For centuries, healthcare was generally practiced under the assumption that the approach to men’s health worked just as well for women. But, advances in modern medicine and the evolution of specialized healthcare show that, even though there are similarities between men and women’s healthcare practices, it’s the differences between the two that mean the most.

So why then do so many healthcare marketers insist upon using the same approach when communicating to both men and women?

A recent study done by several healthcare ad agencies shows that women have different needs when it comes to their health than men. Furthermore, women can be segmented even further into age groups that have different healthcare wants and communication styles.

The answer to this dilemma, is effective, targeted marketing—a concept that many seem to have overlooked in the process of creating their advertising message. By looking at women as different segments, instead of a whole, the target audience can be reached more accurately and consumers are able to identify and connect more with the communications being sent out.