Beyond the Brief: A marketing conversation with Fernando Barretto, VP of Marketing with Betterfly.

Q: Fernando, your career has spanned both agency and client sides of marketing. How did that journey shape the way you see the discipline today?

Fernando: It has definitely given me a 360° view of what marketing can do. I started at Crispin Porter + Bogusky, where we pushed early boundaries in digital creativity. Then I moved to Deutsch LA, where I worked on projects like Taco Bell’s first web-ordering platform.

Those experiences taught me how storytelling and technology can elevate brands. Later, moving client-side into startups like LetGo was about understanding why people behave the way they do, really getting under the hood of human motivation.

I’m a bit of a control freak, so leading on the client side gave me visibility across the entire ecosystem, from insight to execution.

Q: What drew you to Betterfly, and how does the company fit into this intersection of purpose and performance you seem so passionate about?

Fernando: Betterfly hooked me because it lives at that intersection. Our mission is to shift healthcare from intervention to prevention by aligning incentives around healthy behavior.

It sounds simple, but it’s revolutionary. The U.S. healthcare system spends about 95 percent on interventions and only 5 percent on prevention. We want to flip that logic by building emotional and financial engagement around well-being.

When people make small, healthy decisions, they’re rewarded through Betterfly with tangible benefits, from social-impact donations to better insurance rates and discounts on financial products. It’s about showing that living well pays, literally and figuratively.

Q: That’s a big ambition. How do you bring something like that to life in practice?

Fernando: You start with the individual and build outward. We’ve seen success across Latin America, including Chile, Mexico, and Spain, where our engagement model is already thriving.

The beauty of preventive health is its compounding effect. Each healthy choice benefits not just the person, but also employers and insurers. Employers gain productivity and lower healthcare costs, while insurers benefit when members live longer and stay engaged.

Q: You talk a lot about storytelling. How does that play into Betterfly’s brand strategy?

Fernando: Storytelling is everything. The 30-second TV ad is almost a relic now. What matters is contextual content and messages that feel authentic and emotionally resonant.

In today’s noisy world, the most powerful message is one that’s true. If you’re obsessed with your product, your customer, and genuinely improving lives, that clarity and purpose becomes the brand.

Q: Many marketers want to balance doing good with commercial viability. How does Betterfly approach that tension?

Fernando: It’s not a tension for us. It’s the model. We’ve proven that purpose can drive performance.

We’re a certified B Corporation, and we reward healthy habits by funding social causes at no cost to the individual or employer. Whether that’s planting trees, donating meals, or bringing clean water to communities, that immediate positive feedback keeps engagement high.

Q: Mental health and stress seem central to your worldview on wellness. How do those factors connect?

Fernando: Stress is inevitable, but it’s not inherently bad. Short spikes of stress can push us to act. Chronic, unrelenting stress is what causes harm.

Our platform helps manage that through purpose, education, and social connection. When people feel part of something bigger than themselves, they become more resilient.

Q: Speaking of connection, how does community fit into the Betterfly experience?

Fernando: Community is core. Inside the app, companies can create challenges, like teams competing on daily steps or meditation minutes.

That sense of shared progress is powerful. Healthy behavior becomes contagious. When a colleague feels better, more focused, or more energized, others want that too.

Q: The name Betterfly feels both poetic and intentional. What’s the story behind it?

Fernando: It’s rooted in the butterfly effect, the idea that small actions can create massive positive change over time.

That’s exactly what we’re building. Turning micro-actions like walking more, sleeping better, or managing stress into macro-impact on health, happiness, and even the planet.

Q: As you expand into the U.S., what will define success over the next year?

Fernando: Focus and validation. Demonstrating tangible value through engagement metrics, measurable stress reduction, and clear improvements in workforce well-being.

Q: You’ve mentioned data several times. How are integrations shaping that vision?

Fernando: Integrations are fundamental. We’re already connected to Apple Health, Samsung Health, and others, and we’re piloting programs using blood-test data to personalize health plans.

The real value is not the data itself, but the story it tells. Every dashboard should help people understand what’s happening and what action to take next.

Q: Finally, what keeps you personally motivated?

Fernando: The belief that if we get this right, the world becomes a better place.

There are very few companies where success genuinely makes people healthier and happier. Helping people take small actions every day and watching that ripple outward is what drives me.

For more on Betterfly’s mission to transform health into personal and social value, visit betterfly.com or connect with Fernando Barretto on LinkedIn.