Brand Equity In Hospital Marketing

Abstract

The healthcare industry in the country, which comprises hospital and allied sectors, is projected to grow 23 per cent per annum. Health care marketers face unique challenges around the world, due in part to the role the health care field plays in contributing to public welfare. Hospital marketing in India is particularly challenging because providing customer service is vital to maintaining successful business relationships. Accurate and timely information provided in a professional manner is the key to any business and service operation. Patients look at relevance, response and relationships. As a result Indian hospitals depend heavily on customer relationship management (CRM). Brand is a set of mental associations held by the consumer, which add to the perceived value of the product/service (Keller- 1998) these associations, should be unique, important and positive. Building brands is the goal of any hospital. This study identifies five factors that influence the creation of brand equity through successful customer relationships: trust, customer satisfaction, relationship commitment, brand loyalty, and brand awareness. An empirical test of the relationships among these factors suggests that hospitals can be successful in creating image and positive brand equity if they can manage their customer relationships well. Keywords: Brand equity; Influencing factors of brand equity; Hospital image; Customer relationship

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