Written by: Michela Graci, Strategy Partner
McKinsey Health Institute’s ‘Adding years to life and life to years’ report estimates that over the next decade humanity could add as many as 45 billion extra years of higher-quality life – roughly six years per person on average – by adopting a holistic approach towards health and reorienting aspects of public policy and the economy.
In recent years, the focus on mental health, social wellness, and inclusion has transformed the way we view wellness. No longer is it a question of ‘what is wrong with people?’, but rather ‘what matters to people?’. The concept of health is shifting beyond ‘health as the absence of disease’ or being just physically fit, to also living a fulfilling life both mentally and socially.
However, there are still significant gaps within health and wellness that should be filled to improve accessibility and affordability of products while ensuring there is an adequate awareness of how to proactively manage health more holistically. This requires a systemic approach that involves regulators and the public sector as much as private companies and individuals.
Some steps have been taken to facilitate this shift. For example, the traffic light system on food packaging introduced almost 10 years ago by the UK government shows the nutritional value of food and helps consumers make more conscious choices when they shop for groceries.
Recently, tighter rules around HFSS promotions were introduced across retail stores and online. Beyond these regulations, brands can play a significant role and use their impact to contribute to a wellness shift in multiple ways. In this piece, we focus on a couple of dimensions brands can leverage to facilitate this:
- Brand innovation and product development
- The impact of brand communications and partnerships
Read the full article here to learn more.
