Welcome. Part of Propeller’s mission and promise is to be at the forefront of digital. We consistently strive to bring innovation and creativity to our healthcare partners and their customers.
It is in this spirit that we curate a quarterly experience, strategically selecting the latest, most important digital marketing trends and tech innovations—and assess the impact each of these has in healthcare, and why it’s important for you to know, now.
Together, let’s be experts and so on the Pulse!
Navigating Authenticity
Simply put, brand transparency is showing a company’s most authentic, real side. It’s when a brand is open, honest, and accessible in its communications and customer relationships
In fact, the days of perfectly editorialized content are over. Brands must be more open, raw, and radical—from clarity on product ingredients and how it’s made to sharing the values and makings-of of the company
According to Stackla, an AI-powered user-generated content platform and dynamic asset manager, 86% of consumers say authenticity is important when deciding what brands they like and support. They feel a deeper connection and understanding to what the brand stands for
Healthcare brands can incorporate brand transparency by being honest in messaging and communications, using social media to talk directly to consumers, keeping support services open and straightforward, and using first-hand customer feedback and points of view to tailor the narrative
Qualitative and quantitative data make it more possible for brands to offer superior, more meaningful customer experiences. Getting inside the minds and preferences of customers, marketers can fine-tune personal experiences and strengthen 1:1 emotional connections
Leveraging User Generated Content is an organic opportunity for healthcare brands to be authentic and connect with peopleFor example, Novartis uses its Twitter page as a two-way sharing platform for individual real-life stories and inquiries, elevating points of view to inform followers. On the other side, Novartis responds with valuable information and addresses patients. By engaging with those who reach out to them directly, Novartis is creating a transparent dialogue in a strategic setting
Leveraging memes to show yourbrand authenticity
According to a Sprout study, 81% of consumers surveyed said brands must be transparent on social media—memes are a way to do just that
Marketing a business through memes is becoming widely popular, as it’s a way to freshen up content and hold users’ attention. If deployed correctly, the meme can go viral
Living into brand transparency, marketers must ensure that the meme represents the brand’s voice—and engages customers for what they stand for
Companies use memes to share information in a fun and memorable format, humanize their brand through a demonstration of personality, showcase complicated concepts like company culture uniquely, foster community, and obtain higher engagement with their audience
What matters today is different than what mattered in the past. To connect with customers in more meaningful ways, a new approach must be taken—and that’s focusing on purpose
Purpose-driven marketing is a type of marketing where the brand connects with its audience on causes they both believe in. The brand’s messaging aligns with the customer’s beliefs and, in turn, that customer believes in and supports that brand
According to Deloitte Global Marketing Trends Report, companies that make long-term contributions to society and do more for the communities they serve are creating stronger connections with their customers and more significant business results
See the brands that are leading the way with purpose-driven marketing across verticals:
Purpose-driven missions are an important tactic for companies in the healthcare industry. Whether a brand is championing diversity and inclusion or working toward health equity, customers are drawn to pharmaceutical and medical companies that are furthering the world and greater good
Healthcare brands and marketers who build socially conscious business models will attract the most loyal following and engagement because people want to support brands that align with their personal beliefs and morals
Purpose-driven missions can be effective in both local and national contexts. Once a company has established its purpose, it can be put into action on a micro level that solves problems for particular populations or communities—and scaled wider for surround-sound awareness and visibility
Tips to master purpose-driven marketing: Content should 1) reflect the company’s values and show it is tuned in to customers’ concerns; 2) aim to solve problems and drive social change, such as inclusivity and sustainability; and 3) keep humanity at the forefront
Live Exchange: A concept that is not novel but continues to evolve and take new forms. It’s the ongoing creativity and innovation in connected platforms and social products that makes it a trend we keep a continued “pulse” on
The concept of “live exchange” can be brought to life through many modalities, including social media, virtual video rooms, events, forums, and more; they all offer a place for joint discussion and virtual exchange
Nothing is more authentic than real-time content, seamlessly captured and delivered to people across the world through both push and pull exchange. The instantaneous nature, especially when we cannot be face to face, offers the closest natural experience and organically brings people together over a shared interest or topic
Social platforms are continuously evolving their “live exchange” features that allow users to conveniently create and share their own authentic content in real time. Healthcare brands can leverage the opportunities for organic and paid content featuring KOLs/Digital Opinion Influencers, advocates, and moreInspired by popular app Cameo, Facebook’s new Super feature lets creators, entrepreneurs, and key stakeholders host live, interactive video events; Super facilitates high-profile interviews and interactions, while also providing personal video messagesLinkedIn is following suit in activating their own “Stories” element; brands can livestream from events or bring 24-hour rep/KOL bite-size content to HCPs in the most professionally curated social spaceTwitter’s new Fleet function allows brands to post real-time content that lasts for only one day, and healthcare brands can use it as a tool to dive into more candid conversations around productsCurrently in beta, audio-chat app Clubhouse has become the space for people to discuss a wide range of topics in virtual audio “rooms.” The fluid conversations that Clubhouse “rooms” nurture is an opportunity for HCPs to take the floor and discuss pressing issues, products, and patient needs with other HCPs
The audio phenomenon in social
Audio-chat is a hands-free audio conferencing capability that enables people to communicate via voice messaging in a way that’s immediate, efficient, and collaborative. It matches the lifestyles and consumption preferences for people today
Audio-social apps have launched before, but never in a time of mass social isolation and screen fatigue. Scrolling is now replaced with live listening and talking. And because you can only hear everyone’s voices, the interactions with complete strangers can feel oddly intimate—like listening to a podcast where you can talk back
Conversational artificial intelligence (AI) refers to technologies, like chatbots or voice assistants, that users can talk to
Chatbots work by analyzing and processing user input and matching it with the most appropriate response from a database of answers. How they accomplish this is what distinguishes the simple bots from the AI conversation agents
It can handle requests at a higher volume than humans, provide relevant and correct information faster, and increase accuracy and complexity over time
Conversational AI is ever-evolving. And, what’s erupting now for the technology is far beyond what has been imagined. It can detect and comprehend emotion from a conversation, responding accordingly via Emotional Intelligence (EI), interacting with people in a humanlike way
Conversational AI can use video to capture and recognize people’s facial expressions. Pairing these facial cues with someone’s voice inflection and word choice allows chatbots to fully process someone’s emotion and react accordingly
According to Orbita, conversational AI is making bigger headway with text chatbots compared to voice activations; for healthcare brands, and specifically pharmaceuticals, current legal guardrails and compliant limitations restrict the creativity and back-and-forth conversation
Conversational AI is advancing the dialogue between a patient and chatbot, shifting it to be more intimate than that with a doctor. With the advancement of their EI capabilities, conversational chatbots pick up on social signals, raw emotions, facial expressions, and written text, just like in real-life interpersonal encounters
Data and the ongoing feedback loop captured by conversational AI can help healthcare brands and marketers develop a deeper understanding of the patient-doctor, rep-doctor relationship, as well as help shape industry trends. The richer the data, the more informed future brand initiatives, marketing campaigns, and product launches will be
Meet conversational virtualassistant Sensley
Sensley is a multilingual virtual medical assistant that enhances the healthcare experience while building trust with the patient. Its AI bridges the gap between human and computer language, making communication between the two easy and natural
Sensley can assess patient symptoms using speech, text, images, and video to interpret symptoms and recommend a diagnosis. “She” can even detect the urgency of a case—determining whether self-care or a doctor consult is necessary and even determining if something’s an emergency
Users love Sensley because of its practicality. It connects to Bluetooth-enabled healthcare tools, such as scales and blood pressure monitors, making it a valuable tool for medical practitioners
Holograms enable the formation of 3D images that vary position as the viewer moves, creating an extremely realistic and dimensional visual from every angle and perspective, not just head-on
Where standard imaging technology uses a lens, holograms use electromagnetic fields and lasers to bring a visual to life
Holograms can be created quickly, making the technology highly suitable for mass production. According to the current analysis of Reports and Data, the global Medical Holography market was valued at $269.7 million in 2018 and is expected to reach $2.09 billion by 2026
Holograms offer precise coordination that brings both medical devices and human body parts to life—making them an advanced tool for healthcare marketing
Live image generations of diseases, organ dysfunctionalities, and medical devices allow HCPs to make a more informed decision about the kind of medical device or tool that’s most critical to the operation or success of their practice and patient
Not only are holograms a key tool for HCPs in their decision making, but they can also help patients see and understand their diagnosis and treatment plan better—working as an educational tool for HCPs who have trouble getting patients to jump on board for treatment
A new realm for medical devices
Introducing HYPERVSN 3D Catalog, a hologram service that brings products to life in 3D. Users can browse through holographic versions of products with a single swipe of their hand, creating a new way for medical professionals to make purchase decisions
This technology can bring the MD shopping experience to life, allowing HCPs to engage and understand products on a deeper level
A recent partnership between HYPERVSN 3D technology and Coca-Cola revealed a 12% increase in product sales, and 90% of “shoppers” spent at least 15 seconds engaging with the product and brand
