In 2020, the world stopped. Borders closed. Health systems cracked. Brands, those contemporary symbols of identity, aspiration, and belonging, encountered an existential challenge. COVID-19 was not merely a public health crisis but a brand crisis. The pandemic exposed the vulnerability of global supply chains, the insufficiency of crisis communication, and the ethical shortcomings in numerous corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives. As someone with a background in marketing and branding, this rupture is profound. Instead of returning to my usual routine, I decided to change course and enroll in the Master of Science in Global Health Policy and Management at Brandeis University's Heller School.

It is an unlikely turn from campaigns to care systems, from brand equity to health equity. But the connection is deeper than surface logic might suggest. If branding is about trust, then COVID-19 reminded us that epidemiological preparedness shapes public trust as much as a clever slogan. In that sense, marketing and global health are not separate worlds; they are two languages converging in an age of global interdependence.

The Pandemic as a Branding Crisis

COVID-19 didn’t just test governments; it tested brands. Companies that failed to protect their workers, fumbled public messaging, or appeared tone-deaf in their advertising saw swift backlash. A 2021 Edelman Trust Barometer report showed that 76% of people expected brands to take action beyond profit during the pandemic, including safeguarding employee health and supporting public health messaging (Edelman, 2021). The pandemic demanded a shift from image-centric branding to policy-informed positioning, which requires understanding health systems, data analytics, and equity.

Yet, most marketing departments lacked this lens. Few understood how healthcare supply chains impacted product availability, and fewer still knew how epidemiological policies would alter consumer behavior. COVID-19 revealed what branding had overlooked for too long: health is not just a human right, it’s a market force.

What the Heller Program Taught Me

Through the MS in Global Health Policy and Management, I acquired tools to answer this call. Courses like International Health Systems and Development and International Health Economics helped me understand how national policies and global financing mechanisms affect the availability of health services and, by extension, the stability of economies and consumer markets. In Cost Effectiveness and Applied Regression Analysis, I learned how to model outcomes, quantify trade-offs, and evaluate the ROI of interventions like what we do in marketing, but now for lives, not leads.

My studies in data science, particularly in applied data analytics, data mining, and data visualization, enhanced my background in marketing. I realized that data storytelling, a skill honed in campaigns, was just as essential in shaping vaccine uptake or improving public trust during pandemics. Through social policy and management, through the lens of equity, I deepened my sensitivity to systemic inequalities, an issue brands must grapple with in a world demanding inclusive, ethical leadership.

Perhaps most relevant to branding were digital marketing, social media, and advertising, which grounded my work in the digital-first reality brands face today. But now, with a public health lens, I could see how misinformation, surveillance capitalism, and tech equity intersected with global crises.

Post-COVID Branding: What Now?

We are no longer in lockdown, but we are not post-crisis. The pandemic has accelerated demand for sustainable, ethical, and health-conscious brands. Today’s consumer expects transparency in ingredient sourcing and how companies support mental health, build supply resilience, and engage with public health efforts.

Resilience now earns brand loyalty, and policy insight builds resilience. Brands must learn to think like public health managers: prepare for disruptions, invest in equity, and communicate with clarity during uncertainty. As COVID-19 proved, failure to do so can devastate reputations overnight. This is where health policy training becomes a strategic asset. A marketing leader who understands health system capacity, labor dynamics, and epidemiological forecasting is no longer a niche professional; they are necessary.

Conclusion: Toward a New Marketing Ethos

Global brands now operate in a riskier, more informed, and more ethically demanding landscape. The silos between health policy and marketing no longer serve us. To thrive in this new world, we must develop professionals who speak the language of markets and ministries and drive campaigns grounded in creativity, compassion, and structural insight.

My time at Brandeis has taught me this. In a post-COVID world, global health policy and management are not a departure from marketing; they are its evolution.

References

Edelman. (2021). Trust Barometer 2021. Retrieved from https://www.edelman.com/trust/2021-trust-barometer

Kotler, P., & Sarkar, C. (2021). Brand Activism in the Post-COVID World. Journal of Business Research, 132, 384–387. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2021.04.064

World Health Organization. (2022). Infodemic management: a key component of the COVID-19 response. WHO.