July 13, 2009

Marketing Past Denial

Wayne Glowac

Dean Halverson

There it goes again. That sharp twinge running from your tooth to your brain when you drink a glass of cold water, or bite down on a nut. You’re pretty sure it’s not going to go away and that it’s going to get worse with every day you delay.

Yet still you hold off on calling the dentist.

Procrastination is human nature. Yet it illustrates one of the reasons why healthcare marketing is so challenging.

Because, even if there is such a thing as a “rational consumer,” he or she is difficult to find when it comes to healthcare.

This means that as much as the economics of healthcare in the United States have affected the way consumers use the system, other very powerful forces are in play, too.

These include individual psychological issues, family dynamics, cultural attitudes towards health, aging and views on end-of-life.

The extent to which individuals, or even large social groups, are steeped in denial regarding their health has a direct effect on the financial choices they make regarding care, prevention and insurance. Is it any wonder that the generation who hoped to die before they got old hasn’t done much planning for their retirement?

What does this mean for healthcare marketing? What ways have you found to connect with consumers who don’t want to acknowledge their very real need for what you’re selling?

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