12 November 2026 15:30 - 16:15
Storytelling on hard mode: What healthcare consumerism teaches every product marketer
Patients have become consumers. They shop for care, compare providers like they compare products, and expect the kind of transparency and ease they get everywhere else. This shift, driven by rising costs, technical innovation and the rapid rise of AI, is forcing healthcare organisations to rethink strategies that once relied on captive audiences and one way communication.
This session uses healthcare as a stress test for marketing fundamentals, examining what happens to the three Ps when consumers have real choice. Product expands beyond the treatment itself to encompass the whole experience, with pricing transparency and accessibility now embedded in what "product" means. People broadens to include redefined relationships between providers and patients, with personalisation built around patient needs rather than institutional convenience. Promotion shifts from interruption to education, building confidence through storytelling that supports patients at every stage of their journey rather than pushing messages at them.
For product marketers working in less high stakes categories, these lessons translate directly. Attendees will leave with three practical takeaways for building trust through transparency, designing experiences rather than just products, and using storytelling to guide rather than interrupt the buyer's journey, all ready to apply the following Monday.