Define the One Behavior Healthcare Campaigns Must Drive using Get Who To By
Healthcare marketing is a special kind of hell. It’s usually a mess of clinical jargon, 'patient-centric' platitudes, and enough legal disclaimers to kill a forest. You’re trying to save lives - or at least sell a pill that helps - but your strategy is a bloated mess of ten different objectives. The Get Who To By framework is your intervention. It forces you to pick one person and one behavior before you waste another million on a campaign that says absolutely nothing to everyone.
The TL;DR
Stop trying to 'raise awareness' for the entire human race. Use Get Who To By to nail down your specific high-risk target (GET), understand why they’re ignoring their health (WHO), give them a message that doesn't require a medical degree to understand (TO), and build the actual bridge that gets them to act (BY).
Why This Beats Your 50-Page Brand Deck
Healthcare brands love to hide behind complexity. This framework strips away the 'synergy' and 'holistic' bullshit to find the one thing that actually moves the needle.
The Four Steps
GET
Who is the specific human worth your time?
Don't say 'Type 2 Diabetics.' That's a census category, not a target. Target 'Type 2 Diabetics who are tired of finger-pricking and have basically given up on their apps.' Find the smallest, most winnable group that is actually ready to move.
WHO
What is the messy human truth about their behavior?
Why are they stuck? It’s usually not a lack of information; it’s fear, laziness, or a bad experience with the last 'miracle' drug. Find the insight that makes them feel seen, not lectured.
TO
What is the stupidly obvious thing they need to do?
If your call-to-action is 'Consult your doctor to learn more about a potential pathway to wellness,' you’ve already lost. Tell them to 'Scan this code to see if you qualify for a $0 copay.' Make it impossible to misunderstand.
BY
What is the actual mechanism for the behavior change?
This isn't 'magic.' This is the tool, the offer, or the emotional trigger. Is it a 30-day trial? A simplified symptom checker? A peer-to-peer testimonial that doesn't look like a stock photo? Show the 'how'.
Healthcare Campaign Graveyard
(Where bad ideas go to die)
- ×Targeting 'The General Public' because the CEO wants to feel important
- ×Confusing 'clinical efficacy' with a 'customer insight'
- ×Using stock photos of silver-haired seniors laughing at salads
- ×Hiding the call-to-action behind three pages of fair balance
- ×Treating patients like a diagnosis instead of a person with a busy life
- ×Assuming people have the 'health literacy' to decode your jargon
- ×Measuring 'likes' instead of actual patient outcomes
- ×Trying to solve five health problems with one 15-second spot
If you avoid these, you're already doing better than 90% of the pharma industry.
Real Examples
Chronic Condition Management
Increasing adoption of a new continuous glucose monitor (CGM).
GET
Tech-savvy diabetics who are frustrated by the 'data overload' of current monitors.
WHO
They want to be healthy but hate feeling like a walking science experiment every time their phone beeps.
TO
See your levels at a glance without the constant alarm fatigue.
BY
A 'Quiet Mode' feature launch and a 14-day 'No-Beep' trial program.
Telehealth Service
Driving first-time mental health consultations for men.
GET
Burned-out guys in high-stress jobs who think therapy is 'too much work'.
WHO
They know they're struggling but the idea of 'finding a therapist' feels like a second full-time job.
TO
Talk to someone tonight without the 3-month waiting list or the office visit.
BY
A 5-minute 'Stress-Test' quiz that leads directly to an immediate 15-minute intro call.
Preventative Screening
Boosting colonoscopy screenings for people over 45.
GET
Busy Gen X-ers who keep 'meaning to' schedule their screening but find it gross or scary.
WHO
They aren't afraid of the cancer; they're afraid of the 'prep' and the lost day of work.
TO
The prep has changed. It's not the nightmare you've heard about.
BY
A 'Prep-Lite' kit sent to their house with a QR code to a 2-minute 'What to actually expect' video.
Frequently Asked Questions
What if my legal team says I can't be this direct?
Legal's job is to manage risk, not to make your campaign boring. Keep the 'TO' simple and put the required safety info where it belongs. Clarity isn't illegal.
Can I have two 'WHOs' if the patient and doctor are both involved?
No. Pick one. If you try to talk to both in one framework, you'll end up talking to neither. Build a separate GWTB for the HCPs.
Is 'Awareness' ever a valid 'TO'?
Only if you have money to burn and no boss to answer to. In the real world, aim for an action - a click, a download, a conversation.
How do I find a 'WHO' insight without a $100k research study?
Read Reddit threads, talk to three actual patients, or look at the complaints on your competitor's social media. The truth is usually in the comments.
What if the behavior we need is a long-term habit change?
Break it down. Your 'TO' shouldn't be 'Live a healthy life.' It should be 'Take the first pill today.' Win the first step first.
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