Case studies

93% member sentiment

See how Union drove 93% member sentiment
HeadUp was able to partner with Union to bring to life a smart, modern, digital health companion, who empowers Union’s customers to live healthier, happier lives.

No fitness fanatics, just healthier, happier employees
Seek a way to equip Natwest employees with the tools and skills to achieve mental and physical wellbeing

The future lies in taking personal responsibility for your health
Put healthy Unilever employees squarely at the center of successful business

Better member health, optimised claims and new clients
SimplyMe is transforming the way the brand is viewed –
building a more emotional connection between Simplyhealth and customers that doesn’t currently exist
Thought provokers
Recommended reading

Say it with Orange
It’s October, and that usually means one thing – a swathe of pink for Breast Cancer Awareness Month. We all understand what wearing pink means,

Be your own breast friend
Self check and stay informed. Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women in Australia (apart from non-melanoma skin cancer) and the second most common cancer to cause death in women, after lung cancer.

Have you ever wanted to take a dump in an envelope and send it to the government?
Some of the life-saving, life changing tools that are available to you, you’re likely not even aware of. And many of them cost nothing. That is why we write about bowel cancer prevention in Australia.

The deadliest animal in the world isn’t what you think.
“Dad, what’s the most dangerous animal?”. Now this is a a good question for a Dad who runs a data science business focusing on human health and well-being, because helping people identify and quantify risk so they stay alive (and healthy!) is what we do. At HeadUp Labs, we’re really good helping people identify what their big risks are. But what are the biggest risks to your kids? It’s not something like heart attacks or strokes… so, what is it? Hint: it’s something much bigger.

Why you can’t boil people down to a single health score
In a world that is so all about the numbers these days, the most common misstep (I’m looking at you, insurance companies) is simple. It’s the idea that you can reduce people to a single ‘health score’.

I should be so lucky.
Here’s a term that I recently learned that’s worth knowing: a micromort. Unless you’re an actuary or have swallowed a dictionary, you probably haven’t come across this term before. I only know it due to spending the last couple of years absorbing myself in the world of insurance, and it’s worth knowing—and not just for potential Scrabble points. We love the saying “one in a million”, but we’re not that great at perceiving and understand risk… even in a global pandemic.

Wellness isn’t always schmellness
As we push the rose-coloured glasses down the bridge of our nose and start looking through a clearer lens, it’s important to remember: there may be little good tucked away in the idea of wellness, but what is good can be lifechanging for the people who need it most.

People understand stories. And not much else.
One of the reasons that wearable technology by itself hasn’t transformed people’s health – the way we’d all hoped it might – is because it’s mostly just spitting out numbers. People are drowning in numbers and data points and starved of knowledge and wisdom.

People are not one number.
People are not one number. You are not one number. People are people and they’re scared and just doing the best with what they have. They need your help. But if you’re thinking of distilling their entire life down to one number. Don’t. Just don’t. We can show you a better way.

How much can a polar bear?
Working backwards from an extrinsic end goal doesn’t work. Instead, the key to successful population health is understanding how people think and feel, where changing this then naturally changes their behavior. For instance, don’t implement recycling quotas, but instead educate on why recycling is important (because we all love polar bears).

Is the customer really always right?
I appreciate that the old adage; “the customer is always right,” has value. But we’ve found that it’s blocked innovation and it seems that this is because, in essence, customers aren’t visionary enough.

A message to business leaders – take a good hard look at yourself.
Creating a culture of health is a public declaration of your commitment to your organization’s future. Great leaders don’t just say ‘people are our greatest asset’, they actually take care of that asset, starting with themselves. They walk the walk. Literally.

Why aren’t people paying attention to you?
Spoiler alert: it’s probably because you’re talking in a way that makes them not want to listen. There’s a big gap between jargon-heavy corporate-speak and how real people talk and think.

What would it take to get your kit off?
Insurers ask a lot of questions. Fair enough, that’s how they get to know you. To entice you to answer them though, wouldn’t it be better if they developed a trusting relationship first, rather than trying to buy your info with a voucher or reward?

My phone thinks I’m a prostitute (and it’s actually pretty close to the truth).
Data is at the heart of everything we do – but it’s not always enough. We need the human touch too.

Segways are dead and I won’t be attending the funeral.
As we say goodbye to the Segways we never needed, it’s time to say hello to moving our bodies in the way nature intended.

The road to hell is paved with good intentions
The focus on employee mental health is understandable – but has too much energy been poured into innovation at the expense of identifying what and where the problem is? Where is the data?

All this wellness is making me sick.
Amidst all of the negative impact of Covid19, one positive is that it has pushed the Wellness Warriors into the background and brought doctors and scientists back into the frame.

What’s going on?
Most of us know what we have to avoid in order to live a long, healthy life. And yet we do the bad things anyway. Then we tell ourselves little white lies (and sometimes, big ones) to justify our actions and behaviours. HeadUp cuts through the lies – even the ones you tell yourself – to deliver truth. Every time.

HeadUp: health for everyone.
I completed another lap around the sun this month. The world has changed a lot in the last 47 years, we’ve created a world that makes it hard for us to be healthy. If you have time and money – it’s easier. But health should be for everyone – regardless of social status.

HeadUp helped me dodge skin cancer.
Before I downloaded HeadUp, I never would have considered getting myself checked for skin cancer. But I did and here’s what happened.

A New Year’s ResolUtion – PART 1
Flying home from Sydney last week, I found myself listening to the safety announcement made on every airliner in the world. I must have heard it hundreds of times, but I’ve never really taken it in properly. The part I happened to tune in to was:

A New Year’s ResolUtion – PART 2
Today’s children are the most inactive generation in human history. And it shows: one third of American kids are overweight or obese. This is triple what it was 30 years ago.