Wednesday, June 19, 2013

The Marketing Environment: Competitive Forces

Competitive Forces


Considering the line of work that Duke provides, it is essential to compete against other hospitals marketing techniques in an ethical way. It would not be a successful marketing strategy to shun or directly compare Dukes brand name to other hospitals in advertisement due to the rebuttals and reputation damages that may result.  The Product and generic competitive forces that drive Duke Raleigh Hospital into the field of sharing information electronically are things such as Rex Hospital’s “Rex connects blog,” which can be accessed from their website, and Wake Meds Facebook page. Rex and Wake Med offer certain similar services with price differences which boost competition which forces a consumer to look at the quality of services provided by each competitor. In order to overcome the competition Duke Hospital’s E-newsletter must offer unique and quality information to its patients that would not receive from any other source. In addition to taking the extra step to reach out to patients with the E-newsletter instead of waiting for them to search information on their own Duke already has a significant head start. According to Wake Meds website, they only have electronic marketing on social media websites, where patients are more likely to stumble upon or scroll pass less than eye catching information. Sending a newsletter not only asks for the attention of the patient, but also allows for an opportunity to pull in the patient’s interest and trust. Unlike Wake Med and Rex, Duke uses their online resources such as the newsletter to further market their Magazine the Healthy Focus. Neither Rex nor Wake Med has any easily accessible advertisement of magazines or timely email subscriptions that allow the patient to stay connected with their hospitals current and future plans along with other interesting facts or personal anecdotes. By utilizing and providing what other competitors lack Duke Raleigh Hospital can present a strong competitive force against other candidates.

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