‘They have to start acting like big brands’: What the home-care reforms will mean for marketers, creatives and brands
Today marks the first stage of the Australian government’s changes to home-care packages, as part of their 10-year plan to reform the aged care sector in Australia. Zoe Samios speaks to adland about the creative opportunities and budget challenges that will come with the reforms, and how to reposition a brand that has hardly, if ever, been marketed to consumers before.
In the past twelve months, organisations in the aged-care sector have been forced to create, change and shift marketing strategy and resources, to focus on their consumers for the first time.
The change comes ahead of the home-care reforms the Australian Government is implementing today, which will allow people to direct their government subsidies to an aged-care provider of their own choice.
Previously, the Australian Government was responsible for allocating home-care funding to different providers, removing consumer choice from the equation.
From today, the elderly will have the choice of how and where they allocate funds, to ensure they are choosing a provider that meet their needs.
Gees I aged just reading the article!
Having come from a long career in fast moving telco, retail and consumer goods, this is one of the most exciting and complex industries I’ve had the good fortune to be part of. There aren’t many consumer markets providing such worthwhile services in a period of such fundamental transformation, with little to no marketing or CX capability. With 3,000 competitors, there will undoubtedly be a shake-up and about time too. Consumers should always have the right to choose the best service for them, whatever their age and circumstances.
Very exciting times for a marketer indeed! Lots of challenging jobs but you can really see how what is working and what is not working. Couldn’t be happier working at Feros Care!!
Great article Zoe!
An interesting article but quite a narrow marketing /advertising focus. Many successful and strong providers already acknowledge the role of marketing and invest adequately in this area, but don’t believe it is the panacea to future success. Savvy providers have been future proofing their business in advance of the reforms by looking more broadly across their corporate strategy and into their customer experience channels , referrer relationships, sales staff, sales training for front line staff, technology etc.
The not for profit health organisations that I think we are talking about here have long seen branding as purely as an expense. They see their health providers as valuable people with quantifiable skills while seeing graphic designers, advertisers and web developers as little more than snake oil salesman. Nine months in they are probably right in thinking this. The whole brand industry is now completely deregulated and any young fool with a half baked diploma can enter this game. They are flashy and have often had successes with mainstream content but lack none of the solid knowledge necessary to navigate what is effectively a new industry.
I say, “Buyer beware!” These guys will run your budgets dry before the year is done and we’ll see many a dead carcass on the side of the road. Community Health Centres will be in the carnage. Some of them full of great people who have years of industry experience.
Don’t just look for the quick fix but look for the long game, there are agencies out there with creatives with big game experience who will work to nurture businesses and organisations through this.
This is one time when youth doesn’t cut it.