By Beth Whitworth, Consumer Health Director, Virgo Health  

How consumer health brands can engage HCP influencers to share campaigns organically.

You know your campaign has been successful when a healthcare professional (HCP) influencer engages with it on their own platform organically, with no paid partnership.  Why? Firstly, in consumer health, there are strict regulations prohibiting over-the-counter (OTC) medicines from running paid partnerships on social media with HCP influencers (apart from medical devices and food supplements). Secondly, you can’t underestimate the value of an organic post from a HCP influencer. Post-Covid we’ve seen a surge in virtual health and self-care, with HCPs the trusted, credible experts that people are turning to on social media more than ever for expert information and advice. 

But encouraging HCP influencers to engage in your campaigns is not easy. Regulations mean medicines can only proactively outreach to HCP influencers with brand agnostic campaigns. These campaigns must also feel relevant to the HCP and their audience. Asking them for their views in the planning phases and building a story around this will increase the likelihood of them sharing it.

Securing traditional media coverage, particularly in the nationals or lifestyle magazines, is a great place to start, as HCPs will frequently comment on media stories on their own social channels. For example, Dr Nighat Arif, a GP with 54k followers and a regular on BBC Breakfast and This Morning, shared on her channels an opinion piece we secured in i (in print and online) for our client Nurofen on the Gender Pain Gap.  She added her own personal experiences of the gender pain gap to her post, increasing its impact and relevance to her followers.

Similarly, for a breast cancer awareness campaign we did for Estée Lauder Companies (ELC), Dr Nighat created an Instagram Story sharing Kreena Dhiman’s interview in Stylist magazine.  Kreena spoke about the stigma South Asian women face when dealing with breast cancer and why she’s supporting ELC’s campaign.

To gain these kinds of campaign recognition, building relationships with HCP influencers is key. Outreach should be personalised, highlighting why the story matters to them and their followers, while the ‘ask’ should not be too prescriptive or demanding as brands do not have any control on the organic content they post.

Assets such as a video, report or statistics are often created for traditional media as part of the sell-in package, but these can also be of use to HCP influencers. Make sure they are simple and impactful and HCPs may use these to build their own content or in the perfect scenario, social videos, which generate 1200% more shares than text and image content.  As part of the Gender Pain Gap campaign, Dr Aziza Sesay shared an Instagram reel with her 20k followers highlighting new statistics showing the extent of the gap. Her post had over 500 likes and heaps of engagement, including from other HCP influencers agreeing the stats are upsetting and more needs to be done to bring change. 

As with all earned content, any product or brand mention should either be woven into the story (rather than a blatant plug), or it needs to be an authentic recommendation if coming from an HCP influencer. They are first and foremost medical professionals and protecting their integrity has never been more crucial than when it comes to social media.

By Natasha Weeks, Executive Director, Consumer Health

Virgo Health’s Natasha Weeks, discusses how the recent ASICS Mind Games campaign earned a rightful place in health and well-being conversations.

Sometimes we have a hunch. We know the likely outcome. But how do we ensure meaningful data is behind those headline-grabbing stats? Today, ASICS launched Mind Games: The Experiment. We all know that exercise is good for our mental health, but could it improve the mental performance of even the brightest minds?  

To bring this concept to life, we could have easily asked an expert or commissioned a survey. But would that earn a place in the global health and wellbeing conversation? Not anymore. In order to generate an evidence-based consumer story, we blended Virgo Health’s informed healthcare expertise with Golin’s powerhouse consumer team to help ASICS co-ordinate a global experiment in partnership with renowned researcher in movement and mind, Professor Dr Brendon Stubbs. 

Targeting inactive competitor gamers, specialising in mind games from Chess to Esports, we recruited 77 people who rely on their cognitive function from across 22 countries and matched them up with personal trainers. We put them on a training programme designed by runner turned international coach, Andrew Kastor, including medium impact cardio and strength training. The gamers gradually increased their exercise levels to 150 minutes per week and Professor Stubbs measured the mental improvement of the participants based on their performance in their mind games, cognitive tests and wellbeing questionnaires over the course of a four-month research period. The results showed vast improvement in their cognitive functioning, including concentration levels and problem-solving abilities.

So, could exercise be the key to boosting brain power ASICS? Pass me my trainers. 

By Sarah Gordon, Virgo Health, Managing Director

A global pandemic showed us the importance of inclusion in healthcare. The need to understand the impact of COVID on age groups, on those with comorbidities and on those from different communities showed us that not everyone has the same risk for the disease.  As health communicators we’re used to seeing disparities in risk but now as the world understands the critical need to “level up” we must make tackling inequalities in health a priority.

In the UK, we desperately need to improve outcomes amongst the poorest 20% of the population in conditions such as cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, respiratory diseases, maternity care and mental health. We also know that people with limited financial and social resources are far more likely to have limited health literacy and this is linked to more hospital visits, longer hospital stays, poor adherence to treatment and increased mortality

We need to work harder to change this.

We must invest in proper research embedded in the communities we’re trying to reach to understand what will work. We need to test literacy levels and the language we use and while we know the right messengers are crucial, we also need to be more creative to make the messages count.

Our industry is up to the task and our teams and the new talent entering are more aware of the need for inclusion than ever before. Many campaigns are working harder to make a difference. At Virgo we’ve engaged women from diverse audiences for Breast Cancer Awareness Month, we’ve used rhythmic rhymes to reach men at risk of prostate cancer, voice tools to speak to people who can’t access patient information and we’re rethinking how we engage on social media to build online communities for people with diabetes.

There is a big job to do but the pandemic has also shown us the ability of the world to rapidly change behaviours to prevent illness as well as to learn – not least what a spike protein is, what antibodies do and how immunity wanes.  We have seen the power of what is possible and now we must step up.

First seen in PMLive May 2022.

By Natasha Weeks, Consumer Health Executive Director

Healthcare professionals (HCPs) have always been hugely influential when it comes to making decisions about our health, but recently there has been a significant increase in the number of them attracting a large following on social media.

I’m not just talking about ‘media medics’ – the term we used to give GPs with columns in magazines and seats on TV sofas. Their monopoly is over (and so is that term).

There’s a new era of HCP influence and it’s thriving.

This is, I suspect, most recently fuelled by consumers wanting access to more expert-led advice (versus ‘celebrity’ endorsement) in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Virus advice via TikTok docs suddenly became a thing and HCPs aren’t leaving the platform any time soon.

From GPs to midwives to specialists, they are not only sharing health advice and product recommendations but documenting their personal lives and even professional struggles.

Of course, HCPs are human too, and seeing this other side of them makes them more authentic – a winning combination coupled with their natural authority in healthcare.

It could be a midwife using a baby brand with their own baby, a dermatologist recommending a cream they use on their dry skin, or a GP demonstrating how to conduct a breast check and where to go for more information.

With many commanding more than 100,000 followers, it’s no wonder brands are flocking to HCP influencers, but what is changing are the types of brands wanting to work with them.

Consumer health and wellness brands, plus public health and charitable campaigns, were there first, but now a broader range of consumer brands are exploring the power of HCP influence.

This is most certainly linked to more brands seeking credibility to play in the health and wellness space.

This evolution shows no sign of slowing down – in fact, many high-profile HCP influencers are becoming ‘celebrities’ in their own right, and generating mainstream editorial attention too.

However, as communicators we need to be mindful of this blurring of lines. It’s essential we work with HCP influencers authentically and compliantly.

Celebrities are not permitted to endorse medicines. They are, however, allowed to endorse medical devices and food supplements.

HCPs can endorse medical devices, but there are restrictions when it comes to advertising medicines and food supplements.

But at what point does an HCP become a celebrity? Isn’t it time we had more specific regulations around working with HCP influencers?

There is even less clarity when asking HCP influencers to endorse cosmetics or FMCG brands. A key consideration is whether you want to make a health claim, without being classified as a health product.

Whatever their profession or specialism, the HCP will also be governed by their own regulatory bodies and councils, highlighting what they can and cannot say.

There are subtle but important differences – ie sharing a product’s benefits or claims versus overt promotion, which could lead to serious breaches for you, your brand and the HCP.

First and foremost, HCP influencers are healthcare professionals and we must respect that, and when you work with them in the right way, brands can benefit enormously.

Opinion piece first seen in PRWeek.