Healthcare: Advertising Effectiveness Research

 

Our client, a leading healthcare provider, was preparing to launch a top-of-funnel advertising campaign aimed at driving awareness and consideration across a complex decision-making ecosystem. The campaign needed to speak effectively to SME employers, Employee Benefit Consultants (EBCs), and end-user employees.


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The challenge

The client wanted confidence that its advertising would cut through with each audience, while maintaining a coherent brand story. Each group plays a different role in the healthcare decision journey from adviser recommendation, to employer selection, to employee engagement and therefore responds to different messages, language and visual cues. 

 

The challenge was to understand:
• How each audience perceives the provider and category
• Which messages and benefits are most compelling at an early, awareness-driven stage
• How imagery, tone and taglines influence credibility and emotional engagement
• Where there are points of alignment, and divergence, across audiences

The campaign concepts needed to be rigorously tested to:
 • Assess overall appeal and clarity
• Identify which executions resonate most with each audience
• Understand any barriers or misinterpretations
• Provide clear guidance on optimisation before launch

The approach

The research comprised primary qualitative advertising testing, designed to explore reactions in depth and uncover the “why” behind responses.

40 hour-long in-depth interviews conducted across the three core audiences:
• Decision-makers within SMEs (defined as those with 20 up to 3,000 employees)
• Employee Benefit Consultants
• End-user employees

Structured discussion guides explored:
• Core messaging and value propositions
• Visual imagery and creative style
• Taglines, language and tone
• Emotional and rational drivers of engagement

The approach allowed us to drill down into both initial reactions and considered responses, testing multiple executions and messages in detail. 

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The result

The research delivered clear, actionable direction on how to optimise the campaign for each audience.

Key outcomes included:
• Identification of the messages and benefits that resonated most strongly with each group
• Clear guidance on which imagery and creative routes enhanced trust, relevance and memorability
• Direction on how to tailor language and emphasis without fragmenting the overall brand narrative

The findings gave the client the confidence to refine its advertising executions ahead of launch, ensuring the campaign would connect more effectively with employers, advisers and employees alike.