Introduction
Healthcare institutions have steadily increased their advertising rates in recent years. Advertising prescription drugs directly to consumers require prior authorization from the Federal Drug Administration while the Federal Trade Commission oversees the advertising process (Retsky & Demicheli, 2014). This paper highlights the various advertising strategies used in the Stanford Cancer Center, Artemis Heart Institution, and the MetroWest Medical Centre.
Stanford Cancer Center
The Stanford Cancer Center positions itself as a leader in caring about humanity, concern, and compassion through the most advanced medical expertise. The advertisement positions the facility as a place where patients get hope, help, and healing at a manageable cost. Its advertising message to researchers is that the facility is well designed and equipped to enable cancer-related research, combine clinical care and community education. The center targets cancer patients, their relatives, and researchers in their advertisements. The incentives for the Cancer Support Care Program to include free emotional, spiritual, and physical support throughout all cancer treatment stages. A multichannel marketing approach is used to make follow-up support to those who have managed to beat cancer.
The cancer center works with academic institutions such as Stanford University, Susan Komen Foundation, Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital, and Stanford Health Care. This foundation helps in funding cancer treatment by setting up events like marathons and collecting donations from well-wishers. The advertisement, however, does not indicate the cost estimations to be spent on the treatment. The design of the Stanford Cancer center is effective because it states the purpose of the facility and assures cancer patients of the right treatment despite lack of cost indications.
The Artemis Heart Institution
More than half the population in the United States experiences some form of heart-related health complications. Heart disease is one of the leading causes of death as it accounts for one in every four deaths in America (Mozaffarian et al., 2015). The Artemis Heart Institution provides quality care and treatment and cardiac research manageable costs using advanced technology. Incentives include support groups for people suffering from heart diseases and regular consultations and information from experts online and in person. The institution uses a multichannel marketing approach as it has various platforms that are interconnected by a common website.
The facility provides accommodation, free ambulance services, and a 50% discount on four consultations with their cardiologist within a year. The advertisement targets patients with heart diseases and researchers but does not indicate how to pay for treatment. However, it states the discount one receives by being a member of the Artemis Heart Club. The institute uses both the pull and push strategies with a well-developed website that allows consumers to access information. Its price policy is not accessible to the public as costs are not mentioned in the advertisements.
MetroWest Medical Center
The facility targets children seeking medical help. It offers a wide range of quality pediatric health care services for kids from birth to twenty-one years of age in a kid-friendly environment. The advertisement positions the facility as the best provider of health care for children. The incentives offered include children admitted at the facility getting care from the most specialized pediatric team. The facility applies the push strategy through its partners including Floating Hospital for Children at Tufts Medical Center in Boston as intermediaries to promote their services. The cost of the services offered at the institution is not mentioned in the advertisement. Adverts targeting children need to be colorful and attractive (Bartelt et al., 2011). The advertisement is neither effective nor appealing. Being kids-oriented, the facility should showcase a child in the advertisement and give more information on the facility’s location and price.
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