Marketing and advertisements play a significant role in the success of any organization. Billboards are a form of advertising whereby an organization markets its services, product, or brand through large-scale print advertisements. Billboards build brand awareness and help broadcast a company's brand to as many people as possible. Nowadays, the cost of the billboards is high in comparison to other forms of advertisements. However, they are a good investment for any organization since they are ideally placed in busy locations such as bus stops, airports, alongside buildings, on buses, or the roadsides ( Jun et al., 2016) . In this case study, the billboard panels acquired by Crestview Hospital will increase its competitive edge over Briarwood Medical Center.
State Street Paints had previously reserved the billboard panels for years, and this was a great marketing opportunity for either of the hospitals. Briarwood Medical Center had existed and thrived for 55 years before Crestview Hospital was introduced a few miles away. Therefore, Crestview Hospital had a lot of catching up to do to compete with the historical institution. Acquiring the billboard panels was a bold and profitable move for Crestview hospital. Some of the pros of acquiring these panels include raising awareness for the hospital, attracting more customers, increasing service exposure, and increasing hospital sales ( Danaher, 2017) . Fortunately, the billboard is ideally located close to the hospital so that the passers-by can view it effortlessly. Billboards help create a memorable impression and increase the temptation to visit the hospital, especially since it is located directly adjacent to Briarwood Medical Center. Briarwood's customers are more likely to visit Crestview after seeing the billboard.
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
The billboard's location, which is directly adjacent to Briarwood Medical Center, poses some disadvantages to both institutions. There would be consequences if Briarwood Medical Center were to pursue legal measures for purchasing a billboard located so close to their institution. Such measures can negatively affect Crestview Hospital's brand. Another con is that due to the missed opportunity by Briarwood, its marketing team, led by Susan, will have to enhance its marketing strategies and work harder to promote their services. This will increase the competition between Briarwood Medical Center and Crestview hospital.
Question 2
After acquiring the billboard panels, Crestview Hospital added their posting with the message "The Best Medical Care in Oakland." Michael Porter's value chain is an essential strategic management tool that could significantly help Briarwood Medical Center counter this message. Regardless of the marketing strategies and the inconvenient location of the billboard panels, customers will eventually choose a suitable healthcare facility based on the quality of services. Porter's value chain will help Briarwood Medical Center improve its quality and enhance its competitive edge ( Kumar & Rajeev, 2016) . Briarwood management board and Susan, the Chief Marketing Officer, should focus on two of the five primary activities, that is, services, and marketing and sales. Briarwood missed an important opportunity that could have increased its market share beyond comparison. However, the billboard prices are too high, and Susan should look into other forms of marketing in order to enhance the center's visibility and attract more customers.
Luckily, marketing opportunities are increasing daily due to rapid technological advancements. There are various forms of advertisements and promotion opportunities, such as social media platforms and print media. Studies show that a lot of people spend more time on their phones rather than physical interactions, and the chances are that most passers-by will be too engaged in their phones to notice the new billboard. Susan should take advantage of these social media platforms and use them for marketing Briarwood Medical Center. These platforms include Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, WhatsApp, and many others. Several organizations, including healthcare facilities, are using these social media platforms to boost their brand awareness and inform customers about their services. E-commerce is a new and highly recommended marketing strategy that Susan should look into. It is more affordable and promising than the billboard panels.
The other strategy, according to Porter's value chain, is services. An organization's brand eventually comes down to its services. Regardless of the traffic attracted by Crestview Hospital, the quality of services will determine whether the hospital is better than Briarwood Medical Center. Therefore, the latter should look into ways to improve their customer service. This means that they should train their employees or engage the human resource department to recruit employees with appropriate skills such as good communication skills, patience, and interpersonal skills to enhance the customer experience. Satisfied and happy customers are the key to maintaining a good workflow for the institution. Also, it is recommended to introduce differentiation into the marketing strategy ( Grigorescu, 2015) . This means that Briarwood should seek to provide unique services and products that are not provided by Crestview Hospital.
Question 3
The DAGMAR Marketing Communication Spectrum is an effective marketing strategy that would significantly benefit both the Crestview Hospital and Briarwood Medical Center ( Fortenberry, 2009) . With the rapid technological advancements and ever-evolving innovations, the healthcare industry now has access to a variety of healthcare products and services. However, the implementation of the new strategy requires effective communication with both the internal personnel and customers. Change is not always readily accepted, and all affected parties have to be involved to ensure smooth implementation and commercial success.
The marketing committee in both Crestview Hospital and Briarwood Medical Center should make use of the DAGMAR Marketing Communication Spectrum to ensure that the customers are well aware of the benefits of the new products and services. This spectrum is crucial in ensuring the smooth adoption of new technologies through five sequential levels. That is, unawareness, awareness, comprehension, conviction, and action. The board should also be involved in the process. At Briarwood Medical Center, the board members are supportive of the marketing measures and understand the importance of a strong marketing strategy. The spectrum provides insight into the marketing officers and board members on the progress of the changes and the reaction of the consumers to these changes. It reminds the managers that effective communication is essential in marketing and administering change.
Question 4
Marketing research tools are invaluable to all organizations as they provide insight into the impact of their marketing strategies, the consumers' view of their products and services, and facilitates open communication with the consumers ( Babin & Zikmund, 2015) . Crestview Hospital and Briarwood Medical Center should incorporate tools such as social media platforms, focus groups, interviews, and surveys. These tools will help the institutions interact with their customers and identify their strengths and ways to enhance their services and brand awareness. Tools such as surveys and social media provide a platform where customers can express their views on the institution's services and products. Research shows that people are more willing to share their opinions through anonymous sources like blog posts and surveys ( Parnsup et al., 2016) . Interviews could be conducted with various loyal customers and the new ones to identify what makes the facility better for them and what could be done to enhance their experience. Customer feedback is essential for any organization, and the marketing research tools help to research other similar organizations and identify the factors that make them better.
References
Babin, B. J., & Zikmund, W. G. (2015). Essentials of marketing research . Nelson Education.
Blakeman, R. (2018). Integrated marketing communication: creative strategy from idea to implementation . Rowman & Littlefield.
Danaher, P. J. (2017). Advertising effectiveness and media exposure. In Handbook of marketing decision models (pp. 463-481). Springer, Cham.
Fortenberry, J. L. (2009). Health care marketing: tools and techniques . Jones & Bartlett Learning.
Grigorescu, I. L. (2015, June). Value chain analysis–basic element of an organization’s competitive advantage. In International conference KNOWLEDGE-BASED ORGANIZATION (Vol. 21, No. 2, pp. 318-324). Sciendo.
Jun, J. W., Bae, Y. H., Ju, I., & Chung, J. (2016). The effect model of billboard advertising media. Journal of Multidisciplinary Research , 8 (2), 15-31.
Kumar, D., & Rajeev, P. V. (2016). Value chain: a conceptual framework. International Journal of Engineering and Management Sciences , 7 (1), 74-77.
Parnsup, S. A., Tancharoen, D., Phaphoom, N., & Kongthon, A. (2016). An Adoption of Social Media Monitoring Tools for Business and Market Research. TNI Journal of Business Administration and Languages , 4 (1), 1-4.
