If you’re involved in health services, you’re likely familiar with the buzz around preventative healthcare. The paradigm shift from treating symptoms to preventing future health issues is not just a trend; it’s an area of growing commercial interest with significant implications.

While a dedicated minority has long prioritised preventative measures, the vast majority of consumers address health concerns only as they arise. This reactive approach is understandable given our finite resources around money, time, and mental energy – especially when they’re often consumed by immediate health issues like a cold or a sprained ankle. However, with half of all American adults having at least one chronic condition, we think the case has now been made for more deliberate and thoughtful interventions [1].

We’re not suggesting that the route forward is simple. Organisationally, for example, this would require a widespread shift in mindset: marketing teams would need to think differently about how to promote a proactive outlook in consumers and where these solutions might fit within a brand portfolio, sales and account teams would need to figure out in-store positioning and secure buy-in from retailers, and R&D teams would need to consider how to build confidence in less tangible benefits through research and science.

Despite the challenges, the potential economic benefits are considerable. Reports suggest that in the UK, up to 18% of GP workloads are related to minor ailments, costing ~ £2 billion annually [2]. These minor ailments could, left untreated, develop into preventable, chronic conditions with far wider consequences for both individual and public health.

For consumer healthcare companies who are willing to put themselves at the forefront of preventative healthcare, there is clearly significant headroom for innovation. Here’s three suggestions for how these companies can reduce the barriers faced by consumers to maximise their chance of success:

1. Find (or create) proxies and make the most of them

• How does a consumer know if a preventative healthcare intervention has really prevented something? It’s difficult to prove a negative. Build confidence in the efficacy of an intervention by making links to proxy benefits that are measurable or highly visible.
• Tooth-brushing is a good example of this: while preventing long-term gum disease and tooth decay, toothpaste advertising often focuses on visibly reducing plaque or minimising gum redness. These more salient benefits are much easier for consumers to see and appreciate, while still having a clear link to the longer-term preventative benefit.
• If these proxy benefits don’t exist naturally, consider creating them. For example, this might be through novel ingredient combinations that provide more noticeable secondary benefits.

2. Harness moments of motivation

• We hypothesise that consumers are most motivated to prevent future instances of an acute illness or symptom flare-up when they’re in the midst of one. Bring prevention to the forefront of consumers’ minds when motivation is at its height.

• Allergy medications, such as antihistamines and nasal sprays, can prevent allergy symptoms in addition to actively treating them. When consumers seek out these products to treat their symptoms, marketers already double down on the preventative benefits as this is when consumers will be most receptive to future prevention.

• Consider bundling preventative interventions with reactive ones, like cold relief medication alongside an immunity supplement. This ensures that you are speaking to consumers about prevention when we think they are most likely to be receptive. Taking this approach means you’re also able to make the most of the opportunity to maintain continuity of engagement with users following an acute illness, to embed preventative measures.

3. Reduce the mental load

• Our lives are busier than they’ve ever been. Telling consumers to add “just one more thing” to their daily routines can be a disproportionately large barrier to entry. Tap into routines and habits that consumers are already doing to minimise the mental load required to introduce preventative healthcare interventions.

• Skincare and cosmetic products now regularly include sun protection as standard. For those consumers who are already applying creams and make-up daily, there is no additional mental energy required to protect against skin cancer and skin ageing.

• Different consumer groups have different daily routines. Ask your consumers about their unique habits and routines to find places to insert preventative healthcare interventions that feel natural and seamless.

It’s clear that introducing preventative healthcare products into the market presents unique challenges. We believe that the most successful players will be those which have approached these challenges with a holistic mindset. As consumer mindsets shift towards proactive health management, the opportunities for growth in this sector are well within reach.

What does this mean for your business?

Get in touch to learn more by emailing Lily Clarke: LEC_healthcare@innoviatech.com

[1]    https://www.cdc.gov/pcd/issues/2020/pdf/20_0130.pdf

[2 ]  https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/ijcp.14424