November 21, 2024
New York, NY, November 21, 2024 – GCI Health today announced the launch of Inspiring Voices, a new patient ambassador offering designed to connect healthcare brands with people eager to share their experiences across marketing channels. Leveraging GCI Health’s deep understanding of people’s health journeys and authentic storytelling approach, Inspiring Voices identifies the right brand ambassadors for even the rarest disease categories, delivering relatable stories that motivate stakeholders.
According to a survey of healthcare marketers conducted by GCI Health, while 86% are looking to incorporate real patient stories into their marketing plans for 2025, many find it challenging to recruit the right patients and caregivers. Top barriers include finding the right voices for branded activities, navigating compliance hurdles and the time-consuming nature of patient recruitment. Inspiring Voices directly addresses these challenges by providing a streamlined solution for health brands seeking to amplify the patient voice.
GCI Health’s Inspiring Voices focuses on:
Precision identification: Using a proprietary process, INSPIRE, coupled with paid media and relationship-based targeting capabilities, GCI Health compliantly identifies and reaches the right people for the right opportunities.
Inclusive recruitment: Powered by the agency’s BELONG methodology, GCI Health combines research-driven insights and cultural health intelligence to engage diverse populations that are disproportionately affected by diseases or health conditions.
Personalized approach: Every engagement is different, and GCI Health builds personal relationships with ambassadors, resulting in compelling and motivating stories.
End-to-end solutions: As a communications agency, GCI Health understands how to connect directly to brand strategies and support the full patient journey – from ambassador strategy, identification and engagement to content creation based on brand needs.
“We’re seeing incredible growth in demand for relatable patient and caregiver stories, but we know these voices can be very hard to find,” said Kristin Cahill, Global CEO, GCI Group. “With Inspiring Voices, we’re transforming patient ambassadorship with a bespoke, efficient recruitment approach and an experienced team that ensure people’s experiences are represented compliantly, accurately and with the empathy they deserve.”
GCI Health also surveyed patients and caregivers to determine what elevates a story from a feel-good anecdote to a powerful tool for connection and action. The survey found that authenticity stems from shared experiences, particularly hearing from someone of a similar age and the length of time living with the condition. The survey also revealed:
– More than half of people trust stories from other people with the disease or condition who are knowledgeable about their condition and treatment options.
– 60% agreed that patient stories are not always inclusive of how they see themselves.
– While doctors remain the main source of healthcare information, 68% of patients feel more comfortable asking another patient a question about living with their condition.
The new offering is led by GCI Health veteran Robyn Leventhal, Executive Vice President and Head of Inspiring Voices. Leventhal will partner with Melanie Sollid-Penton, Group Senior Vice President, who will lead patient recruitment and relationship management.
“It’s incredibly inspiring to connect brands with ambassadors who are eager to educate their peers about a disease and share how a treatment or healthcare innovation has positively impacted their lives,” said Leventhal. “As communicators, our team takes pride in identifying the right stories for brands and preparing ambassadors so that they are able to contribute to a conversation that can benefit others.”
About GCI Health
GCI Health is one of the most highly recognized global integrated healthcare communications agencies in the world, with recent industry honors including being named a PRWeek Best Place to Work (2023), PRWeek Global International Agency of the Year (2021), MM+M PR Agency of the Year (2021), PRovoke Media Global Healthcare PR Agency of the Year (2020) and PRovoke Media Agency of the Decade (2020). Follow us on LinkedIn and Instagram.
About the Surveys
GCI Health partnered with Toluna to survey a representative sample of 1,000 patients and caregivers in the U.S. via an online survey from September 8, 2024 to September 19, 2024. The agency partnered with GLG to survey 50 marketing experts and executives who work in the pharmaceutical industry in the U.S. via an online questionnaire from September 5, 2024 to September 6, 2024.
Media Contact
Danielle Dunne | 917.689.9287 | danielle.dunne@gcihealth.com