By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
  • Health
    • Mental Health
    Health
    Healthcare organizations are operating on slimmer profit margins than ever. One report in August showed that they are even lower than the beginning of the…
    Show More
    Top News
    bowl of vegetable salad
    Raw Foods: benefits and harms
    November 9, 2021
    pros and cons of the keto diet
    Read This Before You Follow the Keto Diet
    May 18, 2022
    spinal cord injuries
    4 Potential Causes of Spinal Cord Injuries (and How to Seek Compensation)
    May 25, 2022
    Latest News
    Beyond Nutrition: Everyday Foods That Support Whole-Body Health
    June 15, 2025
    The Wide-Ranging Benefits of Magnesium Supplements
    June 11, 2025
    The Best Home Remedies for Migraines
    June 5, 2025
    The Hidden Impact Of Stress On Your Body’s Alignment And Balance
    May 22, 2025
  • Policy and Law
    • Global Healthcare
    • Medical Ethics
    Policy and Law
    Get the latest updates about Insurance policies and Laws in the Healthcare industry for different geographical locations.
    Show More
    Top News
    The key stakeholders involved in improving healthcare policy
    The Key Stakeholders involved in Improving Healthcare Policy
    October 26, 2023
    medical erros avoid
    How to Report Medication Errors and Why It’s Important
    November 17, 2024
    Essential Steps for Developing a Life Care Plan
    Essential Steps for Developing a Life Care Plan
    December 26, 2024
    Latest News
    Top HIPAA-Compliant Messaging Apps for Healthcare Teams
    June 25, 2025
    When Healthcare Ends, the Legal Process Begins: What Families Should Know About Probate and Medical Estates
    June 20, 2025
    Preventing Contamination In Healthcare Facilities Starts With Hygiene
    June 15, 2025
    Strengthening Healthcare Systems Through Clinical and Administrative Career Development
    June 13, 2025
  • Medical Innovations
  • News
  • Wellness
  • Tech
Search
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: Forget Patient Advocacy: Be a Patron of Patients
Share
Notification Show More
Font ResizerAa
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
Font ResizerAa
Search
Follow US
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Health Works Collective > Business > Forget Patient Advocacy: Be a Patron of Patients
Business

Forget Patient Advocacy: Be a Patron of Patients

dorothywetzel
Last updated: July 31, 2014 8:00 am
dorothywetzel
Share
4 Min Read
patient advocacy
SHARE

patient advocacyNo doubt your marketing plan contains a mélange of patient KOL tactics. Maybe some brand ambassadors and even a blogger summit if you are really adventurous. The goal of these patient advocacy tactics is create patient endorsements for your brand.  That’s because study after study has shown the power of patient recommendations.

patient advocacyNo doubt your marketing plan contains a mélange of patient KOL tactics. Maybe some brand ambassadors and even a blogger summit if you are really adventurous. The goal of these patient advocacy tactics is create patient endorsements for your brand.  That’s because study after study has shown the power of patient recommendations. With the decline in the effectiveness of the physician lever, patients are becoming a more central driver of brand sales.

But what if instead of trying to get patients to say something, you helped patients do something? Instead of brand advocacy tactics, what if your brand became a patron of patients? Consider what these patient KOLs have accomplished on their own:

  • Pat Furlong lobbied Congress to pass legislation that resulted in over 100 million dollars of being allocated to research Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.
  • Tara Blocker generated first tier media coverage on congenital insensitivity to pain that most PR professionals spend their careers hoping to generate.
  • Christina Saninocencio, a young woman in her 20s, established the Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome Foundation to fill the unmet needs of patients with particularly devastating form of epilepsy.

Consumer brands are engaging in co-creation with their superstar customers can serve as a model for becoming a patron of patients. Take the deal that Pepsi inked with Beyoncé. According the New York Times article, Pepsi sees this deal as a “… shift in the way we think about deals with artists, [moving] from a transactional deal to a mutually beneficial collaboration,” according to Brad Jakeman, president of PepsiCo’s global beverage group.

More Read

4 Ways to Harness Trending Headlines in Your Physician Marketing Strategy
Mediation Growing as a Field as Siblings Argue Over Parents’ Care
4 Key Tips To Make Your Medical Practice More Profitable
Why do sick people quit their Medicare Advantage plans?
Health 2.0 Europe: “Improving and Enriching the Patient-Provider Relationship”

In terms of an ROI, Pepsi is seeking “to enhance its reputation with consumers by acting as something of an artistic patron instead of simply paying for celebrity endorsements.” According to a statement from Beyoncé, the new deal allows her to “work with a lifestyle brand with no compromise and without sacrificing my creativity.”  Imagine if a patient said something similar about your brand or company regarding your commitment to curing a disease?

Here are a few thought starters on how to start acting as a patron of patients:

  1. Share your expertise. Pharmaceutical companies have strong skill sets in drug development, media relations, government affairs that are critical for the success of patient advocates and their organizations.
  2. Identify a safe unbranded pilot project. Try a “ no-strings attached” unbranded project. Figure out an area of mutual interest, such as increasing the level of understanding of the basic science underpinning a disease state.

For bio-pharma, the rewards of this new “patronage” model seem even greater than in the consumer package good arena. Despite her enormous talent, Beyoncé can’t actually put a can of Pepsi on the grocery store shelf. But patient advocates increasingly can help get a product on the pharmacy shelf and gain the insurance coverage required to move a medication out into the marketplace.

patient patron / shutterstock

TAGGED:biopharmapharma
Share This Article
Facebook Copy Link Print
Share

Stay Connected

1.5kFollowersLike
4.5kFollowersFollow
2.8kFollowersPin
136kSubscribersSubscribe

Latest News

women dental care
What Is a Smile Makeover and How Much Does It Cost?
Dental health
June 30, 2025
HIPAA-Compliant Messaging Apps
Top HIPAA-Compliant Messaging Apps for Healthcare Teams
Global Healthcare Policy & Law Technology
June 25, 2025
recovering from injury
Rebuilding After Injury: Path to Physical and Emotional Recovery
News
June 22, 2025
scientist using microscope
When Healthcare Ends, the Legal Process Begins: What Families Should Know About Probate and Medical Estates
Global Healthcare
June 18, 2025

You Might also Like

The Future of Medicine: Do Pre-med Students Have a Clue?

June 5, 2011

Why Doctors Should Have Their Own Website

March 26, 2012
Image
BusinesseHealthSocial Media

Beyond the Buzz: 10 Questions to Ask Before Setting Up Healthcare Social Media

July 19, 2014
physician wellness
BusinessHospital AdministrationMedical EducationWellness

Physician Wellness: Why It’s Such a Struggle

March 26, 2013
Subscribe
Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly!
Follow US
© 2008-2025 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Username or Email Address
Password

Lost your password?