What CPG brands can teach health care marketers about engaging women

Women have long been marketed to in prescriptive, narrow lanes. In an increasingly competitive health care landscape, brands looking to gain a competitive advantage by influencing the hearts and minds of the largest consumer demographic can benefit from adopting the strategies employed by CPG brands. While there’s certainly still room for improvement when it comes to representation and uprooting stereotypes in advertising, things are getting better. Yet many health care marketers have yet to nail what CPG marketers get right: extensive consumer research. The secret sauce that fuels CPG marketing CPG marketers excel not just with quantitative efforts such as analyzing Nielsen ratings that segment audience data sets or decode spend and engagement. What they also get right is performing both qualitative and observational research through the lens of the customer at every point of the customer experience—considering their POV on both the larger market and the product they offer even before a product hits the market. And what does the research point to? Increasingly, consumers across the board want individual, curated experiences. Consider brands at the intersection of health care and beauty, such as Prose, a skincare line that formulates products for individual consumers after online consultations. Also read: How financial brands are changing their media approaches as they focus on AI Such consumer-led research and consumer engagement is paramount to building trust and creating loyalty-driving experiences in health care with women, who are often referred to as the “chief medical officers” of families. While women make nearly 80 percent of decisions when it comes to health care, they rank 16 points below men when it comes to trusting the system. The first step in garnering deeper reach about issues and problems that women face is extensive qualitative research and engaging women. Active listening yields active consumers Because the CPG market is dominated by products over services, feedback loops between consumers and brands are typically stronger. Pivoting when a product doesn’t launch as expected or there’s a supply-chain issue is comparatively straightforward. However, the health care market is driven primarily by services such as medical procedures and experiences with health insurance companies. And, increasingly, women’s experiences are influenced by their role as caretakers and by both local and federal governments. This makes feedback loops highly matrixed and requires active brand listening—from tapping into conversations happening on social media to funding women’s health studies to understand the challenging narrative around what defines “beauty.” Don’t Miss: Why AI can’t replace creative intent in marketing More than 20 years after it launched its “Campaign for Real Beauty,” Dove has doubled down by addressing unrealistic beauty standards in AI-generated depictions of women. Dove’s approach to active brand listening and engagement across social media platforms; its long tenure of integrated, emotionally resonant campaign work; and its push for changing harmful norms serve as a prime example of how today’s health care brands should aim to show up for consumers. A consumer-centric, issues-first approach Like active listening, understanding the unique drivers and issues that women face in today’s health care landscape is foundational to building lasting engagement. CPG brands excel at creating personalized, frictionless experiences across physical and digital spaces, as well as maintaining a laser focus on customer needs and pain points. The same focus is necessary to more completely engage women across the board when it comes to health. Brands—particularly health care brands—play an instrumental role in influencing the dialogue around outcomes in women’s health. Zappos, for instance, has countered the reluctance to buy shoes online by making returns simple and free. Warby Parker provides a seamless try-on experience with an attentive purchase experience in-store and online. More news: Omnicom lowers the bottom end of its 2025 forecast amidst broad economic uncertainty Prioritizing the health care sensibilities of women and channeling them into rich, and transparent experiences are critical to earning and keeping consumer trust. It’s not just the right thing to do—it’s also good for the bottom line. The World Economic Forum estimates that investing in addressing the women’s health gap could boost the global economy by nearly $1 trillion annually by 2040. And, as DEI initiatives, women’s rights and women’s access to health care are in jeopardy across the country, health care brands have the opportunity—and the responsibility—to more effectively market to women, advocate for the health care issues that matter most to them and improve outcomes for women everywhere. Also read: Marketing hiring grew in the first quarter—behind salary and job trends

What CPG brands can teach health care marketers about engaging women

Featured Stories