Improving lives like Emerald? Get in touch.
The proof
Emerald has just come out of Alpha and is welcoming users to the platform every day. Emerald has successfully secured grants, and user feedback is already positive.
Conclusion
User personas and theoretical use cases can often cost more in time and effort than they return in actual useful insight. This has not been the case with Emerald. A guiding principle for our messaging has always been that preventive health means different things to different people.
This presents both a challenge and an opportunity. It is challenging because it risks forcing us to lead with messaging that is too vague and broad. But it also presents an opportunity to write in a way that is specific and meaningful to each group.
For the brand as a whole, we have leaned on the idea of individualistic preventive health. We openly acknowledge that preventive health means different things to different people, and that Emerald provides the tools to help you reach those goals.
Brand personality
Even as we experiment with angles, I have worked with the Emerald team from the start to build a brand personality that lends itself not only to longevity, but also to whatever news or discoveries (good or bad) people make about their health while using the platform.
Our tone and personality at Emerald is:
Progressive
While you might imagine that motivational would be a better word, keep in mind that there are many reasons why people use Emerald for their preventive health. A song and dance isn’t always appropriate. What is appropriate in all cases, is the idea of progress. Upbeat and motivational is where we would like to be all the time, but progress is our priority.
Realistic
We never make unsubstantiated health claims. We provide factual data, and medically-sound advice on bringing biomarkers back within ranges that are clinically accepted as safe and normal for that individual. As we work hard to bust health myths, it’s important that we don’t add to them. We will never say that reducing X can extend your life by Y years, unless we have affirmative, peer-reviewed evidence.
Actionable
People use Emerald because they want to see results. They want to see certain biomarker counts going up or down, depending on their goals and roadmap. With every message, we’re clear about the action we’re advising them to take. Long-term, our goal is to have every user tracking their health and adjusting their lifestyle using their Emerald data. This is only possible if we’re guiding them with clear actions that help to dial in their progress every day.
Empathetic
We’re sensitive to the emotional impact that using Emerald can make. Health is your most valuable asset, and finding out that you might be predisposed to certain conditions or diseases can be startling and frightening. Sometimes, users are afraid of learning more. In these cases, it’s important that we use a light touch and don’t try to force their hand. If they’re simply busy and neglecting their preventive health, then we can dial up the strength of our messaging.
Welcoming
While our tone always stays the same, our messaging shifts depending on the audience. From athletes who want to optimise performance, to prospective parents, to anyone who wants to stay ahead of a genetic condition, Emerald is for everyone. It’s important that our main tone of voice is welcoming for everyone, and that we’re skilful about how we pitch to certain groups.
The challenge
To introduce the entirely new concept of an all-in-one preventive health platform to a paying public used to a combination of long NHS waitlists and expensive private health screenings.
The work
Health is your most valuable asset. Good health makes it easier to get out of bed, go for a walk, make dinner, make love, make gains, make plans —all of that sweet stuff. But your health data is scattered between paper files, wearables, and old computers. Emerald believes that by bringing everything together in one membership, and combining it with AI insights fact-checked by doctors, that you can take full control of your health and take action to live better for longer.
What sets Emerald apart from what is available on the high street is its completeness, affordability, and the fact that your roadmap is a dynamic thing that evolves with you.
Everything is packaged inside of a single Emerald membership. It costs £299 a year, and eliminates the problem of expensive, disconnected tests and services that don’t come with an action plan.
Because Emerald is a new concept in the UK, the messaging we use is quite exploratory. Based on website interactions, email open and click rates, and user interviews, we experiment with messaging around certain use cases, as well as potential blockers such as price and clinic testing locations.
Emerald intends to be here for the long-term, which means avoiding the temptation to use hyperbole and clickbait as some competitors do.
Instead, we make sure that Emerald’s copy and messaging is clear, practical and encouraging.
