Public Health Branding

This book examines theory, best practices, and case studies on branding and its application in public health programmes. Through a series of reviews and case studies, the book argues that branding is an emerging public health strategy that needs resources and continued development of innovative methodologies to effect lasting population-level change. According to the publication, in recent years, public health branding has been successfully applied across a wide range of chronic and infectious disease issues and behaviours – from tobacco control to HIV/AIDS – and globally across the developed and developing world. Branding, as stated in the text, is an important strategy for public health because it can address multiple behaviours simultaneously, and most health risks stem from multiple behaviours and complex lifestyle choices. Promoting healthy lifestyles is the key outcome for public health, thus making the development of improved branding strategies a critical objective for the field.

According to the editors, brands build relationships between consumers and products, services, or lifestyles by providing beneficial exchanges and adding value to their objects. Through brand promotion, consumers form associations with brands, which can become established and lead to a long-term relationship between the product or service and consumer. Similarly, public health brands are the associations that individuals hold for health behaviours, or lifestyles that embody multiple health behaviours. Brands in both sectors can also apply to organisations, and factors that promote organisational impact and well being. Public health branding – building positive associations with healthy behaviours and lifestyle choices – is the primary strategy by which commercial marketing is applied in health communication and social marketing.