Re: OT: television shows speak for the traditional health car...

[Guest guest]

Barb,

FYI, a lot of it comes directly from the marketing department at the CDC.

They have a Hollywood liaison who specifically interjects health topics

into series programs.

CDC, Hollywood, Health & Society

_http://www.learcenter.org/html/about/index.php?cm=hhs/release061002_

(http://www.learcenter.org/html/about/index.php?cm=hhs/release061002)

More on Health Marketing

_http://www.cdc.gov/pcd/issues/2006/jul/05_0238.htm_'>http://www.cdc.gov/pcd/issues/2006/jul/05_0238.htm_

(http://www.cdc.gov/pcd/issues/2006/jul/05_0238.htm)

Improving Health Through Health Marketing

Navigate This Article • _Defining Health Marketing_

(http://www.cdc.gov/pcd/issues/2006/jul/05_0238.htm#defining) • _Improving

Health Through

Marketing_ (http://www.cdc.gov/pcd/issues/2006/jul/05_0238.htm#improving) •

_Conclusion_ (http://www.cdc.gov/pcd/issues/2006/jul/05_0238.htm#conclusion)

• _Acknowledgments_

(http://www.cdc.gov/pcd/issues/2006/jul/05_0238.htm#acknowledgments) •

(http://www.cdc.gov/pcd/issues/2006/jul/05_0238.htm#authorinfo) •

(http://www.cdc.gov/pcd/issues/2006/jul/05_0238.htm#references)

Jay M. Bernhardt, PhD, MPH

Suggested citation for this article: Improving health through health

marketing. Prev Chronic Dis [serial online] 2006 Jul [date cited]. Available

from: URL: _http://www.cdc.gov/pcd/issues/2006/

jul/05_0238.htm_ (http://www.cdc.gov/pcd/issues/2006/jul/05_0238.htm) .

Mention the word marketing to employees at most companies, and they will

understand how it relates to their business. Successful commercial marketing

can mean the difference between a company’s profit and loss, jobs or

layoffs, growth or bankruptcy. Mention the word marketing to public health

professionals, and you may get blank stares, head shakes, or looks of confusion

(and I’ve seen them all). Marketing is not well-known or understood in the

public health community, in part because it is rarely taught in public

health or medical schools. Nonetheless, the time has come to increase our

awareness, training, and application of health marketing strategies and

principles, because the field holds great promise for increasing the adoption of

health promotion and protection information and interventions.

Defining Health Marketing

As we grapple with ways to best reach the public and improve health,

principles of commercial marketing are an underused resource. According to the

American Marketing Association (1), marketing involves “creating,

communicating, and delivering value to customers and for managing customer

relationships in ways that benefit the organization and its stakeholdersâ€

(emphasis

added). The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has adapted this

definition by defining health marketing as “creating, communicating, and

delivering health information and interventions using consumer-centered and

science-based strategies to protect and promote the health of diverse

populations.†Health marketing uses the science and strategies of commercial

marketing to promote its products, namely, evidence-based health information

and interventions. Although the ultimate goal of commercial marketing is to

benefit the product “sellers†and shareholders, the ultimate goal of

health marketing is to benefit the product “consumers†and the public.

The science and practice of health marketing draws heavily from several

related and often overlapping disciplines and models. Market research,

marketing strategy, and public relations allow for a customer-focused approach

and

an emphasis on strategic planning and dissemination. Health communication,

risk communication, and health promotion provide a theoretical and

practical basis for message development, design, and delivery. Health marketing

also draws on such diverse disciplines as relationship management; social

marketing; mass and speech communication; public affairs and journalism;

health education; instructional design; sociology and psychology; and the

creation of audio, video, and multimedia products, among others. Almost all of

the aforementioned health marketing foundations emphasize the fundamental

importance of audience engagement, a creative aesthetic, and extensive

formative evaluation.

_Back to top_ (http://www.cdc.gov/pcd/issues/2006/jul/05_0238.htm#top)

Improving Health Through Marketing

In this issue of Preventing Chronic Disease, Maibach et al (2) make a

compelling case for the important role that marketing can play in public health

and clearly define key constructs of marketing. The authors suggest that

core marketing activities (i.e., conducting customer research, building

sustainable distribution channels, and improving access to easily adopted

programs) can enhance the adoption and implementation of health behaviors and

practices, specifically, evidence-based prevention strategies. Furthermore,

they advocate that the effective marketing of evidence-based health programs

can help close the gap that exists between public health research and

everyday practice.

Maibach et al are on the forefront of a growing trend in health promotion

and protection. Although marketing strategies are not new to public health,

their diffusion and adoption are beginning to increase in many sectors,

particularly as the relationships and collaborations grow stronger between

businesses and private and governmental public health organizations. CDC's

health marketing efforts may provide a useful example for the development,

advancement, and operationalization of other health marketing programs.

The National Center for Health Marketing (NCHM), one of the newest among 12

national centers at CDC, was established in 2004 as a result of an

agencywide strategic planning process known as the Futures Initiative. The

mission

of NCHM is to protect and promote health and advance CDC’s goals through

innovative health marketing programs, products, and services that are

consumer centered, high impact, and science based. All of NCHM’s people and

programs are committed to being customer centered by identifying and meeting

the

needs of our audiences and partners; being high impact by leveraging our

assets, strengths, and partnerships for maximum health impact; and being

science based by using and generating scientific evidence and established best

practices.

NCHM’s activities and capacities fall into four functional categories of

marketing. First, we have a unit focused on product design, research, and

development, with our primary product being CDC’s science-based health

information and messages. This group includes professionals in health

communication, risk and crisis communication, market research and evaluation,

marketing strategy, behavioral science, and our newest area consisting of

multilingual translation, cultural communication, and health literacy

activities.

Maibach et al note the importance of customer research to effective marketing

programs, and this NCHM unit has expertise in all aspects of customer and

market research, as well as access to audience-specific databases and

resources useful for developing messages and campaigns. Working with subject

matter and communication experts throughout CDC, this group has extensive

experience developing urgent and planned health messages and campaigns on almost

any health issue for diverse audiences throughout the United States and

the world.

Second, NCHM has a unit focused on product production and packaging, and

its primary products are health information and messages. This group

includes professionals in graphic art and design; audio, video, and multimedia

production; animation; photography; Web development; broadcast engineering; and

instructional design and production experts in other related fields. The

group also has access to state-of-the art design, media, and production

technology through the Global Communications Center that recently opened on the

CDC campus in Atlanta, Ga.

Third, we have a unit focused on product distribution, which contains many

of CDC’s external communication channels through which health information

and message products are disseminated and delivered. Maibach et al note that

marketing and distribution channels are generally considered to be the

most important element in the marketing mix, and CDC is fortunate to have many

powerful channels for communicating with health professionals and

partners, including the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR), the Guide

to

Community Preventive Services, the Epidemic Information Exchange (Epi-X),

the Health Alert Network (HAN), a professional conference exhibit booth, and

many others. CDC’s channels for communicating with the public include CDC’

s Web site (www.cdc.gov), the CDC hotline (800-CDC-INFO), the Global

Communications Center gallery and exhibits, the forthcoming HHS-TV channel on

the Dish Network, and many others. Together, we have a powerful array of

distribution channels with which our customers can easily access and implement

our products and programs.

Finally, we have a unit focused on customer relationship management, which

coordinates CDC’s new and ongoing relationships with our external

partners. The active input from and relationships with our partners are one of

CDC’

s greatest strengths. This unit works with collaborators throughout CDC to

make our partner relationships as strong and as engaging as possible. As CDC’

s director, Dr Gerberding, has noted, “CDC’s partners, current and

future, are critical to achieving our public health goals and to delivering

our products.â€

As Maibach et al explain, partners can also serve as a “powerful and

sustainable distribution channel.†In addition to relationship management, we

work closely with our partners to encourage the public distribution and

amplification of CDC’s health information and to ensure greater alignment and

consistency of health messages, particularly during crises or emergencies.

Maibach et al also note the importance of engaging all sectors of society,

including emerging public health partners such as for-profit businesses. NCHM

actively works with all partnership sectors, including public health

systems, health care organizations, education institutions and groups, and

faith

and community organizations, and has recently embarked on projects to form

several new partnerships and products to serve for-profit businesses.

_Back to top_ (http://www.cdc.gov/pcd/issues/2006/jul/05_0238.htm#top)

Conclusion

Through our health marketing work, we strive to achieve our vision: a world

in which all people actively use accessible, accurate, relevant, and

timely health information and interventions to protect and promote their health

and the health of their families and communities. Like the application of

marketing to public health, NCHM is in its early days. More research,

evaluation, and accumulated experience are required to effectively translate

and

apply the principles of marketing to public health.

At the end of their article, Maibach et al state that significant public

health resources, including training, should focus on health marketing

strategies and that NCHM should cultivate these opportunities to blend marketing

and public health. We accept our leadership role in this endeavor. We call

on our colleagues and partners in public health and health marketing at all

levels from all sectors to become involved and advocate for the

advancement and proliferation of this discipline and perspective. Through our

collaborative efforts, the blank stares, head shakes, and looks of confusion

will

turn to knowing, affirmative nods and smiles of recognition and

understanding. We thank Maibach et al for drawing attention to marketing’s

usefulness

and potential in advancing the field of public health.

_Back to top_ (http://www.cdc.gov/pcd/issues/2006/jul/05_0238.htm#top)

Acknowledgments

The author thanks Dr DoÄŸan EroÄŸlu, Dr Doresa Jennings, and Amy Burnett for

their thoughtful input to the manuscript.

_Back to top_ (http://www.cdc.gov/pcd/issues/2006/jul/05_0238.htm#top)

Author Information

Corresponding Author: Jay M. Bernhardt, Director, National Center for

Health Marketing, Coordinating Center for Health Information and Service,

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1600 Clifton Rd, NE, Mail Stop

E-21,

Atlanta, GA 30329. Telephone: 404-498-0998. E-mail: _jbernhardt@..._

(mailto:jbernhardt@...) .

Sharon Noonan Kramer

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