Self and Condé Nast Health this morning debuted Conditionally, a vertical devoted to a broad range of condition-specific health content.

First teased at last June’s Condé Nast Health NewFront event, Conditionally represents the venerable publisher’s latest – and possibly most in-depth – effort to leverage both its in-house health expertise and the credibility of the Self brand.

The vertical launched this morning with a handful of parent hubs (on neurological health and autoimmune diseases) and condition centers (on heart failure). It also started promoting a range of video content under the Conditionally banner, including videos devoted to living with chronic pain from a rare condition and living with heart failure.

All content will be vetted by members of the brand’s 60-strong medical advisory board. Self will also continue to draw upon its longstanding partnership with the Mayo Clinic.

According to editor-in-chief Leta Shy, Self took its first steps into the world of condition-specific content five years ago.

“I’m not sure if there was a single big program… but it became clear that the content was really resonating with our audiences,” she recalled.

As Self continued to increase the volume of condition-related content published across its channels, reader and marketer response increased in kind. That made expanding and formalizing the content under the Conditionally brand a no-brainer.

“It met a need in the marketplace, which was this endemic content with a kind of lifestyle approach,” noted Samantha Lipman-Porter, VP revenue, health and Self.

That approach both distinguishes and elevates Conditionally. The content is thorough but eschews the alarmist bent of so much of the health information published in the digital realm. The message it sends to readers, in essence, is that they have an ally in their fact-seeking journeys.

“We want people to feel good when they’re coming to Self, whatever that means to them,” Shy said. “We want to be relatable and non-scary and easy to understand. We want people to feel seen.”

This, Shy noted, is doubly important for members of marginalized communities. In April, the brand will publish its Inclusivity in Health Style Guide. The goal is to help Self writers and editors make sure they remain conscious of inclusivity in everything the brand publishes as well as to be as transparent as possible about those efforts.

“What do we mean when we talk about making health more diverse? A big part of it is showing the ways in which language and reporting can affect those types of things and push us forward to a more equitable future,” Shy said.

Marketing launch partners for Conditionally include Novartis and Biohaven, with others set to join the mix before too long. “You’ll see support from the pharma community,” Lipman promised.

From the April 01, 2022 Issue of MM+M - Medical Marketing and Media