Strategic Marketing and Communication

DQ.3.1. Strategic Marketing

McKesson is a healthcare corporation that specializes in selling medical and pharmaceutical products. According to Mayank (n.d), the company is the leading in supplying such products and has captured the largest market share in North America. The company’s vision is to improve care in everything for better care possible for patients worldwide (McKesson.com, 2020). Due to this, marketing plays a vital role in the strategic planning implementation of the company. Firstly, through marketing, the company identifies which products to enter a specific market. It delivers different kinds of products such as medicines, equipment, technology, and such. These products have their market group, and to understand each group with its needs, the company does market research.

Secondly, the company uses marketing to set the best prices for its products. The price of a product is mainly determined by the overall marketing price of other companies. Additionally, the prices of products may determine a company’s strategic direction because it is from pricing where it gets profits or losses. McKesson does market research on the prices to ensure that it does not charge its customers too high or too low. This way, it can charge its customers the best prices. Thirdly, the company relies on marketing to promote its products.  Being the leading supplier of pharmaceutical and medical products in North America, the company invests much in promoting and advertising its products through the media. To effectively market its products, the company uses the marketing mix strategy of product, price, place, and promotion. Generally, the company depends on marketing to achieve its objective of improving care in everything.

DQ.3.2. the role of ethics

All organizations ensure they have a code of ethics that helps employees and other stakeholders differentiate between right and wrong. Ethics play a crucial role in the success of an organization as a whole. In strategic planning, marketing, and communication, ethics ensures success by incorporating three main ethical codes. Firstly, transparency is important in all those activities. For strategic planning, the ethical code is vital in helping all the planning members discuss, debate, and reach better decisions. Marketers are advised to be transparent and tell their audiences what they should know without hiding any information. For instance, the downside of a product should also be stated when advertising. An example is advertising alcohol, where advertisers warn consumers of excessive consumption. It is vital to be transparent in communication because such communication builds trust (Kim & Lee, 2018).

Secondly, respect is another crucial ethical code incorporated in strategic planning, marketing, and communication. Without respect for one another, it may become challenging for an organization to achieve its objectives because achieving objectives calls for associating with people. In marketing, also, audiences need to be respected. Their culture, tastes, or opinions need to be considered because, after all, marketing is done to gain more followers. In communication, respect enables each party to deliver their opinions without being interrupted, which is the essence of communication; giving and receiving information.

Lastly, fairness and truthfulness is also a necessary ethic code. Strategic planning cannot be achieved if the management does not treat all employees fairly or does not give correct information. Similarly, in marketing, truthfulness is very imperative as it is unethical to engage in deceitful advertising. Audiences should hear or see what exactly they can get without exaggeration. Also, in communication, the ethical code builds trust making the whole process successful.

DQ.4.1. Communications Strategy

NYC Health + Hospitals is a health organization that offers outpatient, inpatient, and home-based services across New York City. Its communication strategy comprises of several communication mediums. Firstly, its website, www.nychealthandhospitals.org, has a button where visitors can contact the organization. Besides, the website contact button is customized so that it has sub-sections such as patient and guest relations, volunteering, health care professionals, and so that audiences directly contact a specific department according to their needs. The company holds press releases for news with journalists.  The organization also connects with its audiences on social media platforms and has accounts on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and LinkedIn. According to Kritikou (2020), in 2019, the company expanded its text message appointment reminders to improve communication with its patients.

On its website, the company promotes health care messages related to quality and innovation. The press releases and social media platforms mainly talk of the advancement it is making for better healthcare services. For example, in one press release held on January 4 2021, the title stated, “System Launches “Psych DOCS4NYC” Campaign to Recruit More Psychiatry Providers” (NYC Health and Hospitals, 2016). The company distinguishes itself through its mission which states that it delivers quality services with compassion, dignity, and respect to all regardless of income, gender, or immigration status (NYC Health and Hospitals, 2016). The strategy has been successful because text messages’ expansion has decreased missed appointments by 6.1% as Kritikou (2020) says.

References

Kim, H., & Lee, T. (2018). Strategic CSR Communication: A Moderating Role of Transparency in Trust Building. International Journal Of Strategic Communication, 12(2), 107-124. https://doi.org/10.1080/1553118x.2018.1425692

Kritikou, N. (2020, January 9). NYC health + hospitals expands access to text message appointment reminders to improve communication with patients. Lumeon. https://www.lumeon.com/2020/01/09/nyc-health-hospitals-expands-access-to-text-message-appointment-reminders-to-improve-communication-with-patients/

Mayank. (n.d.). Healthcare companies in US | United States health industry. EngineerBabu Blog. https://engineerbabu.com/blog/top-10-healthcare-companies-in-the-us/

McKesson.com. (2020). Company profile & description. McKesson | Medical Supplies, Pharmaceuticals & Healthcare Solutions. https://www.mckesson.com/About-McKesson/

NYC Health and Hospitals. (2016, June 2). Mission & values. NYC Health + Hospitals. https://www.nychealthandhospitals.org/our-mission-values/