It turns out the future that computer scientist Ray Kurzweil envisioned in his 2004 book “Fantastic Voyage: Live Long Enough to Live Forever,” wasn’t too far off. The book’s basic premise was that if people can live long enough, they will be able to live forever, as humanity overcomes all diseases and old age itself.
Twenty years later, we’re seeing the future he predicted become a reality.
The historically staid world of health care is being transformed by a health-obsessed generation demanding more sophisticated options. Passive health management has shifted to a very-engaged consumer who is now also being greeted by a raft of sleek, desirable services tailored to their needs.
At this year’s CES technology show, Havas is unveiling a new, inaugural study that dives into this shift among consumers, particularly millennials, who are actively optimizing their health in innovative new ways. We’ve dubbed this the Superhuman era.
At CES we’ve seen the Superhuman era become prevalent in a few key areas. One we’ve called resilience tech, that is, technology used to prevent and protect, such as purifying air or water to ward off pollution. Another is super optimization, referring to the bevy of new tools, medical treatments and gym concepts transforming consumers into athletes. Another is home health HQ, which refers to the way the home is becoming a health and wellness ecosystem in its own right. And lastly, Welltainment (our new trademarked creative offering) refers to how health, streaming platforms, culture and entertainment are blending in new ways to make health content and education accessible to all, helping close the health-equity gap in the process. Selena Gomez’s Wondermind, an entertainment platform dedicated to making mental health resources available to all her Gen Z fans and beyond, is a great example of this.
Meanwhile, the global digital health and wellness market size was valued at $207.7 billion in 2021, and is expected to expand at a compound annual growth rate of 18.9% to reach $587.8 billion by 2027. Funding for AI-related startups has exploded in recent years, surpassing $23 billion in 2023, with $7.4 billion channeled into AI health care startups alone in 2022.
What’s driving the wave
Big Tech’s forays into health are key drivers of the Superhuman era. Apple (whose CEO, Tim Cook, famously stated that health would be Apple’s greatest contribution to mankind), Amazon (which recently bought One Medical, the largest privately held primary care practice in the U.S.) and Google are increasingly expanding into health, combining their vast scale and intimacy in consumers’ day-to-day lives with rising advances in tech. Netflix has also started expanding health content as an entertainment vertical.
While they’re not quite replacing hospitals and doctors, these tech corporations are reimagining the health care experience with seamless personalization and insights that are constantly accessible. Fitness technology—often integrated into the home—is worth $63.8 billion, according to the Global Wellness Institute, and growing 15% annually.
The bigger backdrop to this growth is consumerization, in which sectors like banking, insurance, business-to-business software and more are starting to be reinvented with a consumer-centric, “Does-it-have-to-be-so-hard?” attitude. Companies are shifting their design, approach, language and UX to suit a new generation raised on the ease of Instagram and Uber, a generation that wants health care to have the same look, feel and elegance as everything else they use.
Tackling health inequities
In addition, many new health-tech startups, often founded by millennials, are tackling health inequity with data models to address gaps in research and new services. For example, we spoke with Harry Leeming, the co-founder of Visible, as part of our study into the Superhuman era. His company created a new tracking tool specifically designed to help sufferers of Long COVID and long-term pain—a group historically ignored by the traditional health industry—manage their conditions.
There are also important new companies addressing inequities in women’s health. Platforms such as Peanut, aimed at advancing women’s health treatment, cover issues ranging from menopause to childbirth. Evvy, a diagnostic service, is measuring women’s vaginal microbiome health while also highlighting the lack of research in the space.
Other companies are looking to address health inequities. For example, New York–based Leadoff Studio, a product-design company, worked with Spora Health, a digital-first health care provider tailored to the needs of people of color, to launch Momma’s Kit. The sleekly designed care package combines a preventative health-monitoring system with accessible, user-friendly language—a response to the fact that maternal mortality rates in the U.S. are three times higher for Black women than their white counterparts.
Entertainment is also becoming a key way in which everything from treatment for mental health to health education is being advanced. Health care companies are leveraging candid YouTube documentary series to raise awareness about illnesses. Take NewYork-Presbyterian’s video “You Don’t Need Two Kidneys to Climb Mount Kilimanjaro,” which raises awareness about kidney donation. For the Superhuman trend report, Devika Mathrani, chief marketing officer of NewYork-Presbyterian, spoke to us about how social platforms and new millennial and Gen Z influencers are totally transforming the way disease, illness, recovery and health are documented online in a real, accessible, and inspiring way, removing stigma in the process. We’re also seeing brands like Disney, apps like Calm and others create entertainment that can help treat mental-health issues.
In today’s world, where health is at the center of everything, and millennials demand an active role in their health and their health data, innovation is at a fever pitch. This is transforming every brand—big and small—into health brands that prioritize accessibility, power and inspiration in their offerings. We at Havas are doing the same, embracing the Superhuman era to the fullest.
