Beyond the Funnel: Reaching Health Care Consumers in the Moments That Matter
A health care creative leader explains why most marketing shows up at the wrong moment and what to do instead.
// By Susan Dubuque //
Health care marketers know the funnel by heart: Awareness. Consideration. Conversion.
It has been around for more than a century. But it does not reflect how people actually move through their day or how they engage with health care.
Mindy Adams, chief creative officer, BPD Healthcare
That was one topic discussed at a recent eHealthcare Strategy & Trends member roundtable, featuring winners of the Best Integrated Marketing Campaigns category in the 2025 eHealthcare Leadership Awards. During this presentation, Mindy Adams, chief creative officer at BPD Healthcare, challenged marketers to rethink how and when they connect with consumers.
“Consumers don’t march neatly down a funnel,” says Adams. “Their journeys wind around at the speed of life.” The traditional marketing funnel may still be familiar, but Adams points out that it was created long before today’s nonstop media environment.
“People are being barraged by a gazillion messages a minute,” she says. “Recently, I saw that 89 percent of ads are ignored. That is staggering.”
If messages are not landing, and consumers are not actively looking for care most of the time, the issue is not just creative or media mix. It is timing.
Continue reading to learn how shifting from a funnel mindset to a moment-based strategy can help marketers connect earlier, stand out, and drive action.