KEYWORDS:
Assessment, focus-group, marketing, creative

BACKGROUND:
STC, in partnership with the Houston Department of Health and Human Services (HDHHS), has implemented a city-wide assessment of factors impacting immunization coverage levels for children 24 months of age and younger. The assessment focused on parental knowledge, attitude and beliefs regarding immunizations as reported by Houston’s four major racial/ethnic groups (African American, Asian American, Hispanic and Caucasian). Similar studies implemented 3-8 years earlier could not identifying a single barrier as the cause of low coverage rates. All demographic and geographic populations seemed to be equally low for the same reasons. Therefore, it has been difficult to create effective, targeted marketing plans.STC’s recent on-site assessment process served as a catalyst to an innovative marketing plan – to attract parents to VFC providers instead of encouraging fragmented services through health department clinic sites. This marketing direction was driven by atypical assessment findings and parental input. Based on the principles of “consumer education” the HDHHS will encourage and nurture effective affordable medical homes by educating parents about VFC assistance and promoting VFC services.

OBJECTIVE(S):
Presentation will outline the assessment process implemented and discuss the marketing plan which evolved from the research findings.

METHOD(S):
Presentation will be followed by question and answer; with Power Point and accompanying handouts.

RESULT(S):
“Cookie-cutter” approaches serves as a model to save time and money – but also as a source of frustration when a project’s environment doesn’t fit. However, atypical data can reveal answers when considered “out-side-the-box.”

CONCLUSIONS(S):
Atypical data can reveal answers when considered “out-side-the-box.”

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
Participants will be able to identify elements an assessment-driven marketing plan.