Marketing is Causing ObamaCare's Problems, Says Dr. John Tantillo, Branding and Marketing Expert
Forest Hills, NY (PRWEB) January 02, 2014 -- Marketing and not messaging is causing ObamaCare’s problems says Dr. John Tantillo, the branding and marketing expert and author of the book, “People Buy Brands, Not Companies.” No matter what others think, marketing does not get people to buy what they do not want. And for this reason, the Affordable Care Act’s (ObamaCare) destiny can only be product failure because it does not satisfy the needs of most Americans. The reality is that when it comes to customer behavior, it is not about you, it is all about your customers.
According to Tantillo, “It is only when products flop do intelligent individuals realize the importance of marketing. The problem with many product failures is that decision makers often forget just what marketing is -- the art and science of satisfying customer needs.”
Tantillo bases his argument on a customer-oriented approach referred to as “Marketing Myopia” (Levitt, 1960), which was introduced in the Harvard Business Review. It states, “businesses will do better in the end if they concentrate on meeting customers’ needs rather than on selling products.”
ObamaCare went wrong for Dr. Tantillo by not responding to the needs of the various segmented markets (micro targeting) that was done so effectively in the two elections that preceded ObamaCare’s product introduction.
Using this “micro-targeting” model, Tantillo identifies three groups that can be identified as potential causes for ObamaCare’s poor rollout -- the young, the presently insured and the un-insured. The first group (the young) includes all those (18-34) folks who voted for the president.
It is no secret that health care is a not a young, single person’s product. The real question is how do you motivate young people to buy health insurance when they do not perceive it as a real need for them now?
Remember that marketing is all about what the customer needs and this demographic, simply does not care about health care. Add to it, that young people (under 26) are now included on their parent’s family healthcare plan and you have a brand being cannibalized by its own success.
The presently insured (the largest group which include democrats, republicans and independents), is where most of the problems now lie.
When marketers make changes to already existing products that their customers like, product failure may not be far away. This is especially an issue for the “non-committed” presently insured base, which includes republicans and independents who are more practical than ideological.
The un-insured, those who do not want insurance unless they have a pre-existing condition or have a pressing medical issue is another group whose needs are not being met by the ACA.
Assessing what Americans really wants for themselves should be the goal of our new “customer centric” health care delivery and healthcare insurance systems. Leaving that to marketing oriented healthcare professionals is the logical choice especially when keeping your customers in mind.
John Tantillo, Branding and Marketing Group, Inc., http://www.Marketing Doctor.tv, +1 (917) 687-3900, [email protected]
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