Hi, everyone, and welcome to my blog!
My name is Mia Carlson, and I am a senior at BASIS
Scottsdale. I have attended this school since fifth grade and am very much
looking forward to finishing up my final year participating in an independent
research project during the last trimester.
Over a period of ten weeks (beginning February 8th),
I will be conducting research on marketing strategies for TPN 2000.
Created and developed by local business Marvin Medisoft,
TPN 2000 is a medical software product that computationally provides feedback
to providers for writing IV nutrition for premature babies. Total
parenteral nutrition, or TPN, solutions contain nutrients like glucose,
protein, and fat that are essential for an infant’s
survival and sustainability—especially for
reducing complications of those born prematurely. TPN 2000 aids the
administration of these nutrients by calculating and optimally monitoring the
amount of each nutrient needed for each individual patient.
Though many Neonatal Intensive Care Units already use this
TPN software, Marvin Medisoft surprisingly does not advertise the product.
According to Maria Vaidya, Marvin Medisoft’s Vice President of Sales and
Support, hospitals know of TPN 2000 primarily by word of mouth. However, with a
finite market to begin with, Marvin Medisoft desires to reach a larger market
for their product.
After researching the features and benefits of TPN 2000, I
was immediately drawn to its ability to improve the state of premature babies.
I knew marketing would eventually be imperative for the success of the product,
but I also realized the potential pitfalls of marketing a medical product
(Would marketing seem too detached from the clinical aspect of the medical
community? Will it seem too profit-centered or corporate-focused?).
However, what struck both Ms. Vaidya and myself was the
growing prominence of social media in business. Many companies have adopted a
technological marketing strategy for their products and services, and even
businesses in the medical community have jumped on this bandwagon. As of now,
Marvin Medisoft does not use social media to market. So, I thought this would be a
great opportunity to research the effects of this type of marketing, especially
through blogs detailing the actual process of using TPN 2000 and its results.
Hopefully, then, this will encourage readers to share information and increase
exposure of the software in order for it to reach a larger market.
During each week of this research project I will recount my
research findings and experiences as well as the progression of the project
itself. I hope to shed light on the research process and my personal research
goals.
I am excited to be able to conduct this research and am
eager to see what the results yield.
Can’t wait to get
started!
Mia Lu
Mia, this is such a meaningful topic to be researching!! It's also immensely fascinating to see in from a marketing/outreach standpoint. Can't wait to see what your research brings!
ReplyDeleteVanessa
Hi Mia,
ReplyDeleteI'm interested to see your process in researching social media advertising for this product, as the two subjects don't seem conventionally linked. I hope your research produces successful results!
Alex
Mia, your topic seems incredibly interesting. I look forward to keep up with your weekly posts. Best of luck with your research!
ReplyDeleteHI MIA..! Your project is such a cool research combination of medical technology and medical marketing, and I can't wait to follow you as you embark on this!
ReplyDeleteAfter visiting Marvin Medisoft's TPN 2000 website, I do see a lack of emphasis on publicizing the technology, as testimonials are sparse/disorganized and information about the software is scattered and in-comprehensive.
Do you foresee yourself maybe creating a new site for the company and supplementing it with findings from client interviews/information about the impact and importance of this technology, that is already essential in so many NICUs? As your classmate for many years, I have seen your amazing organization/professionalism firsthand, and know that whatever path you take to publishing what you find will prove substantial and fruitful both for the spread of the technology and the enrichment of neonatal care.
Thanks so much for sharing your research here -- look forward to reading future posts!
Kathleen,
DeleteThanks so much for commenting. I am hoping to use blogs and social media to promote TPN 2000, but updating the website sounds like a great idea too.
Thank you for your kind words. I can't wait to check out your AP Research blog as well, and I know I'll also be very impressed with your project.
~ Mia Lu
Mia, your research projects definitely sounds very impressive, and I'm excited to follow you on your journey through it all!
ReplyDeleteI was wondering, though, if you'd know the reasons why some medical professionals are reserved about advertising their products. While I do see the seemingly conflicting nature of medicine and business, wouldn't advertising help bring the software product to more people who need it? Perhaps part of your project might also explore, informally, what people think of advertising in the medical field. It seems quite interesting!
I look forward to reading more of your posts!
Jayati, you bring up valid points. A major concern of Marvin Medisoft and other medical businesses is that advertising this kind of product may appear to be more detached from the personal aspect of the medical community. Also, medical professionals do not want to seem like profit-hungry corporations, which could result from certain avenues of marketing. So, medical businesses should be cautious when approaching the public with medical information.
DeleteI will definitely research this at a deeper level and incorporate it into my project. Thank you for your question and advice!