Download Marketing Campaign for Reducing Arthritis

Running head: MARKETING CAMPAIGN FOR REDUCING ARTHRITIS
Marketing Campaign for Reducing Arthritis
Cynthia Zips
Concordia
Marketing in Public Health
MPH 588
Dr. Lea Pounds
January 25, 2015
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MARKETING CAMPAIGN FOR REDUCING ARTHRITIS
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Marketing Campaign for Reducing Arthritis
Arthritis week 3 Assignment
Smoking is a modifiable behavior and would be my objective for a campaign for the
reduction of Arthritis. While Rheumatoid Arthritis has been linked to certain genetic factors,
Rheumatoid Arthritis has also been linked to smoking (Arthritis Foundation, 2015). According to
the CDC, the strongest link that exist between non-genetic risk factors and Rheumatoid Arthritis
is smoking (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2014). Interestingly, smoking
led to an increased risk of 1.3 to 2.4 times for acquiring Rheumatoid Arthritis, and those who
were positive for certain genetic factors and also smoked had the highest risk, as if smoking
acted as a catalyst for the acquisition of Rheumatoid Arthritis.
A knowledge or belief objective for a campaign for the reduction of Arthritis would be
related to increasing the awareness of the early warning signs of Arthritis and that smoking
increases Arthritis. Knowing the early warning signs of Arthritis increases the likelihood that
people will seek treatment. Early treatment of Arthritis reduces the effects of Arthritis.
Physicians believe that the first two years of Arthritis are the window of opportunity, and
treatment during this time prevents bone erosion (Arthritis Foundation, 2015). Although
treatment is still beneficial after the first two years of the onset of disease, the most progress can
be made within the first two years.
The goals of a marketing campaign would be to decrease smoking and to increase the
early recognition of Arthritis. These two goals would be the outcome measures of the marketing
campaign and the amount of increased awareness regarding the connection between Arthritis and
smoking and the early warning signs of Arthritis would be process measures. Heart
MARKETING CAMPAIGN FOR REDUCING ARTHRITIS
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I would pattern the marketing campaign after the Heart Truth campaign, which included
planning and strategy development, creation and testing of concepts, messages and materials,
program implementation, and assessment and refinement (Long, Taubenheim, Wayman, Temple,
& Ruoff, 2008, p. 2). By measuring success each year, I would be able refine the strategy of the
campaign and make changes for improvement.
The specific steps behind planning and strategy development are: 1) Analyze the situation
in order to identify the problem and the population affected (Resnick & Siegel, 2013). 2)
Analyze current and possible replacement behaviors, determining the frequency of the behavior,
and possible intervention points. 3) Outline the components of the solution, determining the
approach to the problem. 4) Assess the intervention environment and identifying complementary
and completing activities. The next step is to select the approach, and then to set the goals and
objectives.
The specific step behind creation and testing of concepts would be the design of materials
to be presented and then presenting to test audiences and getting their feedback. When creating
the materials, I would need to consider the 4 P’s, which are product, price, place, and promotion
(Resnick & Siegel, 2013). After the final message and materials for presentation are selected,
then implementation can begin. Because I want the campaign to reach it maximum number of the
target population and want it to have successful outcomes, I would reassess the campaign yearly
if possible and revise methods and materials as needed.
MARKETING CAMPAIGN FOR REDUCING ARTHRITIS
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References
Arthritis Foundation. (2015). Arthritis treatment: Early is best. Retrieved from
http://www.arthritistoday.org/about-arthritis/types-of-arthritis/rheumatoid-arthritis/whatyou-need-to-know/early-signs-and-symptoms/early-arthritistreatment.php#_ga=1.230983391.1504885644.1420933399
Arthritis Foundation. (2015). Understanding Arthritis. Retrieved from
http://www.arthritis.org/arthritis-facts/understanding-arthritis.php
Arthritis Foundation. (2015). What causes rheumatoid arthritis? Retrieved from
http://www.arthritistoday.org/about-arthritis/types-of-arthritis/rheumatoid-arthritis/whogets-ra-and-why/causes-of-rheumatoid-arthritis/what-causes-ra.php
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2014). Rheumatoid arthritis. Retrieved from
http://www.cdc.gov/arthritis/basics/rheumatoid.htm
Long, T., Taubenheim, A., Wayman, J., Temple, S., & Ruoff, B. (2008, March). The heart truth:
“ Using the power of branding and social marketing to increase awareness of heart
disease in women. Soc Mar Q, 14(3), 3-29.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/15245000802279334
Resnick, E., & Siegel, M. (2013). Marketing public health: Strategies to promote social change
(3rd ed.). Burlington, MA: Jomes & Barlett Learning.