There are all sorts of ad agency segments: pharma, direct response, B2B, digital, CPG, financial, ethnic, entertainment and even a small shop that focuses on baby boomers (AgencyFive0). What there doesn’t seem to be is an agency segment that focuses on the healthy.
I am hip deep in the science of health these days and though not a conspiracy peddler there are a great many people who believe a degree of collusion exists in businesses that make money off of disease. (Enough on that, I watch too much television.)
What I am comfortable talking about is the fact that healthcare is 17-18% of U.S. GDP and a lot of money is changing hands when it comes to medicating, treating and surgically repairing patients. Don’t hold me to this exact data point, but about 20% of medial costs go to prevention and 80% to treatment. That’s wrong. And that’s why there are pharma agencies. Were we to flip that equation, there would be more wellness care and wellness-focused ad shops. It’s a segment that is unique, growing and discrete — and a segment whose time has come. McTrust me. Peace.
