The marketing of prosthetic devices is useful but can inevitably have it's pitfalls. Marketing is defined many different ways. If you were to ask several people to define marketing the answers will vary. My definition of marketing is,
distributing information to an audience to try and effect behavior. Advertising can be subtle or strong. Marketing is a concept that is constantly changing. Ads, product placement, catch phrases, infomercials, on-line advertising, buzz words and other marketing ploys are so ingrained in our society it is often hard to gauge their effects.
Marketing be can be used for wonderful purposes. You can put out a health campaign that increases peoples quality of life or that helps prevent the spread of a disease through education. There are many helpful prosthetic devices that use marketing to reach the amputee community. We have all seen images of super light prosthetic running feet and high tech mechanical limbs. There are several professional and amateur amputee athletes that use and promote prosthetic equipment. In some ways amputee ad campaigns are more effective because they are an anomaly. Amputee athletes tend to be more noticeable than their able bodied counterparts, because they are rare.
The bad side of marketing can rear it's ugly head. Sometimes money becomes so important the effects on consumers can be overlooked. Who could ever approve of a campaign that promotes smoking to kids? Yet we all know that there have been some subtle and not so subtle ways smoking has been romanticized toward youth. Believe me, tobacco companies know the value of a consumer that begins smoking at a young age. What about fast food? It is very convenient and can be helpful when we are on the run. Fast food also is inexpensive and often has a pleasing (some would argue) addictive taste. We all know it isn't good for us to eat on a regular basis. I am not against anyone smoking or eating fast food if they choose to. I believe in personal choice and freedom of expression. Is there a place where we should draw the line? An individual should be allowed to make their own informed decisions shouldn't they? Of course they should. The problem is when a product or organization promotes itself as something that it isn't. Consumers are not allowed to make a decent choice without honest information.
The prosthetic industry is not immune to the same perils as other commercial enterprises. Often millions of dollars are sunk into research to make a device. Some prosthetic products are beneficial to certain people, but sometimes not as favorable as portrayed. Even when products are helpful to certain segments of the population they can be paired with individuals that receive little aid from them. There are large amounts of money involved and the prosthetic industry can be just as susceptible to abuse as other big corporations.
When someone 'qualifies' for a certain type of prosthetic device it does not necessarily mean they need that device. The type of product is often a judgment call between the Doctor, Amputee and Prosthetist. Judgment calls can be influenced by money and education. If the provided product education is flawed or sensationalized then it may not help someone make an informed decision. A medical professional makes money on reimbursement from the services and devices they provide. I would argue that the marketing done by some prosthetic manufacturers promotes their usefulness, at times, beyond their actual benefits. I do not blame the industry for this. I am certain that if I spent a lot of time, money and energy on something I would be very proud of it and espouse it's usefulness. I am also sure that many other industries such as fast food, pharmacy companies, soft drink manufacturers, hospitals, politicians, and other organizations energetically promote their benefits and diminish their weaknesses and flaws as well.
I am sure we can all think of products that we have thought would be great and soon found disappointment from. At one time or another we all have been sold something and realized it was not what it was portrayed to be. I still regret getting duped on those x-ray glasses as a kid.:)
Marketing has become more sophisticated over time. There have been millions of dollars spent on research, think tanks, human behavior studies, psychology reviews, and many other subjects relevant to marketing. It is a guarantee that all of this money and time would not be spent if marketing did not work. There are currently many companies that spend more money on advertising than they do on anything else, including making their products. I recently watched a film by documentarian Morgan Spurlock called
The Greatest Movie Ever Sold . I found Spurlock's movie to be an interesting look at marketing and it's often unheralded influence on media and society as a whole.
What is promising is that effective marketing can be done by those of modest means more easily than any other time in history. With the ability to blog, post videos, and use social media the layman can arguably promote their own effective marketing strategy. A person of modest means certainly does not have the same advantage as a big corporate entity, but the tools are more effective at a cheaper price than ever.
I am not here to condemn the free enterprise system. I definitely think capitalism is the best way to promote and develop products. Ultimately consumers tend to use or not use a product based on if they like it or not. My main advice to all when making important decisions is to be informed. There is nothing wrong with taking another look, doing your homework or getting a second opinion. As an amputee I caution you to be realistic. You have to have reasonable goals about your physical capabilities when choosing a prosthetic device. I can definitely attest that a prosthesis does not always have to be fancy and have all the bells and whistles to be effective. There have been many hills walked, runs run and lives changed by a simple, effective, and proper fitting prosthetic device.
The best marketing in the world is character. Word of mouth is still the best way a product get promoted. It is a good ideal to remember those that use your products or services also have access to the tools of the Internet. Which means anyone can use digital means to praise or complain about your products and services. As the saying goes, "A satisfied person will tell 3 friends a dissatisfied one will tell 30". Doing a good job, providing good products, being an upstanding individual, and having excellent customer service are still key to being a success.
Remember - Selling a positive attitude gives back an Invaluable return Ty
