Noetic Consulting recently convened a group of senior healthcare marketing and communications leaders for a candid, off-the-record discussion. The premise was simple: no agenda; just real conversation about the challenges these leaders are actively navigating. What emerged was a clear view into a function under pressure to evolve faster than the systems around it, and a shared willingness to learn from one another in that complexity.
Throughout the conversation, Sue Keith of DCA Live and Nancie McDonnell Dougherty of Noetic Consulting helped guide the dialogue, often drawing attention to the broader system dynamics at play and the leadership implications beneath the surface of each challenge. Here are the key takeaways from the discussion:
Growth is constrained by operational reality.
Several leaders shared that their roles are shifting from channel execution to true growth accountability, and their organizations’ infrastructures are not fully built to enable this. As more sophisticated demand generation is expected, marcom executives noted they are increasingly constrained to deliver end to end. In many cases, contact centers and intake functions are not yet equipped to convert effectively, exposing gaps in training, process and consistency of messaging.
Leaders also reflected on how easily misalignment happens. Even foundational terms like “lead” can mean different things across teams, creating friction or confusion that slows or muddles the process.
Implication: Growth in healthcare requires strong systems. Marketing performance is codependent with intake, access and operational alignment. Clear definitions must be standardized across functions to ensure effective execution.
AI is still experimental; scaling and operationalizing AI remains elusive.
Every leader and their teams are experimenting with AI, yet many shared that they have not fully operationalized the technology in a meaningful way. Most organizations have AI governance structures in place, but progress beyond experimentation is uneven. Leaders described early gains in content creation and efficiency, followed by challenges when trying to scale those efforts.
Several participants emphasized the importance of starting with the problem, not the tool. By defining the business need first, then identifying the right capabilities, they have seen more traction than with one-off solutions. Others shared how they are building capabilities within marketing, including evolving marketing operations teams to include automation and AI experts.
There was also an important human consideration during the conversation. Leaders need to bring their teams along by balancing pressure for efficiency with the need to build confidence and capability. Many are investing time in learning themselves so they can engage more credibly in these decisions.
Implication: The next phase of AI adoption will depend as heavily on building human capability as it will on mastering the AI technology itself.
Prioritization is an increasingly difficult discipline.
Across the group, leaders expressed difficulty with too many priorities, limited resources and expectations to deliver across all fronts – a challenge certainly not limited to the healthcare industry. To best address this, marketing and communications leaders are grounding decisions more firmly in economics. Several noted they are focusing on high-margin patient services, downstream value and total addressable market to guide investment choices.
They also spoke about helping their teams make clearer trade-offs to avoid spreading efforts too thin. Without prioritization, work can become an exercise in trying to accommodate everything and doing nothing well.
Implication: Effective prioritization should be anchored in financial and market reality, enabling clearer trade-offs and more focused execution.
The brand vs. demand argument is still unresolved and increasingly urgent.
The tension between short-term performance campaigns and long-term brand building continues to challenge marcom leaders of every level. Participants discussed the ongoing pressure to show immediate, measurable results, yet many shared a growing concern that brand investment is being underweighted. Some are turning to research and competitive benchmarking to better understand where brand measures such as awareness and perception may be lagging versus other healthcare providers.
There was also recognition that channels often categorized as brand do contribute to demand, though often attribution is more difficult to quantify.
Implication: Sustained growth requires organizations to invest in imperfect, longer–term measurement alongside short–term performance needs.
Content scale is increasing, but so is oversaturation.
Leaders shared that the volume of content they produce is increasing significantly due to AI efficiency and digital-platform enablement. In some cases, teams have moved from producing and promoting a small number of pieces per week to several per day. At the same time, participants question whether this increase is translating into meaningful impact or is it simply creating more noise?
Several leaders recommended careful discernment: focusing on what is truly driving value and being more intentional about what NOT to produce.
Implication: Content effectiveness will come from strategic focus and intentionality, not volume.
Influencers require a careful approach, ideally “try before you buy”.
These leaders also explored the role of influencers in healthcare marketing, with most describing their strategies asmeasured and selective. Participants shared that success depends on identifying individuals who are genuinely connected to the communities they serve, rather than high-profile personalities.
Some described starting with informal engagement, such as participating in events or initiatives hosted by prospective influencers, to better understand fit before formalizing partnerships. There was also discussion of the multiplier effect that can occur when the right voices are engaged, though leaders acknowledged this requires thoughtful selection and ongoing effort.
Implication: Influencer strategy in healthcare is about trust, alignment and contextual, authentic credibility.
Organizational design is being rethought to align with workload demand.
Finally, leaders shared that they are actively reassessing how their teams are structured to meet evolving demands. Some are working to strike a better balance between strategic leadership and executional capacity. They described intentionally adding more “doers” while maintaining a small number of more strategic senior leaders who can engage with executives and clinical stakeholders.
There was also discussion around how to organize teams across priorities such as patient acquisition and retention, and how functions like digital front door and access fit into the broader model.
Implication: Effective healthcare marketing and communications organizations are those that align structure to strategy, with sufficient depth to execute against the priorities that matter most.
Healthcare marketing is being reshaped in real time.
It was clear from our conversation that healthcare marketing and communications leaders are navigating transformation in real time, balancing rising growth expectations, the need to “do more with less” and transformative technology with systems not yet built to support them.
For DCA Live and Noetic, creating these convenings is a privilege. When insightful leaders come together in the right context, shared challenges can turn into shared progress. We hope the momentum continues through meaningful connections and ongoing exchange well beyond the time spent together.