Why We Need To Market Preventative Healthcare Like Consumer Brands

The healthcare industry has long struggled with the challenge of getting people to take proactive steps toward their own well-being. Preventative healthcare — encompassing everything from vaccinations and screenings to lifestyle choices and early intervention — is undeniably more cost-effective and beneficial than reactive treatment. Yet, it remains a hard sell to the masses. The question is: can we market preventative healthcare like consumer brands? And if so, how do we overcome the fundamental barriers preventing its widespread adoption?

Preventative healthcare

The Psychology of Prevention vs. Consumerism

Since the mid-80’s, consumer brands have evolved to thrive on the psychology of instant gratification. Fast fashion, smartphones, and streaming services all tap into our desires for immediate rewards. Preventative healthcare, on the other hand, has inherently been a long-term investment. It requires individuals to act today for a payoff that may not be visible for decades.

This is one of the biggest hurdles in marketing preventative healthcare. Brands like Apple and Nike create aspirational lifestyles, making their products symbols of status, identity, and immediate personal satisfaction. Healthcare marketing, by contrast, often relies on fear-based messaging (“Stop smoking or you’ll get lung cancer!”) or paternalistic advice that fails to engage on an emotional level.

I think one way to shift perceptions is to rebrand preventative healthcare to be just as desirable and engaging as the latest iPhone or designer sneaker. The key lies in making it aspirational, rather than simply an obligation or a duty.

The Branding Challenge: Shifting Healthcare from Functional to Emotional

As a marketer I work on the mantra that consumer brands don’t sell products; they sell emotions and lifestyles. Take Nike: they don’t sell shoes, they sell the feeling of victory, of overcoming obstacles. Apple doesn’t sell phones; they sell creativity, connection, and cutting-edge innovation.

Preventative healthcare, by contrast, is often presented in a cold, functional way. Public health campaigns focus on logic and statistics rather than emotion. But logic rarely drives consumer behaviour or change. If it did, people wouldn’t buy sugary drinks or smoke cigarettes.

The challenge is to brand preventative healthcare in a way that connects with people emotionally. Imagine if getting a flu jab was marketed not just as a health necessity, but as an act of empowerment — a way to protect not just yourself but your community. If annual check-ups were positioned as a luxury self-care ritual, akin to a spa treatment, people might be more inclined to book them.

The Role of Influencers and Social Proof

Consumer brands leverage influencers to shape trends and behaviours yet health brands have largely failed to capitalise on this. Instead of dry governmental campaigns, why not enlist social media influencers, celebrities, and community leaders to make preventative healthcare trendy?

Imagine if fitness influencers seamlessly integrated messages about annual check-ups into their content, or if popular YouTubers shared their experiences getting vaccinated in engaging, relatable ways. When a product or service becomes associated with aspirational figures, it gains credibility and desirability.

Governments and healthcare providers need collaborate with brands and influencers that people already trust. If a popular sports person advocates for mental health check-ins as passionately as they endorse a sports brand, it could reshape attitudes and behaviours far more effectively than traditional advertising.

Making Preventative Healthcare a Subscription Model

One of the reasons consumer brands succeed is their ability to integrate products into daily routines. From gym memberships to skincare subscription boxes, successful brands make their offerings habitual and effortless.

I wonder why healthcare hasn’t done the same?

Imagine a subscription-based healthcare model where, instead of sporadic check-ups and reminders, individuals received regular, automated touchpoints with their health providers. A preventative healthcare membership could include:

• Quarterly virtual check-ups

• Subscription boxes with vitamins, fitness plans, and personalised dietary recommendations

• Loyalty rewards for hitting health milestones (discounts on wellness products, gym memberships, etc.)

• AI-driven reminders and insights tailored to an individual’s health profile

By integrating preventative healthcare into a habitual, desirable service — rather than something people only think about when they’re sick — we’ll create a cultural shift towards proactive well-being.

Leveraging Technology and Gamification

Gamification is a powerful tool used by consumer brands to drive engagement. Fitness apps like Strava and Fitbit have turned exercise into a social, competitive, and rewarding experience. I think the same be done for preventative healthcare.

Imagine an app that rewards users for completing health screenings, attending doctor appointments, or making lifestyle improvements. By incorporating elements of competition, achievement badges, and community support, we could turn something as mundane as getting a cholesterol test into a rewarding experience.

Apple’s Health app and wearable technology already track physical activity, sleep, and heart rates. The next step is integrating medical check-ups and screenings into these platforms. If people can receive an alert reminding them to close their fitness rings, why not one prompting them to schedule a cancer screening?

Making Preventative Healthcare Culturally Relevant

Consumer brands succeed because they align with cultural trends. Preventative healthcare often fails because it feels disconnected from everyday life.

For example, in fashion, sustainability is now a major selling point. Brands like Patagonia and Komodo have made eco-consciousness trendy. I think healthcare could adopt a similar approach. Could preventative health be marketed as an ethical, responsible lifestyle choice? Could getting vaccinated be framed as a way to contribute to the greater good, much like recycling or reducing plastic use?

Additionally, different cultures have different attitudes toward healthcare. In some communities, distrust of medical institutions is high, often for historical reasons. Marketing strategies must be culturally sensitive and localised. Community health ambassadors, who understand the unique concerns of specific populations, can bridge the gap between mainstream healthcare and underserved communities.

The Role of Private Sector Partnerships

Consumer brands invest billions in advertising and branding. Public health campaigns, by contrast, often operate on limited budgets. One solution I think could work is partnerships with private companies that already have consumer trust and engagement.

For instance, supermarket chains could offer discounts on fresh produce for those who complete annual health check-ups. Fitness brands could provide free or discounted gym memberships as incentives for preventative health milestones. Tech companies could integrate preventative health tracking into wearable devices.

By embedding preventative healthcare into existing consumer behaviours, you’ll get an increase in engagement without requiring individuals to drastically change their habits.

Conclusion: The Future of Preventative Healthcare Branding

Preventative healthcare faces significant branding and engagement challenges, but surely these are not insurmountable. By learning from consumer brands, we can make preventative health not just an obligation, but a desirable, aspirational lifestyle choice.

The future lies in:

• Emotional branding that makes health aspirational

• Influencer-driven advocacy to normalise healthy habits

• Subscription models that integrate health into daily life

• Gamification and technology to make prevention engaging

• Cultural relevance to ensure messaging resonates with diverse audiences

• Public-private partnerships to maximise reach and impact

I’m pretty sure if we can market preventative healthcare like a consumer brand, we can shift behaviours at scale, reducing disease burden and improving quality of life for millions.

About the author

Michael O’Connor is a partner at Grey Sergeant, specialising in PR, communications, and engagement across the healthcare and non-profit sectors. Through his consultancy Grey Sergeant, he helps primary care networks, GP surgeries, and healthcare organisations define their brand, strengthen their reputation, and communicate with clarity. For more information, contact michael.oconnor@greysergeant.com