The healthcare sector has been growing in India and it has gained industry status. As health consciousness rises in India, pharma companies are increasing their line-up of OTC products. Cosmetic surgery and dentist services are increasingly being availed of. People today no longer just want to be perceived as healthy but also as being fit. Brands are opting for health / wellness as their USP. 

However, the sector has it shares of challenges, like:

• The philosophy of health marketing still being at its nascent stage
• Lack of data and case study management systems to fall back on
• The issue of health being a Pan-India concern

The first step to overcoming these challenges is to initiate interaction and dialogue among the companies in this. With this objective in mind, The Economic Times, in association with Brandscapes Worldwide, has launched the first Health Marketing Conclave in India, which kicks off with a conference on October 6, 2009 at Hotel ITC, Grand Central, Mumbai, which will be followed by a Workshop on October 7 and 9 in Mumbai and Delhi, respectively. Both, the conference and the workshop will focus on trends, opportunities and challenges in the Health Marketing Sector in India.

The conference in Mumbai will open with the keynote address by Ms Chandra Iyengar, Additional Chief Secretary, Government of Maharashtra, Home Department (Former, Public Health and Family Welfare, Maharashtra). The topics to be covered include:

• CEO spot light on health marketing opportunities, issues and challenges in India
• Global best practices on health marketing
• Understanding consumers: Segmenting the health seekers
• Differentiating the 4 P’s of health marketing

Four international speakers will participate in these sessions to share a global prospective of the Healthcare sector in India. They include:

• Peter Wennstrom, Health Marketing Expert, Copenhagen
• Sam Waterfall, Senior Brand Strategist – Health Focus International, Florida, USA
• Neal Cavalier-Smith, Healthy Marketing Team, London
• Mikko Laavainen, Commercial Director – Raisio Group, Ingredients Division, London

The Health Marketing Workshop will focus on ‘Peter Wennstrom’s Four Factors of Success Masterclass’. Peter Wennstrom is an international health-marketing expert. His ‘Healthy Marketing Team’ comprises of global experts in winning brand strategies for healthy food, beverage and supplement marketing. The workshop intends to expand the understanding in marketing trends and consumer insights at a grass root level. It will close with an interactive session, where all the participants would be encouraged to present a four-factor analysis on a product or brand of their choice.

The Economic Times Health Marketing Conclave aims to showcase emerging trends in marketing of health products and services by bringing together CMOs, healthcare consultants, advertising agencies, research agencies, and brand heads from various sectors related to healthcare.

For more information, log on to http://timesgreycell.com/hms/ or write to us at greycell@timesgroup.com. For registrations, please contact Rajani Agarwal: 022-42174206 / +91-9220565607 or write to us at healthmarketing@webnoble.co.in