When did healthcare marketing become so disconnected from the people it needs to reach? Brandon Edwards, founder of Unlock Health and a 30-year veteran in healthcare marketing, joins us for a provocative conversation about why traditional approaches are failing in what he calls "the post-truth era."
Edwards reveals a startling reality: roughly half the population deeply distrusts institutions and experts – the very foundation of most healthcare marketing. "There's about half the population that has a heavy distrust of institutions and experts, and if you're a healthcare provider, you're marketing on behalf of an institution and featuring experts in white coats," Edwards explains. This tribal division requires fundamentally different approaches to connect with skeptical audiences.
We tackle the controversial practice of hospitals sponsoring professional sports teams and stadiums – with some organizations spending upwards of $50 million on these arrangements. Are these investments justified when healthcare systems face unprecedented financial pressures? Edwards questions whether these high-profile sponsorships effectively reach new patients or merely reinforce negative stereotypes about healthcare spending.
The conversation dives deep into the increasingly adversarial relationship between healthcare providers and insurance companies. As Edwards bluntly states, "The entire healthcare system is designed for insurance companies – it's their world and we're just living in it." This power imbalance has created a system where providers struggle for sustainability while payers extract enormous profits as middlemen.
For healthcare leaders navigating these challenges, Edwards offers practical guidance: eliminate non-essential services, develop real-time measurement dashboards, and craft marketing that resonates with diverse audiences through authentic messengers they trust. Most importantly, organizations must recognize that commercially-insured patients subsidize their broader mission – making effective marketing to these groups essential for long-term survival.
With Medicare facing insolvency within 7-8 years and recent budget cuts threatening to increase the uninsured population, this conversation couldn't be more timely. What will it take for our healthcare system to evolve beyond its current dysfunctional state? Listen now to explore potential paths forward.
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