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Apples legacy: Health?

Apple's CEO says its greatest contribution to mankind will be in health. With seeds already planted, which roots are taking hold?

A little bit of everything

Last week, we launched a new podcast format and outlined our changes and why we made them. Missed the episode? You can catch up here.
The podcast team shared a good laugh over the latest marketing spoof to go viral featuring Emily Zugay, a graphic designer who laughably redesigns logos for big brands like McDonald's, Doritos, and the NFL.

That little health brand we like to call Apple

Despite several roadblocks in Apple's initial entrance into the health industry, the tech giant continues to expand its presence with investments in health features and devices.
Apple is reported to have cognitive decline and depression detection, insulin level detection, and walking steadiness detection features in development currently.
Human bodies are becoming containers for data points monitored by devices. With these devices come enhanced insights and the ability for providers to treat more effectively. With so many health data points available, comes a new question of privacy – how comfortable will consumers be sharing this sort of data directly with providers?
On the other hand, it's possible that these continual monitoring devices will remove the need for physician interaction altogether.
Since the launch of its first health app seven years ago, Apple has a wealth of consumer health data already and will continue to build this database as it develops new health data-collection devices.
If Apple is an immovable force in the health industry, where does it fit into the business plans of other health entities such as health systems? As a strategic question, systems must carefully consider where they compete, partner, and invest.
While Apple's technology could make health systems' digital front door more accessible, a partnership would add a new level of dependency on Apple, giving Apple more control in the industry.

Step into the metaverse

Metaverse is the concept of a future iteration of the internet, made up of persistent, shared, 3D virtual spaces linked into a perceived virtual universe.
Facebook is investing heavily in "responsibly" building the metaverse. For those who know Facebook's reputation for living up to civic duty, you'll understand why this gave our team a chuckle.
In 2003, the first promise of a metaverse came out with the platform, Second Life. Initially, the concept created plenty of buzz in the healthcare industry, showing promise of enhanced patient engagement. But the buzz was just that – hype that quickly faded.
Now, the big name in the metaverse is Roblox, a gaming creation community with 43 million active users. Brands like Vans, Nike, and Gucci have pioneered experiences in Roblox, setting the standard for brand usage of the platform.
But where does Roblox and the Metaverse fit into the world of health? That remains the burning question. With no clear pathway yet defined, health brands may have an opportunity but should experiment with caution.

I'm not a lawyer, but I play one on TV

This segment is our question of the day segment for the show. Today's question: how do you gain approval from legal and compliance teams to engage influencers in your marketing initiatives?
By nature, good legal and compliance officers will lead you to the safest path. But as we all know, the safest path isn't what will drive results amidst heightened competition.
Since influencer marketing is relatively new to healthcare, health brand marketers may need to answer questions that may sound intuitive, such as: Are we paying people to be patients? Are we disclosing that we have influencers? Can we rely on influencers to protect our brand and speak to our brand as agreed upon?