This post was created in partnership with Publicis Health
Key takeaways
- Healthcare no longer begins at a doctor’s office, and marketers need to adjust to that reality.
- Marketers should consider how to empower patients and help them understand the vast amount of data at their fingertips.
- Health marketers now need to consider how AI plays into the patient journey.
A health journey can now begin long before a formal moment of care, sparked by a smartwatch vibration, a TikTok scroll, or a question typed into an AI chatbot. The shift gives consumers more ways to engage with their health, and marketers many more signals to interpret.
During an ADWEEK House Advertising HQ group chat co-hosted with Publicis Health, healthcare leaders discussed how AI, data, creativity, and culture are reshaping the patient experience.
The first signal can come from anywhere
The conversation opened with a simple question: Where did each speaker recently turn for health advice? Their answers reflected a journey that now flows among devices, platforms, personal networks, and clinical settings.
The range of responses underscored how far health influence has moved beyond the doctor’s office. Peter Scherr, CMO of Noom, shared that his father’s Apple Watch detected a heart anomaly, prompting him to seek care that eventually led to a pacemaker. “He consulted the device before his doctor,” Scherr said. “It drove home the point that health is everywhere.”
Matt McNally, global CEO of Publicis Health, said the industry is building on the long-running focus on the empowered patient. People have more information and tools than ever, but the journey has become more complex and continuous. “With the tools we have now, it’s our job to help people navigate the healthcare journey,” McNally noted.
