Review of the Case Study “Medtronic and Human-to-Human Marketing Applied” in the Book "HUMANISM IN MARKETING"
Review of the Case Study “Medtronic and Human-to-Human Marketing Applied”
Authors - Alberto Andolina and Federico Gavioli
This is a very interesting chapter in the book: “Humanism in Marketing: Responsible Leadership and the Human-to-Human Approach” edited by Philip Kotler, Waldemar Pfoertsch, Fabio Ancarani, and Ivan Ureta. (Page 309 onward).
About the authors of this chapter
Alberto Andolina is a seasoned executive with over 17 years at Medtronic, currently serving as Vice President of Customer Marketing & International Transformation for the Diabetes division since May 2022. Based in Switzerland, he leads marketing strategies and business transformations across EMEA, APAC, and Greater China.
Federico Gavioli is Senior Vice President of Medtronic Diabetes Americas and EMEA. He holds a long tenure in healthcare, having served as Senior Executive, GM, and VP in large caps like 3M, General Electric Healthcare, and Danaher–Leica Biosystems.
About Medtronic
Medtronic is the largest medical device company in the world that makes medical devices to help sick people. It started back in the 1950s.
The company has a special goal (we call it a mission): They want to:
- Help people who are in pain feel better
- Make sick people healthy again
- Help people live longer
From the very start, the founder of Medtronic believed that taking care of patients was the most important thing. Even today, when the company makes decisions, they always think about what's best for patients first.
Of course, the company also needs to make money to keep running and growing. This has helped them stay successful for many years. This is in line with the Human-to-Human philosophy laid down in the book “H2H Marketing”.
Medtronic helps people with four main types of health problems:
1. Diabetes (when your body has trouble controlling blood sugar)
2. Heart problems
3. Brain and nerve problems
4. Problems that need surgery
Think of Medtronic like a helper that makes special tools doctors use to make people feel better!
Patient-centered activities
Focusing on Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA region), the Diabetes business over the last 5 years has doubled its turnover and the human marketing approach has been one of the essential drivers of such relevant growth. The EMEA (Europe, team learned something important about diabetes care:
Think of it like buying a car - while a car salesperson might recommend what's best technically, the person who will drive the car every day has the biggest say in which one to choose.
Let me make this clearer and simpler.
For people with diabetes:
- The patient actually uses the medical devices daily
- Because of this hands-on experience, patients now have more say in their treatment choices
- However, doctors and nurses still play a key role
While patients become experts in living with diabetes and using their devices, they still need their medical team because:
- Only doctors can prescribe the advanced technology and devices
- Nurses and doctors guide patients on using these tools correctly
- The medical team helps patients access these technologies through the healthcare system
In simple terms: Although patients have more voice in their care today, doctors and nurses remain essential gatekeepers for accessing and using advanced diabetes technology.
1. Medtronic's New Approach:
- They decided to talk to everyone like real people (Human-to-Human)
- They remembered that doctors and insurance companies are made up of real people too
- Everyone, whether a doctor or insurance person, thinks in similar human ways
2. Building Trust:
- Medtronic wanted their brand to mean something special
- They wanted to be seen as a friendly, long-term partner
- Their goal: Help people fight diabetes for life
3. New Team Structure:
They created three special teams to work with:
- Patients (people with diabetes)
- Healthcare Professionals (doctors and nurses)
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- Insurance/Mediclaim people
Instead of being just a company selling medical devices, Medtronic wanted to be more like a trusted friend who really understands what each person needs.
Medtronic made two teams that work together:
1. The Old Team (Product Marketing):
- Focuses on medical devices and products
- Keeps doing their important work
2. The New Team (Customer Success):
- Their daily mission: Really understand what customers need
- Find ways to help customers better
- Build trust with customers
- Make every interaction count
Think of it like a restaurant:
- One team makes sure the food (product) is great
- The other team makes sure customers feel welcome and happy
Both teams are important - they just do different jobs to make things better for customers.
The journey for these customers’ teams starts with the same question: do we understand our customers?
This takes me back to the 1960 article in HBR by Ted Levitt “Marketing Myopia” where he asks the readers – ‘Do you know which business are you in?’.
Instead of just saying "Buy our product!", Medtronic started asking "How can we help make your life better?"
It's like going from:
- "Here's our blood sugar monitor.”
TO
- "What's the hardest part of managing your diabetes every day?"
This new way of thinking led Medtronic to:
1. Finding more ways to help people
2. Offering extra services, not just devices
3. Building loyal customers who trust them
4. Growing the business by solving more problems
It's like a car dealer who doesn't just sell you a car, but also:
- Teaches you how to drive better
- Helps you plan road trips
- Reminds you when to get maintenance
- Is there when you need help
From the lessons learned from Medtronic, If I were a brand manager in a company with a strong OHA portfolio, what would I do?
Understand Daily Challenges of Diabetes Patients and help with:
?My Humanistic Approach Will Extend to Family Support:
My Patient-Service Approach Would Also Extend to Lifestyle Integration:
It's like having a friend who doesn't just give you a map but helps you plan the whole journey and walks alongside you.
This is the lesson I learned from the case study of Medtronic, in the book “Humanism in Marketing: Responsible Leadership and the Human-to-Human Approach” by Philip Kotler , Waldemar Pfoertsch , Fabio Ancarani and Ivan Ureta, PhD (KCL) .
The book is published by Palgrave Macmillan and is available worldwide.
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Chief Mentor - "B" (formerly The Enablers)
6 天前Absolutely @Tarod B Neptune The execution holds the key to the success of Humanism in Marketing Thank you????
I agree, Vivek, as we navigate an era of rapid biopharmaceutical innovation, it’s imperative that our marketing strategies are not just reactive but proactive—designed to enhance meaningful human connections and foster responsible leadership. I'm excited to see how industry leaders implement these strategies and what new heights we can achieve together.
Very informative & superb article