DOI: 10.25122/jml-2019-1003 Journal of Medicine and Life Vol. 12, Issue 2, April-June 2019, pp.

93–96

The impact of marketing strategies in healthcare systems

Received: May 27th, 2019 – Accepted: June 5th, 2019

The dynamic evolution of life has inevitably affected the Purcarea VL, Ratiu M. Marketingul serviciilor de ingrijire a
healthcare systems generating significant changes and sanatatii, 2007, Ed. Universitara “Carol Davila”).
imposing healthcare marketing as an indispensable The marketing of healthcare services differs primarily
element of health brands. Healthcare is a field in a through the nature of demand for health services. Secondly,
permanent evolution, the plethora of opportunities the beneficiary may not be the target of the marketing
stimulating creativity, enthusiasm, and will exploit the campaign, the physician being the one who decides what,
specialists in the field. where, when, and how much will be provided for a particular
As the philosophy and marketing techniques in other service. The decision-maker may be the doctor, the health
fields cannot find applicability in the healthcare services, plan representative, a family member. Healthcare services
healthcare need their own approach and present certain also differ where the product can be very complex and may
features that are not found in other industries (Thomas RK. not be easily conceptualized. Many of the procedures used
Health Services Marketing, A Practitioner’s Guide, 2008, in healthcare, especially those based on technology, are
Ed. Springer). complicated and difficult to explain to a person who is not
Through its specificity, healthcare marketing is an specialized in that particular field.
interdisciplinary field because it uses certain concepts, Another healthcare challenge, especially for service
methods, and techniques specific both to classical and providers, is that not all potential clients are considered
social marketing. The specificity of healthcare marketing “desirable” for a particular service. While service providers
is that there are services and markets but no money are required to provide services to all applicants, regardless
equivalent. This means the effectiveness of its application of their ability to pay, there are certain categories of
can be found in the image of a healthy population, the patients whom the marketer may not encourage to request
detection of a chronically ill category of people, ensuring a particular service. The marketer faces the challenge of
the treatment of ill people by going through the whole attracting customers to healthcare organizations, however,
rehabilitation process, professional reintegration, social without attracting too many from the category of those who
reintegration of ill people, etc. The application of marketing are likely to represent economic debts.
in the field of healthcare was imposed by the problems in Over the past decade, healthcare has experienced
the health of the society. many marketing trends that have fundamentally altered
An effective marketing approach involves in-depth marketing. These trends are the follows:
investigation of the patients’ needs, identifying latent needs — From a mass marketing approach to a more
and offering new health services that patients have not specific approach.
explicitly requested (Purcarea VL. Marketingul Ingrijirilor de — From image marketing to service marketing.
Sanatate - curs Universitar, 2017, Ed. Universitara “Carol — From “one measure for all” to personalization.
Davila”). — From the emphasis on a health episode to a
Patients’ involvement in the achievement of the long-lasting relationship.
medical act has become a necessity of present life with — From “ignoring” the market, to market
wide and complex meanings, not only beyond changing the intelligence.
mentality of the providers but also with significant changes — From low-tech to high-tech (Thomas RK.
like lifestyle, consumption habits and medication of Health Services Marketing, A Practitioner’s
beneficiaries. As the daily process evolves, change will be Guide, 2008, Ed. Springer).
fundamental to the fundamental purpose of our existence: Marketing plays an important role in helping healthcare
life. In addition, this will undoubtedly bear the hindrance professionals to create, communicate, and provide value
of how the relationship will harmonize the need for health. to their target market. Modern marketers start from
Structural changes forces health systems to accelerate customers rather than from products or services. They are
towards the future, considering the current needs, and more interested in building a sustainable relationship, than
the future strategy cannot be viable without performing in ensuring a single transaction. Their aim is to create a
management and marketing abilities (Popa F, Purcarea Th, high level of consumer satisfaction so that they return to

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the same supplier. Marketers have used many traditional From a marketing perspective, the process of providing
methods that include marketing research, product design, healthcare services must be conducted in full compliance
distribution, pricing, advertising, promotional sales, and with patient requirements, activities are being designed
sales management. These methods need to be joined by to meet these requirements. However, achieving such a
new ones, related to new technology and new concepts, to goal implies the identification of all points of interference
attract customers through messages and offers. of healthcare staff with the healthcare service consumers
Although the consumer typically receives most of and the assessment of the extent to which the activities
the information about a product through the commercial carried out at these points correspond to the needs and
media. The most important information comes from expectations expressed by the patients. Since the behavior
recommendations or from publicly available independent of the health services consumer is difficult to predict, the
authorities. The two categories of sources provide presence of the patient in the delivery process may be a
complementary functions; commercial media – informs, source of major uncertainty.
while personal or expert sources legitimize or potentiate Far from having a passive behavior, the consumer
the evaluation process. For example, physicians often find has multiple functions in the production of services as
out about new drugs from commercial sources, but they a “co-producer”, which determines many specialists to
turn to other physicians for legitimate opinions. consider him an “external human resource”.
Although much has been written about subliminal Patient satisfaction must be the main objective of
decisions, current models look at the process from a any healthcare organization and this requires a thorough
cognitive perspective, which means the consumer/patient, knowledge of their needs and expectations. Providing a
makes his own judgements on a rational basis (Kotler P, high-quality healthcare service is based on meeting certain
Shalowitz J, Stevens RJ. Strartegic Marketing for Health requirements so that the service attains the level desired
Care Organizations. Building a Customer Driven Health by the patient. In order to gain the trust of healthcare
System, 2008, Ed. Jossey-Bass, A Wiley Imprint). consumers, the specialized staff of the organizations in the
In an attempt to meet a need, the patient expects field must be more receptive to the wishes, suggestions,
certain benefits from the chosen health service and patient complaints and, at the same time, become more
provider. The patients’ attitudes, judgements, and sensitive to their concerns. The effectiveness of this
preferences about certain brands through a procedure of approach depends on how the medical organization has an
evaluating the attributes of these brands, develop a set effective communication with patients, presents a correct
of beliefs about the attributes that correspond to each image of the health service, and delivers the promised
brand (Kotler P, Rackham N, Krishnaswamy S. Ending the service properly, and presents a permanent concern
War between Sales and Marketing, July 2006, Harvard for the continuous improvement of the service provided
Business Review). to exceed the expectations of the patients (Ciurea AV,
The main actor who marks the process of production Cooper CL, Avram E. (coord). Managementul sistemelor
and delivery of healthcare services is the patient and his s‚i organizat‚iilor sănătăt‚ii, 2010, Editura Universitară “Carol
presence is part of the delivery system. Davila”, Bucures‚ti).
In the field of healthcare services, the performance By acting in a dynamic and unpredictable environment,
occurs only in the presence of the healthcare consumer (in order to survive) the health service provider must be
and his wiliness to the service. Thus, the consumer able to detect the opportunities and threats of the market
becomes an indispensable factor for any service; the on which it operates. In this context, the formulation of a
consumer interacts with the supplier, becomes co-provider realistic, coherent, and explicit strategy by the medical
of the service, participating with time and effort in the unit is of crucial importance in anticipating its future and
delivery process (Popa F, Purcarea Th, Purcarea VL. Ratiu reducing uncertainty in the activity.
M. Marketingul serviciilor de ingrijire a sanatatii, 2007, Ed. The marketing strategy is the way an organization acts
Universitara “Carol Davila”). under the influence of environmental factors. In practical
Healthcare consumers are actively or passively involved terms, marketing strategies outline a path following the
in delivery, but their presence has implications for the medical analysis of environmental factors. The marketing policy
organization’s activity because any specialist who meets the defines its general framework of action in order to carry out
patient will contribute to the service production. In addition, its entire activity, including several strategies.
any tangible element, which the healthcare consumer Developing the marketing policies and strategies
meets, is part of the health service delivery process; in fact, specific to health services providing units is a complex
any changes occurring at the place of service delivery, will process. Taking into account many internal and external
lead to changes in the patient’s behavior. factors, the interdependencies and conditioning links
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between them, as well as the favorable or unfavorable According to a Harvard Business Review, 64% of the
impact they can exert on the health unit, they must consumers have “genuine common values” as the main
be analyzed in depth, interrelated, and interpreted for influence on their relationship with the brand (Hirsch L. The
making strategic and firm decisions regarding the future 8 Most Important Marketing Strategies for a Healthcare
development of the medical institution. Practice – Part 1, November 22, 2017, retrieved from:
The core of the marketing strategy in the field of [Link]
health services is represented by the quality of services. strategies-healthcare-practice-part-1/).
Successful organizations in the healthcare field have a Today, major healthcare organizations focus on content
clear, competitive, strategy that empowers and forces to win the race of digital supremacy. Content marketing
them to adapt to environmental conditions. The marketing strategies for the healthcare field are not just about blogging
strategy in the healthcare services field is in fact the attitude and producing tangible results. Since hospitals are linked
of the medical organization in relation to the marketing to patients and physicians, digital marketing is the way to
environment and, at the same time, its position in relation bring this process to a completely new level.
to its components. At present, digital content helps build positive brand
At present, patients have so many options regarding the impressions. The use of new digital marketing strategies
choice of healthcare services and providers that the only is essential to maximize the efficiency of marketing
way the healthcare practices can really be distinguished expenses and generate higher return rates. By applying
is by establishing a well-differentiated, memorable, and innovative health marketing principles to reinvigorate the
unique proposal alongside a marketing strategy adapted medical organization’s marketing initiatives, organizations
to the digital era. will be able to better position their service offers to
A valuable proposal must have the following consumers.
characteristics: For healthcare providers, the use of informative blogs
— It is true or articles published on social media can be effective ways
— The value offered is superior to the one of the to stay relevant to patients. Moreover, infusing targeted
competition keywords into the content can add a marketing boost.
— It is important to the target public For organizational marketing to be effective, the digital
— It is memorable and easy to remember platforms in which the organization will operate on must
— It is difficult to copy by the competition. be identified, the target public will have to be segmented

Figure 1: Marketing strategies for marketing a healthcare practice in the healthcare field. Source: Hirsch Healthcare Consulting, https://
[Link]/8-important-marketing-strategies-healthcare-practice-part-1/.
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correctly, and customized marketing messages will have to cost-effectiveness of placing a product or service on TV
resonate with the audience. seems to no longer justify the investment.
To understand the impact of marketing strategies The way consumers use the internet to find hospital units
on the quality of healthcare services, it is important to and healthcare providers evolves in favor of smart devices.
understand today’s medical consumer who prefers to look With more than 80% of the patients who frequently use
for medical information online, where he also has a wealth smartphones, to either identify or interact with physicians,
of healthcare services, healthcare providers, reviews from it is essential to reconfigure marketing initiatives to better
patients who contacted the provider, etc. fit the era we live in. In addition, as Google reconfigures its
With digital marketing, almost everything can be search algorithms to favor mobile-friendly websites, now it
tracked and measured. Healthcare professionals and is the right time to prioritize rethinking digital ads.
healthcare organizations no longer need to insight what At the same time, the marketing mix strategy is
works and what does not work. With the help of marketing necessary in medical organizations to ensure their success.
performance information, healthcare professionals, and Thus, the strategy leads to a significant impact on the medical
healthcare organizations can make an informed decision organization, including its performance measured by patient
on how to improve their efforts, along with the ability to satisfaction, the co-ordination of planned marketing efforts
continually measure and evaluate them. to address organizational performance being essential.
The healthcare industry has the potential to significantly Therefore, the benefits of implementing marketing
increase its coverage and effectively engage consumers strategies are
with digital marketing tactics. — to improve the competitive advantage,
As the marketing progress grows, organizations are — to increase the visibility,
moving towards more digital approaches to remain relevant — to create a solid reputation among patients,
to consumers. Digital marketing expenses have been the — to understand the needs and expectations of
highest of all time, with healthcare companies spending consumers,
over $ 2.5 billion on marketing, estimated at $ 4 billion by — to understand the patients’ perceptions of the
2020 (Health Works Collective, Digital Marketing Dominates quality and results of their experience within
Healthcare Advertising, October 20, 2018, retrieved from: the medical organization, offering memorable
[Link] experiences to patients and, of course,
dominates-healthcare-advertising/). building a strong, effective, dominant brand
In this context, 44% of the marketing costs for health- on the health services market.
related products and services are dedicated to mobile and
digital platforms. TV advertising costs have dropped to less Executive Editor
than 33% and are expected to continue to decrease, as the Professor Eng. Victor Lorin Purcarea, PhD

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