The Plateau

You know that friend who’s always giving you unsolicited recommendations? The one who proselytizes about the “life-changing” benefits of celery juice or the horrors of not cashing in on your frequent-flyer points?

And it’s always prefaced with some non sequitur, the oft-employed linguistic shortcut.

Well, believe it or not, many brands rely on these chatty unofficial representatives. Rather than embrace brand strategy, a brand embraces devotees, expecting word of mouth to yield success. Throwing business acumen to the wind, it favors targeted, individualized missions.

Here’s a typical scenario. You see an acquaintance on the street. While catching up, you talk about how you’re orchestrating your company’s annual conference, contributing to a monthly magazine column, teaching Spanish at night in your local elementary school, and organizing the neighborhood potluck. The acquaintance says, “Wow, you really seem to have your life together. You have so much going on, yet you seem so calm.” As you smile and nod, the meme of a coffee-drinking, wide-eyed dog enclosed in flames proclaiming “This is fine” occupies your brain. The acquaintance asks, “Just how do you do it all?” On cue, the meme fades away and you open your favorite wellness app. “This. This is how I do it all.” You then explain how a weekly check-in with your online therapist is the secret to your serenity and how the app’s daily 10-minute meditation helps you achieve a level of Zen that rivals that of the Dalai Lama.

Now we’ll move to the acquaintance’s thoughts. “You can’t be serious. How in the world is an online therapist helping you? The therapist is probably repeatedly typing ‘And how do you feel about that?’ while catching up on TV. And how, on this suspicious app, could you possibly trust a programmed-to-be-empathetic robot with your deepest secrets?”

For the acquaintance, a non-user of the wellness app, the experience is complex. But for the enlightened user, it’s simple—a transformative tool that is vital to mental health. While the user is devout, the non-user is dubious.

The latest World’s Simplest Brands study saw this dichotomy in action. There were several brands with high user scores and low non-user scores. For example, one health provider’s care model is centered on an integrated plan that puts primary care, specialty care, pharmacy and labs, digital care options, and an overall health plan under one umbrella. For the existing customer, this amalgamated approach works. But for those weary wellness-seekers looking to make a switch, the list of big health words on a list that say they’re part of a plan doesn’t seem simple; rather, it seems more like a barrier to entry.

When your brand has built trust with users of a product, service, or offering—but when non-users are kept at a distance—brand and experience leaders should put all their energy into closing that gap. This is a challenge, given that all outcomes or benefits of engaging with a health brand require honest goal setting, dedicated time, behavior change, and trusted guidance from experts who have years of specialized wisdom and experience. To close this gap, brands might think that the default answer is to create a media campaign that attracts more eyeballs. But that won’t necessarily change the mindset and inspire behavior change, even if the famously attractive doctors from Grey’s Anatomy appear on the ads.

In today’s world, brands must create an ecosystem of brand-led experiences to motivate behavior change. Below, I explore three critical moments where that new ecosystem can come to life and drive the non-users to open up. If done well, you will attract even more users.

For the health-and-wellness industry, heartfelt experiential campaigns, safe environments in which to explore health concerns, and relaxing, rejuvenating physical spaces will eliminate complexity quicker than a jade roller reduces morning puffiness.

To learn how the hotel industry can rid the full-body rash that is complexity, read more.