Report: Strategic marketing will have to change along with the health care industry
Published March 11, 2010
An analysis from Nielsen Research says that the disparity in the way minor ailments are handled from country to country makes similar changes in strategic marketing planning necessary for successful campaigns.
For example, Nielsen says, throughout much of Europe it is the pharmacist, rather than the doctor, who is the first point of contact for people suffering from colds, the flu, or other commonplace health problems. However, in Latin America, the doctor retains a primacy similar to that of North America. Nielsen asserts that "the real opportunity lies in [that region], where evolving healthcare infrastructures and economies provide a chance to educate consumers to use the pharmacist as a point of primary care and advice."
This means that pharmacists in Europe and North America must market themselves in vastly different ways, and the digital design of their marketing campaigns will look nothing like each other, if properly executed.
Digital marketing for the health care industry could also be affected by the progress of legislation through Congress that could change the way Americans consume and pay for medical services.