Health care reform campaigns proliferate
It appears that the Obama administration’s proposed healthcare reform may be one of the best things to happen to the marketing industry this year. This conclusion is based on an entirely informal survey (I looked at a bunch of press releases) which revealed that quite a few campaigns have launched recently both for and against the proposed reform. This is noteworthy in a year when marketing is down across every medium.
The Teamsters, in what they are calling an “unprecedented union effort,” are campaigning for health care reform with a new Web site, teamstersforhealthcarereformnow.com, an ad campaign on state blogs and online publications, call-in days, e-activism and events planned throughout Congress’ August recess.
Then there’s the newly formed Better Government Association, which says it has hired the best marketing experts in the world and is launching a comprehensive national campaign to “persuade the public to turn against the socialized policies, including national health care, of the Obama Administration and Congress.”
The campaign will include TV, radio, newspaper, Internet and direct mail.
Another campaign, from The Cato Institute, seeks to inform consumers how free-market reforms, increased consumer choice and energized competition – not more government control – improve health care's quality and affordability. The effort includes outreach through national newspapers and radio stations and a new Web site.
These efforts join Health Care for America Now’s $40 million campaign and The Enough Is Enough Campaign for Health Care Reform, among others.
