Halfway There: Mid-year Trends That Are Reshaping Healthcare Marketing

Cultural Shifts, Internal Wake-Ups, and a New Marketing Playbook

What the Past Six Months Have Taught Us

Internal communications is more important than ever. With workforce retention in crisis—especially for physicians—healthcare organizations are turning inward. It’s no longer only about attracting new patients or consumers. It’s about holding onto the people delivering the care and keeping them connected to the mission. On another note, what we’re also seeing is a rise in the need for bringing brand to life internally, but there’s also this nuance of external communication in a polarized political climate, especially regarding health equity. Health equity work isn’t over—it’s smarter, more responsive, and grounded in audience trust.

Scott Galloway Changes His Tune

In a moment of poetic justice, Scott Galloway’s infamous “brand is dead” comment has backtracked. Turns out, at the recent Cannes Lions Festival, Galloway admits that brand isn’t dead, but mass advertising is. Our POV remains the same, branding goes beyond advertising. It’s now about relevance, resonance, and trust. If you’re not delivering on that, no amount of media spend may save you.

Amazon Health Isn’t Slowing Down

While some new entrants into healthcare are scaling back, Amazon is doubling down. A new restructure groups its health services into three pillars—One Medical, Amazon Health Services, and Amazon Pharmacy—with strategic growth at the center. Amazon isn’t playing defense. They’re refining their offense. In the era of The Funnel Wars, their strategy is clear: dominate the front door of healthcare. With unmatched reach, delivery infrastructure, and data mastery, they’re not trying to replace hospitals—they’re building what hospitals haven’t. If you’re a health system in an urban market, it’s not a matter of if Amazon will land near you. It’s when—and whether you’ll see them as a threat, or a partner. Because the battle for consumer loyalty is moving upstream. And Amazon wants to be in the lead.

Enter the ABCDEs of Re-Invented Marketing

With all this disruption in motion, there’s a framework that could help make sense of it all: the ABCDEs of Re-invented Marketing. Originally introduced by thought leader Rishad Tobaccowala, this framework showcases what he feels are the new principles of marketing.

• A is for Audience: God-Like Power, Zero Patience: Consumers aren’t sitting back. They’re curating their healthcare experiences with AI tools, online reviews, and TikTok explainers. They expect more personalization and less segmentation. And if you’re not speaking their language, especially across gender, culture, or identity, you’ve already lost them.
• B is for Brand: Built Through Experience and Exposure: Healthcare brands are waking up to the fact that advertising only works if the experience backs it up. That means patient portals that work, frontline staff that feel seen, and operations that reflect the brand promise.
• C is for Content: Say Less, Mean More: Content’s purpose isn’t to only fill feeds, it has to build relationships. Whether it’s responding to a cultural moment or rethinking how your service line pages are written, content must be poetic, responsive, and driven by empathy.
• D is for Data: Make It Real-Time, Make It Relevant: Marketers are buried in dashboards, but very few know which number actually matters. It can only take one simple, powerful metric that bridges the CMO and CFO gap.
• E is for Enterprise: Flex or Fall Behind Healthcare enterprises have to resculpt how they work. Gone are the days of disconnected media, creative, and strategy teams. Winning brands break silos and move fast. Think Nvidia, not Intel. Amazon, not Walgreens.

Reinvention isn’t optional, and as Lisa Schiller, CMO of UNC, says, “You either evolve or dissolve”, The health systems and brands that will thrive are the ones that move with urgency, lead with truth, and connect with people—inside and out. Reinvention isn’t a buzzword. It’s the new baseline.

Got questions or comments about this episode? Reach out to the BPD team at nonormal@bpdhealthcare.com.