Heroes, Not Victims: Rethinking Chronic Disease Communication

According to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 60% of Americans have a chronic disease, and 40% are living with two or more. As healthcare marketers, our work is still too often the only representation of chronic conditions in advertising. We don’t just speak to these communities. We speak for them.  However, according to an EVERSANA INTOUCH survey of more than 500 patients, only 17% of people with chronic illnesses think pharma understands what it’s like to live with their condition; and only 20% say that their conditions are authentically portrayed in ads. 

In the past, pharma has provided recognition, support, and relief for patients with chronic diseases via awareness websites, discussion guides, and more, but is that enough? What can we do differently to support and connect with chronic disease communities that often prefer to represent themselves as heroes, not victims? Here are three ways to improve communication with – and about – people who have chronic diseases. 

1. Conduct a social audit. The cultural code around communicating about chronic conditions has changed, from portraying patients as “helpless victims who need our care” to “authentic individuals who overcome the odds and demand our respect.” Language used in online social conversations shows that positivity is on the rise in the way patients talk about themselves and their experiences. While once a condition might elicit shame, today, patients often share their setbacks and triumphs openly and with humor. In short, patients – with inspiration from social influencers – are redefining themselves, and pharma must as well. 
   
2. Find out what the competition is doing. As marketers, we may make a distinction between OTC and Rx advertising, but consumers may not, so it can be useful to look at successful marketing in condition-adjacent categories. For example, what does it mean for the dermatology space when – recognizing that the term “normal” is alienating when it comes to discussions about skin – soap maker Dove dropped the word from its beauty products? How did Gillette’s aspirational ad, “Is this the best a man can get?” change the conversation around toxic masculinity? OTC healthcare companies understand that authenticity and transparency connects. 
   
3. Examine broader cultural trends. In the 2020s, people understand that last point – that audiences are hungry for real conversation – more strongly than ever before. It’s hard to remember when a hapless dad got laughs, or when TV shows couldn’t show bathrooms or beds. Conditions once seen as embarrassing or punchlines are getting frank attention, surrounded by realistic emotion. Popular culture has finally begun to better reflect the full spectrum of human experience, and that resonates.

Marketing without connecting is less effective marketing. By looking at chronic disease communities through the lens of popular culture, pharma marketers can understand how better to create authentic, transparent, inspiring moments that connect with its audiences. The way we think about chronic conditions and disability has fundamentally changed, and how we talk about them must also. Put simply, we must strive for authenticity, and be braver in its pursuit.