Introduction
This proposal presents a marketing plan for Dubai Healthcare City (DHCC).
It covers critical elements related to marketing, including the service description, marketing manager details, SWOT matrix, the 4Ps of marketing, detailed plan and strategy for the future, and implementation and control of the plan. It is noted that the marketing plan would allow Dubai Healthcare City to meets its marketing objectives.
Description of the Service (DHCC)
DHCC is an innovative way of attracting world-class healthcare providers, researchers, clinical care, education, wellness, and biotech/pharmaceuticals (Matly 1). DHCC is a free zone dedicated to developing a healthcare and wellness destination for investors and patients from all over the world (Dubai Healthcare City 1). Established in 2002, DHCC has strived to appeal to the global community by positioning itself as a globally recognized destination of choice for advance healthcare and an integrated place of excellence in medical education, research, wellness services, and clinical. In addition, today, DHCC is considered a prime destination for medical travelers (Woodman 27). DHCC mission is to ensure high quality services through strategic partnerships. As such, it can provide exceptional customer experiences, eventually transforming the society.
DHCC is found in Dubai, and is considered the global largest free zone for healthcare services. It consists of two phases. The first phase covers medial education and healthcare in Oud Metha while the second phase is allocated for wellness in Al Jadaf. The Dubai Healthcare City Authority (DHCA) controls the free zone while the regulatory arm is Dubai Healthcare City Authority – Regulation (DHCR). The services offered by DHCC are meant to meet international standards.
There are nearly 160 clinical partners located in DHCC. They include outpatient medical centers, hospitals, and diagnostic laboratories. In addition, DHCC has more than 150 specialties with qualified professionals from approximately 90 countries. In this regard, DHCC is now seen an important player in the global medical tourism sector. There are about 200 retail and other non-clinical facilities that offer services in the free zone.
Mohammed Bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Science is located in the free zone. The prevailing environment is suitable for potential investors or partners to set up their operations to advance healthcare and wellness in the UAE.
Marketing Manager Details – Assessment of the Current Situation
From a marketing manager’s perspectives, DHCC has been successful since its launch in 2002. Based on the business model of free zone, DHCC has achieved operational efficiency, noted increased investment, and education while advancing the UAE economy.
DHCC, as business model, has been focused on customer service, including patient needs and market dynamics. It is expected that future operations will offer accountability to investors and patients – customers in order to achieve strategic growth objective.
DHCC is also a well-regulated center of excellence with a robust regulatory framework. In this respect, DHCC strives to attract the best foreign healthcare professionals to ensure highest quality of care and patient safety and outcomes. It is noted that the increasing inflow of investments in new clinics and healthcare workers will enhance the delivery of healthcare.
DHCC performance is reflected in the number of growing partnerships. DHCC is generally positioned as the global healthcare and wellness center. Through customer centered value chain, DHCC is enhancing its services and working with all stakeholders for long-term growth with the aim of creating tangible value to customers.
DHCC considers medical education as an important element of value creation. Medical education is generally regarded as successful as DHCC aims to revamp its core academic infrastructures to establish the University as a leading institution in the region. DHCC wants to show that it is committed to advancing the healthcare sector and promoting healthcare services through its strategic goals.
DHCC continues to unveil new operational sectors for investments and education while leveraging the free zone advantages and positioning itself as a medical tourism destination and a clinical-academic center. In addition, DHCC conducts regular customer satisfaction survey. In 2014-15, for instance, the survey revealed that professional staff and healthcare practitioners were the major appeal factors in DHCC. Besides, the surveyed customers were willing to recommend DHCC clinics and hospitals to others.
Medical tourism plays a significant role for DHCC. Some major aspects generally facilitate it. They include patient satisfaction, multi-specialty offerings for special niches, the global strategic location, affordable care, and qualified professionals promoted by various attributes, such as language, specialty, insurance providers, qualifications, and credentials (Woodman 32).
Further, medical education and investments continue to promote DHCC services. For instance, Phase 1 of DHCC has continued to attract more investors while expansion has remained constant. At the same time, Phase 2 has also attracted more investments.
Overall, the marketing manager details will focus on success of DHCC across various areas, including medical education and research, investment, medical tourism, customer satisfaction, affordability, high quality of services, supporting regulatory environment, and community engagement.
SWOT Matrix
DHCC should strive to change its weaknesses and threats into strengths and opportunities while striving to improve and maintain its strengths and opportunities.
Competition Analysis
Medical tourism runs on international standards, low costs, excellent technologies, and cultural orientations. In this regard, India offers a fierce competition for DHCC in the region. Competition also emanates from Malaysia, Thailand, Costa Rica, Israel, Mexico, South Korea, Turkey, United States, Taiwan, and Singapore.
4Ps Analysis
Product
DHCC offers investment services, medical, education, and research. These services are designed to attract clients from all parts of the world by promoting DHCC as a global center of excellence. In other words, DHCC strives to appeal to its target customers. These services are designed to add value to investors.
Pricing
While it is difficult to understand what pricing strategy DHCC has adopted, it is well known that the pricing strategy must cover costs associated with running the free zone and promotions among others. Currently, it is not obvious whether DHCC is playing a loss leader pricing strategy to attract foreign investors. The pricing strategy for DHCC must account for competition and the marketing environment. At the same time, it should be reasonable based on what investors, patients, students and others are willing to pay to get services from DHCC.
Place
DHCC is strategically located in Dubai. This location makes its appeal to international customers. For instance, it is five flight hours from Nairobi, seven from London and about three from New Delhi (Woodman v). In this regard, DHCC is promoted as convenient to customers and businesses, accessible to most customers from all over the world, low-cost to most customers from emerging economies, and offers reasonable costs to investors and customers.
Promotion
DHCC strives to communicate its services to the global market. As such, customers can understand its benefits. Since 2004, corporate commercial of DHCC has dominantly featured on CNN. Besides, DHCC now sponsors Vital Signs with Dr. Sanjay Gupta. This is a real opportunity for the global international audience to learn about DHCC.
As such, DHCC has been able to raise awareness not only in the domestic markets, but also globally (Micael, Fedrick and Terry 32). It further reinforces the idea of medical tourism, foreign investments and portrays positive marketing environment of Dubai.
It is imperative to understand that service marketing mix consists of additional 3Ps accounting for People, Processes, and Physical Evidence.
People
People are integral component of service delivery. DHCC is striving to recruit the best talent to create competitive edge. It is noted that customer satisfaction is high because of excellent services they receive from the free zone. Nevertheless, DHCC must continuously improve on the quality of its employee to enhance the attractiveness of the free zone.
Process
Not all customers understand the processes of getting a free zone at Dubai. In fact, the legal processes make it complex for average investors (Sleiman 1). Moreover, the time it takes to complete these processes could be long, but DHCC is working to streamline the regulatory framework for investors. It aims for consistency while eradicating confusion in service delivery.
Physical Evidence
DHCC is presented as a physical location with different amenities present to meet needs of diverse customers. In fact, this presentation has been critical for clinics, commercial entities and other retailers operating in the free zone. As such, physical evidence of DHCC appeals to most customers.
Detailed Plan and Strategy for the Future
The aim of this detailed marketing plan and strategy for the future is to position DHCC as the global center of excellence for medical tourism for specialized treatments, researchers, students, investors, and retailers. First, it focuses on strategy and partner relations for DHCC. Second, it looks at marketing and communication. Finally, it is designed to enhance business development.
Strategy and Partner Relation
In this context, DHCC marketing strategy will focus on improving customer relations, commitment, and the brand. First, it will focus on long-term customer satisfaction for growth. It can only achieve this strategy through superior quality services offered by various stakeholders. For instance, physicians and clinicians must meet international standards expected in medical tourism. DHCC must communicate positive outcomes to its target audience.
Building a brand equity globally is a strategy that would ensure that DHCC is positioned as a global center of excellence in service provision. Hence, it must focus on developing name awareness using international media, promoting positive outcomes to reinforce perceived quality, growing the brand loyalty, working to associate consumers with the brand and using various marketing channels, including social media and traditional media. Finally, DHCC must work to sustain its positive relationships with customers (Sorce 7-11). It must continuously conduct follow-up studies to determine changes in customer perceptions.
Marketing and Communication for the Global Audience
DHCC does not doubt the growth opportunities offered by the international market. It must avoid possible errors and ensure effective strategic planning to reach internal audience.
It will use the most effective visual communication while recognizing differences in cultures and language. Marketing communication will reflect cultural sensitivity to enhance its reputation and the global brand. DHCC will not underestimate communications meant for foreign customers and investors. In this case, it will work with international marketing experts to ensure that communications meet the expected cultural norms while promoting all its globalization efforts. Various communication strategies will be used to improve comprehension and retention in different parts of the world. That is, the target audience will be able to see, read, and hear the message.
International customers will receive planned strategic message to reinforce the brand and position DHCC as a global destination.
Enhancing Business Development
To grow the business, DHCC will target markets that matter for its strategic growth. DHCC will focus on advancing its interests in certain groups of major foreign markets, including emerging economies and developed ones. It will use a multi-stage assessment to determine the best markets in the future. In this regard, DHCC will concentrate on foreign markets that show high-growth potentials to attract the middle class and high-end customers based on its capabilities and competitive edge.
Besides, it must focus on important markets that can provide capital, knowledge, technology, and human capital. At the same time, DHCC should also focus on the regional trading partners and economic blocs for enhanced partnership while relying on evidence from industry sectors for effective decision-making.
It will review talents available at the free zone to reflect the actual status of human capital available for potential medical tourists, willing partners, students, and researchers among others. By focusing its marketing efforts where DHCC can realize massive opportunities and interests, it creates higher chances of success by deriving values from specific markets. Some major priority markets for DHCC should be emerging markets such as Africa without advance medical care, new markets with increasing demands for investments and other established markets with advanced technologies and human capital.
Implementation and Control
The marketing manager will be responsible for the implementation and control of these strategies.
Strategy and Partner Relation
- Performance management supported with monthly reviews and reports
- Customer satisfaction surveys
- Market research
- Understand market needs
- Determine DHCC competitive edge in the global market
- Partnership development should focus on annual review of regulatory frameworks and holding events to enhance partnership and community participation.
These elements should be implemented within three months and reviewed after six months.
Marketing and Communication for the Global Audience
DHCC should work with a professional firm to meet this strategy. The firm will be responsible for formulating communication strategies and messages for the global audience.
Enhancing Business Development
A competent team and substantial investment are required to ensure strategic growth.
This process should be subjected to annual reviews.
Conclusion
The market plan presents marketing strategies for DHCC. It aims to position DHCC as a global center of excellence in medical tourism, research, medical education, and investment.
Works Cited
Dubai Healthcare City. Overview. 2016. Web.
Matly, Michael. Dubai Health Care City: A World-class Innovation Evolving in a Dynamic Environment. 2007. Web.
Micael, Dahlen, Lange Fedrick, and Smith Terry. Marketing Communication: A brand narrative approach. West Sussex, UK: John Wiley & Sons, 2010. Print.
Sleiman, Andrew. Dubai Health Care City (DHCC). 2011. Web.
Sorce, Patricia. Relationship Marketing Strategy. Rochester, NY: Printing Industry Center, 2002. Print.
Woodman, Josef. Dubai Healthcare City Edition: Everybody’s Guide to Affordable, World-Class Healthcare. Chapel Hill, NC: Healthy Travel Media, 2012. Print.