Using neuroscience to motivate people and overcome biases to diverse communities.

This piece is part of a series on targeted health care marketing, highlighting stories from people in the trenches throughout the industry. Read the first story in the series.

 

People are notoriously bad at doing what’s good for them, according to Andy Semons, founder and strategic planning partner of communications company IPNY.

Health care marketers are often in the business of reminding consumers of their diagnoses and getting them to change their behaviors for their own good. IPNY works with neuroscientists to design persuasive, relatable health care communication materials. When it comes to applying neuroscience to motivate people, empathy looms large.

The company once developed a campaign encouraging current or former smokers to go in for lung scans. With smoking, “you’re dealing with a disease state where people just don’t want to hear it,” Semons said. “Smokers know that smoking isn’t good for you. The real issue is they’ve got an addiction, and treating an addiction is hard.”