A Caregiver’s Tears. An Arthritis Patient’s Struggle. A Brand Manager’s Insight. Brand Management 121
When 1 + 1 = ∞: The Power of Insights
First, what is a good definition of an insight?
An insight is not easy to define.
Data and information are straightforward. They are linear and unbending.
For example, 1 + 1 = 2.
It has to be 2. It cannot be anything else.
You already know this. You do not need to meet doctors or patients to discover it.
Insights are different.
Insights can make 1 + 1 become 3, 4, 7, or even more.
An insight is neither data nor information.
An insight is often a truth you already knew somewhere deep inside, but it remained unnoticed, forgotten, or hidden from view. Then, while talking to a doctor, a patient, or a caregiver, that truth suddenly reappears.
It is not a new truth. It is a rediscovered truth.
And that rediscovery is called an insight.
The moment you hear it, you instinctively slap your forehead and say:
“Oh! Of course. I already knew this. Why didn’t I see it before?”
That is the magic of an insight.
Real-Life Case Studies
For World Pharma Brand Managers Day 2023, we interviewed 32 patients from India and Bangladesh. Some of their stories revealed powerful insights that no spreadsheet or market research report could ever uncover.
Case A
We interviewed an elderly lady suffering from rheumatoid arthritis.
During the conversation, she quietly said:
“Our home does not have a Western-style toilet, and we cannot afford one. Every morning is painful. Squatting to use the toilet is extremely difficult because of my arthritis. What most people do in a few minutes becomes a daily struggle for me.”
The moment she spoke, an insight emerged.
You probably already knew that arthritis affects mobility. Yet, until you heard her story, you may never have connected arthritis with something as basic and essential as using a toilet.
That hidden truth became visible only because you listened.
Now think about the possibilities.
What strategies, solutions, educational initiatives, or patient-support programs could emerge from this single insight?
Case B
The second patient was a lower-middle-class woman whose husband ran a small lunch-box delivery business. She helped him prepare meals every day.
She said:
“I suffer from psoriasis. When the disease flares up, it appears on my palms and hands. Customers can see it. The moment they notice my hands, many stop ordering food from us. They think the disease is contagious. It is not. But their fear costs us our livelihood.”
Behind her words was a deep emotional wound.
For her, psoriasis was not merely a medical condition.
It was affecting her family’s income, dignity, confidence, and future.
This is a powerful insight.
The disease was not just creating physical discomfort. It was creating social stigma and economic hardship.
Such insights can completely change the way we think about patient care and brand strategy.
Case C
The third story came from a cancer patient undergoing chemotherapy.
Chemotherapy is often life-saving, but it can also bring significant physical and emotional challenges. Healthcare professionals routinely educate patients about possible side effects and the precautions they need to take.
During the interview, however, the patient shared something unexpected.
He said:
“Everyone asks how I am coping. Very few people ask how my wife is coping.”
He went on to explain that while he was receiving treatment, his wife had become his primary caregiver. She worried constantly. She monitored every symptom, accompanied him to hospital visits, managed the household, and lived with a continuous fear of what tomorrow might bring.
In many ways, she was suffering alongside him.
The patient felt that her emotional burden was often heavier than his own.
This was a profound insight.
In healthcare, we often focus on the patient journey. Yet caregivers are also travelling that journey—every step of the way.
Many caregivers experience anxiety, confusion, exhaustion, and emotional distress. Often, they do not know whether a patient’s behaviour, fatigue, mood changes, or discomfort are side effects of treatment or signs of disease progression. They feel helpless, yet they carry enormous responsibility.
I still recall immediately after Diwali 2021, I had an attack of chikangunuea and had temporary arthritis. Its my wife who took care of me.
The lesson was clear:
A truly patient-centric approach must also be caregiver-centric.
The Human-to-Human (H2H) approach reminds us that when we care for a patient, we must also care for the people standing beside that patient.
Sometimes, healing begins not only with treating the disease, but also with supporting the hands that hold the patient through the journey.
I often think back to the days just after Diwali 2021. Both of us were brought to a standstill by chikungunya. The pain was slow, stubborn, and stayed with us for nearly ten months — every step, every movement, a reminder of how fragile the body can be.
But in that long season of discomfort, something deeper unfolded. We cared for each other in ways that only years of companionship can teach. Small gestures became lifelines. A steady hand. A reassuring word. A presence that said, “You’re not alone. I am with you”
Those months changed how I see the patient journey. I realised that while illness affects the body, it is the caregiver’s quiet strength that holds the soul together.
The Human-to-Human (H2H) approach reminds us that when we care for a patient, we must also care for the people standing beside that patient.
Sometimes, healing begins not only with treating the disease, but also with supporting the hands that hold the patient through the journey.
Why Insights Matter
Insights reveal the deeper truths that lie beneath data.
They become the foundation upon which great brands are built.
Data tells you what is happening.
Insights tell you why it is happening.
Human stories tell you what to do about it.
When insights shape your strategy, you rely less on assumptions and intuition and more on a genuine understanding of human needs.
Insights help us combine forward-looking Segmentation, Targeting, and Positioning (STP) with a richer understanding of what is happening inside the minds and hearts of doctors, patients, and caregivers.
The three stories we have just discussed illustrate this beautifully.
Case A revealed a hidden physical struggle.
Case B revealed a hidden social and economic struggle.
Case C revealed a hidden emotional struggle.
Together, they remind us that patients do not simply live with diseases. They live with consequences that affect their dignity, relationships, livelihoods, and hopes.
Building brands is becoming more challenging every day.
Markets are crowded.
Competitors are multiplying.
Messages are everywhere.
The best insights are rarely found in dashboards, spreadsheets, or market research reports.
They are found in conversations with people.
A patient may give you information.
A caregiver may give you perspective.
But together, they can give you an insight that changes everything.
Insights help you cut through the clutter.
They help you see what others overlook.
And when you discover an insight, the possibilities become endless.
The opportunities hidden inside insights are infinite.
That’s why, in the world of brand building,
1 + 1 no longer equals 2.
1 + 1 = ∞
Vivek Hattangadi