Well, Well, Well
A few years back, at a meeting of smart healthcare minds, I had a thought:
What if we put people’s lives at the center of healthcare, instead of their diseases?
Believe it or not, it was a radical idea, to propose seeing the whole person and then creating solutions that made sense for them and their lives. Within the confines of a “traditional” healthcare context, we focus on problems and solutions by default.
In the “real” world, consumer brands and experiences are already shattering that paradigm, creating a wave of consumers who want to think about their health — and wellness — in a new light.
For all the progress and positive trends we see and write about, the reality is we are only reporting on the tip of the spear — those early adopters. The fact remains that among the wealthiest countries in the world, the US makes a depressingly poor showing, and it will take a massive turning of the tide to make a difference.
Our focus at Hornall Anderson is thinking about how brands and people come together — and there’s no category with more potential for good than healthcare. So over the next few months, we’ll be sharing some observations and thinking, and exploring the brave new world of feeling well.
Lifestyle: Habits Versus Brands
At the heart of that “what if” question lies the starting point to address healthcare challenges. To achieve better health, we must avoid overblown fads and instead build sensible habits that lead to a healthy lifestyle. It sounds friendly and rational, right? The food pyramid was designed in this vein, to educate people on how to approach a day’s food choices.
In their book “Switch: How to Change Things when Change is Hard,” Chip Heath and Dan Heath cite the food pyramid as a significant failure. Why? Because if education were a big enough motivator, we would all be a model of good health. People need to be emotionally motivated — to not feel the information is just pushed at them, but be pulled into rich experiences built for them. That’s what makes for a lifestyle change.
And that sounds like a job for a lifestyle brand.
Melanie Whelan, CEO of cult brand SoulCycle, says for them competition is not another spinning class, it’s anything that keeps us from clipping in and tapping it back. So they think of delivering an experience as a production company or a hospitality brand would.
Instead of just another spin class, SoulCycle is, yes, part exercise, but also part dance class, therapy and happy hour. SoulCycle refuses to settle on superior utility alone and insist on being pervasive and irreplaceable in the lives of their tribe.
Do you know somebody who goes to SoulCycle? Would you say they are merely loyal to the brand or all-out evangelicals?
Soul Cycle isn’t a brand people just buy, but they buy into it. They broadcast their love and entice — or in some cases drag — others to participate, too. Suddenly, spinning is contagious. And with their new SoulAnnex launching in New York City, spinning is only the start.
From Discreet Shame to Loud and Proud
In an unusual confluence, there is an undeniable shift underway in attitudes about what it means to work on oneself. Within this are micro-shifts from the fashion and beauty world, as well as health and wellness: a body acceptance movement, rejection of traditional paths to beauty, a focus on progress over perfection, a variety of ways to approach health and expanding definitions of health and happiness. Green juice margarita anyone?
If motivation within healthcare brands of the past was predicated mostly on fear and embarrassment, today’s approach is grounded realness and transparency. Individual struggles and celebratory posts about even the most minor of victories are common daily fodder. Social media has provided the perfect platform to share, connect and be rewarded with social currency for our efforts.
Even an established brand like Weight Watchers can use this social momentum to reassert their place in the market. But finding a fan in Oprah Winfrey, one of the most honest, vulnerable and most influential voices our time, is only a start. By talking to members where they are, leading conversations to look “beyond the scale” and giving people all the tools they need — educational and emotional, online and in meeting rooms — the brand gains new social relevance.
After years of focusing on the program and products, many designed to help people follow the plan in secret, the brand is fostering connection and community once again. Just as founder Jean Nidetch imagined when she started the company in her living room.
What This Means for Health and Wellness Brands
We are witnessing a new wave of health, with emerging brands and old favorites acting with more profound empathy. They realize that making people want health is the first and most often missing ingredient. There is a lot to learn and apply across a variety of challenges and industries. In many ways, it’s never been a better time to ask, “What if we could solve this seemingly unsolvable epidemic?”
Of course, this is much easier said than done.
Stay tuned for more perspectives on health and wellness in the coming months. We’re just getting started.
