Review Case Study 2.1 in your textbook on pp.50–51, and address the questions that are provided below. In essay format, provide a complete and detailed response to each question. You are required to use your textbook as source material for your essay. Each of the responses should be compiled into a document that consists of at least two pages. Your essay should address the following questions:

What differences do you see in the marketing approach used for the Regional Medical Center (RMC) as opposed to traditional business marketing approaches?
What are some barriers that healthcare marketing professionals would have to work around when creating marketing materials for RMC?
What information did RMC need to gather about the target population before it could establish its program?
Which of the key marketing functions and techniques discussed in the unit and your textbook reading do you see utilized by RMC in this case study?
Why was it important for RMC to use marketing approaches and techniques to launch its program?

ANSWER

RMC Case Study

The Regional Medical Center (RMC) implemented an aggressive, innovative, and integrated marketing approach, which blended and unified all marketing techniques and promotional tools such as direct, traditional, content, and social media marketing. The integrated marketing approach helped RMC create a consistent, multi-dimensional, and seamless experience for both the target population and employees (Boundless, 2017). The primary difference seen in RMC’s marketing approach from traditional marketing is that the primary objective was not only to place the product (new aging program) with the intentions of people purchasing it as it is with traditional marketing, but it was also to create public awareness, educate and ensure strong and effective internal support and loyalty from employees. Secondly, the RMC marketing strategy incorporated a wide range of promotional tools and techniques, including traditional and digital marketing tools, while the traditional approach is limited. The new aging program’s marketing was done externally for the target population through direct mailing, print, social, and broadcast media, PR, digital, and content marketing. Internally, marketing was conducted among employees to spread and invoke support for the new program through press releases in professional journals, local publications, and through a celebrity spokesperson.

Healthcare marketing is rather different compared to other industries. It becomes more challenging for RMC to market to older adults, as not all have the desire and knowledge to acquire information from the digital tools. Some may not have emails or even use social media. Moreover, not all may find the time or be interested in reading everyday newspapers. Hence, a variety of marketing forms must be adopted to capture all these possibilities and ensure they cover all preferences in information acquisition among the aging population. The integrated and multi-dimensional marketing approach creates an opportunity to connect with the target population vastly, which can be a weakness instead of a strength if not well planned. Secondly, the promotional message and language integrated can be a barrier to RMC. Unlike baby boomers and millennials, who understand and resonate with slangs and popular culture terms or abbreviations, using these language forms can be confusing for the aging population, thus limiting the marketing plan’s success and effectiveness.

For effective and successful marketing, adequate information regarding the target customers and population must be acquired to develop products, services, and promotional messages that directly address their needs and desires. RMC acquired information on existing patients to develop a mailing list. It purchased a household list with information on customers aged 50-65 years and acquired the essential target population information on their demographic, psychographic, geographic data, and behavior. This information is crucial in understanding the age, sex, socioeconomic status, preferences, residential, and lifestyle to develop positioned marketing tools and schedules. This information also helped RMC identify the most likely time the target population watched television, magazine sections they mostly read, and favorite radio stations for efficient positioning.

Key marketing functions integrated by RMC included promotional functions to promote and advertise its new aging program for the older population. Educational function through awareness creation and press releases on professional journals and publications, and operational function through efficient use of people (employees, celebrity spokespersons), technology, analytical data, and processes. Marketing techniques integrated include PR, community outreach, internal and external communication, advertisement, sales promotion, and content marketing (direct, database, and digital).

The new program’s success depended highly on the marketing techniques, and approaches used, as through the acquired information, the most successful and positioned marketing plan was developed. Without the information including demographics, behavior, geography, and psychographic data, the target population would not have been identified. Hence, the marketing approaches and techniques helped to understand the target customers deeply and develop products, services, marketing plans, and promotional messages that articulated the merits, adequate information, awareness, and education of the new program.

Reference

Boundless. (2017). Introduction to Integrated Marketing Communications. Lumen, https://courses.lumenlearning.com/boundless-marketing/chapter/introduction-to-integrated-marketing-communications/.