Healthcare’s “NEW” Creative Frontier: Redesigning Trust

By many measures, Americans’ faith in the healthcare system has begun to fall more clearly in the realm of distrust. Fewer than half of U.S. adults say they trust healthcare companies to do what is right, according to the most recent Edelman Trust Barometer Special Report: Trust and Health, published in early 2024. (To cosmically understate things: a lot has happened since then.)

What can healthcare organizations do to rebuild trust with consumers? And what can marketers do to help? The answer involves a healthy amount of creative problem-solving.

What is Trust, Really?

To solve for trust, we first need to know what we’re solving for. Yet even health scholars have a hard time agreeing on a singular, formal definition. It’s helpful, then, to think of trust as an “unwritten agreement” or collection of expectations between patient and provider, a relationship that even today still functions as the cornerstone for trust in healthcare.

Marketers look at consumer attitudes that point to trust: Do you deliver on what you promise? Do you make things easy to use and understand? Am I getting good value, or even getting what I’m paying for? When beliefs like these trend upward, trust tends to follow.

As a creative director working at the intersection of branding and health for nearly 15 years, I boil down trust as the ultimate “sniff test.” People have to feel good about you before and after they buy -- the same as it as for any company today -- whether it’s walking into a new provider’s office for the first time or ordering next-day delivery from their favorite consumer health brands.

Words Matter

Healthcare practitioners aren’t marketers, nor should they be. That makes it even more important for marketing teams, both agency and in-house, to help bridge the divide and speak consumers’ language -- literally.

At a time when more than half of American adults don’t fully understand their health benefits, every touchpoint matters. Consider the EOB (that’s Explanation of Benefits for at least 50% of you). Health plans commonly treat this as a legal or technical document, crammed full of jargon and line items. But it has the potential to be so much more impactful. By emphasizing thoughtful design and more human language, health plans can transform this glorified piece of junk mail into something that actually improves people’s understanding of insurance and healthcare.

Creativity doesn’t have to mean flashy campaigns or funny headlines. (In my experience, it’s hard for healthcare brands—and particularly healthcare institutions -- to get humor right). Sometimes, being ultra-clear in a world of confusion is as creative as it gets.

Personalization Prevails

To really build back trust, it helps to get personal. A 2020 Salesforce study found that 92% of consumers expect personalized experiences, offers and insights. Even factoring in HIPAA limitations and an uncertain regulatory climate, I don’t see healthcare being immune to this trend.

We’re already seeing gains in personalization on the care delivery and experience fronts, with shifts toward telehealth, personalized medicine and concierge-inspired service from traditional healthcare institutions.

Healthcare marketers especially will have to be creative in how they leverage personalization, leaning on personalized content and experiences rather than retail-inspired sales or promotions. Offering a user-friendly website, targeted content and personalized health recommendations can also help boost engagement.

Consumers are willing to engage with health-related content --provided it’s personalized to their needs.

Trust the Process

Healthcare leaders are cautiously optimistic about the evolving state of the industry in 2025. Among 80 health plan and health system executives surveyed by Deloitte, 59% held a positive outlook, citing confidence in their organizations’ ability to drive efficiencies and affordability in the coming year.

Is this confidence justified? Only time, and consumers, will tell. One thing is clear, however: to bridge growth goals and trust gains, healthcare leaders throughout the industry must get -- and stay -- creative.

Posted at MediaVillage through the Thought Leadership self-publishing platform.

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The opinions expressed here are the author's views and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillage.org/MyersBizNet.