The Silver Tsunami and Five Other Disruptive Trends Impacting Medical Marketing
Take a quiet two minutes for a demographic reality check. Trust me, this isn’t an academic exercise. Private practices, physician groups, pharmaceutical companies, hospitals and virtually all healthcare organizations should take note.
Census data reveals some disruptive trends at work in the US population, researchers say. And, we would observe, if your healthcare marketing plan is still based on outdated assumptions, there are two possible consequences. Your current marketing message could be way off-target, or you may be missing some new, revenue-producing opportunities.
“The US population is far different today in terms of geographical distribution, racial and ethnic composition, age mix, family types and economic circumstance from what it was a decade ago," according to a new report from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. They say the new census numbers will reveal major demographic shifts, and “a browner, grayer and more culturally diverse population and workforce will dramatically transform the nation's social, economic and political institutions.”
The “Silver Tsunami” is one of six trends, and it’s a good place to begin checking your target audience assumptions. If you thought we were already at the baby-boom high-water mark, that storm is just approaching shore. Each and every day of the next five years, about 8,000 Americans will turn 65, and more active lifestyles and healthcare advances will allow them to live longer than previous generations. Altogether, about 79 million boomers will exit the workforce over the next 20 years.
Ask yourself what services, products and/or marketing gateways do you have (or could create) for boomers? It’s a well educated and tech-savvy group that’s driving consumer demand that includes a range of products and services related to “elder care.”
Continue these questions as you read more about the UNC report, Six Disruptive Demographic Trends: What Census 2010 Will Reveal. And let us know how these six market shifts impact your healthcare marketing assumptions. And check in with us for help in bringing your marketing plan back into focus for the future…beginning right now.
