Mayo Clinic and Marketing

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 Georgia, Iowa, Wisconsin, New York, and other locations across the country. In these locations, the organization has more than 50 clinics and hospitals, through which its services can be accessed.

Services can as well be accessed via the organization's 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 others in an attempt to enhance their marketing activities. Marketing partnerships have actually become a crucial ingredient of success in today's marketplace.

Partnership marketing enables an organization to grow its business and obtain new customers in diverse distribution channels (Kotler, Shalowitz & Stevens, 2011). This is achieved by leveraging the complementary strengths and capabilities of the partner(s). More importantly, partnerships tend to be much more than ordinary promotional activities -- they are often strategic in nature and scope. This means that marketing partnerships can significantly contribute to the organization's bottom line. Mayo Clinic is one organization that evidently acknowledges the value of marketing partnerships.

Partnership is actually one of the values that characterize the organization (Mayo Clinic, n.d.). In 2015, for instance, the organization partnered with Star Tribune Media Company, one of the largest newspaper companies in Minnesota. The partnership was aimed at bolstering the organization's content marketing efforts, which would, in turn enhance brand awareness. Additionally, the organization launched a partnership with Apple in 2014 to introduce a mobile application aimed at creating a central database for personal health information. An even more important partnership is the partnership between the organization and Google.

Through the partnership, online consumers in search of medical information on Google's search engine can get information compiled by Mayo Clinic at the top of their search results. These are just a few of the many partnerships the organization has entered into to enhance consumer engagement. Target Market As mentioned earlier, Mayo Clinic operates mainly in Rochester (Minnesota), Phoenix (Arizona), and Jacksonville (Florida). Though the organization has presence in other locations across the U.S., the three metropolitan areas constitute its major market.

The three areas have a combined population of more than 6 million. The organization targets patients in need of treatment for or information about a wide variety of medical conditions including communicable and non-communicable diseases. Additionally, the organization.