the finishing touches to us) are trending. Restaurants have built the best of digital into the experience. Online ordering, menu cards with QR codes linked to video demos, chefs livestreaming cooking with interactive Q&A, social platforms to share photos and build community. The food tastes amazing—but the comms are just as important as the coulis. These same tools are helping the fight against the virus. Health experiences are arguably the most important of all—they can change and save our lives. And specialist communications is the secret sauce that flavors them. We’re seeing QR codes on home testing kits, or in everyday venues for test and trace. We’ve had video explainers of the R-Rate [rate of the coronavirus infection] and how to conduct a lateral flow. Clinical studies have gone multimedia, with researchers embracing digital to recruit and support participants. And throughout these journeys, data is being used to help personalize experiences. Our job, moving forward, is to make these simple innovations mainstream in health: for Covid-19, chronic conditions, cancers, rare disease, mental health ... everything. The crisis has shown us that experiences matter. It’s changed the scope and purpose of health advertising forever. It’s no longer just about communicating messages; it’s about enhancing the experience and removing friction from the journey. Here are three takeaways on what we can learn from makeaways to create better health experiences: Unbox creativity Embed QR codes into everyday experiences, like a trip to the pharmacy: Pick up your prescription and automatically get tailored messages to raise awareness of the signs of disease or support for your condition. It’s one option to bring messages home in creative, engaging and relevant ways. Expect healthtech to unbox more apps, telehealth and digital solutions to support individualized healthcare at the next CES. Learn from experts Every sector has its own version of the celebrity chef. In the last year, scientists have moved to center stage. When health experiences directly connect us with specialists that can offer direct answers to our questions, we’re more confident and inspired to do the right things. Expect tomorrow’s health communications to be more open, connected and interactive. Scientists are the new influencers. Co-creation is key Like a great meal out (or in), the best experiences are shared. It’s only by bringing everyone and everything together— doctors, scientists, creatives, patients, tech, data, brands—that we can share perspectives and ideas to create frictionless experiences that improve health. Expect collaboration across the health ecosystem to increase, with greater diversity and inclusion. That’s the new recipe for connected health. It’s time to apply the thinking to every aspect of healthcare and start dishing up some Michelin star experiences.

Voice

How Health Communications Will—and Should Be Changed—by Covid-19

It’s no longer just about communicating messages

Claire Gillis

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Claire Gillis