Taking Health Literacy to New Heights

Please share how your cross-industry experience in business strategy is helping you with your current role.

I believe that when you come from different sectors, it improves your performance and broadens your business development strategies. My journey in the telecom sector was very important because it enabled me to understand future trends before they actually happened. It gave me a perspective on innovation and technology that can be the base for business development in every industry because the telecom sector is at the core of industrial development and provides connectivity with each other. When it comes to the health sector, remote patient care is a trend that is only possible due to the evolution of technology in the telecom sector.

As retail is known for being consumer-centric, its high customer engagement helps in providing a vision to deal with customers in every market.  I think my journey in the retail sector is also something that contributes to my present role as marketing director in the health sector.

Can you highlight some of the prevailing challenges that you face while implementing strategic healthcare marketing in your organization?

The biggest challenge we face with technological advancement in the healthcare sector is transforming the minds of people. For me, the greatest challenge in marketing is convincing everyone in the organization to shift their focus from a company-centric perspective to a consumer-centric perspective.

Could you share an example of a strategic campaign that you have handled?

A Portugal-based private healthcare provider  desired to be closer to customers by providing remote access to their service for clients that  have unpaid medical debt access because they couldn't buy insurance. We found a way to help this client provide remote access to their services at a better price by offering them a prepaid monthly subscription for their private consultation.  We offered some consultations that are already included in the monthly fee payment. 

By doing this, clients are assured that what they are paying is going to be converted into the form of consultations at the best price, which is better than going without this to one of the private hospitals. This prepaid fund idea came from the telecom sector 15 years ago, as it is similar to prepaid cards to get a minimum monthly tariff.

What is your leadership strategy that differentiates your marketing initiative?

As the market leader, we are responsible for pushing the market forward. We have to be conscious of what the market wants while addressing campaigns in sensitive sectors like health and well-being. We see ourselves as a major contributor to health literacy within the healthcare community, and our strategy is to be truthful and honest about the way that we care for patients while teaching our clients the importance of innovation in healthcare.

What will your word of advice be for fellow peers in the industry?

For fellow peers who are developing new products, my advice would be to define your goal, stay true to your company’s mission, and know your depreciating factors before strategizing the campaign. This will help you communicate the core of your business better with consumers or target audiences.