I - Assignment: Product Development

Health services continue to affect the gross domestic product, and this dramatic transformation has great demands on each dollar spent to deliver patient-centered products. Health care marketing must be repeatedly applied and practiced strategically to include environmental dimensions, such as technology, socioeconomics, competition, and regulatory.

That being said, in today's global economy, investors and potential entrepreneurs must tap into the so-called "unexplored" market. In this aspect, health care establishments must utilize marketing, advertising, as well as sales strategies when pursuing new customers (e.g., suppose a health care investor wanted to build a small hospital in a rural community); this would entail exploration and logistical experimentation to determine who will patronize the facility. In an impoverished neighborhood, the feasibility of having lucrative profits may see diminishing returns, and so the venture may be not worth the effort. Also, suppose that the potential investor wants to sell mosquito deterrents (e.g., bedside netting in malaria-infested regions of Asia or Africa); then it would be wise to investigate the number of beds that are actually in the village, and who would be willing to purchase them. These activities take into account the investor portfolio, as well as the feasibility of marketing and selling the product. Such exploration also examines competitors, cultural differences, and-most important-identification of the customer.

Identify a local health care establishment (e.g., hospital, rehabilitation center, emergency medical center) and determine its product development practices. Utilize concepts from previous weeks to substantiate information, as needed. You may develop the discussion based on the ideas presented here, but feel free to inject any salient marketing strategy that you believe might support your presentation.

Write a three to four (3-4) page paper in which you:

1. Justify the purpose of the selected health care establishments' product(s) / service (s) and their associated life cycle(s).

2. Suggest one (1) strategy to improve the marketing mix of the selected health care establishment. Support your strategy by highlighting one (1) benefit of (1) portfolio analysis and providing two (2) examples that display differential advantages.

3. Assess the importance of technology in providing patients with clear and accessible information about health care organizations and the product(s) / service(s) that they provide.

4. Outline a survey to capture patients' expectations regarding the delivery and / or accessibility of product(s) / service(s) identified.

5. Use at least three (3) quality academic resources. Note: Wikipedia and other Websites do not qualify as academic resources.

The specific course learning outcomes associated with this assignment are:

• Analyze how products evolve through the four stages of the product life cycle.
• Determine the appropriate product succession planning efforts of health care services.
• Examine the marketing research process and market segmentation strategies in the health care industry.
• Evaluate marketing research tools involved in the marketing process.
• Use technology and information resources to research issues in health services strategic marketing.
• Write clearly and concisely about health services strategic marketing using proper writing mechanics.

II - Part 1: Please respond to the following: "Brand Design Model"2 page with references

Evaluate the value of assigning appropriate brand identities to represent health care goods, services, and institutions. Provide support for your rationale.

Assess the value of Calder and Reagan's Brand Design Model as a device for systematically guiding health care marketers through the process of formulating brands. Explain one (1) reason why a SWOT analysis is needed to help health care organizations understand competitor brands. Provide two (2) examples from a health care organization with which you are familiar that support the value of Calder and Reagan's Brand Design Model.

Part 2: Please respond to the following: "Brand Portfolio Molecule and Brand Report Card"2 pages with references

Based on your review of the Learnscape scenario titled "Learnscape 3: Recover and Retention", explain the fundamental reasons why brands do not exist in isolation but do exist in larger environments that include other brands. Provide two (2) specific recommendations or solutions that help the health care facility in this scenario improve patient satisfaction.

Assess the value of Lederer and Hill's Brand Portfolio Molecule when used to understand brand relationships. Provide at least two (2) specific examples of strategic or tactical initiatives within a health care organization.