Individual Reflection (2 pages)
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homework.docxMarketing Plan to Combat the Opiate Crisis
Step 1
1. Description of the Issue Being Addressed
This article is a marketing plan to combat the Opiate Crisis that has been termed a country wide epidemic. Opiates are a group of drugs ranging from legal ones, such as morphine, to illegal ones, such as heroin. The given substances have been used for both medicinal and recreational reasons for a long time. However, the opiate crisis in the United States has escalated to greater heights. As these drugs are being smuggled from clinics, they are then sold to college students who misuse them. In 2015, more than 33, 000 people died because of opioid addiction that is majorly attributed to the opiate crisis (Kolodny et al., 2015). Therefore, there is a need to develop a solution to eliminate the opiate crisis to ensure safety of the nation.
2. Organization(s) Involved in Developing and Implementing the Plan
After development, this marketing plan will be forwarded to the marketing professionals at Geisinger, for evaluation. The marketing plan targets the college students and aims to educate them on the harm caused by misuse of opiates. The plan promotes the use of opiates for medicinal purposes only. Therefore, social, print, and electronic media will be utilized to disseminate this crucial information. Further, hospitals and clinics, which are the main sources of these drugs, will be used to inform patients with the use of brochures.
3. Summary of the Key Background Information Leading to the Development of the Plan
The marketing plan to combat the opiate crisis was developed after the public health officials termed the problem as one of the worst drug issues in the history of the United States. Based on the reports provided in 2015, where 33, 000 died due to opioid addiction, and that number has nearly doubled in 2017 (Skolnick, 2017). Considering the continuing trends, the opiate crisis will escalate to higher degrees, and the lives of many youths will be in jeopardy. As much as we are talking about climate change, there is also the need to discuss the issue of drug abuse. Therefore, it would be crucial to formulate a plan to counter the use of opiate drugs in America.
4. The Campaign Purpose and the Intended Impact
The purpose of the marketing plan is to discourage the use of opiates as painkillers by college students. The plan aims at advertising the use of alternative medicines to reduce the availability of opiates. To achieve this, the campaign will be based on illustrating the health implications associated with the misuse of opiates. Learning opportunities will be created that allow students to comprehend the gravity of the situation and the consequences that come with opiate abuse. The students of Collin College will be educated on the various existing substitutes for opiates that do not have addictive effects and can still treat pain just as effectively.
5. The Campaigns Focus
The focus will be on educating college students on the dangers associated with misuse of opiate drugs. Offering the guidance and counselling they need to steer clear of opiates due to their harmful effects and the nationwide crisis the drugs have created.
Step 2
Organizational Strengths
The plan aims at maximizing the following strengths:
a) The Plano hospital has qualified staff members who will be able to develop alterative drugs to opiates.
b) The Plano hospital will use social media, which will ensure that a significant portion of the population has been addressed, especially the youth, who are mainly the victims. In addition, the means are affordable.
1. Organizational Weaknesses
The Plano hospital intended to fund the plan have the following weaknesses:
a) The hospital has limited finance to support the course of solving the opiate crisis.
b) The lack of cooperation from other institutions.
2. Environmental Opportunities
Implementation of the plan will face the following external opportunities:
a) Technological forces – The introduction and the popularity of the social media, especially among the youth, will be an important tool in spreading the message and the advertisement meant by the marketing plan.
The opportunities include technological forces such as social media that will help to create awareness of the campaign, political forces as the government is willing to fund such campaigns, and the help from other organizations wiling to engage in the campaign. The threats include the low prices of opiates in hospitals and cultural forces that have made it look “cool” to use drug which will make it hard for the campaign to be effective.
b) Political/legal forces – The government is willing to offer finances and the legal supports by setting laws that will ensure smuggling of the opiates is eliminated.
c) The external public – There are main organizations in the health sector that are willing to support the idea by collaborating with all organizations in the health sector to curb smuggling and misuse of opiate drugs.
3. Environmental Threats
a) Economic factors – Most of the opiate drugs are obtained from hospitals and clinics at very low prices. Thus, even citizens with a small disposable income are able to buy these drugs. Further, most of the citizens in the United States may be considered the people with middle-class income. Hence, they are able to access opiates.
b) Cultural forces – It has become a trend to abuse drugs in the United States, especially among the young population. This issue will present a problem to the process of eliminating the opiate crisis.
4. Findings from Prior and Similar Efforts
The opiate crisis has been an issue for some time, but very little has been done to eliminate the harmful impact of the problem, especially through marketing. The following initiatives have been implemented to combat the crisis: the Obama administration launched a strategy in 2011 titled “Epidemic: Responding to America's Prescription Drug Abuse Crisis” (Young, 2011). The purpose of the strategy is to educate, track and monitor, ensure the proper disposal of medication and enforcement by the law. It aimed at educating drug prescribers, parents and patients. Tracking and monitoring involves use of prescription monitoring programs (PMP) to prevent doctor shopping. Proper medication disposal provides for effective ways of getting rid of unwanted drugs and making sure they do not wind up in the wrong hands. Finally law enforcement includes policies that deal with unregistered dealers and doctor shopping. Given the current statistics though, it is evident that the strategy has failed to meet its objectives over the years.
Step 3
Target audience
The main target group of the campaign will comprise of college students attending Collin College. It is due to the fact that this group is largely affected by the abuse of opiates and the number is still growing since the number of painkiller overdoses among teens is said to have tripled in recent years. An estimated 16% in every 1,200 students are reported to sing opioids and are also able to acquire them easily (Skywood, 2017). After finishing high school these young adults are open to too much freedom and experimentation, which makes them the perfect market for drug dealers. Once they indulge in the vice it becomes a slippery slope into addiction that could last even after they are through with high school. The academic setting also presents a niche of open minded individuals who can be counted upon to usher in a new age of substance abuse awareness. With a huge portion of the youth attending colleges and universities, it will provide a good group for reaching the most audience.
Other than that, this segment is in the best position to receive the awareness the campaign aims at creating since they are in education institutions. It would be easier to include the effects of opiates in the school curriculum which would mean that every student would have to undertake the lessons. Because addiction is rampant in the college setting, it will be easier to relate the harm and destruction brought about by the abuse of prescription drugs. The students will also provide for a good research and brain storming group because they can provide opiate alternatives through class room projects. The proposals produced can be an added advantage in increasing the awareness process and accelerating the overall objective of combating the crisis.
The other demographic that this move will target are the parents. Parents and guardians have to be included in this effort because drug addiction also destroys the bonds of family. It is not enough for them to only take their kids to school, they must also follow through on their well-being and ensure that the money they give their kids does not support the drug trafficking industry. Addicted students also pose a threat to their colleagues since they tend to recruit others in their destructive habits. In another perspective some parents abuse opiates in front of their children which leaves a negative impact as they grow. Children learn using this drugs from them and as soon as they attain their freedom or independence they engage in this habit themselves. Thus educating parents on such matters will make them pass along the message to their offspring thereby creating a well-informed generation.
Step 4
Objectives
1. Behavior objective
The main purpose of the campaign is to stop the abuse of prescription drugs by college students. It seeks to change the mentality that these drugs are a rite of passage for learners. The youth should be on the front lines of shunning this practice among their colleagues and themselves and this way, drug traffickers will lack a market for their products. The project aims at influencing students to oppose the stereotypical confines that once in college, they have to be involved in drug use. Health care facilities also need to change their approach of prescribing drugs given that the number of prescriptions administered to patients has been on the rise in the last few years. Parents on the other hand have to show their kids that this drugs are dangerous by leading by example and publicly opposing their use. The project seeks to empower them with enough knowledge so that they can deduce on their own the moral authority they have in ensuring the crisis of opiates is deterred.
2. Knowledge objective
Students must understand the consequences brought about by this vice and the loss of life it is causing throughout America. The segment needs to know that bright young minds such as theirs are being rendered useless by these drugs. Those in college need to be able to spot signs of substance abuse so that they can seek help or recommend their friends to check in with rehabilitation centers. Parents must comprehend the fact that their children are prone to substance abuse, especially when they are away at school. Hospitals and research facilities need to know that the health industry has evolved, and it is about time they started introducing forms of treatment that do not get their patients hooked.
3. Belief objective
Students have to believe that it is possible for them to go through college without abusing opiates. It only takes disciple and a sense of direction that will help one achieve his dreams. The health sector can manage this crisis if only they make it a priority and work to see that Americans do not suffer the fatalities of overdoses and addiction.
Goals
The goals expected from the campaign is having student refrain from the use of opiates and instead take opiate alternatives as pain relievers. A 15% reduction in purchase of opioid based medication is expected in a period of 12 months. Another goal is to increase awareness of the campaigns mission to the most number of students. The following in the social platforms is expected to rise and reach more than half the college’s student population and the learners to like or share the content with their friends within the same duration.
Step 5
1. Barriers
People addicted to prescription drugs do not always start of as such, some of them take them as pain relievers and end up being hooked. Most of them may believe that they are just taking something for the pain while they are becoming addicted. The main barrier will be convincing them that this drug is not the only alternative. Also, due to peer pressure in colleges, some might think that this is the only way to fit into certain groups and give them a sense of belonging. The other crucial barrier will be the millennial’s perceived sense of living in the moment and are therefore open to try anything while disregarding any advice.
2. Benefits
Since the campaign will be dealing with college students mostly, the benefits will be the promise of a better and brighter future. The awareness will provide them with positive aspects of avoiding opiate use and this will be a reference of the life it presents for them. Also the existence of opiate substitute drugs will provide a safer alternative of dealing with chronic pain illness.
3. Motivators
Successful people in society such as healthcare professionals, reformed drug addicts, and counselors shall be used as motivational speakers to address the students on life and drug use. The individuals will help motivate the students to stay away from drugs if they want a bright future.
4. Competition
The drugs are still readily available in the streets and over the counter. If restrictions are put on pharmacies and hospitals, one can go to street corners and acquire what they need. Cocaine use is prevalent among students with most of them walking around with needle marks. It presents an obstacle in asking them to change to another form of drug. The existence of competing drug syndicate rings means that opiates can accessed at reduced prices as the peddlers try to secure their own market.
5. Influencing others
College students tend to mostly follow what their peers are doing. It is why creating awareness among them will be most effective in fighting the epidemic. The youth also follow popular celebrities especially in the modern age of social media. Celebrities have significant impact on millennials given that they are the trend setters. Some of the musicians show case themselves in music videos doing drugs and this presents the vice as something normal. To have them speaking against the use of opiates in their songs or on their social media platforms would go a long way in the fight for averting the crisis.
Step 6
Positioning statement
We want Collin College students seeking pain relief to see that avoiding the use of opiates as beneficial to their health and long-term well-being and as a way of preventing addiction to prescription drugs.
Step 7
7.1 Product
7.1.1 Core product
The campaign aims at stopping the wide spread use of opiates as pain relief medication. The students must understand that, opiate use leads to addiction which results to loss of life through overdose and failure to perform at school. By shunning opiates, the students get to have a normal college life experience and get to attain the higher education that college provides. It also prevents them from ruining their lives before it really begins. The learners will be able to treat their pain and get the much-needed relief without the risk of addiction. It will ultimately end the cases of overdose and the much prevalent cocaine addiction that has been destroying the lives of college students.
7.1.2 Actual product
For better adoption of the campaign against opioid use, the target group will be provided with opioid alternatives. The threat of pain killer addiction is on the rise and it has been resulting in the use of heroin for those that find these drugs expensive. There exist opiate alternatives that serve the same purpose of pain relief without the severe consequence of addiction. Such drugs include over the counter Acetaminophen, Serotonin and Norepinephrine Reuptake inhibitors (Hellerman, 2017). The stated forms of medication will be used to show the college students that, they can treat their pain through drugs that do not affect their general health and still give them extra benefits like from Norepinephrine Reuptake inhibitors which are Anti-depressants that also help people sleep. Opioids should only be applied as a measure of last resort by doctors (McDaniels, 2017)
7.1.3 Augmented product
Apart from the use of opiate substitutes there will also be injections and surgery as a form of addressing pain. The methods help manage pain by treating it directly. By choosing surgery the subjects will be able to deal with the problem of pain directly through letting doctors remove or fix the problematic areas. It would eliminate the need for using medication and would avoid a prolonged treatment that may eventually result in addiction. There is also the use of a spinal cord simulator that is implanted into the body of a patients and then releases electronic impulses to the nerves which help to control pain (Sidorowicz, 2017).
7.2 Price
7.2.1 Fees
The target group are expected to incur some costs in this endeavor for the campaign to be a success. The over the counter opiate substitutes especially will have to be bought at health care institutions. Also for those who choose surgery and injections the normal price rates at hospitals will apply as per their ailments.
7.2.2 Monetary incentives
Some monetary incentives will be put in effect to encourage the target group to properly assimilate into the new strategy. One such strategy will be discounted prices opiate alternatives thanks to the partnership with health institutions and the government. It will enable college students to afford them and even prefer them over opiates.
Also, opiate addicts that come out will receive free rehabilitation and medical screening for their conditions. The addicts will get checkups for free and be given prescriptions for their existing conditions as a push to the right direction. Students that speak out against opiate use and abuse will also receive partial scholarships as part of the awareness program and this will motivate most of them to talk their friends out of this growing trend. The addicted will also be promised partial scholarships if they kick the habit.
7.2.3 Monetary disincentives
Since opiate addiction has become a nationwide crisis, policies will be put in effect that discourage their use. To begin with taxes shall be imposed on prescription drugs. It will lead to increase in prices and users of opiates will be forced to turn to the opiate substitutes being sold at discounted rates. The high prices of opiate based medication will force the students to result to the opiate substitutes.
Any student found in possession of opioids will receive penalties in the form of fines. The learners will have to pay these fines if they are to continue with the rest of their academic year at the college.
7.2.4 Nonmonetary incentives
A part from the monetary incentives, the opiate substitutes will be made readily available so that students can get them in any pharmacy the visit. By making sure these substitutes are easily accessible, students will be encouraged to consider them over opioid prescription drugs.
7.2.5 Nonmonetary disincentives
Through talks at the colleges, students will be presented with the cases of deaths brought about by opiate addiction and the number of their colleagues that have dropped out due to addiction. It will serve as nonmonetary disincentive that discourages the habit by showing its eventual consequence. No college students want to look rage and dirty and that is the picture the tactic will paint of opiate abuse and addiction.
7.3 Place strategy
The awareness campaign for the effects of opiate abuse will take place at the school halls accessible to any student. The activity will be done during a free scheduled time at the colleges which will allow every student to attend without interfering with their normal class routine.
Social media shall be a platform used by Plano Hospital to spread the awareness on the harmful effects of opioid use. It will create a good avenue given that nearly everyone, especially the youth are connected through social media making it an effective tool of creating awareness. The sights shall also be used to remind the students on the schedules of the seminar and the specific venues that they will take place in.
Checkups will be available outside mess halls for any students seeking any consultations. Brochures that state the negative effects of using opiates and that addiction is a treatable condition will also be provided for in classes. A security perimeter that discourages drug peddlers will also be enforced outside the school, making it difficult for students to acquire heroin.
Manufacturers of opiate substitutes shall also be involved in spreading awareness at school given that they have the most insight in the matter and have a solution to the opioid crisis. The manufacturers will act as the final word in addressing the drug issue and will also be a source for the much-needed opiate alternatives at the colleges.
7.4 Promotion
7.4.1 Messages
The main message for the campaign is, to make college students refrain from using opiates as form of pain relief by letting them know that it leads to addiction and death which will make them change their perspective of the habit.
As earlier mentioned, students view celebrities as role models this days thanks to the popularity of social media. Using these celebrities as spokes people to convey messages of the negative effects of opiates in their social media accounts will make it an undesirable habit in all fronts. By setting this trend, celebrities will be advocating for the use of opiate substitutes while creating awareness of the rising cases of addiction. Manufacturers of opioid alternatives will also play this part since they are a credible source of information that the students can rely on. They will be crucial in spreading the awareness because they have expert knowledge of opiates and how to manage pain without their use. In the school setting mascots and lead players in the favorite sports will be used to represent the cause and carry its slogan.
Promotion of the campaigns will include messages that persuade the students to avoid or stop the norm and also seek opiate alternatives. Such messages will include lines like “Thousands of students die due to opiate addiction, don’t be one of them”. It will show the students the magnitude of the crisis and its consequences. Taglines such as “The substitutes are even better than the original” will prove that it is more beneficial to use the replacements that have no side effects. Banners showing the deteriorated state of an opiate addict shall be put up to act as a visual reminder of what opiates do to the users.
Due to the need to curb opiate use among college students, selective media channels will be used. Issues concerning opioids will be addressed through social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube since most students visit this site frequently. Brochures with awareness messages shall also be distributed in places the students usually interact like mess halls and dorms. Posters will also be put up within the schools with different messages about opiate addiction and how it can be tamed.
Step 8
8.1 Purpose of the evaluation
The purpose of the evaluation is to identify midcourse correction points in the awareness campaign. The evaluation will gauge the progress of the campaign and the need if any to make adjustments on vital areas that may prove vital to the course.
8.2 Audience for the evaluation
The evaluation shall be presented to the marketing team in charge of the various aspects of the campaign. The aspects include the many social media platforms, seminars and promotional material like brochures. The various heads shall receive a detailed evaluation of their individual sectors so that they can assess the progress of their strategies and make any needed course corrections.
8.3 Measurement of outcomes
As mentioned in step 4, the goals of the campaign include an increase of the number of opiate alternatives purchased as opposed to the opioid based painkillers. Thus one of the measures for the evaluation will be purchase of opiate alternatives in comparison to opioid based medication. It will be done through conducting surveys to see just how many people previously using opioids have adapted the alternatives. The measurements will paint a clear picture on whether the students are responding to the awareness or much work needs to be done to point them towards that direction.
The other measure will involve the level of awareness created by the campaign. It will explore the reach of the campaigns message looking at how many people have heard about and how many more visit the social sites dedicated to the campaigns mission.
8.4 Methodologies for measurement
Measurement of the outcomes shall be conducted through the following methods;
8.4.1 Quantitative surveys
The method shall be used to assess how many people have previously using opiates have turned to opioid alternatives as a result of the campaigns awareness. It will be done through conducting random interviews across Collin College and getting respondents to answer a set of questions that provide this information. The data will then be presented as follows;
|
Students aware of the campaign |
Students using opioid alternatives due to the awareness |
Influence level |
|
|
|
|
8.4.2 Observation
For the Social Media sites an observation shall be conducted to view the reception of the platforms. It will be done through assessing the number of likes that posts from the campaign receive and to how many people it is shared to. Also it will monitor the comments being made by the students which will help gauge the reception.
8.5 Measurement period
The measurements shall be conducted during the implementation of the campaign. The measurements will act as form of monitoring the response of the campaigns message from the students so that the best cause of action can be realized before it is fully implemented.
8.6 Report of the measurements
The measurements shall be reported in a typed format that shows a detailed progress of the campaign with all the relevant data. It will make it easier for reference purposes for any needed information presently or in the future. The reports shall be handed to the marketing team together with the board of directors at Plano Hospital.
Step 9
9.1 Costs for product related strategies.
$2500 shall be required for the production and printing of both large and medium sized banners to be used for showing venues and topics of discussions for the seminar. Food and drinks provided to guest speakers in the seminars shall total to $2000. The administration of Collin College will provide $4000 for this.
9.2 Costs for price related strategies
Collin College together with Plano Organization will provide $20,000 that shall be used to cater for the discounts of opiate alternatives.
9.3 Costs for place related strategies
$3,000 shall be used as compensation for personnel posted outside mess halls to conduct checkups. In addition to this $2,000 shall be used for medical equipment like syringes and gloves. Government aid together with Collin College will provide $3,000 for these expenses.
9.4 Costs for promotion related strategies
Members of the staff managing the social media platforms shall be paid $5,000 for constantly monitoring the sites and making the required updates. $2,500 shall be used for the production of awareness creation brochures and posters and also for the manpower employed in putting them up. Media houses shall sponsor this endeavor with $5,000.
9.5 Costs for evaluation related strategies
For the evaluation process $4,000 will cater for the files and printing papers used for reporting the findings. $5000 will act as compensation for the man hours spent in conducting interviews around campus and also monitoring the feedback from social media sites. It will be made possible through $8,000 contribution from Plano Organization.
9.6 Additional sources of funding
The contributions offered for the campaign will not be enough and thus funding will have to be sourced from elsewhere. People as well as health institutions shall be requested for in-kind donation in the form of medical supplies like gloves and syringes. Also we shall plead with non-profit organization who have the same agendas to make donations in support of the campaign.
Return on investment
Step 10
Implementation
The implementation of the marketing plan shall be done at the beginning of the semester through the matriculation convocation of freshmen. It will bring about awareness to the students before they fully conform to college life and be a guiding principle for them for the rest of their school life. The seminars will then be integrated into the school’s curriculum creating room for them during free periods which the Collin College shall make possible. During the seminar students shall be given the social media links for accessing Plano websites among other sites promoting the campaigns messages.
Phasing shall be used in order to save on resources whereby pilot tests of the project shall be conducted during the first semester. It will include the setting up of a secure perimeter outside the school to discourage drug peddlers. On the second semester the implemented strategies shall be adjusted according to their efficiency and the less promising ones shall be eliminated. After one academic year the plan will now be fully rolled out with the best strategies in place and this will allow for proper coordination with the relevant authorities like Collin College and Plano Organization in making well defined decisions and specified allocations.
Sustainability
To sustain the influence of the campaign of creating awareness of the opioid crisis, visual aids shall be left in place as a reminder of the course. The aids will be in the form of billboards that will be put up in the main entrance of the college so that every student entering the school will view it. The prompts will show a young adult passed out with a needle in his arm with an accompanying message stating “opiates destroy lives”.
Stickers with promotional messages shall also be found in the school’s library where most students frequent. The stickers will also be on the student’s desks and chairs where vivid primary colors that cannot be missed will be used.
To facilitate the adoption of the awareness campaign notice boards will be erected outside the school indicating that “Collin College is against the use of opiates and other forms of drug abuse”.
