Marketing
Banning hospital advertising – it was only a matter of time.
Over the past year we’ve pondered periodically in our podcast why we haven’t heard a call for a ban on hospital advertising, given the national debate on healthcare reform. Well we finally have our first salvo.
According to an article in the Burlington Free Press on Monday, Vermont state representative Steve Maier is proposing legislation to ban hospitals from spending money on advertising or marketing in the state. Here’s a quote from the article:
“‘It’s not producing health care,’ Maier said of the money spent on advertising.”
Given the focus on healthcare costs at a national level, it’s not surprising a politician has latched onto the relatively easy mark of hospital advertising. (It is surprising that it took this long). Let’s put aside the argument surrounding advertising that supports public health issues such as obesity, smoking or wellness for a moment. There are at least three reasons I can think of why such a proposal doesn’t make sense. Read the rest of this entry »
New book on marketing measurement set for release
“A Marketer’s Guide to Measuring Results: Prove the Impact of New Media and Traditional Healthcare Marketing Efforts” is a new book authored by Interval president Chris Bevolo. The book, set for release in April, can now be ordered from publisher HCPro. For more information on the book, check out the official press release. And stay tuned for more to come as we use the book to drive dialogue and dive deeper into the issues surrounding measuring healthcare marketing results.
What we tell ourselves is hooey
We’ve spent a lot of time in some recent podcasts harping on the idea that many traditional means of research – especially surveys and focus groups – fail to provide true insight into consumer motivations because what people say often doesn’t correlate with what they do. One of our favorite sources for this philosophy is Martin Lindstrom, author of the best-seller “Buyology” and consultant to Fortune 500 companies. Lindstrom’s recent work Read the rest of this entry »
Healthcare branding and the law of expectations
The other day, I took my daughter to the dermatologist for a follow-up treatment for a minor skin ailment, her fourth visit. Her mom had taken her on the previous trips and had warned me that it could take awhile. Not the treatment, which included a quick evaluation by the doctor and a five-minute spray application. The wait.
The entire visit took an hour from start to finish, almost all of it waiting. “How could a dermatology practice afford such poor service?” I thought, especially given the multitude of options available to us in our area and the commodity level of care we needed. Read the rest of this entry »
