Health Care Analysis: Marketing at Mayo Clinic Marketing activities and processes play an instrumental role in the success of an organization (Kotler, Shalowitz & Stevens, 2011). This observation is particularly true for Mayo Clinic, one of the largest nonprofit healthcare organizations in the U.S. and whose history dates back more than 150 years ago (Mayo Clinic, n.d.). This paper explores the importance of marketing to the success of the organization. this paper pays specific attention to the 4Ps of marketing, the relationship between the organization's marketing and its partnerships, the value of those partnerships, as well as its target market.

4 Ps of Marketing

The 4Ps of marketing essentially explain the four major elements that constitute the focus of marketing. The first element is Product, which considers the nature of the product or service and the customer need it fulfills (Kotler, Shalowitz & Stevens, 2011). Mayo Clinic provides a wide variety of healthcare services covering disciplines such as oncology, pediatric care, emergency medicine, dermatology, gynecology, urology, vascular medicine, sports medicine, and neurology. The organization also provides medical laboratory services, health plan administration, and medical education. Notably, the organization has, earned its reputation as one of the top healthcare organizations in the U.S. in terms of healthcare quality and safety, patient service, as well as teaching and research over the years.

The element of Place denotes location or channels through which consumers can access the product or service (Kotler, Shalowitz & Stevens, 2011). Mayo Clinic is headquartered in Rochester, Minnesota, and has a wide reach with its presence in two other metropolitan areas, namely Phoenix (Arizona) as well as Jacksonville (Florida) (Mayo Clinic, n.d.). The organization also has presence in website, especially appointments, bill payment, prescription refilling, and healthcare information (Mayo Clinic, n.d.).
The third important element is that of price, which basically refers to the cost the consumer incurs in acquiring the product or service (Kotler, Shalowitz & Stevens, 2011). As one of the major nonprofit healthcare organizations in the country, Mayo Clinic offers some of the most competitive prices. The final element is Promotion, which refers to the channels an organization uses to pass messages to its target market (Kotler, Shalowitz & Stevens, 2011). Mayo Clinic relies on a number of channels to promote its services and engage consumers. These include conventional channels such as television and print advertising as well digital channels such as the internet and social media (Mayo Clinic, n.d.). The organization has particularly taken advantage of digital marketing to drive consumer engagement, with Twitter, Facebook, Youtube, Blogs, Podcasts, and mobile applications being major vehicles of communication. In fact, the organization is arguably one of the best in the industry in terms of deploying digital marketing techniques.

Marketing and Partnerships

Organizations often enter into partnerships with…