In US healthcare, it can often feel like the negatives outweigh the positives. First, there is the complexity of the industry to contend with, from insurance companies to complicated health systems, pharmaceutical companies and ever-changing government assistance plans.
Then, there are the rules. Which doctors and treatments will your specific health insurance cover? Which medicines are in-network doctors allowed to prescribe? Which treatments are legal in your state, and which aren’t? After all that, there’s the cost. Without insurance, medical bills can quickly rack up into tens of thousands of dollars.
Although multiple attempts have been made at reform, today's system remains confusing, frustrating, and exhausting. Because of that, cynicism has crept in.
In fact, a recent Harris Poll survey found that 70% of US adults feel their healthcare system has failed them. Commissioned by the American Academy of Physician Associates, the research saw more than half of the 2,500 adults surveyed award the US healthcare system a grade 'C' or below, with the most common criticisms including the high cost, lack of accessibility, and confusion.
It's not just patients who harbor this cynicism – employees feel pessimistic about the industry too. After suffering through the Covid-19 pandemic, a report by Deloitte found that only 45% of frontline clinicians trust their organization's leadership to do what's right for patients, while even fewer (23%) trust their leadership to do what's right for workers.
In an industry that has people’s lives in its hands, trust is crucial. Patients need to trust their healthcare providers to give them the treatments they need, and businesses need to trust their partners to provide them with the appropriate tools. Cynicism is the enemy of progress; without belief that the industry can improve, people and companies will give up trying.
of US adults feel their healthcare system has failed them.
frontline clinicians trust their organization's leadership to do what's right for patients.
It's not just patients who harbor this cynicism – employees feel pessimistic about the industry too.
Chartis is one business that has had to fight through that pessimism and disbelief. The healthcare advisory firm is driven by a mission to transform the industry by supporting those trying to improve it - whether through legislation, better hospitals, or more frictionless digital experiences for patients.
To win clients, businesses like Chartis need to create belief that things can change for the better. Yet, the competitive positionings of many businesses in the healthcare advisory space revolve around purely rational messages.
“They all talk about being trusted advisors who will drive business impact,” explains Rik Haslam, Brandpie’s executive creative partner, who led our work with Chartis. “That felt quite cold and rational in a space ripe for something different.”
There’s a misconception in B2B marketing that because your customers are businesses, they will only respond to messaging that focuses on performance and cost. That’s not true. The people within those businesses are still just that: people. People are inherently emotional beings who, more often than not, respond to things based on how they feel. And what Chartis needs is for its customers to feel hope.
They all talk about being trusted advisors who will drive business impact. That felt quite cold and rational in a space ripe for something different.Rik Haslam
Executive Creative Partner, Brandpie
However, like its competitors, Chartis had crafted a highly rational positioning in the market, representing a disconnect between its internal and external brands. Internally, the business had an emotionally driven, hope-filled purpose that touched every aspect of its business: ‘To materially improve the delivery of healthcare’. Every employee, from the top to the bottom of the organization, lived and breathed that purpose – but none of that could be seen from the outside.
Through research, it became clear that there was a powerful opportunity for Chartis to better connect its external brand with the purpose and mission driving its people internally and cut through that sea of sameness.
Together, we introduced a new positioning to take into the market: ‘Believe in better’. That statement combines the rational side of the business (delivering ‘better’) and the emotional side (the ‘belief’ that things can improve). Chartis’s verbal and visual identity was revamped accordingly, with the new positioning communicated with a refreshed website and omnichannel campaign.
Frontline clinicians trust their leadership to do what's right for workers.
There’s a misconception in B2B marketing that because your customers are businesses, they will only respond to messaging that focuses on performance and cost. That’s not true.
The healthcare industry doesn’t have to resign itself to defeat. The industry indeed has challenges to overcome, and trust is a hard-earned commodity in that environment. But emotionally-driven, purpose-focused messaging can be the key to cutting through that negativity and winning the trust of patients and business partners alike.
“Against the industry's dysfunction and cynicism, a more optimistic message will resonate better with all of your audiences and those who want to make their work more impactful,” Haslam says. “It’s a much-needed story, and it’s something much more hopeful for all of us.”
If you're a healthcare leader struggling to cut through the industry’s endemic cynicism or to translate your corporate purpose into your external brand, we can help. In addition to Chartis, we've helped clients including AstraZeneca, Hikma, and Clario to transform their businesses. Contact us here if you want us to do the same for you.
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