Taking on the role of Stan Doolby, director of market knowledge and donor insight, answer the following questions in a Word document. You may use the information in the case, your own experience or outside research.
1. How can CBS attract more donors?
2. How can CBS increase rate of donation of repeat donors?
3. Analyze the consumer decision-making process for blood donation. Suggest how to improve the consumer experience at each stage:
• Information search stage
• Alternatives evaluation stage
• Purchase stage
• Post purchase stage
4. Based on your analyses, what is the optimal strategy for CBS to increase the blood supply? Provide a recommendation of whom to target and how best to influence them.
Marketing in Canada Blood Services
The selected case study’s primary issue is increasing the number of donors and donor retention statistics in the Canadian Blood Services (CBS). This issue roots in the fact that the demand for blood and blood products has been increasing due to an ageing population that requires the products during emergencies and elective surgeries (Mulholland, 2011). Conversely, the ageing population’s growth has also reduced the number of eligible donors in the country. As Canada’s primary lifeline, CBS has a task to attract and retain repeat donors through social marketing strategies, digital marketing, providing incentives that encourage repeat donation such as proximity of donation sites, improving the consumer decision-making process, and directing the majority of its resources on digital promotion strategies, which target the largest population of donors in the country.
Attracting More Donors in CBS
As noted in the case study, CBS donor statistics are satisfactory, but there are concerns over the increase in the demand for blood and blood products in the country, which may overwhelm the supply. On the one hand, the blood donation process is based on a demand-supply mechanism, implying that the agency cannot store blood indefinitely (Mulholland, 2011). On the other hand, CBS must ensure that it has adequate blood inventory to satisfy the varying demand for blood, which stems from healthcare facilities’ attempts to reduce their wait time. The fact that CBS cannot hold blood indefinitely and the supply and demand for blood keep changing implies that the former must develop strategies for attracting new donors to boost the blood inventory.
Strategies
Social marketing could help CBS attract more donors to satisfy the growing demand for blood and blood products in the country. As the literature suggests, social marketing involves developing and integrating marketing concepts with other approaches to influence behaviors that are individually and socially beneficial (Gordon, Russell-Bennett & Lefebvre, 2016). Social marketing entails implementing thoughts and planned strategies that can change people’s behavior for social good by first exploring and understanding the former’s lives. In this context, CBS could undertake social marketing in multiple ways to help attract non-active donors and convert them to active donors that can boost blood supply.
Social marketing strategies that could attract donors for CBS include exploring donor motivation and designing approaches, based on these motivations, to target potential donors. For example, the visible themes from CBS research are that self-fulfillment, humanitarian reasons, ease, and convenience of the donation process motivate Canadians to donate blood and other blood products (Mulholland, 2011). CBS could use this insight to enhance the current programs that are currently used to attract donors. To illustrate, the agency could emphasize self-fulfillment and ease and convenience of the process in adverts placed in workplaces and schools. For example, in advertising messages contained in pamphlets, CBS could emphasize that blood donation is an ideal social activity in which family members, friends, and work colleagues can bond. Arguably, such a message may help attract non-active donors whose behaviors are motivated by self-fulfillment, leading to increased donor statistics.
Besides social marketing, CBS could also attract more donors by using its current research themes to fill niches in its promotion activities. As noted in the case study, CBS spends $2.6 million in advertising, including the use of mobile clinic adverts and traditional TV, cinema, and radio ads (Mulholland, 2011). Despite the significant amount of money spent on advertising, results from research conducted by Ipsos Reid reveals that among donor’s barriers to donating is the lack of awareness of the “need for blood” (Mulholland, 2011). This information suggests that the currently used traditional advertising methods are insufficient in targeting all eligible donors in the country.
In light of the identified marketing niche, CBS should shift to non-traditional marketing media, such as social media adverts, which have promising outcomes in raising awareness about the need for more blood donors among target markets. As noted in the case study, the single largest demographic group of new donors are in the 17-24 age group (Mulholland, 2011). This age group’s unique trait is that they were born in an age of technological growth and are more likely to subscribe to modern than traditional marketing techniques. For example, Yadav and Rai (2017) note that this age group, also known as generation Z, “belong to the segment of school to college students or comparatively fresh entrants as manpower in organizations or frequently labelled as technically innate and very style-conscious of all previous generations” (p.111). Yadav and Rai (2017) also add that the Z’ers often use online socializing to fulfill their needs for involvement in activities and staying informed.
The highlighted information suggests that any firm that wishes to raise awareness about its products among this age group should focus on online media. Therefore, to fulfill the niche of “lack of awareness” as revealed in the Ipsos research, and attract more donors, CBS could integrate more online advertising tools in its marketing strategies while still retaining traditional marketing media for the older population. Among online tools that CBS should use, which are commonly utilized as sources of information by generation Z, include Facebook and Instagram. The firm could also integrate online ads on online platforms such as YouTube to create awareness about the need for blood and, in turn, attract new donors.
Increasing the Rate of donation of Repeat Donors
Repeat donors are a significant resource in CBS as they facilitate a constant supply of blood in the country’s blood bank. Despite being essential resources, repeat donors may not be easy to attain due to numerous factors such as their first experience in blood donation and lack of intention to donate blood frequently. Nonetheless, CBS could adopt strategies that could encourage donors to donate more regularly to maintain blood and blood products’ consistency in the agency.
Among approaches that could be used to increase the donation of repeat donors in CBS is utilizing incentives that motivate donors to donate frequently. Literature suggests that incentives such as shorter waiting time, more personal attention, entertainment, enhancing blood donor satisfaction, minimizing adverse reaction of donation, and ensuring convenience and accessibility of the areas of donation can increase the rate of donation of repeat donors (Mauka, Mahande, Msuya & Philemon, 2015; Neto, 2011). In line with this information, CBS could also adopt the proposed incentives to enhance repeat donors’ rate. For example, CBS could reduce waiting time in the permanent donation centers and clinics to encourage time-conscious donors to donate blood frequently. Arguably, first-time donors who spend the least waiting time in these centers may be more willing to visit the center and donate blood after the lapse of the donation interval.
CBS could also enhance the convenience and accessibility of the donation areas to increase repeat donors’ donation. As evidenced by past research, donating sites’ proximity is a significant factor that affects repeat donation (Mauka et al., 2015). Arguably, while donors may be altruistic, they may be unwilling to travel to distant donating sites, mainly due to work pressures. As can be seen from the case study, CBS has 43 permanent collection sites and 20,000 donor clinics at more than 1,600 unique locations (Mulholland, 2011). While this figure is satisfactory, the agency could increase the number of mobile clinics to enhance donating sites’ proximity. Where possible, CBS could also locate its mobile clinics in major business centers and schools where donors can easily access.
Promoting more personal attention and offering entertainment could also increase the donation of return donors at CBS. Arguably, attending to donors on a one-on-one basis, rather than contracting donation with local clinics, interacting during the donation process, seeking information about the comfortability of the procedure, and thanking the participants for their dedication to the social good may make the donors feel more comfortable and valued by CBS. This personal attention could, in turn, enhance their willingness to donate more frequently. Also, offering entertainment such as relaxing music in the donating sites could help reduce anxiety during the process and improve the donors’ willingness to donate again.
Improving Consumer Decision-making Process for Blood Donation
Like in other consumption decisions, blood donors undergo a systematic decision-making process that guides their decision to donate blood. This decision-making process begins with an information search, evaluation of product alternatives, the actual purchase, and post-purchase satisfaction or dissatisfaction. It is worth noting that each stage’s experience is a significant determinant of whether donors will undertake a first-time and repeat purchase. Therefore, CBS should establish strategies to improve consumer experience at each of the four stages to increase repeat donors’ donation.
Information Search Stage
CBS could improve consumer experience at this stage by making information about blood donation readily available to donors and ensuring that each donor has a first-time great donation experience. It is worth noting that purchasers utilize two categories of searches- internal and external- to search for information about a product, making search’s experience significant in decision making. Hence, in this context, CBS could improve consumer experience with internal search by offering personal attention and comfort for first-time donors. Donors could use a recollection of such previous personal experiences to make a repeat donation decision. Additionally, CBS could improve the experience by making information about blood donation readily available to consumers, thereby reducing the search time. The firm could most notably post online information about its donation centers, opening hours, eligibility criteria, and donation intervals to ease the information search and facilitate quicker decision-making among donors.
Alternatives Evaluation Stage
At this stage, consumers usually seek to assess the value of evoked product sets based on the attributes that could be beneficial to them. Therefore, in this stage, CBS could improve customer experience by providing adequate information about the various blood product options that could be donated and alternative donation sites. Arguably, providing this information in an accessible site to all public members, such as the CBS website and in traditional media like pamphlets, may save consumers the additional effort required to conduct an extensive evaluation of multiple alternatives. For example, suppose CBS posts adequate information about all its donation sites. In that case, potential donors may find it easy to compare each site based on beneficial attributes, such as proximity to their residence or workplace, thus easing the decision-making process. Fundamentally, CBS’s ability to provide comprehensive information in its public sites could enhance consumers’ experience at the alternative’s evaluation stage.
Purchase Stage
After the consumers assess the available options and identify one that brings value, they may be ready to buy their preferred product. In the CBS context, consumers at this stage have evaluated the donation options and may be willing to donate blood and blood products. However, as noted by Kotler, Keller, Koshy, and Jha (2009), the purchase decision may be disrupted by others’ negative feedback and the emergence of unanticipated situations that may interrupt the purchase. In blood donation, some of the unforeseen problems may include sickness, which may constrain the donor’s ability to donate. While CBS may not have control over the unanticipated situations, it could improve consumer experience at this stage by providing adequate information about where, when, and to whom donors should undertake the donation. This information could help donors make decisions while considering time and location factors.
Post-Purchase Stage
At the post-purchase phase, consumers have made the purchase and are usually in the process of evaluating their level of satisfaction or dissatisfaction with the purchase. In the CBS context, the post-purchase stage may involve consumers’ assessment of whether they are satisfied with the donation procedure, which may influence their decision on whether or not to become repeat donors. CBS could improve the consumer experience in this stage by establishing post-donation communications to help follow-up with the donors and reassure them of the social good brought about by their behaviour. Arguably, post-donor communication could help eliminate any cognitive dissonance that donors may have about their decision and, to a significant extent, enhance their decision to donate more frequently.
Optimal Strategy for CBS to Increase the Blood Supply
Based on an analysis of CBS’s current situation and themes from its prior research, I suggest that digital marketing would be the optimal strategy to increase the blood supply. This strategy is proposed for multiple reasons, including its benefits that outweigh the costs. As the literature suggests, online marketing is less costly than conventional marketing techniques such as print media, radio coverage, television, and magazine (Bala & Verma, 2018). Therefore, CBS’s use of online promotion would save the agency lots of money used in traditional marketing and potentially redirect some of the money in other valuable processes such as increasing the number of mobile clinics in the country to enhance their proximity to donors.
Besides being cost-effective, digital promotion would adequately promote an increase in CBS’s blood supply by creating awareness of the “need for blood” among the largest target donors and sending appeals for blood donations during shortages. As noted in CBS research, the largest population of eligible donors in Canada are young people aged 17-24 (Mulholland, 2011). A majority of decisions in this target population are influenced by digital tools such as social media, implying that digital promotion would be an effective strategy for triggering awareness about the “need for blood” in the group and boosting its supply in CBS. Besides, digital promotion would be more speedy than traditional adverts in disseminating information about blood shortages and prompting active and inactive donors to participate in donation.
Digital promotion is also suggested for its flexibility, which increases the chances of triggering an increase in blood supply during a demand rise. Unlike traditional promotions that are limited to print media, TV and radio broadcasts, digital promotion is diverse and can be conducted in various platforms with a considerable following. Digital advertising diversity would help create awareness of the demand for blood among a broader target market, thus attracting new donors and facilitating an increase in supply.
Recommendation of Whom to Target and How Best to Influence them
As noted, young people between the ages of 17-24 constitute the largest group of eligible blood donors in Canada. Therefore, a majority of the promotion strategies should be used to target this population. As proposed, the most effective strategy that would help attract the selected age group would be digital promotions such as Facebook and Instagram to enlighten the population about the need for blood donations for hospital use.
Besides undertaking digital promotions, CBS should also focus on strategies that would best influence the target population to indulge in blood donation. Among the most effective techniques would be emphasizing the social good of donating blood and the social opportunities associated with the practice. As noted in the case study, self-fulfillment is a potential donor motivation. Therefore, emphasizing the practice’s self-fulfilling nature would influence younger people who value self-fulfillment to donate more frequently. Also, it is undeniable that the majority of young people are interested in social exercises and events that promote social development. Therefore, CBS should emphasize the social opportunities associated with blood donations to prompt the target population to undertake the exercise.
References
Bala, M., & Verma, D. (2018). A critical review of digital marketing. International Journal of Management, IT and Engineering, 8(10), 321-339. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/328253026_A_Critical_Review_of_Digital_Marketing
Gordon, R., Russell-Bennett, R., & Lefebvre, R.C. (2016). Social marketing: The state of play and brokering the way forward. Journal of Marketing Management, 32(11-12), 1059-1082. doi:10.1080/0267257X.2016.1199156
Kotler, P., Keller, K., Koshy, A., & Jha, M. (2009). Marketing management. New York, NY: Pearson.
Mauka, W.I., Mahande, M.J., Msuya, S.E., & Philemon, R.N. (2015). Factors associated with repeat blood donation at the Northern zone blood transfusion center in Tanzania. Journal of Blood Transfusion, 2015(717653), 1-7. doi:10.1155/2015/717653
Mulholland, R. (2011, November 25). Canadian Blood Services. Ivey Publishing.
Neto, C.A. (2011). Retention of blood donors: Strategies to fulfill the requirements of blood centers. Rev Bras Hematol Hemoter, 33(3), 174-175. doi:10.5581%2F1516-8484.20110046
Yadav, G.P., & Rai, J. (2017). The generation Z and their social media usage: A review and a research outline. Global Journal of Enterprise Information System, 9(2), 110- 116. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/deref/http%3A%2F%2Fdx.doi.org%2F10.18311%2Fgjeis%2F2017%2F15748
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