Health marketing

Health marketing is a new approach to public health that applies traditional marketing principles and theories alongside science-based strategies to prevention, health promotion and health protection. Health marketing is one of the ways through which advancements in medicine and in health-protecting services like insurance are made widely known. A good example is the current drive in Kenya to promote circumcision among communities that do not customarily circumcise. Medical researchers have recently documented that circumcision is 65% effective in preventing HIV infection among men.

The marketing strategy would follow the traditional 4 "P's" of marketing namely:

• The "product" in question in this case the surgical procedure.
• The "place" which refers to the access to this procedure.
• "Promotion" refers to creating awareness and hence demand.
• "Price" refers to the cost of the procedure e.g. money, time, reputation etc.

"Health marketing" is a term rarely used in public health and related disciplines. "Social marketing" or "integrated marketing communication" are more commonly used in public health and other disciplines to refer to marketing-based planning frameworks for public health communication.

See also

• Marketing mix
• Services marketing

References

• CDC - Gateway to Health Communication & Social Marketing Practice
• Internet Marketing for Doctors - The Healthcare Marketing Community and Blog