No One Cares About Our Awards (And That’s Okay)

A recent study found that just under half of all consumers don’t consider a health system’s awards when choosing their care provider. Surprising? If you take a look at healthcare advertising in local markets, especially during Open Enrollment, you might think awards were the key to winning over patients.

What we've found over decades of campaign testing and hundreds of focus groups is a simple truth—people choose their health system because of how it will help them, how it will make their life better, how it offers something compelling that they can't get anywhere else. This doesn’t just apply to healthcare—it’s true across the board.

David Ogilvy hit the nail on the head many years ago when he said, “Consumers do not buy products. They buy product benefits.” It’s not about how many awards we've won—it’s about the real, tangible value we provide.

So, sure, let's be proud of our achievements, but let's not lose sight of what really matters: the benefit to health care consumers. That’s what they care about. And when we focus on that, everyone wins.