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Growing up with type 1 diabetes in Colombia during the late 1990s was isolating. For nearly two years after my diagnosis, I didn’t meet a single person with diabetes, and none of my friends at school knew anyone else living with diabetes.

In the early 2000s, I had the opportunity to travel to a diabetes camp in America. I was able to feel normal for the first time since diagnosis. It even pushed me to talk to my parents about getting an insulin pump after seeing other kids eat without having to inject themselves with insulin. They just had to push a button on their pump to deliver insulin. Shortly after, I got my first pump: the Disetronic D-Tron.

That insulin pump offered me the freedom I was looking for, but it came at a cost. The bulky pump made me feel uncomfortable and embarrassed. It became a visible marker of my diabetes on my teenage self that invited unwanted curiosity and forced explanations – particularly in a place where, even years later, I was still the only person in my school living with diabetes among 1,500 schoolmates. I hid my pump, desperate to avoid unwelcome questions, assumptions and advice. 

Today, despite immense technological progress, emotional barriers remain a significant obstacle to the adoption of diabetes technology in countries around the world. A 2023 study led by dStigmatize found that 63% of people who use an insulin pump and a continuous glucose monitor (CGM) said they experienced diabetes stigma related to their devices. Approximately 20% of those not using any devices reported that stigma had a negative impact on their willingness to wear a device.

My professional career in the U.S. began far from the diabetes and medical technology spaces, primarily working with consumer packaged goods (CPG) and lifestyle brands in the ad agency world. Here, I learned an essential truth: Brands succeed by appealing to both the functional benefits of a product and a person’s identity and aspirations. People choose brands because of how they make them feel and how those brands reflect who they are or who they wish to become.

When I transitioned into a career in diabetes tech, it became clear that the industry’s marketing approach had been largely focused on product education and function, missing the crucial element of emotional resonance needed to overcome stigma and drive widespread adoption.

Recognizing this gap inspired a different approach: integrating diabetes technology organically into mainstream culture. By embedding these devices into familiar narratives and beloved cultural phenomena, we normalize them, creating a sense of representation and belonging.

For example, the creation of Omnipod Bay in Nintendo’s Animal Crossing: New Horizons placed diabetes devices into a popular gaming universe, allowing players to add diabetes tech to their avatars. A collaboration with Marvel led to “Dyasonic: Sound of Strength,” a custom comic featuring a hero living with diabetes and proudly using diabetes tech.

This transformed what was once a source of stigma into a symbol of empowerment. Similarly, by partnering with musician Andrew Huang, Insulet helped craft an original song, “The Pod Drop,” exclusively from the sounds of a Pod change, bringing artistic visibility to the clicks and beeps that come with diabetes tech. Finally, this summer, the launch of a Barbie wearing a diabetes device sparked thousands of conversations in media that further demonstrates the need for continuous representation of these conditions in popular culture.  

These initiatives were more than just creative marketing. They were strategic storytelling designed to reduce the stigma surrounding diabetes technology and the emotional friction in its adoption. By providing cultural anchors, we make it easier for individuals to embrace these devices openly, confidently, and continuously.

As healthcare marketing leaders, we must recognize that while traditional education-first campaigns are necessary, on their own they are insufficient at addressing the emotional barriers and stigma of wearable medical devices. Through the power of our brands and our marketing efforts, we can drive meaningful action by having these devices positively and authentically represented in mainstream culture. This kind of representation can help reduce stigma around diabetes, making conversations more inclusive and empowering people to improve their health and quality of life.

Let’s leverage our marketing campaigns to be catalysts of cultural change. By embracing pop culture and prioritizing authentic and accurate representation of diabetes devices, we can dismantle stigma, foster belonging and ultimately drive better health outcomes.