Healthcare marketing: Does marketing strategy address essential markets?

Abstract

Participants in the study were major pharmaceutical companies, it was striking to note that the prevalence of a short sales rather than strategic marketing orientation at senior management and Board level. Symptomatic of this result was the general finding that a businesses's intended overall strategy was rarely translated into expected results. A critical reason emerged – a disconnection between key stakeholders in the communication of strategy. While many businesses had internal communication functions, there was a lack of clarity about organisational fit and role. The findings suggested that businesses should embrace a broader marketing strategy and more specifically apply ‘marketing like activities’ or tried and tested marketing tools to their internal stakeholder market so as to mirror communication to external markets. The recommendations suggest a working model as a basis for a ‘trialogue’ between internal stakeholders, strategic leadership and external markets in the context of a business's strategy.