Engaging Patients Through the Power of Your Digital Brand

Nike spent $3.58 Billion on advertising and promotion in 2018. They believed the investment would drive consumer engagement and loyalty, and they were right. Nike ranks #17 in the Interbrand 2018 Best Global Brands survey. This is largely due to their marketing and branding efforts.

The Interbrand survey’s top 100 list is packed with well-known consumer brands like Apple, GE, Disney, and Coca-Cola. Each of these brands has a laser focus on building and maintaining a strong brand identity, both on and offline.

Through trial-and-error these consumer brands have built an arsenal of best practices. As the world of healthcare and consumer brands begins to merge, traditional healthcare brands can learn from these leaders. With the launch of the workout-ready Apple Watch Series 4, Apple has successfully entered the fitness arena. The Internet of Medical Things (IoMT) is exploding  with the development of devices that monitor patients remotely, on-the-body biosensors, and many more.

Digital branding efforts are quickly moving beyond commercial businesses and into hospitals, health systems, and other healthcare arenas. While the strategies employed may be slightly different, the desired outcome is the same: building a trusted brand designed to better engage customers, or in this case, patients. In the case of large corporations, driving engagement leads to sales. In the healthcare sector, the core motivation is often to better engage, educate, and serve patients. To do so, healthcare providers must forge new relationships with their patients and meet the lofty expectations set by the private sector.