Healthcare industry is undergoing a tremendous change in the recent times. A few years ago, there were fewer doctors and the patients treated the doctors as Gods and doctors, in turn, rendered `heaven like services' to their customers. However, the scenario has completely changed today. Corporatization is the latest buzzword in the market today. Many hospitals, both corporate as well as private clinics have mushroomed rapidly throughout the country today. Competition has become intense and the hospitals are vying with each other to attract the patients.

Perception of the people is also changing and today they are demanding quality service. Initially, people were against the commercialization of healthcare, as they thought this was not apt for a life saving profession. But things are changing. Consumers today want quality services and they are ready to pay an extra price for that additional service they are provided at the hospitals. They also demand good facilities in terms of technology or infrastructure. And hospitals too must be ready to shift their gears in order to win the consumers' mind. Thus, the role of marketing in healthcare services is becoming increasingly important. Effective marketing of hospitals is not an easy task. Consumers are always bombarded with lots of information about the products and services. So a marketer must make the information appealing and understandable to the viewers.

There are plenty of advertisements and commercials everyday but only those which are innovative create an impact. Events and social messages are some of the novel ideas in advertising. Hence, hospitals can use these concepts in their promotional efforts. Unlike other service organizations, hospitals have to be more society-oriented and they must always aim to maximize the social benefits. This has led to the emergence of the concept of social marketing while branding a hospital.

Marketing is a battle of perceptions. In order to market their services, marketers should understand their markets first. They must segment the market and identify the right segment to place their products/services. Hospital management must identify the areas from where the patients are not turning up and develop strategies to focus on those areas. Hospital branding goes beyond creating awareness about the hospital. Before building a brand one needs to know the image of the hospital in the minds of the consumers (patients). Once this information is known, image building can be done by taking into account the consumers' existing perceptions. Gaining consumer feedback is a very effective way in understanding customer perception. Feedback helps to understand the views of different consumer segments and helps the hospital to develop strategies accordingly to meet the expectations of the consumers.

Advertising Express Magazine, Social Marketing, Hospital Branding, Healthcare Industry, Corporatization, Social Messages, Hospital Management, Consumer Segments, Hospital Marketing, Marketing Techniques, Commercial Marketing, Service Organizations, Communication Program, Pharmaceutical Companies.