Marketing plan for the healthcare entity (smoking campaign) - Assignment Example

?Marketing Plan Outline 0 Introduction 1 Purpose Marketing Objectives 2 Background The Marketing Plan (Anti Smoking Campaign) 2.0 Marketing Summary 3.0 Situational Analysis 4.0 Marketing Analysis 4.1 SWOT Analysis 4.2 Methodology 5.0 4 C’s of Marketing 5.1 Consumer Wants and Needs 5.2 Cost 5.3 Convenience 5.4 Communication 6.0 Budget 7.0 Implementation /Action Plan (Preliminary Plans) 8.0 Discussion and Conclusion 9.0 Reflection on Customer Relations and Marketing 10.0 Key learnings from the literature 11.0 Relevance of literature to experience 12.0 Insights 1.0 Introduction Much has been said with regard to the essence of marketing. The old notion of marketing is more often associated with selling and is seldom being linked with customer satisfaction. However, in a new sense, the concept of marketing has already been attached to satisfying customer needs. As defined by Kotler, et al. (cited in Barnes, 2001, p.71), marketing is a social, managerial process "by which individuals and groups obtain what they need and want," through means of establishing and exchanging products and values. In the promotion of a campaign, specifically in a healthcare model, it is crucial to develop the most suited marketing plan. This task is certainly difficult to implement; the campaign itself must have substance in order for it to become known and influential. 1.1 Purpose / Marketing Objectives This hospital establishment has decided to launch a healthcare campaign that will target to ease the worsening of such a dilemma because of the increasing rate of patients whose sickness is primarily caused by smoking cigarettes. Using The SMART (Specific/Measurable/Attainable/Relevant/Time-Bounded) objectives, the management has formulated the following objective. The hospital's center for lung diseases, in cooperation with the management, will launch an Anti-Smoking Campaign to help lessen the detrimental effects of smoking, and spread the awareness on its potential health risks. Moreover, the campaign will also target to reduce cigarette smoking in the United Arab Emirates. The campaign period will begin by February 1, 2012 up to the last day of the year 2012. Expected rate of decrease in the number of cigarette smokers by December 31, 2012 is at 45-80%. 1.2 Background (from the literature) The negative impact of smoking to human health is not anymore new to the ears of people. However, again and again, many people including the younger generation have become addicted to this extremely dangerous habit. Smoking not only endangers the health of the one who is actually doing it, it also affects the people surrounding the smoking individual (Kirch, 2008, p.859). Smoking addiction, passive smoking, and cigarette smoking in public areas are serious matters, which have to be addressed at this point. In the UAE, cigarette smoking is one of the primary causes of lung diseases and death. While there have been reports of increasing rate of smokers in the country, the ages of individuals involved in this unpleasant practice have been getting younger. To address the issue, Healy, et al. (cited in Mahoney, 2010, p.46) has inferred that the challenge for health promotion strategists is to seek for messages, delivery strategies, and techniques that will concentrate on the worsening issue of cigarette smoking and properly link it with the identified targeted areas. The appropriate communication channel has to be identified to reach out to the youth population. There have been reports that in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and in other Middle Eastern countries, ages of people who have been developing certain lung diseases have been getting younger. In the UAE, lung cancer has been identified a common illness among the male population, as well as in other Arab countries (Abid 2011). Furthermore, experts have projected that this case will be getting worse in the years to come. Experts have considered smoking as the main reason for the quick spreading of lung diseases in the UAE. Middle East patients had garnered the highest percentage of smokers that are at 42.1 percent and 21. 5 percent former smokers compared to that of Europe, 30.2 percent (Muslim, 2008). For that reason, more and more patients visit the hospital in every year to cure the lung diseases that have been caused by cigarette smoking; thus, making the anti-smoking campaign an urgent necessity that has to be implemented. The Marketing Plan Anti-Smoking Campaign 2.0 Executive Summary The campaign hopes to address the issue on cigarette smoking and spread awareness of its risks to human health. The negative effect of cigarette smoking excuses no one; thus, it has to be stopped for the sake of the majority. The targeted population of the campaign is the young adults, adults, and adolescents. The SWOT analysis has revealed the positive and negative traits of the campaign. One of its strength states that it has a noble purpose, which is then countered by its weakness of being vulnerable to criticisms of the society. On a positive note, the opportunity of persuading more people is high, but lack of government policies that support smoking ban can pull down the campaign. In order to have reliable data, an extensive nationwide survey has been proposed, and the sample survey questionnaire has been provided at the end part of the paper. The creation of this marketing plan has also taken into account the 4C's of marketing, and those are consumer wants and needs, cost, convenience, and communication. Factors that affect the projection of the budget, has also been discussed, alongside with the preliminary implementation and action plans. In conclusion, it was admitted that the development of the campaign was a difficult task. Even so, there is hope that this anti-smoking campaign will help totally change UAE maybe not now, but in the near future. 3.0 Situational Analysis The main issue that the campaign hopes to address is addiction to cigarette smoking. Some probable causes of this problem are lack of knowledge, peer pressure or pressure in the society, anxiety and depression, insufficient government warnings, and society's lack of effort in helping to solve the problem. The problem of cigarette smoking has already reached the critical level, and the impact of this dilemma is already being felt by all people in the society. The government and some non-government associations have already been implementing smoking campaigns to solve this growing concern; however, their effort may not be enough to help in providing an effective solution to it. The successful implementation of this smoking campaign will require the utilization of some essential resources. These include a budget, people or the volunteers, sponsors, and a venue that will serve as the headquarters of people who will be involved in this campaign. In order to gather more funds for the purchasing of materials and other necessary facilities, contributions from private organizations and concerned individuals are needed aside from the hospital funds. Government has not yet formulated a nationwide policy that would ban cigarette smoking, or even lessen its use in public areas. Possibilities of influencing younger generation are high since cigarette smoking is a practice that is often seen in the society, even in their own homes. All in all, these conditions have an impact to the worsening case of cigarette smoking. 4.0 Marketing Analysis This smoking campaign targets the young adults, adults, and adolescents. This market is wide open; in other words it can be easily penetrated. In terms of size, the adult and youth population has already comprised a large percentage of the entire population. Through the utilization of the various mass media, this market can be easily reached. The immediate competitor of this campaign is the cigarette manufacturers. The wide scope of their product distribution and the constant advertisements and sponsorship give them the opportunity of further popularizing their product (Thornton, 2008, p.142). When people buy cigarettes, and consume it, in their own perception, they are rewarded with satisfaction once its contained nicotine gets into their system. Thus, the campaign must exhibit a fresh, health-conscious, and modern image for it to snatch the lead from this unhealthy product. In doing so, people will get to become curious and might end up supporting the advocacy. After all, the main advantage of this advocacy is its purpose, and that is to transform the society into a health conscious one by trying to avoid and putting a stop to cigarette smoking. 4.1 SWOT Analysis The efficiency of the proposed anti smoking campaign is not guaranteed as there are underlying factors that might cause its success or failure. In order to assess these factors, this SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) analysis is being presented. The strengths include the following: (1) it has a good purpose, the aims of the campaign is already its strength. (2) It can become a driver of change since awareness is being spread, hence transformation is possible. (3) It can set a positive example to people as people will see those involved in the campaign as role models of change in the society. (4) It can influence other health institutions to launch the same campaign. There are chances of influencing other health institutions to implement the same, when they see its huge impact to health in the society. The weaknesses include the following: (1) it can be vulnerable to criticisms of the society since it may not be well accepted by people who are long addicted to cigarette smoking. (2) It has a tendency not to function well due to lack of resources; support from hospital management may not be enough to support the campaign in cases where in other hospital operations have to be prioritized. (3) The anticipated percentage of decrease in the number of cigarette smokers is not guaranteed to be achieved during the campaign's entire duration considering the vast population of cigarette smokers in the country. (4) The success of the campaign depends on the effort of others; it will only be successful if the targeted population will do their part in the campaign. The list of opportunities is listed as follows: (1) the presence of mass media for constant campaign advertisement. Constant advertisement of the campaign through the various mass media can influence more people. (2) The advantage of more supporters, more supporters mean more sources of funds or labor force. (3) The advantage of more resources, more resources can lead to an improved widespread campaign. (4) Government intervention, the government's health department can give the hospital the opportunity to utilize their resources to further spread the advocacy. Lastly, the threats are listed as follows: (1) The absence of a nationwide smoking ban, the lack of government support in the formulation of nationwide policy is one hindrance to the successful implementation of the campaign. (2) The criticisms, of cigarette manufacturers. Cigarette manufacturers might intensify their advertisement to counter its impact on their products. (3) The varied perception of people, and the liberated culture of this generation may become reasons why the campaign may not be well-accepted by the adult and youth population. (4) When parents are smokers, influencing them together with their children can be a big challenge. 4.2 Methodology An extensive nationwide survey has been eyed to make a sound research in regard to the campaign’s targeted population. The survey will have to focus on the reasons why people smoke, and the potential substitutes that they can recommend that will help lessen their longing for cigarettes. Furthermore, the survey will determine the approximate number of people in the country who are certified smokers. The data will serve as a guide to the plotting of areas of concern that will be prioritized by the campaign. Dissemination of survey sheets will be done via online and through public dissemination. Phone surveys will also be conducted nationwide. Results will be sorted accordingly to classify areas with serious and non-serious smoking problems. A sample smoking prevalence survey is seen in Appendix 1. 5.0 - 4 C’s of Marketing The 4C’s model of marketing is a reflection of the customer's point of view (Crandall, 1999, p.210). It represents the varied viewpoint of customers toward the type of product or service that is ideal to them. In today's business world, customers are on top of the game. The 4C's of marketing was first introduced by Philip Kotler and was later on supported by Robert Lauterborn (Leinemann, 2009, p.170). As contended by Dr. Bob Lauterborn, who is a professor at University of Carolina (cited in Jackson, 2007, p.13), the 4P's of marketing are already outdated, and people have to consider using the 4C’s of marketing. An assertion that is certainly applicable in the modern context of marketing, sales, and promotion. The application of the 4C’s in this marketing campaign is useful in a sense that it provides a hint as to the impression, reaction, and behavior of the campaign’s targeted group. 5.1 Consumer Wants and Needs In the creation of products, consumer wants are being identified beforehand so as to create a product that will truly satisfy them (Jackson, 2007, p.13). Whereas, in the formation of a campaign, the things or situations (problems/issues) in the society that have to be remedied, are being determined to make an action plan that will address it. In other words, the establishment of a healthcare campaign will depend on the existing health dilemmas in the society. The factors or situations that have led to the creation of this smoking campaign are the following: the increasing rate of preventable diseases and death the growing number of young individuals who are getting engaged in this inappropriate practice the negative effect of cigarette smoke to the health of non-smoking individuals 5.2 Cost Nowadays, cost is a critical factor in any purchasing decision. More often than not customers weigh the satisfaction they can get if they decide to purchase a good or avail of a service at a particular price (Jackson, 2007, p.13). Apparently, people are not required to pay for anything in supporting a campaign, but the thing that they have to consider is time, if it will be worth it to spend their valuable time unto a smoking campaign like this. Time is priceless; it is something that one cannot buy, but it is a valuable element to satisfaction. With this campaign, it has to be made sure that no time is wasted, since a time wasted is equivalent to dissatisfaction on the part of those people who would want to listen or take part in the campaign. Wasting no time means well structuring each and every detail of the activities that are to be implemented in the course of running the campaign. If people will recognize the essence of the campaign, then they might be drawn to it, and they will not hesitate to spend their valuable time and effort in support of the campaign. 5.3 Convenience Aside from obtaining what they want, customers look for convenience in the manner of obtaining the wanted good or service. In the case of a campaign, people would consider supporting it if they can access campaign information quickly and conveniently. The worldwide web will be utilized as a medium for quick information dissemination and the convenient access of people. 5.4 Communication It is not enough to promote the campaign through means of advertising. Direct communication with the campaign's targeted group is one effective way of spreading its agenda on improving public health. The survey will be of a big help in this process since it is one form of effective communication. People will be providing their insights and some information in regard to cigarette smoking and eventually after survey results have been gathered, areas with the highest number of smokers will be visited. Upon the visit, a talk or gathering will be done to communicate to people who have been identified (through the surveys conducted) as smokers. 6.0 Budget The making of a budget is equivalent to making "a series of educated guesses." The budget that is being inflicted in the marketing plan is only an assumption of the expenses or profit that the business is hopeful to earn within a specific period (Developing a Marketing Budget, 1999). As with the budget of the campaign, the expected amount of expenses for the activities and other extra -curricular activities will be included. Aside from those things, the amount of cash on hand will be listed first not to confuse it with additional funds that will be coming from the supporters or the sponsors of the campaign. Sources of funds will be coming from hospital funds, from generous sponsors of the campaign, and private organizations. Expenses will include those for the planned activities, materials, member allowances, transportation, promotion, and other miscellaneous expenses. 7.0 Implementation /Action Plan Preliminary Plans To seek for volunteers and sponsors that will help in the campaign's upcoming launch. Carrying out the intended plans of the campaign will not be possible in the absence of volunteers and sponsors. Thus, at the beginning, there must be enough volunteers and sponsors that will help successfully launch the campaign. Second is to lay down the plans for the upcoming launch of the campaign. The things that are planned to be implemented have to be explained, not to waste effort, time, and resources. Third is to launch the anti-smoking campaign nationwide through the worldwide web and television. The mediums chosen for the launching of the campaign are the worldwide web and television. The two were chosen because it can cover a nationwide audience and reach the targeted group of individuals compared to the limited reach of radio or print. Fourth is to conduct lectures and seminars in various communities, schools, and universities in regard to the ill effects of smoking. A campaign will not be complete without conducting lectures or seminars that will tackle the issue or problems being focused. A selected number of communities, schools, and universities will be contacted and visited to conduct lectures regarding the anti-smoking campaign. Fifth is to recruit regional volunteers that will facilitate activities in different areas. More volunteers would mean wider campaign coverage. This will enable the quick dissemination of information and the speedy spreading of the advocacy. 8.0 Discussion and Conclusion Developing a campaign to end smoking prevalence is a difficult task because one has to deal with the vast smoking population of the country. While developing this plan, factors like politics, the lack of laws that support total smoking ban, insufficient amount of funds and resources, and the possible lack of support from the society are some of the hindrances that have somehow disrupted the creation of the campaign's marketing plan. However, because there is an evident need for transformation in society, the planning of the campaign has pursued and is now at the brink of its implementation. Being healthy means one can live life to the fullest. People must not waste their money and time onto something that is not at all worth it. Cigarette smoking as proven by a lot of studies is extremely dangerous, and it can lead to death. This campaign is only one of the million anti-smoking campaigns in the world, but still there is hope that one day it can help totally change UAE, into a smoke free nation. Section B 9.0 Reflection on Customer Relations and Marketing Marketing is never an easy task; it requires all the planning and collection of relevant information that can be used for its conceptualization. It is not something that is done in an impulsive manner for it has to be done with caution and a specific pattern. This makes the job of a marketing manager or specialist hard enough. The planning process itself is already exceedingly difficult, much when it gets to be actualized to the selected group of people. Undoubtedly, marketing is all about building customer relationships, that is why there exists the so called customer relationship marketing (CRM). CRM leads to the application of techniques and activities that encourage long-term customer loyalty. As with a healthcare campaign, it aims to encourage support and involvement of the targeted individuals, and the concerned citizens, as well. Establishing and building customer relationship are two crucial goals of any organization, whether for profitability or for community transformation activities. Finally, to perform marketing and build customer relationships a marketing plan has to be materialized. It serves as the blueprint of all activities that are to be executed by the organization in preparation for any product or program launch. All in all, these things complete the marketing process. Marketing is a familiar and essential process in business that has to be understood even by non-business practitioners. 10.0 Key learnings from the literature The literature used in making the plan was mostly written by experts in the field of marketing and business. Many of these authors consider marketing as a means to obtain long-term customer preference and enjoyment. The concept of applying the marketing process as a tool for promotion and selling is now being set aside. Focus is now being given to customers and not to the product itself. In such case, more emphasis is being given to customer satisfaction than to profitability. Nevertheless, although customer satisfaction is being prioritized, business growth is still possible because loyalty is attainable. This transformation in the marketing process is being driven by sustainability on the part of the business practitioners. Nowadays, the level of marketing has heightened. As it heightens, the application of marketing to a healthcare model also gets to become complex. For that reason, analysis of the fundamental elements in the society like target market or targeted population, economy, politics, and customer behavior are being listed as essential matters that have to be taken up first, before the concept of the campaign is set to be outlined and finalized. It has been mentioned that cigarette smoking is a serious problem in the UAE, and it is one main cause of death that can ruin more lives if not prevented. The spreading of this unhealthy habit has continued up to this day because the government has not made its total ban a top priority. With all the cigarette manufacturers in the country, the campaign's mission to put an end to smoking still has to go a long way. In spite of the harsh reality that we are facing, hopes of vanishing cigarettes in the market are still there, maybe not now, but in the coming years. As long as the will is there, and campaigns like this will continue to strive for the betterment of the society, chances of transformation will remain at a reachable level. Commitment and dedication, in the end, will bring a campaign like this to success. 11.0 Relevance of literature to experience Anti-Smoking campaigns usually do not succeed because society is not paying much attention to it. Instead, more people including the youth have neglected the importance of healthcare and have continued with this intolerable vice. People have long been tolerating this unhealthy habit, and that is the main reason why anti-smoking campaigns are created. Promoting a campaign like this, to sell to people who are already addicted to smoking is a huge task that requires ample amounts of guts. It is never easy to persuade those individuals who have the opposite belief, for they would always think that their beliefs are superior. Experiencing these complexities will require one to create a marketing plan that will work to satisfy and persuade these types of individuals. In point of fact, society is judgmental, and campaigns like this will not work unless it is being implemented in a manner that will not affect them badly or discriminate them. Neglect and resistance by people are something that one would not want to happen in implementing his or her marketing plan. As much as possible one would try to carry out the plans smoothly so as not to waste the effort spent in conceptualizing it. Applying the 4Cs of marketing, conducting situational and marketing analysis truly help in making the plan a solid one. Now, dealing with the budget on hand is another challenging task since a campaign would typically have more expenses than obtain funds from interested sponsors or supporters. Funds will have to be spent wisely to prevent overspending and shortage of funds or resources. We have to face the reality that campaigns are expensive, especially an anti-smoking campaign. Thus, in order not to spoil its mission of changing the society, expenses have to be kept even with the available funds. After all, everything will run smoothly, if all plans mentioned in the marketing plan will be followed. However, if some parts of the plan have to be changed urgently due to some valid reasons, then that would be appreciated, as long as it is done for improvement and not for demolition. 12.0 Insights Marketing is indeed essential to any form of business endeavor, whether for earning purposes, or for community transformation. Dealing with the varied responses of people is something that is not at all easy, considering the differences in their beliefs. This scenario is the main reason why the process of marketing is usually thought of as a risky method. If before the success of a marketing plan is being gauged based on the salability of the product or service that is being marketed, these days the benchmark for an effective marketing plan is the loyalty of people toward a product or service. It only shows the need for a well-detailed marketing plan that will capture the trust and hearts of many individuals. In the making of this marketing plan, the various terms and techniques in marketing were being used. Terms like promotion, advertisement, situational and marketing analysis to name a few. Since the marketing plan is set for a healthcare program, which is the anti-smoking campaign, incorporating the terms mentioned was a little bit difficult. Plans that are to be carried out must be attractive enough so as to attract people with diverse cultural background and lifestyle. The planning stage of the marketing plan is the first step to putting an aim into a reality. Once all the details are ironed out, implementation comes next that will then lead to the determination of its efficacy. In the case of an anti-smoking campaign, efficacy is measured based on the impact that it has brought to changing the society. Putting an end to cigarette smoking is just the beginning. The most challenging part here is on how to influence the younger generation not to engage into this kind of bad habit. Smoking prevalence is a critical social dilemma that has to be ended, before more lives get to be devastated. References Abid, Larbi. 2011. Lung Cancer around the World and Arab Countries. [Online] (Updated 19 Nov. 2011) Available at: http://www.santetropicale.com/santemag/algerie/ lung_cancer_world_arab_countries.pdf [Accessed 5 Jan. 2011]. Barnes, D., 2001 .Understanding Business Processes. London: Routledge. Crandall, R., 1999. Celebrate Marketing Secrets of Success. California: Select Press. Developing a Marketing Budget, n.d. [Online] Available at: http://www.jpec.org/handouts/ jpec32.pdf. [Accessed 22 Dec. 2011]. Jackson, J.B., 2007. First, Best, or Different: What Every Entrepreneur Needs to Know About Niche Marketing. Indiana: Dog Ear Publishing. Kirch, W., 2008. Encyclopedia of Public Health. New-York: Springer Science+Business Media, L.L.C. Leinemann, R., 2009. Matchcode Marketing Manual. Germany: Books on Demand, GmbH. Mahoney, J., 2010. Strategic Communication and Anti-Smoking Campaign. Public Communication Review, 1, pp.33-48. Muslim, Nina., 2008. Middle East Smokers Develop Lung Disease at Younger Age. gulfnews.com, [internet] 1 April. Available at: http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/uae/health/ middle-east-smokers-develop-lung-disease-at-younger-age-1.96040 [Accessed 26 Dec. 2011]. Thornton, J., 2008. Why are Men Still Smoking? Men's Health June, p.142. Appendix 1 Survey questions recommended by the World Health Organization are as follows: Anti-Smoking Survey Questionnaire Name: Age: Gender: Address: 1. Have you ever smoked? (YES/NO) If NO, stop interview/questionnaire here. 2. Have you ever smoked at least 100 cigarettes (or the equivalent amount of tobacco) in your lifetime? (YES/NO) 3. Have you ever smoked daily? (YES/NO) 4. Do you now smoke daily, occasionally, or not at all? (indicate category) 5. On average, what number of the following items do/did you smoke per day? ___ manufactured cigarettes ___ hand-rolled cigarettes ___ bidis ___ pipefuls of tobacco ___ cigars/cheroots/cigarillos ___ goza/hookah 6. How many years have you smoked/did you smoke daily? (To be asked only of ever-daily smokers.) 7. How long has it been since you last smoked daily? (To be asked only of ex-daily smokers.) ___ less than one month ___ one month or longer but less than six months ___ six months or longer but less than one year ___ one year or longer but less than five years ___ five years or longer but less than 10 years ___ 10 years or longer. Read More