Brands Hold the Power to Transform Women's Healthcare 

A call for brands to step up where the healthcare system hasn’t

When Havas Health launched its “Superwomen” report at CES in January, little did the agency know the spark it would create around a very important conversation. Brands, alongside businesses, have the opportunity to boost women’s healthcare—a “historically underserved, underrepresented and underfunded market,” the ad shop declared. What’s more, the sector is projected to grow to $500 billion by 2030, led by femtech and equity-driven healthcare solutions. 

Havas Health’s latest intelligence report was the second in a series called “Superhuman,” which focuses on how technology and creativity are closing the obvious health gaps. Co-authored by the network’s global CCO Eric Weisberg and managing director Chloe Depiesse, the research revealed numerous startling facts. The main emphasis being the deep inequities built into the system, from research and training to investment in women and their health. 

Did you know that women make 80 percent of health decisions globally? Yet, despite this influence, only 2 percent of all health-tech investment has historically focused on women’s health.  

And it doesn’t stop there. According to the findings, female-specific conditions were chronically under researched, underfunded and dismissed as niche or psychosomatic. Bias, historically shaped by men, reinforced these blind spots. On top of that, women make up more than half the world’s population. But they’re represented in only about 30 percent of clinical trials. And, unbelievably, they were legally excluded from participating in those trials until 1993. When you put these facts together, the picture becomes remarkably clear. 

“I’ll just add one statistic that I still find appalling, one that struck me on a very human level, which The Lancet published recently, stating that women spend 25 percent more of their lives in poor health than men,” says Weisberg. “And when you think about what that means in terms of quality of life—and in terms of the women today who will likely live to 100—that’s 25 more years of their lives spent in poor health as opposed to their male counterparts. And that’s just an absolutely unacceptable reality.” 

But, there is an upside. 

“We saw that there was an awakening in women’s health, in the technology and creativity space,” says Weisberg. “And we saw that as having the potential to close what’s a massive health equity gap between women and men. And that led us last year to write ‘Superwomen.'” 

Havas Health got to work with its findings, conducting town halls internally to educate and inform its employees across its global footprint. 

“That has informed the work we do internally that gets delivered to our clients,” says Depiesse.  

The agency took its learnings on a type of roadshow, hence the CES debut, with other panels across the festival and conference circuit throughout the year. 

Now, it sees meaningful movement happening across culture, innovation and investment.  

“It’s been great from a thought leadership standpoint, because the amount of media coverage that we’re getting demonstrates the relevance and the importance of the subject,” says Depiesse.  

She points to venture capital firms as well. They have realized just how lucrative of an opportunity this is, with over 50 percent of the population having specific needs that have largely been unmet for many, many years.  

“Purely from a business standpoint, that is something that is critical to note,” she says. 

From a cultural standpoint, Gen X celebrities are bringing women’s health issues to the fore—unlike Baby Boomers, who are known for rarely discussing what’s ailing them.  

One of the most prominent is tennis legend Serena Williams, who has publicly discussed taking treatments to relieve postpartum complications and her long battle with weight loss. Depiesse highlights Williams because she has advocated for women’s health throughout her life and has encouraged peers to self-advocate in a healthcare setting. The sports icon also financially supports what she preaches, fueling forthcoming innovations. 

“Culturally, women’s health is not as stigmatized or taboo as it used to be,” says Depiesse.  

The report also details the emergence of groundbreaking innovations across the life stages of women. Among them: predictive diagnostic tools to provide safer and better postpartum care, hormone-free contraception and more accessible menstrual products. 

“This is really important, because it’s not just technological progress, but a fundamental shift in how society values and prioritizes women’s health,” adds Depiesse. 

Still, many challenges remain. Healthcare leadership is high on that list, with only 25 percent of those positions held by women. To move the needle requires more women in charge of those systemic and foundational decisions that can speak to the different needs across the female lifespan.  

Havas Health continues to do its part to lift the sector by furthering the discussion at some of the biggest cultural, advertising and tech conferences across the world—and by keeping discussions alive inside the agency. 

“We are bringing more clients into the discussion on how to unlock both closing the gap, but also the financial opportunity for brands to do unique work and to put creativity, storytelling and technology at the center of every one of their efforts,” says Depiesse.