You are the director of marketing for a regional hospital. The board of directors at your hospital has studied the 2011 Institute of Medicine (IOM) report Early Childhood Obesity Prevention Policies. The alarming statistics quoted in the IOM report stated that “almost 10 percent of infants and toddlers carry excess weight for their length, and slightly more than 20 percent of children between the ages of two and five already are overweight or obese” (IOM, 2011, pg. 1). A survey conducted among the pediatricians who admit patients to the hospital validated that area children under the age of 5 years follow or exceed the national trend of being overweight or obese. The board is very concerned about childhood obesity rates for the children in the hospital’s marketing area. At the last meeting, the board directed the marketing department determine the demand for childhood obesity programs and to review the IOM report and propose a marketing campaign to provide information to parents and guardians concerning ways to prevent children from birth to 5 years of age from becoming overweight. Click here to access the IOM report.
Do you think the hospital needs to complete more marketing research before embarking on the campaign?
What advertising media would you suggest to be used during the campaign?
What products or services could the hospital offer to assist in reducing the number of infants and toddlers who are overweight?
Do you expect to generate any revenue for the hospital from the campaign?
How long will the campaign last? How long would you continue to measure the effectiveness of the campaign?