Section 1: General Product Information
The diabetes program is a hospital-based program offered by XXXX Hospital that is available to both inpatients and outpatients in an independent diabetes center. The program features a variety of physical fitness, nutrition, and education programs that aim to prevent new cases and reduce risks factors of diabetes as well as treatment programs.
Social marketing will be applied in the marketing of the diabetes program. The marketing strategy develops and integrates marketing concepts to create awareness, integrate research, and inform the consumers of the delivery of effective and segmented, equitable and sustainable diabetes programs. Social marketing is a strategy that is designed and implemented to exert control of programs that are calculated to influence the acceptability of social ideas with consideration on price, communication, distribution, and research (Ferrell & Hartline, 2013). The marketing strategy is a form of internet marketing and will implement various internet and media networks for marketing communication purposes and create awareness of the health issue and the offerings of the program.
Social marketing is customer-driven and unlike business marketing, its main aim is social good and drives consumer attention towards the program with a focus on creating a positive social change rather than focusing on financial aspects and profits of the organization (Ferrell & Hartline, 2013). The diabetes program marketing plan addresses the focus on awareness services, distribution, and communications that aim to not only inform consumers about diabetes as a public health problem but also the program offerings by the organization. The value of the diabetes education and treatment program is based on creating awareness and providing medication and monitoring as well as a self-management program for diabetic patients which is expected to be cost-saving in the long run.
Section 2: Consumers
The aspect of the consumer experience is significant with respect to health care differentiation and availability and convenience are focal points in the program. The program will offer health care access expansion strategies to include night and weekend appointments, walk-in availability, and e-visits with dedicated access options for the providers. The program’s target audience includes individuals seeking to adopt a healthy lifestyle to prevent diabetes, individuals at greater risk of diabetes, and diabetic individuals. The program will offer differentiated health care access options for consumers under the government insurance program and those from the low-income bracket so that individuals from different socio-economic backgrounds and with different health care needs will access the program.
The different health care access options will affect how the organization markets to the target audience as it shifts the focus to the goals of improving access, ensuring quality, and controlling costs in relation to the health care access options to cater to the needs of those under financial stress and those with special health care needs.
Consumers communicate health care access options based on their expectations and demands for high-quality, safe, and accessible health care services (Santilli & Vogenberg, 2015). This means that accessibility and quality are the focal points which are facilitated by the provision of accurate information to assist them to make informed choices.
Under the social marketing domain, communication methods are essentially online in which potential clients exchange health information with physicians and pharmacies. This implies that health care providers will encounter health literacy-related barriers as well as ethical implications. The cultural perspectives of involved clients may not be expressed due to the nature of online communication. Also, two-way communication is meant to replace promotion and is subject to truthfulness in relation to the claims made in promoting the program services. Privacy issues may also arise as practitioners will access and use patient provided information to provide feedback.
Section 3: Impact of Outside Agencies
Government agencies implement regulations that focus on consumer protection and ensure that the products meet the basic health needs of society and that the products are safe and effective as they are introduced in the health care market. The role of the government agencies impacts aspects such as price and availability of products and the marketing of the products and the organization must take into consideration the regulations in place.
Section 4: Impact of Regulations
Health care reform legislation seeks to control costs and maintain quality in health care services while ensuring that every individual is able to access health care services. The costs, quality, and coverage aspects have broad effects across the entire health care market in relation to increased demand and tailoring to address the needs of consumers. Health care consumer products must be tailored, personalized, and aligned based on the consumer needs and benefit structure to serve the needs of customers effectively (Santilli & Vogenberg, 2015). To the consumers under the government insurance program and those from the low-income bracket, the health reforms will require them to share information with health care providers that will be factored in the health care services. This is because the consumers will be more assertive in relation to how and where they want to receive care taking into consideration the price aspect.
The marketing will be focused on creating networks with patients/clients to facilitate engagement and information sharing and highlighting the quality aspects of the programs as well as the health care access options. The marketing will also focus on maintaining accountability and transparency and also providing feedback and responses in the engagement with clients.
5: Anticipating the Changing Market
Consumer options for health care are experiencing changes oriented towards the implementation of flexible tailored plans that are able to cater for individual needs rather than based on a rigid standard.
Health care options should be able to provide certain benefits in that consumers be appropriated medical care based on individuals needs but with an emphasis on quality and value. The central idea is that consumers are treated as rational.
Section 6: Importance of Market Strategy
Having a marketing strategy is important in the sense that it is consumer-driven and is dynamic thus taking advantage of emerging opportunities (Ferrell & Hartline, 2013). The social marketing strategy is based on an exchange platform and builds on available media online that ensures prompt and effective exchange of information between the organization offering the product and the target audience. This means that it is customer-driven because the exchange of information involves the consumers as an active party and uses technology driven media to facilitate the exchanges. This creates value to consumers in terms of helping them address diabetes as a health issue based on research and professional input and takes into consideration their attitude and cultural backgrounds.
References
Asimakopoulou, K., Gilbert, D., Newton, P., & Scambler, S. (2012). Back to basics: Re-examining the role of patient empowerment in diabetes. Patient education and counseling, 86(3), 281-283.
Ferrell, O. C., & Hartline, M. D. (2013). Marketing Strategy, Texts and Cases (6th ed.). Cengage Learning.
Santilli, J., & Vogenberg, F. R. (2015). Key strategic trends that impact healthcare decision-making and stakeholder roles in the new marketplace. American health & drug benefits, 8(1), 15-20.
