What information did the Center need to gather about this target population before the program could be established? Many healthcare organizations came to see the aging of the baby boom generation as an opportunity to expand their services. Regional Medical Center* responded to this opportunity by establishing a service line devoted to “older adults.” The intent was to capture the business—and the loyalty—of this large, relatively affluent, and increasingly needy segment of the population. The service line was designed to meet the emerging needs of this population for specialty services such as cardiology, orthopedics, ophthalmology, and urology in a manner that was appealing to this relatively demanding consumer population.

Because this service was considered innovative in the community served by Regional Medical Center, an aggressive promotional campaign was undertaken. The Center’s marketing department considered a wide range of marketing options and decided on a multipronged campaign to approach the target population from a variety of directions.

The first phase of the promotional campaign focused on internal marketing. It was important that the Center’s employees be familiar with this new program and be able to articulate its merits to potential customers. Many of the customers for the new program were likely to be existing patients of Regional Medical Center