Well th. Ketchum Trendreport 2012

Ketchum’s Health and Wellness Trend Report July 2012

ForewordHealth and wellness has changed from an individual pursuit to live well to a statementof one’s own place in the social hierarchy. To successfully engage people with healthand wellness products and messages, communicators need to know what is going toengage them today – and tomorrow.Ketchum’s Well-Connected specialty – a communications offering grounded in thedeep knowledge and insights of professionals who work at the intersection of brand,food and health – is constantly assessing what is going to happen in health and well-ness and how we can leverage future trends for clients and their business strategies.This unfettered curiosity compelled us to create our first Well-th: Ketchum’s Health and Wellness Trend Report.This report is the result of the questions we ask every day that to stay ahead of what people want: What makespeople do what they do to preserve their wellbeing? What changes are going to happen in the next severalmonths? Next several years? And, where are behaviors headed?The answers highlighted that the alpha health and wellness influencer is technology; not as an informationresource but as a health management tool. To change behaviors and drive better habits, companiesneed to curate content, programs and tools that will reach people where they intersect with technologyand wellbeing.Ketchum is excited to share the trends that will shape the health and wellness landscape and we look forwardto harnessing these opportunities to connect clients’ health and wellness offerings with target consumers.Leslie SchraderPartner, Director, DC Brand Practice and Well-Connectedleslie.schrader@ketchum.comWho (or What) Sways Health and WellnessDecisions Today?Just as in every other aspect of our lives, technology is infiltrating health and wellness and doctorsare now the second opinion. In a virtual flip of the wellbeing decision-making process, people arelooking more to the technology they use for information and personal guidance and then seekinghealthcare providers and advisors to validate their conclusions.Today’s consumers are using the technology in their lives tobe increasingly health-informed and health-engaged. They’reproactively participating in the treatment of their ownconditions and those of loved ones, and they’re mastering Curate Contentthe task of finding and disseminating information from and to Connectto people like themselves. While people diagnose themselves with information found online, we know that not allEach example we lay out within this report ladders content is accurate. Beyond the obvious needback up to one truism: Technology is the dominant influencer, to understand what is credible, finding ways toand consumers are using it and adapting it for their personal help them curate content appeals to the quality dimension on the health and wellness index. This iswellbeing pursuits. Companies, brands and communicators where people evaluate the range, depth and levelneed to do the same. of sophistication of products and services. Experts, companies and people who are passionate about pursuing health and wellness should help them understand that depth may not equal quality.1

Key Trend One: The Migration Your Healthfrom Self-Help to Self-Health in Your HandsSelf-help has evolved to self-health, where people seek to improvetheir health with proliferating tools and technology. 80% of U.S. Internet usersPatients are increasingly using information on the Internet to diagnose search the web for health-relatedtheir conditions and determine their treatment plans, which is chang- information and answersing the doctor-patient relationship paradigm. Patients often diagnosethemselves before seeing a physician for the “second opinion.” 27% of U.S. Internet users haveMany platforms from interactive healthcare kiosks to personal- tracked health data onlineized health sites are allowing consumers to empower themselves.As consumers increasingly turn to self-service technologies and 18% have sought to locate otherschannels, the entire industry has a tremendous opportunity to with similar health concernsreach, engage and interact with today’s empowered consumer. via the InternetAnd that will yield some powerful results from consumers to doc-tors to advertisers. 4 out of 5 Internet users searchAnd while people diagnose themselves with information found online for healthonline, we know that not all content is accurate. Beyond the obvi- information. Of these:ous need to understand what is credible, finding ways to help themidentify information appeals to the quality dimension on the wellbe-ing index. This is where people evaluate the range, depth and level 6 in 10 say the information foundof sophistication of products and services. Experts, companies and online affected a decisionpeople who are passionate about pursuing health and wellness about how to treat an illness or conditionshould help them understand that depth many not equal quality. 1 in 2Communicators need to help people find credible information and say it led them to ask asupport wherever they need it – from the restaurant to the dressing doctor new questions or to get a second opinionroom to the online health portal – to support the journey to self-health. from another doctor 1 in 2 say it changed the way they think about diet, exercise, or stress management 1 in 3 say it affected a decision about whether to see a doctor (Fox S. Pew Research Centers Internet and American Life Project. 2011 May 12. The social life of health information 2011) People inIn Tokyo, Tanita Shokudo provides expert culinary information aboutall items on the menu, aiming to help those wanting to eat out with-out compromising their diet plans. Each table is fitted with a scale to 7 countriesmeasure healthy portions, while a timer indicates when the optimum including the United States, said that they primarily go to a health website (48%)duration of 20 minutes for completing their lunch is over. Profession- to find information to help themal dietitians are also on-hand to provide advice on eating regimes. make decisions about their healthcare (PricewaterhouseCoopers survey) 2

Key Trend Two: It’s Not an Apple a Day Anymore; It’s an App (or 10) a DaySelf-health is further supported through the creation of thousands of health and wellness apps that allowusers to track their wellbeing at all times. The question isn’t what will these apps do, but what won’t they do: • Calculate calories during exercise • Play soundtracks for different daily activities, from going to sleep to developing a memo • Quantify pain over time • Display pictures that can elicit memories in26%use a mobile device to search of U.S. adults Alzheimer’s patients • Track vital signs and diet to help manage diabetes • Manipulate surroundings in an MRI scan to make a patient feel more comfortablefor health information(Manhattan Research Report, 2011) And while the number of apps and their functions expand, questions will arise in terms of credibility and regulation. For example, just like medications, the U.S. 9,000Today, Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is now defining what apps will require FDA’s clearance, another step to ensure that people are getting credible information,health-related apps in the but an additional consideration to plan for whenApple App Store building an app. If a brand or a company has a unique health benefit orBy end of 2012, there will be promise, the world of apps could be the perfect avenue13,000+ to provide people with the tools they need to achieve health and wellness goals.that means at least 10 newhealth apps per day3

Key Trend Three:Social Health = WellbeingParadoxically, we are relying more on social networks for our social wellness. Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitterand Pinterest are all places for community members to share information. As we fully own our wellbeing,it is natural to share our findings, opinions and questions.Google+ is the newest and simplest example of a social network asthma suffererswhere wellness is thriving. It is a “closed” environment wheremembers are sharing their personal health information, questions emotional supportand advice. Others are more tailored for specific concerns and cancer patientsextend to different audiences, in different spaces. migraines • Physicians began with Sermo, and today Voxmed allows Sickness Forecasting & Mapping professionals to share opinions, seek advice and connect with colleagues. • In the workplace, co-workers use networks to drive h ealthy behaviors. PleaseCycle encourages healthy cycling through client-branded online portals where employees can plan routes, chat with other cyclists and log mileage. Social Health • Companies are adding a little fun to health and wellness through interpersonal gaming, providing sophisticated Games make people better patients; they are more indulgences for people. In fact, social wellness games can engaged in treatment, be good for your health. WiiFit is a well-known example, more knowledgeable but others are in this space, like The Life Game, which about their care rewards players for taking steps toward achieving goals and adherence can in their career, lifestyle and health. improve. (Journal of Pediatrics: A Video Game Im-To thrive in the health and wellness space and be top of mind, proves Behavioral Outcomes in Adolescentsbrands need to communicate their intrinsic health benefits and Young Adults With Cancer: A Random- ized Trial, 2008)through messages in concert with engaging interaction – theyneed to be part of the social health and self-health ecosphere. people said they would be OK with having their personal health data shared among hospitals, doctors, insurance companies and drug companies if that would improve care. (PricewaterhouseCoopers Health Research Institute Survey, 2011) of surveyed U.S. adults use social media to connect with health organizations or with other people with similar health-care interests. (PricewaterhouseCoopers Health Research Institute Survey, 2011)

Implications Now more than ever, consumers want a personal, engaging experience with your brand as long as it is tailored to their health and wellness perspective. They want to be empowered with information and feel free to go to their trusted resources for support, guidance and interaction. Those of us in health and wellness are entering the space of relatable health and wellness, similar to the web’s evolution. The best thing we can do as communicators is to mine this opportunity and give people the information, tools and fun they seek individually and to- gether to help them achieve their health and wellness goals. With expanding technology and a focus on using it to better personal and social health, brands and companies today can create custom content, tools and experiences that underscore specific health and wellness benefits for people and meet them where they are. As we said before, these are the trends we see today. We won’t stop asking what is coming tomorrow, and we look forward to sharing more trends in the future. In the meantime, we are always available to talk about how you can use these trends to help further your health and wellness communications objectives. About Well-th: Ketchum’s Health and Wellness Trend Report Well-th: Ketchum’s Health and Wellness Trend Report is the first report distributed by Ketchum’s Well-Connected team and was based on research conducted with Ketchum’s Global Research and Analytics, Ketchum Digital as well as unique insights from Now Plus One. About Ketchum Ketchum is a leading global communications firm with operations in more than 70 countries across six continents. Named 2012 Agency of the Year (PRWeek) and the winner of an unprecedented three consecutive PRWeek Campaign of the Year Awards, Ketchum partners with clients to deliver strategic programming, game-changing creative and measurable results that build brands and reputations. For more information on Ketchum, a unit of Omnicom Group Inc. (NYSE:OMC), visit www.ketchum.com. Copyright © Ketchum 2012 All rights reserved. 5

Leslie SchraderPartner and Director, DC Brand Practice and Well-Connected leslie.schrader@ketchum.com 202.835.7278 Deirdre Middleton Vice President/Account Supervisor deirdre.middleton@ketchum.com 202-835-8829

Well th. Ketchum Trendreport 2012

by Ketchum Pleon Deutschland on Aug 14, 2012

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