Driving conversations on the future of health

This post is sponsored by Philips.

Healthcare decision makers are typically time and attention-strapped, with complex issues such as rising medical costs, an increasing burden of chronic diseases and an ageing population to deal with, among others. How did Philips reach this audience and reinforce its leadership within the complex and crowded healthcare ecosystem?

Philips, long known as a consumer electronics company, also had to reinforce its current capacity as a global health technology leader, particularly to government policymakers and hospital C-suite executives.

Leveraging the company’s global proprietary study, the Future Health Index (FHI), Philips shed light on the pressing future healthcare population challenges and addressed the need to build sustainable health systems amid ageing populations, the rising cost of healthcare and a shortage of healthcare professionals.

To do this, Philips had to cut through the clutter to stand out in a crowded news and government agenda. Philips achieved this in 2019 with data-driven insights to tell a comprehensive, B2B industry-focused story in a relatable way. This secured coverage across key media, from not just the healthcare industry, but also mainstream, technology and business titles.

1. Driving the media story with data

Data that makes sense to health organisations might not be as digestible or pertinent to the media. Analysing past healthcare media coverage on Singapore’s efforts to improve healthcare, build more hospitals and bring care to communities, and armed with concrete data on the state of healthcare, the team leveraged local FHI data to form unique insights around doctors’ current adoption of technology and presented new angles for healthcare conversations.

For example, data reflected that healthcare practitioners (HCPs) had been encouraging consumers to monitor their daily health statistics via wearables, but were consumers sharing this data with their HCPs for actionable advice? Having collated responses from both the healthcare provider’s and recipient’s perspectives, Philips could paint an accurate and compelling picture of the need for new technology such as artificial intelligence (AI).

Ahead of the launch of the report, the team leveraged media relationships to create earned media story opportunities, supported journalists with data and secured interviews for key spokespersons. This pre-emptive approach helped top local and regional media understand the challenges and opportunities for Singapore’s healthcare system in relation to their audiences, resulting in impactful stories across dailies and trade publications at the launch.

2. Healthcare leader roundtable

Working within the boundaries of an industry that manages highly sensitive data, Philips hosted a C-suite closed-door discussion with key healthcare leaders across the public and private sectors. The findings of the FHI 2019 report were shared with them for context and to guide the conversation parameters.

This mix of voices from across the healthcare ecosystem was key to providing a multi-faceted discussion on complex topics. Stakeholders valued the face-to-face discussion with esteemed and influential members of their industry, supported by Philips.

The impact of this event was felt long after it closed – a post-event report for participants also sustained engagement and built industry ties for further collaboration and discussion. Important business relationships were also formed.

3. Driving longevity and credibility with a repository of insights and perspectives

Taking a far-sighted approach, Philips ASEAN Pacific created a regional microsite: FHI ASEAN Pacific microsite. This is where Philips’ regional executives, local executives and healthcare professionals and key opinion leaders regularly contribute perspectives on the unique healthcare challenges specific to Asia Pacific.

All executive perspectives leveraged FHI insights, emphasising the relevance of this proprietary study to diverse subject topics under the healthcare umbrella. For example, one article discusses the difficulty of providing accessible and affordable healthcare for large, dispersed populations across islands, such as Indonesia or the Philippines.

This microsite gave Philips the platform to continue building on the momentum of the data, while being a “home” for updated perspectives and future FHI reports. More significantly, this platform provided a means for industry stakeholders to regularly engage with Philips via locally relevant insights.

In a campaign that worked smartly with data, Philips achieved its aim of being at the forefront of media/news agendas, and kick-starting policymaking and industry discussions on the future of healthcare. Key to this was the identification of the gap in media coverage on healthcare topics to secure a unique footing in the news agenda and interest from targeted stakeholders.

Despite their economic advancement, countries such as Singapore can face rising challenges in meeting the future healthcare needs of their population.

Issues such as ageing populations and rising chronic illnesses point to oncoming challenges where existing healthcare policies and infrastructure might be inadequate to provide the care needed. Brands should set out to address genuine challenges. This is how we can spark meaningful conversations and drive resonance with key public stakeholders.