How COVID test marketing is changing as cases drop

Demand for at-home COVID tests has been a fickle wave for brands to ride, rising and falling with the arrival of each new variant. Amid the current steep decline in cases, several test makers continue to pour more into marketing as they position their brands to expand into a range of testing beyond COVID.

Growth opportunities are driven by the rise in interest for at-home testing caused by the pandemic, said Susan Manber, chief patient officer at Publicis Health, which works with clinical labs and testing providers. But brands still see ongoing demand for COVID tests, as health specialists continue to emphasize the importance of testing for everyone, especially those who are immunocompromised. Test makers are also seeking to raise interest with sophisticated design elements, such as bright colors, simple design and portability.  

The marketing uptick includes new spending from COVID test brand On/Go, which recently launched its first national ad campaign called “It’s On.” The effort, which debuted in late February, places testing at the center of scenes depicting the return to normal life, including celebrations and family gatherings. Agency Circus Maximus handled the campaign. On/Go has also launched an app that logs peoples’ recent test results and includes a digital vaccine passport that allows people to carry their vaccine cards on their phones, as well as a digital toolkit that provides resources and next steps for people who test positive. 

The brand, which was launched by health tech company Intrivo, will expand into other medical diagnostic tests, said Intrivo’s co-CEO Ron Gutman, who previously founded medical advice startup HealthTap; he declined to say which other tests specifically. The company, founded during the beginning of the pandemic, has focused largely on digital advertising due to the desire for measurability, said Gutman, and targeted “early adopters.” 

Gutman said that although the brand’s messaging has varied at “different moments of the pandemic when there were testing shortages and spikes in cases,” its main message has focused on helping people “get back to living safer, healthier lives.”

Another testing manufacturer, Cue Health, gained major attention via a Super Bowl ad from Doner that personified its technology, using “Wonder Woman” actress Gal Gadot’s voice. Cue’s offerings include a home test reader that sells for $249 that the brand aims to expand beyond COVID tests, including for influenza, pregnancy and sexual health.

Cue declined to disclose metrics on how many new sales the Super Bowl ad caused. A spokesperson said it was “effective,” citing data from marketing analytics firm EDO showing it as the game’s second-ranked ad based on search engagement.

The brand wants to frame Cue’s testing technology as a permanently necessary smart device for peoples’ health, and aims to use its marketing to “educate people about this idea and claim this new space,” said the spokesperson in an email.

The marketing moves amount to a bet that the need for COVID tests won’t wane that dramatically as cases fall. As of March 10, reports of new cases are at their lowest since last summer and hospitalizations have fallen by three quarters since the January Omicron peak, although around 1,400 deaths are still announced every day, according to the New York Times. Interest will likely come from workers in the travel and healthcare industries, as well as school teachers and people who are immunocompromised—and this will probably lead to more targeted marketing, Manber said. Analysis provided by research technology company Motivbase shows that the demand for COVID tests is dominated by people ages 35 to 54.

LetsGetChecked, a health diagnostics company launched in the U.S. in 2017 after being founded in Dublin three years earlier, has “been intentional to not do anything that’s just COVID focused” in advertising, and expands or decreases supply with the waves of COVID, said Rebecca Silver, the brand’s senior VP of marketing.

Brands are upping their consumer outreach as the U.S. government continues to make available free COVID tests. Distribution began in January as the Omnicom variant was spreading rapidly. The New York Times has since reported that the government had to scramble to partner with test providers to make enough tests and that many tests came too late to handle the Omicron surge. Manufacturing partners included iHealth, Abbott, and Roche Diagnostics. President Joe Biden recently used part of his State of the Union speech to outline a new COVID plan that involves free antiviral treatment for people who test positive. People can now sign up again to receive a second round of tests through the same portal, although demand is lower, according to the New York Times. 

Gutman said that he does not see free tests from the government as competition for On/Go, because they have the same mission: wanting as many people to test as possible.

It’s important for brands to innovate and distinguish themselves from the competition if they want to stay ahead, said Motivbase’s founder Ujwal Arkalgud. Gutman said that On/Go has made an effort to differentiate its tests from those provided by the government. This includes how the tests look. With bright yellow packaging and smaller size, the brand focuses on being “a little bit playful,” said Gutman. The visually appealing design “reduces the barrier for adoption and makes it more likely” that people will test, he said.

He compared the brand’s emphasis on simplicity to Apple’s user-friendly designs.

Owen Kaye-Kauderer, co-founder and chief business officer of Detect, a health tech company that manufactures at-home COVID tests, also referenced Apple products when speaking about the “sleek” design of Detect’s tests. Detect, which was born at the start of the pandemic, manufactures molecular tests that are a type of at-home PCR test. PCR tests are more accurate than antigen tests, and more expensive as a result. Despite the higher price point, Kaye-Kauderer said he believes that the later stages of COVID will see “a movement away from this rush to grab every test regardless of its quality, and a much greater focus on having fewer, more high-quality tests.” After relying on word-of-mouth and media coverage, the company has plans to launch future campaigns and expand into a wider range of tests.

While people are now more familiar with taking tests by themselves and companies are jumping at the chance to manufacture them, brands must still continue to gain consumer trust, which is “fundamental,” said Manber. Data from Motivbase shows that people are concerned about big brands taking over the COVID testing space just for financial gain. 

According to Manber, brands must concentrate on accessibility. She questioned whether expensive technology can be accessible. To that end, On/Go has created a charitable arm that donates free tests to underserved communities, said Gutman.

“It all comes down to ‘how can I help,’” said Manber, of gaining trust, and particularly “having a meaningful answer” to this question.