Healthcare: brand-led, or just a “shingle”?
Healthcare is not just a service, it’s an experience.
And lately in my experience, it’s either pretty bad (broken hospital systems) or surprisingly good (amazing disruptive startups)!
Have you noticed that everyone’s doctor has quit? My dad’s doctor quit. My friend’s doctor quit. Then, my doctor quit. The lady at the mammogram desk (where I shockingly got a last minute appointment due to a cancellation) handed me a card touting a website where I could presumably find a PCP. She said half heartedly, “You can try this… maybe you can get on a waiting list.”
It’s heartbreaking that being a doctor is no longer the great job it once was. Large hospital systems mean doctors have to see far too many patients, are getting burned out, and are quitting left and right as a result not to mention experiencing high rates of depression and suicide.
Meanwhile, disruptive startups are grabbing at opportunities, and this part is exciting to me as a brand person. After only being able to get a GYN appointment six months away, I decided to check a startup specializing in perimenopause (and menopause, but to be clear, I’m not there yet.) I got a telehealth appointment right away with a nurse practitioner who empathetically listened to my woes and doled out prescriptions that I picked up the same day at Walgreens.
The experience was all about efficiency. $175 for a 30 minute appointment. She had a great way of being gentle and empathetic while not letting me ramble on for too long. High efficiency, high convenience, high profit, no waiting, no BS.
So many disruptive healthcare services are entering the market including some of our clients. SpotDoc is disrupting skin cancer diagnostics and care by scaling the best technology and making it available for everyone. Leeward Health is pioneering a Direct Care model for Sports Medicine. It seems that where old systems are failing, new and interesting models are sprouting up.
As we continue to work with more healthcare brands and go deeper into the space, I have noticed 2 distinct categories amongst new companies: those that are “brand led” and those that are decidedly not. They end up going on opposite sides of a strategy matrix in many cases.
Some are simply putting out a “shingle” to meet demand. (In case you are not ancient and don’t know this expression, it harkens back to a time where people launched their businesses by painting a sign on a house shingle outside their door.)
Others are creating a category and know they need a MAGIC brand that will speak to their target demo, who might not yet know they need this service, whatever it is. Who might not have ever fathomed paying out of pocket for anything medical but just need the invitation to cross over in the form of the right look and messaging.
Is it tragic and scary that I don’t have a PCP and can’t get a GYN appointment? Yes very! But I am grateful for the alternatives at my fingertips. Maybe I’ll sign up for Amazon Prime healthcare for $99/month and call it a day.
