Healthcare marketers are entering a new era — one where traditional awareness campaigns are giving way to real-world experiences designed to build trust and human connection.

In her Medical Marketing & Media article, Dara St. Louis, EVP at Reach3 Insights, explores how the industry is embracing experiential marketing and why it’s time to rethink how we measure impact — shifting focus from ROI to ROE, or Return on Experience.

The Rise of Experiential Engagement

From pharma and medtech to health insurers and hospitals, organizations are increasingly investing in purpose-driven, community-based experiences — from youth sports sponsorships and health fairs to pop-ups at concerts and major events.

“These go beyond surface-level branding efforts and become real-world experiences designed to build trust, spark conversations and create a genuine sense of belonging,” Dara writes.

It’s a notable shift for a traditionally conservative category: 43% of healthcare organizations now say they plan to use events to reach new patients. Whether through local activations or national partnerships, healthcare brands are recognizing that real-world experiences create emotional resonance that digital ads alone can’t replicate.

The Measurement Challenge

Unlike digital campaigns with clear click-through paths, experiential activations don’t follow a neat funnel. They influence perception, plant seeds of trust, and spark conversations that can lead to behavior change down the road — outcomes that are critical in a highly regulated sector like healthcare.

“What they offer instead is influence,” Dara notes. “They help shape perception, plant a seed and open the door to future action.”

Yet, many leaders struggle to quantify these efforts. Programs often sit under community investment or CSR, blurring expectations around KPIs and ROI.

Listening is the new metric

Dara argues that the most valuable way to assess impact is by listening to audiences in the moment — whether it’s a caregiver testing a medical device at home, a teenager participating in a wellness event, or a fan engaging with a health activation at a stadium.

Modern, mobile-first conversational research methods—like in-the-moment surveys or video feedback—allow marketers to capture real emotional reactions, contextual behaviors, and cultural relevance as they unfold.

Dara writes: “Healthcare has always been data-driven. But the kind of data we need is evolving. It is no longer just about what people are doing; it’s about how they feel while doing it.”

New approaches to measuring ROE

To bridge the gap between intuition and evidence, Dara outlines practical, compliant ways to quantify experiential impact. These tactics are based on Reach3's Brand Experience Predictor (BXP for short) — a comprehensive way of understanding the real impact of brand activations. 

• Measure awareness shifts before and after events to track brand connection.

• Use QR codes or short links to drive to educational resources and monitor engagement.

• Capture real-time feedback on emotion, relevance, and clarity through mobile tools.

• Compare outcomes to benchmarks like the Brand Experience Predictor (BXP) to predict success.

• Track post-event actions—sign-ups, content engagement, or social mentions—as soft indicators of influence.

These approaches help healthcare marketers link emotional engagement to tangible business outcomes while staying within regulatory limits.

Why measuring ROE in healthcare matters now

Healthcare’s pivot toward human-centered experience design reflects a deeper truth: trust and empathy are the real drivers of loyalty. As more care shifts outside clinical settings — from connected devices to home diagnostics — understanding how people feel during these interactions becomes essential to improving both outcomes and brand equity.

Dara’s message is clear: the future of healthcare marketing won’t be won by impressions or exposure alone. It will be defined by experiences that make people feel seen, supported, and connected—and by marketers who know how to listen.