Marketing-Stimulated Word-of-Mouth: A Channel for Growing Demand.

Marketing-stimulated word-of-mouth (WOM) marketing has been poorly understood in health care, leading to it being underappreciated and underutilized by marketers. A study of new patients to a new runner's clinic was conducted to understand how they chose the program. The importance of marketing-stimulated WOM, both individual and organizational, is documented.

Hospital affiliations, co-branding, and consumer impact.

Alliances, affiliations, and partnerships continue to grow as one way for health care organizations to better serve their customers and compete with other organizations and networks. These organizational relationships are often promoted through co-branding joint programs and services. A study of consumers was conducted and shows that these organizational relationships positively affect consumer future behavior and benefit the organizations involved.

Smoke-free homes, strength of smoke-free law, and children in the home.

Introduction: Secondhand smoke (SHS) is a leading cause of childhood illness and premature death, especially in rural areas. The study examined the relationship of having a smoke-free home, strength of smoke-free law (SFL) in the county of residence, having one or more minor children in the home, rural/urban location, and demographics.

Methods: An Internet-based panel survey was administered to Kentucky residents from 2007 to 2012.

Customer advisory groups: another way to listen to the marketplace.

Customer advisory groups (CAGs) are formal groups of customers (referring physicians, patients, health insurance brokers, etc.) who meet regularly to share their ideas and to provide feedback to proposed or existing marketing strategies, programs, and activities. While CAGs are very prevalent in other industries they appear to be relatively underutilized in health care.

Demonstrating marketing accountability.

Pressure on health care marketers to demonstrate effectiveness of their strategies and show their contribution to organizational goals is growing. A seven-tiered model based on the concepts of structure (having the right people, systems), process (doing the right things in the right way), and outcomes (results) is discussed. Examples of measures for each tier are provided and the benefits of using the model as a tool for measuring, organizing, tracking, and communicating appropriate information are provided.

Effectively executing a comprehensive marketing communication strategy.

Marketers are under increasing scrutiny from their management to demonstrate accountability for the resources they receive. Three models are presented to help marketers execute their customer communication activities more effectively. Benefits of using the "Identification of Strategic Communication Elements," "Business Communication" and "Communications Management Process" models include (1) more effective upfront strategic and tactical planning, (2) ensuring key communication principles are addressed, (3) easier communication program communication, (4) provides a framework for program evaluation and market research and (5) increases the creative thinking marketers need when addressing the major marketing challenges.

Strategies to eliminate atypical aromas and flavors in sow loins-part II: consumer acceptance of loins marinated with sodium tripolyphosphate and sodium bicarbonate.

An identified challenge in using sow loins as a raw material for value added enhanced whole muscle products is to eliminate or minimize objectionable atypical aromas and flavors ("sow taint," ST) that may occur in some sow carcasses. The objective of this study was to determine consumer acceptance of sow loins exhibiting atypical aromas and flavors marinated with a solution of salt, sodium tripolyphosphate and sodium bicarbonate. Sow loins (N=34) with atypical aromas and flavors and commodity loins (N=6) were fabricated into anterior and posterior loin sections and marinated with one of four ST marinade treatment combinations (15% pump, 0.

Strategies to eliminate atypical flavours and aromas in sow loins. I. Optimization of sodium tripolyphosphate, sodium bicarbonate, and injection level.

Sow meat has been identified to possess objectionable atypical aromas and flavors we have termed as "sow taint". The objective of this study was to identify optimum concentrations of sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO(3)), sodium tripolyphosphate (PO(4)) and percentage marination solution that reduces or eliminates sow taint. Sow loins (N=20) with atypical aromas and flavors were treated with solutions containing sodium tripolyphosphate and sodium bicarbonate with concentrations ranging from 0.