Advertising Doesn't Work

Healthcare Marketing

April 23, 2019

Advertising Doesn’t Work

Brookwood Vision Center, located in Standford, offers a variety of ophthalmology services including laser vision correction.  The vision center relies heavily on provider referrals from the medical care market place and public relations. In this case, a nurse turned administrator, Joyce Evans, was recruited by Dr. George Thomas, owner and practicing physician at the Brookwood Vision Center. Ms. Evans is currently pursuing her Master's in Business Administration. She is currently enrolled in a marketing course and feels that the company is failing to take advantage of the other possibilities. Her plan is to increase patient volume through advertisement, specifically billboard advertising. According to her research, billboard advertising can be beneficial because of its 24/7 frequency. Also, when compared to other forms of media and it was amongst the cheapest options. Ms. Evans’s goal is to gain exposure and attract more patients to Brookwood Vision Center. Currently, they have maintained their patient base by keeping a healthy business relationship with nearby schools and universities, through sponsorship of events, presenting information, etc.  In addition to their current marketing mechanisms, she wants to participate in billboard advertising.

After presenting her idea to Dr. Thomas, his response was less than enthusiastic, and he believed that the old ways were working just fine. Ms. Evans eventually persuaded him into employing her plan. After one month, there were many more phone calls inquiring about the services provided, but there were not many more patients coming to the center. Dr. Thomas was not surprised, since the results were as he imagined.

My first alternative would be to convince Dr. George a longer timeline is necessary for the new mechanism to truly be evaluated. If I were in her position, I would make every effort to express that with the use of a billboard, the message is visible 24/7, and with repetitive viewing, people will always remember your message.  In her progress report it shows that they have received a higher call volume of potential clients, which can be viewed as positive progress, though small.  I would propose an extension of billboard advertising for a couple more months. I would also mention that cost of a billboard can be very expensive, but more than one is necessary to really get a message out in the open. Billboards are a mass market medium, so if you have more than one, you are gaining more viewings. A potential disadvantage could be the limited consumers it would reach, being those of age or ability to drive, which could potentially take away consumers from an older generation.