Diabetes WA - Research Paper Example

?Diabetes WA Diabetes WA is a nonprofit organization which also works as a social service in Western Australia to fight and prevent diabetes. However, this particular paper will focus on creating awareness about the Diabetes WA in the local community with the proper marketing communication techniques and with proper advertising programs. Making the advertising campaign with the NDSS successful is the main objective of this paper. This paper will focus on the SWOT analysis for the organization itself and it will also focus on the effective advertising and promotional techniques which would boost up the brand building activity. The support of the NDSS is also shown carefully in this paper. In this particular paper most of the information are taken from the diabetes WA website and from some relevant secondary sources like books, journals and online reviews. Introduction: The Diabetes WA is a noble organization which is been helping people since long time in Western Australia. However, to have a strong position within the market the proper and suitable funds are required and at the same time the awareness must be distributed accordingly to attract more people towards it. The advertising and the marketing communication tools play a vital role in this matter. The proper advertising strategy is a must to keep the sustainability intact within the market for a longer time. The target group, micro and macro environmental factors are very much important in this scenario. It is very important to understand that no matter how strong a company is, but if it doesn’t have the potential to reach the target customers or the target group then all of its strength will be lost very soon. Industry background: Diabetes is one of the most dangerous diseases in the medical field. It can create many problems like feeling weak, Wight loss, etc. the type 2 1 diabetes can be very stressful, it can have major effects on the human health (Weiner et al; 2003, 197). Diabetes has become a most common disease in Australia. It is been predicted that the diabetes would affect more than one million people in Australia (Hastings 2007, 322). It has been seen that one hundred and fifty people are diagnosed with diabetes every day in Australia. There are basically two types of diabetes and they are type 1 and type 2 diabetes. Among these, the type 2 diabetes is the fastest growing form of diabetes (Hastings 2007, 322). And this type of diabetes is mostly seen among the adults who are aged above forty. In the recent time almost 7 percent of the population in Australia had been detected with diabetes and it was predicted that it would be almost 3.3 million Australians would carry diabetes within 2031 (Diabetes WA annual report 2010, 4). Within this industrial back ground a proper advertising strategy is very much important for the organization to attract the target group. The DAGMAR approach is important in this scenario and the innovative promotional activities are also very vital. From these figures it is very clear that the diabetes industry is growing very fast and it is taking a shape which is huge enough to rule the medical industry as well as the pharmaceutical industry. However, in this case the main mission of the Diabetes WA is not to create more diabetic patient it basically to help the people to prevent the diabetes. There are many micro and macro environmental factors are involved in this factor. The diabetes is a chronic disease and it can be fetal in some cases. However, the growth of the diabetes depends on many factors like living style, food habit, sugar intake etc. the macro and micro environmental factors are very much involved in this case. And all these factors are closely related with the advertising strategies. The advertising campaign is basically to build the brand awareness about the NDSS and Diabetes WA. The growing industry and the growing number of diabetic people in the Western Australia have given a great potential to this particular advertising campaign to be powerful. It has to be remembered the most important factor involved in this campaign is the people. And the campaign must be strengthened with proper research and sub campaigns in the selected areas. Company snapshot: The Diabetes WA is one of the most prominent bodies related to the regulation of the diabetes in the Western Australia. It was founded in 1965 (Diabetes WA, nd). The primary goal of the organization is to lower down the diabetes among the Western Australians. This particular organization is basically helping the people to prevent the diabetes. The organization proceeds towards the future with one vision and that is freedom from diabetes (Diabetes WA, nd). The diabetes WA is one of the major NDSS agents for the registrants living in Western Australia (Diabetes Australia, nd). SWOT analysis: The SWOT analysis is having two factors, one is the internal factors and another one is the external factors. The internal factors are totally dependent on the company itself and the external factor comes from the market. Strength: The Diabetes WA is having a brand equity which connects to the consumers for more than 40 years. It is having its own online portals where they promote their programs exclusively. The company is equipped with well trained research teams who are monitoring the new trend in the market. And the main strength is the trust it has built among the consumers. With the inner strength the traditional advertising programs like exhibitions and health related fares must be conducted. Weakness: Weakness is a factor which is most of the time invisible but it is visible after something goes wrong. However, the main weakness is the product range and the business module. The organization is a nonprofit organization and it is funded minimally by the government. Mostly it is self funded by the active members. The poor fund allocation can be a great weakness. To overcome the weakness the traditional branding approaches like 360 degree promotional techniques must be applied in the local area. Diabetes WA does many programs like group education programs, interactive branding techniques like Shop Smart and Cook Smart programs in near shopping malls (Diabetes WA annual report 2010, 13). Opportunity: The market is soaring, and the association with the NDSS is a great opportunity for the organization. The affiliation of the NDSS 2 helps the Diabetes WA to have number of services free of charge. Services like diabetes information and service line (DIAL), which is basically a telephone support related to the diabetes. With all these facilities and a great customer support the diabetes WA can have a great opportunity within the industry. The organization must participate with the NDSS and Diabetes Australia to share the media exposure in the TV media and Radio Channels. Threat: threat is always a part of a business. The competition is always there and some people take as a threat and some take it as an opportunity to change. The positioning can be identified by the BCG Matrix (Boston Consultancy Group Matrix). According to the BCG Matrix analysis (Value based management. Net, BCG Matrix) the diabetes WA can be put into the box with star mark as the market growth and the market share both are high for the diabetes WA. Brand review: The brand Diabetes WA is one of the strong brands related to the diabetes in the Western Australia as it is there since 1965. However, the brand building is a continuous process and to keep the brand within the minds of the target audiences the continuous efforts toward the brand building is very much important. The life cycle of the Diabetes WA is eventually impressively long, that is; almost 47 years. And practically it is still in the growing phase as the increase of the diabetes among the people of the Western Australia has also got a high peak during the last few years (Hastings 2007, 322). However, to having a sustainable growth stage the proper funding is very much important. And also the proper brand building activities, that is; proper advertising campaign is very much important. Competitive review: The competition is always there, in this case there are many other organizations are there who work as the competitor for the diabetes WA. One of them is ADC (Australian Diabetic Council, nd). However, this is a large organization which works as a national body for regulating diabetes in whole Australia. Other competitors are the diabetic research foundation of Western Australia (diabetes research foundation. nd) and diabetes Australia. However, all of these organizations have own characteristics. Target market: The primary target market would be the diabetic patient group with type 2 diabetes, as this is the fastest growing and the age group for this type is full grown adults aged over forty years (Hastings 2007, 322). This is the age group which required extensive treatment and knowledge to fight the diabetes. The secondary group would be the type 1 diabetic patients who are treated with the insulin replacement. Advertising and promotion: The current advertising strategy is mostly bellow the Line activities (BTL) such as online advertising, fliers, posters, cross promotions with NDSS and some small campaigns in some selected localities. However, the media strategy is very much important. The diabetes has become a major issue for most of the societies in Australia and the mass media must come in front to help these nonprofit organizations to spread the knowledge about the diabetes with proper advertising campaigns. The TV and radio campaigns can help the organization to reach the mass. The marketing and advertising of a diagnostic center or a hospital is more or less same as an active organization, the new marketing principles and the advertising challenges are always there for these organizations (Kunders 2004, 211). The traditional DAGMAR approach is very vital in this case as the service provided by the Diabetes WA is basically for the selective people but it can be treated as mass market product in the health industry. Is has to be remembered that creativity without strategy is Art and creativity with strategy is advertising (Altstiel & Grow 2006,18). The DAGMER (Defining Advertising Goals for Measured Advertising Rules) approach tells the effective advertising must be measurable (Altstiel & Grow 2006, 18). The proposed advertising campaign with the NDSS is very much promising. However to have a greater impact over the target group the proper planning must be done. The budget is a great constraint over here so the planning must be supported with the appropriate advertising and promotional technicians. Few of the approaches would be cross promotions with other health organizations like obesity control organizations and may be gyms in the locality. In this way more people will know about the new programs. Other BTL activities like posters; fliers etc are the normal approaches. However, to support the whole campaign the media planning is also very much important. There are some basic approaches are already followed by the Diabetes WA for the Advertising and Branding practices. They do many programs which attract many people and the effective word of mouth promotion is spread in an effective way. However, the six-module Living with Diabetes programs is very much successful (Diabetes WA annual report 2010, 13). For all the advertising strategies the targeted audience must include the people who are newly diagnosed with diabetes. There are many other informative advertising techniques can be followed by the organization. For an example the organization must approach the media houses to get free air time in some selected channels as the social health programs tips. The most important characteristics of any advertising must be the lingering effects of the advertisement for which the viewers will remember the advertisement for the long time. And, for this all the ads must be short and simple and innovative. The diabetes magazine published by the Diabetes WA is also a great initiative. The magazine known as the Diabetes Matters is a great success for the organization (Diabetes Matters Magazine). The organization must put their print ads in this magazines and the distribution must be taken seriously. . Recommendation: 1. Reach to more people. 2. Gather funds for greater campaigns. 3. Help the poor with free checkups. 4. Free diabetes medicine for the first time visitors. 5. Maintaining the database of the existing and new visitors. 6. Sending newsletters to the existing customers. Conclusion: The diabetes WA is an organization which is helping many people in the Western Australia to fight and prevent the diabetes. However, the advertising and proper marketing planning is very much important to help more people. This particular paper has shown the inner strength of the organization and the industry growth in the recent time. The recommendations and the proposed advertising campaigns can create a great impact over the people. There are many books, journals and websites which have helped the paper to be more logical. One of the main online resources is the website of the diabetes WA. However, with the different reliable resources this paper has become more relevant. Notes: 1. Type 2 diabetes: this is a diabetic disease which is growing very fast and which is mainly seen among the grown adults. 2. NDSS: national diabetes service scheme is an initiative from the Australian Government; this is administered by Diabetes Australia. Bibliography: Altstiel T & Grow J 2006. Advertising strategy: creative tactics from the outside/in. London: SAGE Hastings G. 2007. Social marketing: why should the Devil have all the best tunes? Massachusetts: Butterworth-Heinemann Kunders G D 2004. Hospitals: facilities planning and management. New Delhi: Tata McGraw-Hill Education. Weiner I B, Freedheim D K, Schinka J A, Nezu C M, and Geller P A. 2003. Handbook of Psychology: Health psychology. New Jersey: John Wiley and Sons. Nd. Diabetes WA. http://www.linkedin.com/company/diabetes-wa (accesses March 22, 2011). Nd. Diabetes Australia. http://www.ndss.com.au/Diabetes-Australia/Contact-Us/State- and- Territory-Offices/Diabetes-WA/ (accesses March 22, 2011). Nd. Australian Diabetic Council. http://www.australiandiabetescouncil.com/About- Us/Overview.aspx (accesses March 22, 2011). Nd. Diabates research foundation. http://www.diabetesresearchfoundation.asn.au/site/ (accesses March 23, 2011). Nd. Diabetes WA annual report, 2010. http://www.diabeteswa.com.au/UserDir/Documents/DWA%20AR%202010b.pdf (accesses March 23, 2011). Nd. Diabetes Matters Magazine. http://www.diabeteswa.com.au/News_and_Events/Diabetes_Matters_Magazine (accesses March 23, 2011). Nd. “Value based management. Net, BCG Matrix”. Available at: http://www.valuebasedmanagement.net/methods_bcgmatrix.html. (Accessed on 19/10/10) Read More