The digital health space has seen a vast transformation in 2018 one exciting development that we may see more of in 2019 is cross solution relationships. Earlier this year Weight Watchers rebranded itself to WW with a tagline “Wellness that Works”- this move speaks to an interesting shift in the weight management landscape-broadening the focus beyond calories in/out which has been a dominant narrative in programming. With this re-branding WW is moving beyond that limited view of the complexity of obesity to orient to wellness- an important shift for such a legacy name brand.
Another aspect this rebrand is their new relationship with Headspace- a leading mindfulness and meditation app company. Layering approaches is an interesting shift in the digital health space and one that will need accelerating if companies want to demonstrate value in delivering healthcare at scale. People lead busy lives, and managing health is also a complex journey- recognizing that the solution you are using would benefit from a partnership is a vital development. Controlling weight, changing eating habits and managing stress is a lot to take on, the journey has ebbs and flows and adding the depth of expertise in mindfulness that Headspace seems like a prudent development for WW.
Demonstrating value to healthcare companies will be a big growth area for digital health companies, those that figure out how to partner well will be ahead of the game as they gain more market share and serve more people. WW and Headspace are staking a claim early in this integrated approach. 2019 will be an interesting year…
Thanks for reading – Trina
(Opinions are my own)
References
WW rebranding press release
https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/weight-watchers-becomes-ww-reinforcing-its-mission-to-focus-on-overall-health-and-wellbeing-300717434.html
