"Left side of the menu" marketing
We’ve spent a lot of time over the past couple of months talking about some of the many ways we as marketers define our discipline. “Inbound” vs. “Outbound” marketing, or “Above the line” marketing vs. “Below the line” marketing (which of course is transcended by “Through the line” marketing). So we thought we’d make up our own marketing terminology – “Left side of the menu” marketing vs. “Right side of the menu” marketing. (For the genesis of this concept, listen to this week’s podcast.)
Here’s how it works: at most fast food joints, the left side of the menu typically lists the value meals, be it the Supra Burger Special or the Chicken Hero Hefty Pak. The right side of the menu is usually filled with individual items, drinks, desserts and other miscellanea. How does this relate to healthcare marketing, you ask? All too often, healthcare marketers are ordering off the right side of the menu. That is, they’re focused on individual tactics, such as creating a new brochure or making a television buy, in complete isolation from other tactics, or worse, without the structure of a plan to guide their thinking. This usually happens because someone somewhere in the organization has made a request – “we need a brochure to build awareness of our clinic” or “can we run an ad to promote our new surgeon?” Other times, healthcare marketers are tempted by isolated opportunities: a special radio buy price, free production for a cable TV spot, or a discount on 2-color printing at their favorite print shop (ok, that example is about 12 years old – does that still happen?)
Why is this bad? Well, everyone knows that the best value lies on the left side of the menu, where the burger, fries and cola are not only cheaper when bought together as a meal, but also often come in a better package. In healthcare marketing, the left side of the menu represents integrated solutions. What is more effective, a quarter page newspaper ad promoting your new primary care physician, or a newspaper ad combined with a lunch-and-learn at the library, supported by a special web presence, a blog post, and a concentrated social media push?
The next time you’re faced with a request or an “opportunity” for a one-off marketing tactic that isn’t supported by a broader plan, think twice. For the best value (read: results), ordering off the left side of the healthcare marketing menu is the way to go. Then the only choice you’ll face is whether or not to super size it.
(Editor’s note: OK, so this might be considered really lame marketing terminology. But we couldn’t resist. And who knows, maybe in three years, we’ll be reading on Wikipedia how “Left side of the menu” marketing got its origins.)
Lol, Chris I found the (editor’s note comment on “really lame marketing terminology” hilarious…
However I think the analogy was right on point and if you think about it, most coined terms, phrases, and concept originated out of an analogy that beautifully got a point across. As it was the case in this post, in my opinion.
Thx for sharing bud