1.
In partnership with the Health Experience Project, GSW has
expanded its fourth-annual trends report to include a broader
look at the shifts that are changing healthcare marketing.

2.
2014 TRENDS
Consumer
Marketing
Digital
Healthcare
Overview
Do you ever get the feeling that healthcare and people
are just missing each other? Healthcare is full of “do this”
and “take that” directives. And, people… well, people
are full of good intentions, everyday missteps, and hope
that it will get better.
The kinds of experiences we need to build today –
to get people off the sidelines, to change behavior, to
earn commitment – aren’t healthcare-marketing-as-usual.
Instead, they’re innovative approaches that engage
people in new ways.
Here’s the real challenge, though: We live in a world
of rapidly changing expectations. But, our approval
processes aren’t as fast. They’re long and rely more
on insulating risk than innovating experience.
The opportunity is finding the smart risks, the ones
that can truly change our marketplaces. To prepare
for where the world is going – not just respond to
where it’s been.
That’s where trends come in.

3.
We look at trends to understand our customers’ new
expectations for brand interactions. The ones built on
their day-to-day experiences with technology, culture,
and media.
This year, we’ve uncovered actionable trends in
four key areas: consumer, digital, marketing and
healthcare. We’ll use those trends to systematically
point to new opportunities for healthcare marketers
and spur innovation.
We’ll ask, “What Could Be?” for healthcare brands
and customers. And deliver bold new solutions that
change that business-as-usual game.
Leigh Householder
Chief Innovation Officer
GSW
Core Contributors
Abigail Schmelzer
Alex Bragg
Alex Brock
Amanda Joly
Bruce Rooke
Eduardo Menendez
Jason Sankey
Jeffrey Giermek
Joel Gerber
Joy Hart
Kathryn Bernish-Fisher
Mark Stinson
Matt Cash
Michael Donahoe
Nick Bartlett
Rupert Dooley
Ryan Deshazer
Shawn Mullings
Tyler Durbin

4.
1.
ONE
FITS
ALL
ONE
In Short
Brands are using content marketing
and data optimization in an arms race of
personal recognition.

5.
Hey You
Rapid Scale
Dear [insert name]. It looks so
simple now, but that was the start
of how marketers thought about
personalization: simply calling a
customer by name.
The majority of marketers are now
customizing content based on
online messaging exposure (if you
liked this, you might like that).
The promise - and power - of truly
personalized marketing has been
at the center of the conversation
about marketing trends and theory
for years.
Now, with real-time behavioral
data on customers, many are
determining each customer’s level
of interest in the brand, their
loyalty, and their potential for
incremental cross selling.
Now, we’re in a period of rapid,
widespread adoption of mass
personalization that can be largely
attributed to smarter segmentation
strategies and more automation.
By matching that first-party data
with third-party data from other
online and offline sources,
marketers are delivering ever more
personalized content offers and
opportunities.
74
%
Nearly 3/4 of consumers get
frustrated when presented
with non-personalized online
experiences.

6.
Hey You
Rapid Scale
Dear [insert name]. It looks so
simple now, but that was the start
of how marketers thought about
personalization: simply calling a
customer by name.
The majority of marketers are now
customizing content based on
online messaging exposure (if you
liked this, you might like that).
Now, with real-time behavioral
The promise - and power - of truly
data on customers, many are
personalized marketing has been
determining each customer’s level
at the center of the conversation
of interest in the brand, their
about marketing trends and theory
loyalty, and their potential for
Personalized Media
for years.
incremental cross selling.
Companies like Spotify, Pandora, and the newly
Now, we’re in a period of rapid,
launched iTunes Radio are all first-party data
By matching that built upon a base of
widespread adoption of mass
active user participation in the development of
with third-party data from other
personalization that can be largely
personalized content tooffline you interested for
online and keep sources,
attributed to smarter segmentation term.
the long
marketers are delivering ever more
strategies and more automation.
personalized content offers, and
The more you’re willing to participate, the better
opportunities.
the service becomes for you, and the less willing
you are to jump to a new service.
74
%
Nearly 3/4 of consumers get
frustrated when presented
with non-personalized online
experiences.

7.
2.
CONTENT
IN
THE
C-SUITE
In Short
CMO, meet the CCO. In 2014,
marketing organizations will be expected
to be “content native.”

8.
It’s Time
Mobile Differentiator
The end of 2013 saw a big shift in the
conversation around content. The question
moved from, “why is content important to
our brand?” to “how do we organize our
business around content delivery?”
The most usable brand content will be ready to use on the go: to
be scanned while waiting in a line, browsed on a second screen,
flipped through as mobile fidgeting. That means leaders will be
focused on shorter, more actionable posts and shareworthy
images. They’ll be thinking beyond static, too, as video becomes
an essential component of mobile strategy.
That new question is a big recognition
that content can’t just be a lever of search
engine optimization, it has to be how
brands live in the digital world. How we
connect with today’s enlightened buyer
whose very non-linear “path to purchase”
is socially influenced and brand inspired.
New Leadership
Creating these new content native
organizations has led to the development
of new leadership roles and team
realignments. Today’s content engineers
are part of integrated creative, social and
search teams. They’re supported by
photographers, writers and analysts.
Netflix
YouTube
iTunes
Amazon
Video
Hulu
Real-time entertainment represents 67% of all peak internet
traffic, and nearly 40% of all peak mobile web traffic.

9.
3.
BLURRING
THE
LINES
OF REALITY
In Short
To draw people in today, marketers are creating new
kinds of brand experiences, ones powered by visual
spectacle and a lot of clever creativity.

10.
1.
Three technologies
are leading the way in
changing our everyday
surroundings, by adding
layers of images, video,
even interactivity.
Projection Mapping
Projection mapping can change
the face of buildings or create
entirely new interactive installations
that blur the line between the
digital and physical world.
View >
2.
Virtual Reality
2014 will see the consumer release
of the head-mounted Oculus Rift,
a 3D headset with sensors that track
the user’s motions at incredible
speeds with low-latency.

11.
3.
Augmented Reality
Augmented reality has been used to
do everything from add another layer of
information to a printed page to immerse
people in epic video games that take over
their physical worlds.
These involving experiences reach further than the people
who directly use them. Early AR case studies show that AR can
not only prompt downloads and increase engagement, but
also earn curiosity – significantly increasing other digital
behavior, particularly key word searches.

12.
AR Growth
More and more brands are starting to integrate
AR campaigns into their ad budgets.
3.
Augmented Reality
Augmented reality has been used to
do everything from add another layer of
information to a printed page to immerse
people in epic video games that take over
their physical worlds.
These involving experiences reach further than the people
who directly use them. Early AR case studies show that AR can
prompt downloads and increase engagement, but also earn
curiosity – significantly increasing other digital behavior,
particularly key word searches.

13.
4.
THE
BRAND
FORGIVES
YOU
In Short
Forgiving brands do more than sell you a
product – they can give you something to feel
good about.

14.
Everyday Indulgence
Everyday Indulgence
It’s so easy to indulge.
The BOGO shopping events,
extra caramel and whipped
cream on frappuccinos, a long
shower that doesn’t end until
the hot water runs out.
Brands are helping add to the credit column with promises of guilt-free, even
guilt-reversing, purchasing. They’re dialing up parts of their message that give
consumers permission to feel good about themselves (while still indulging).
Their new, winning brand promise, “have a positive impact on yourself, society,
or, heck, the whole word.”
Life is full of temptation.
And, that creeping sense of
guilt that goes with it.
Rapid Scale
Many consumers are keeping
count in their heads – debits
and credits that add up to
how “good” they’ve been in a
given day.
Chipotle was an early entrant in brand penance. It’s most recent
“The Scarecrow” video tapped into to people’s uneasy feelings about
factory farms and promised Chipotle as the planet-positive choice.
View >

15.
Everyday Indulgence
Everyday Indulgence
It’s so easy to indulge.
The BOGO shopping events,
extra caramel and whipped
cream on frappuccinos, a long
shower that doesn’t end until
the hot water runs out.
Brands are helping add to the credit column with promises of guilt-free, even
guilt-reversing, purchasing. They’re dialing up parts of their message that give
consumers permission to feel good about themselves (while still indulging).
Their new, winning brand promise, “have a positive impact on yourself, society,
or, heck, the whole word.”
Life is full of temptation.
And, that creeping sense of
guilt that goes with it.
Rapid Scale
Many consumers are keeping
count in their heads – debits
and credits that add up to
how “good” they’ve been in a
given day.
Grade
Chipotle was an early entrant in brand penance. It’s most recent
“The Scarecrow” video tapped into to people’s uneasy feelings about
When asked about their own diet and levels of
factory farms and promised Chipotle as the planet-positive choice.
physical activity, and to assign themselves a grade
from ‘A’ to ‘F’, US consumers gave themselves an
View >
average grade of ‘C+’ for their level of physical activity, and their personal diets an average grade
of‘B-’. Only 12% gave themselves an ‘A’ or ‘A-’.

16.
5.
GUARANTEED
TO
REPEAT
In Short
Brands are taking a page out of the Beltway’s playbook
to get fans “on message” in every medium.

17.
Talking Points
If you’ve ever watched the Sunday morning news shows, you know what “talking
points” are. They’re the short list of memorable catchphrases that politicians
develop and repeat over and over and over again in interviews until they solidify
into fact.
Launch Language
The first brands to pick up the practice were technology companies. At launch
events and in all the interviews that follow, they use short, repeatable phrases to
frame the topic the way they want the public to talk about it. The #1 hallmark of
this ready-to-pass on language is brevity. The phrases people remember and
repeat are about half as long as your average tweet.
Beyond Social
These clever headlines aren’t slogans, they’re hooks that change the context
people wrap around the product. It works because the brain looks for the big
picture before details. Once we have that big picture filter, it changes the
long-tail of search, the comparative criteria for similar products, and certainly
the expectations for the experience.
Listen to Apple’s
next launch. You’ll
hear each exec
repeat the desired
headline at least
twice, sometimes
three times.

18.
Talking Points
Easily Repeatable
If you’ve ever watched the Sunday morning news shows, you know what “talking
“Most forward-thinking smartphone in the world.”
points” are. They’re the short list of memorable catchphrases that politicians
develop and repeat over and over and over again in interviews until they solidify
into fact.
Launch Language
The first brands to pick up the practice were technology companies. At launch
events and in all the interviews that follow, they use short, repeatable phrases to
frame the topic the way they want the public to talk about it. The #1 hallmark of
this ready-to-pass on language is brevity. The phrases people remember and
repeat are about half as long as your average tweet.
Beyond Social
These clever headlines aren’t slogans, they’re hooks that change the context
people wrap around the product. It works because the brain looks for the big
picture before details. Once we have that big picture filter, it changes the
long-tail of search, the comparative criteria for similar products, and certainly
the expectations for the experience.
Listen to Apple’s
next launch. You’ll
hear each exec
repeat the desired
headline at least
twice, sometimes
three times.

19.
6.
THE
HUMAN
IN THE
MACHINE
In Short
After years of answer algorithms and
recommendation engines, the human touch
is once again the new gold standard.

20.
People Powered
Hyper Personalized
Welcome back, curators. It turns out that
data alone can’t create the perfect brand
experience. The human touch is what sets
apart something we think you’d like from
something we can’t wait to tell you about.
These interactions are delivered on big come-one-come-all
websites and events, but they quickly move people to a very
personal 1:1 experience in the form of pop-up concierges,
celebrity curators, even real-live personal shoppers.
Luxury Inspired
Brands are borrowing from the
hyper-personalized approaches of
luxury goods to give their customers a
sense of exclusivity powered by access
and accuracy.
Access: to collections designed by
the love/it hate it whim of celebrity
or the savvy preferences of the
almost-just-like-me athlete role model.
Accuracy: through questions that sound
like a personality quiz but give curators
just the right insight to recommend
everything from the right snack to the
perfect blue jeans.
This very-human point of view is changing the website
experience, even leading people to expect - of all things - an
actual phone call to follow up.

21.
People Powered
Hyper Personalized
Welcome back, curators. It turns out that
data alone can’t create the perfect brand
experience. The human touch is what sets
apart something we think you’d like from
something we can’t wait to tell you about.
These interactions are delivered on big come-one-come-all
websites and events, but they quickly move people to a very
personal 1:1 experience in the form of pop-up concierges,
celebrity curators, even real-live personal shoppers.
Luxury Inspired
Brands are borrowing from the
hyper-personalized approaches of
luxury goods to give their customers a
sense of exclusivity powered by access
and accuracy.
This very-human point of view is changing the website
experience, even leading people to expect - of all things - an
actual phone call to follow up.
Handpicked
Access: to collections designed by
Companies like whim of celebrity
the love/it hate itTrunk Club and Indinchino offer a
personal stylist who handpicks
or the savvy preferences of the a trunk of high-end
clothes and ships it to you role model.
almost-just-like-me athlete for free.
The service is way questions that sound
Accuracy: through more hands-on than first time users
expect. After completing give curators
like a personality quiz but an online form, they receive
a phone call from their stylist and answer questions
just the right insight to recommend
about their real the - not just their messy closets.
everything from livesright snack to the
perfect blue jeans.

22.
7..
THE
BIG
DATA
REVOLT
In Short
In big data lies the potential for
revolutionizing, well, everything. But this year
marketers are thinking much smaller.

23.
The Unfulfilled Promise
Remember how data was supposed to be the new creative? The new
competitive advantage? Even the new oil? In 2014, we’ll still be trying to crack
that code, leading many marketers to ask: Is it really worth it?
We expect to see three main strategy shifts:
Visualization
Small Data
Revolt
Data visualization to make data
instantly meaningful
Small data to find numbers that
are instantly actionable
Replace big data with instincts
and category experience

24.
74
%
74% of marketers say
they need to be better at
analyzing data.
53
8
%
53% of marketers say
they have more data than
they know what to with.
%
Only 8% of marketers say
it’s been easy to convert
data into intelligence.
Behind the Scenes
During this lull in the dream of data, automation will continue to improve,
creating more sophisticated systems that can cull through the sea of data
to deliver greater insight against specific business objectives and more
seamless activation / personalization in key marketing channels.

25.
74
%
74% of marketers say
they need to be better at
analyzing data.
53
8
%
53% of marketers say
they have more data than
they know what to with.
Only 8% of marketers say
it’s been easy to convert
data into intelligence.
Behind the Scenes
During this lull in the dream of data, automation will continue to improve,
creating more sophisticated systems that can cull through the sea of data
Crowdsourcing
to deliver greater insight against specific business objectives and more
Our ability to generate data far outstrips our ability
seamless activation / personalization in key marketing channels.
to analyze it. So, some brands and even scientists are
crowdsourcing the investigation.
The New York Times and Washington Post have posted
the text files of major legislation, asking readers to
quickly uncover questions and hidden sweetheart deals.
%

26.
7..
AGE
OF
VISUAL
CULTURE
In Short
Today, our favorite stories are told in pictures.

27.
1,000 Words
Mobile Differentiator
The old saying “a picture is worth
a thousand words” may need to be
updated in 2014 to “a picture replaces
a thousand words.”
In 2013, several image-heavy networks were sold for $1 billion or
more. Aging web companies - like Facebook (bought Instagram)
and Yahoo (bought Tumblr) - believed these new social destinations
would be their own fountain of youth.
The communications we value most
today are images that tell stories more
quickly and succinctly than words or
headlines ever could.
This visual content and the visual surge is prompting marketers
to communicate differently, too. They’re telling stories in pictures
and video, earning gestures (likes and forwards), and creating
share-worthy illustrations and graphics.
Pinterest
Technology + Volume
Technology is a big driver of the
visual shift. More people are engaging
with social media via their smartphones
and they’ve discovered that typing out a
blog post on a two-inch keyboard is just
short of impossible.
But more than hardware, pictures have
tapped into a core human need to make
sense of the vast amount of information
we’re exposed to every day. They’re
easy to sort, scan, and feel in control of.
Tumblr
Twitter
LinkedIn
The visual web is driving the rise of Pinterest & Tumblr
with growth rates of 88% and 74% respectively over the
last 12 months.

28.
To discuss this report live, request another module, or
schedule a presentation of trends, please contact Leigh Householder
at 614-543-6496 or leigh.householder@gsw-w.com
Sources
Janrain & Harris Interactive, 2013, eMarketer, CompTIA, 2013, ABI
Research, 2013, International Food Information Council Foundation,
May 2013, Sandvine, 2H 2013