Men: The Invisible (and Profitable) Healthcare Audience

We all know women are the primary healthcare decision-makers. (Along with almost every other purchase decision in the household.) Healthcare brands have naturally pursued women. But has this sole focus on women come at a price of gaining share of market?

Recent trends suggest that healthcare brands should adjust their campaign strategies to appeal to men. 80% of all the jobs lost in this economic recession were held by men. The number of stay-at-home dads has doubled in the last ten years. Today’s dads spend 22 hours a week on childcare-related activities — double what it was 30 years ago. The fact is, men are more vested in household decisions than ever before — including healthcare.

The Internet has created equality in the search for healthcare solutions. 74% of all men and 74% of all women use the Internet for information and entertainment. For healthcare searches, younger women do use the Internet more than men. But, for the high valued age cohort of 55-64, prime users of healthcare, men use the Internet equal to women for healthcare searches.

There are four truths in marketing anything to men, including healthcare:

• Offer men the lure of control – men respond favorably to brands that promise control, such as GPS systems. Hardee’s demonstrated this truth with its hilarious spot for a spicy burger.

• Stereotypes are encouraged – unlike women, men relish their stereotypes – for example, men will do anything for beer.
• Market to the man, but sell the woman. In other words, make your brand appealing to men but ensure that you also validate the woman. Dove has done this well with their new Men’s line of skin care. Dove’s campaign appeals to men but caters to the woman who will most likely buy the product for her hubby.
• Start with the brain to win a man’s heart. Despite cultural shifts in acceptance for men to express their feelings, many men, especially older generations, are tight-lipped about how they feel. In healthcare advertising, use facts about the quality of your services to appeal to men. This gives men the opportunity to embrace your brand. Then, make an emotional connection. A recent campaign we developed for a health system’s cancer center utilized this strategy with great success.

Obviously, most hospital services appeal to men. But the top service lines to market to men are:

• Cardiac
• Colorectal
• Prostate
• Diabetes
• Orthopedics
• Sleep Apnea
• Stroke
• Sports Medicine
• Weight-Loss Surgery
• Emergency Services

Hospitals in need of new patient volume are greatly benefiting from marketing their emergency services to both men and women. A recent campaign we developed features Mark Martin, NASCAR driver, and his wife, Arlene, in an amusing slice of life moment reminiscent of many marriages.

Hospitals’ community magazines are also great drivers for connecting with male audiences. Memorial Health Care System in Chattanooga, TN develops a quarterly magazine that has won international awards for its quality. Recently, the system produced an all male-focused issue, which relied on the third truth — market to the man, but appeal to the woman – to drive new patients to key services. A downloadable PDF of the magazine can be found here.

Other ideas for marketing healthcare to men include:

• Hosting physician lectures at your local home improvement store (go where your audience is!).
• Partner with a local car club and host a car show and screening event (a hospital in Indiana does this every year and has thousands of men attend the event).
• Create a Man’s Guide to Doctor’s Visits –– include healthcare terms and good questions to ask the physician. Men are notorious for not asking their physicians follow up questions.
• Offer a couple’s screening package for services like cardiac disease and stroke.

Men should not be overlooked as a key opportunity for driving volume and share of market for healthcare brands. Yes, they won’t stop to ask for directions. But following a few simple rules, men can become advocates of your brand and users of your services.