HealthLeaders Media Marketing Weekly - March 19, 2008 | Abercrombie & Backlash
|
View as a Webpage | Subscribe for Free |
 |
 |
Abercrombie & Backlash
Gienna Shaw, for HealthLeaders News
For the past week bloggers and reporters for marketing and advertising pubs have been typing furiously about Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, OH, which plans to name its trauma center after local clothing manufacturer Abercrombie & Fitch, which donated $10 million to the hospital. The retailer's marketing, aimed at teens, is racy and provocative, damages the self-esteem of young girls, promotes unrealistic body images and exacerbates eating disorders, says the Boston-based Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood. [Read More] |
 |
| |
March 19, 2008 | |
 |
|
|
Editor's Picks
|
Cleveland Clinic CEO: Transparency a "seismic shift"
Competition in the healthcare sector has been driven very much by cost and by being the lowest-cost provider, says Delos "Toby" Cosgrove, CEO of the Cleveland Clinic in this Q&A style interview. But low costs don't necessarily equate with great outcomes or great quality, he adds. Instead, maybe we ought to drive for value of the healthcare dollar. So how does the clinic offer its patients more value for the money? It has to do with quality, transparency, and outcomes, he says. [Read More]
Free healthcare could pay out big time
The words "healthcare" and "free" don't always go together. Actually, they've never gone together. But one blogger says he thinks that's going to change--in a way. The Internet lends itself to free services, he writes, and the healthcare industry can play this trend to its advantage by offering free health information online. Online health advice will only get consumers so far, though. Eventually they'll have to come in (and pay) for services. And where will they go? Probably to the hospital that gave them the free advice in the first place. [Read More]
Driving up prices might drive in more patients
Not convinced that going "free" is the best marketing move for your healthcare institution? Well here's something a little different. Actually, it's the exact opposite. This blogger says that hiking prices--whether out of necessity or not--can help generate more business. Consumers are quick to equate cost with quality and therefore might be willing to dole out extra cash for that more expensive procedure. The writer also suggests charging extra for special privileges. Would patients be willing to pay more for a gourmet meal or a 100% cotton Johnny? How about surgical procedures scheduled at a time that's actually convenient for them? [Read More]
A firsthand experience with patient satisfaction
Most marketers have the luxury of sampling their product before concocting its marketing campaign, but healthcare marketers are, fortunately, not so lucky. But when one healthcare marketer went to her hospital for an outpatient procedure, she didn't let severe pain get in the way of a rare learning experience. She reflects on the positives (a staff member escorting her to the car) and the negatives (the front desk clerk's lack of eye contact). Her experiences remind us that branding starts from the inside out and how important it is to look at your hospital through the eyes of the consumer/patient. [Read More]
A new spin on social network marketing
Healthcare marketers seem to have had a hard time adjusting to the idea of marketing via online social networks. People assume that in an open forum someone is bound to complain or slam the hospital's reputation. But when marketers do their research even the negative comments can be spun back into a positive. What if when someone makes an angry comment on a discussion board, a hospital employee immediately (and publicly) responds to the post and asks the commenter to contact them so that the situation can be remedied? Now that's a whole new angle on customer feedback. [Read More]
Marketing, India-style
You think healthcare marketing and advertising in the U.S. is tricky, what with Stark regulations and the fact that it's still viewed with a skeptical eye by some? Try promoting your hospital in India, where the Medical Council of India's code of medical ethics deems most forms of hospital and physician advertising "unethical." HealthLeaders Media Senior Editor Rick Johnson writes about India's Advertising Dilemma in this week's global healthcare e-newsletter. [Read More] |
|
Campaign Spotlight
|
Clarian's Safety Mission 'Clings'
 Riley Hospital for Children, part of Clarian Health in Indianapolis, has developed an ongoing awareness campaign to promote child safety. During the colder months of the year Riley Hospital for Children was seeing scald injuries that, with some safety precautions, could be prevented. With that motivation, the health system decided to start the second wave of their safety awareness campaign complete with an original, informative, approach. [Read More] |
|
Calendar of Events
|
Webcasts
4/3/08: 5 Easy-to-use New Media Options for Healthcare Marketers
Conferences
4/6/08: National Forum on Customer Based Marketing Strategies, Phoenix
10/15/08: HealthLeaders Media Marketing Awards, Chicago
10/16/08: HealthLeaders Media Top Leadership Teams, Chicago
|
|
Sponsored Headlines From IBM
|
|
Healthcare 2015: Win-win or lose-lose? The current paths of many healthcare systems around the world will become unsustainable by 2015. Healthcare systems that fail to transform will likely require immediate and major forced restructuring. There is a more positive scenario that will require new levels of accountability, tough decisions and hard work.
Healthcare 2015 and U.S. health plans: New roles, new competencies: The U.S. healthcare system is on an unsustainable path. Health plan providers must help shape and lead the healthcare transformation or risk being marginalized.
In the interest of the patient: This paper explores how by collaborating and sharing data, the pharmaceutical and healthcare industries can realize the full value of the information they collect--and improve patient treatments. | |
| From HealthLeaders Magazine |
Your Hospital, the Entrepreneur
 Forget those fixed-income investments. Many organizations are funding early-stage healthcare ventures that can yield not only healthy financial returns, but also improved efficiencies and better quality care. [Read More]
| |
|
Marketing Forum
Shopping for Healthcare: The 21st Century Healthcare Consumer: The media are filled with reports of consumers seeking more control over their own healthcare. But we've found that with a few exceptions, healthcare executives and physicians are slow to adapt to this trend. [Read More] | |
|
|
|
|
Sponsor HealthLeaders Media Marketing Weekly
Contact Lisa Brown, Director of Integrated Sales, at lbrown@healthleadersmedia.com or call 781.639.1872. | |
|
|
| | |
