Consumer Insight Report

LITERATURE REVIEW

There are a number of researches priorly conducted research on similar subjects related to 'Weight Loss and Weight Management'. According to Walsh, the research is conducted on 'long term weight loss and management' and focused on a general perception that people doesn't succeed in maintaining their weight loss for a long term. The researcher was successful in realising that there was an amount of almost 20% of overweight people who could successfully manage to lose weight for a long term by losing 10% of their initial body weight and maintained to weight health for at least a year. The research also concluded that they possibly manage to loss their weight and manage that weight as they were engaged in high level physical activities and had to intake a healthy diet inclusive of low calorie and low fat.

As per the view point of Rastmanesh, he was indulging in conducting his project on the effect of a green tea-caffeine mixture for maintaining weight after losing body weight. The researcher also threw light on eating and activity behaviour of those individuals who are engaged in losing weight and managing to maintain their weight after losing it. He also made a conclusion that long term maintenance of body weight lost as unsuccessful. He also suggested that treating obesity is necessary as for losing weight but it is also essential for reducing risks of morbidity and mortality.

A previously conducted research has also focussed on the diet and nutritional causes for obesity and strategies to reduce the same. Kushner came to a result that major reasons of obesity as heavy intake of energy dense foods, sugar-sweetened soft drinks and the sedentary lifestyle that people are living. He also recommended that excessive marketing of fast food outlets and foods with high energy densities lead to attract the people towards them and thus they must not fall into such marketing traps.

Theories

Li and Heber explained that 'self-determination theory' as a theory of motivation, concerned with supporting tendencies of natural and intrinsic form as for the behaviour effects in a healthy manner. He also said that it is a macro theory regarding personality and motivation in human that is concerned with inherent growth tendencies in people and their psychological needs. It relates with the motivation behind those choices that people make without any influence from external sources or any interference from the outer portion. Self Determination theory focuses on a certain degree at which behaviour of a person is motivated within and by himself and keep himself determined.

Self-determination theory can be certainly useful for individuals who are suffering from obesity due to their unhealthy dietary practices and sedentary lifestyles which they have to follow for their living. Obese people could psychologically be strong on their decision to lose weight by adapting a better and active lifestyle and they have to follow a healthy diet plan to lose their weight. That decision they make by themselves and activities they choose to pick for improving their own personality applies self-determination theory. They are not influenced by any other people or other external sources, but the decision was taken by themselves to develop their personality by following a healthy lifestyle inclusive of some active physical activities.

Operant Conditional Theory is a kind of study in which strength of human behaviour can be changed by modifying the consequences of that particular behaviour, for example, punishment and reward. In case of operant conditioning, the interest in performing an activity is to be rewarded or punished in order to control the activity and its behaviour. Reinforcement and punishment are considered to be the significant tools by which the modifications are made in the operant behaviour. The terms which are going to be mentioned are on basis of certain effects on that particular behaviour, and the effect can either be positive or negative.

Positive reinforcement

Is the term used when a behaviour is rewarded or followed by another level of behaviour of a better reward, to increase frequency of that particular behaviour. For example, an individual in gym trying to lose weight completes his usual set of crunches successfully, and trainer gives him another set of declined crunches as for faster loss of weight.

Negative reinforcement

Involves the escape as to avoid that certain behaviour as to increase that behaviour's frequency. Here, the gym trainer makes him do more reps of crunches as he failed to complete the previous set.

Positive punishment

Is occurred when a behaviour leads to a avoidable stimulus, which would be followed by results such as decrease in that certain behaviour. In this case, the trainer will make him do a minute of military drill as he completed his set of crunches successfully as to create a great impact in the process of losing weight.

Negative Punishment

Occurs when a behaviour' is followed by a stimulus being removed resulting in frequencies being reduced in the behaviour. For instance, trainer would order to the individual to run several kilometres as he was not able to complete his set of crunches.

MARKETING STRATEGIES

For any organisations which are involved in production of goods or services that are to be taken to customer, so that shall be utilised to fulfil their needs. Healthcare service providers in Australia are being aware of the increasing issue of obesity in the nation. Organisations in the healthcare sectors has decided to provide services to the obese individuals so as they could lead a healthy lifestyle, but they need to get themselves introduced in market along with the services they are going to provide. Here are some marketing strategies that could be possibly made applicable for the weight loss services provided by healthcare sector:

STP Marketing

STP marketing, where 'S' stands for segmenting, 'T' is for targetting and 'P' indicates positioning. This strategy of marketing is to be made applicable by health care service providers for their services related to weight loss after realising their target customers. STP marketing implies to divide the customers into segments who may need and not need the services they will be providing soon. After the segmentation of market, a particular segment of customer will be targeted who are in need to lose their weight. After deciding the target customers, the healthcare service providers will then position their product in such a way that it would be made available to the target customers in the society.

Segmentation are basically done on geographic or demographic basis. Geographic base of segmentation divides the market according to geographic boundaries and sections. Demographic segmentation classifies customers on the basis of their age, financial status, education, ethnicity, etc. the market segment targeted by the healthcare service providers are the youth and working class people, who are engaged in inactive lifestyle and consumes unhealthy diet. Positioning lets the product or service regarding weight loss fulfil the needs of obese customers in losing their weight and maintain a healthy weight as to satisfy the users of service.

Internet Marketing

Internet marketing involves utilizing web based sources to influence the customers towards the product introduced by the health care sector for curing the issues of weight loss in obese youth. The healthcare organisations can take their marketing to websites, blogs, portals, tools of social media and mobile applications. Online marketing is considered to be one of the best channels in this digital era to market, advertise and communicate with customers of every market, including the health and social care services. Internet marketing provides a platform of effective marketing which are also profitable in aspects of time and money.

The organisations in healthcare sector can target blogs and websites related to health and fitness for marketing their services related to weight loss. Social media is a best platform where the service providers could find most of their targeted customer, that is, young and working class people are more engaged on social sites like Facebook and Instagram. Therefore, it would be an ultimate source of taking the product or service to the customers.

Public Relations

This is where the organisations use the formats of major media sources to have access to the communication towards customers. The organisations in the health and social care sector needs to plan and generate publications such as press releases and newspaper articles as to receive free public exposure (Neve and et.al., 2010). Public relations can also include interviews on channels of broadcast media as to communicate the issues regarding obesity and unhealthy lifestyles and solutions they have found to cure it. News channels in electronic media, that is, majorly in television and print media instruments such as newspapers are the most used sources to handle the relations with the internal and external public of all organisations.

RECOMMENDATION AND CONCLUSION

According to the evaluation of all those marketing strategies discussed above, their advantages and disadvantages, and possible impacts they could make on the customers, possibly apt marketing strategy for this case is STP marketing. Segmenting, targeting and positioning in market could possibly help the organisations in health and social care sector to identify that segment of market who needs services for weight loss and weight maintenance. First of all, the strategy will help them in classifying market into segments and then will help in realising whom they could actually target as the users of such services. And then after recognising the needs of that particular targeted segment in market and their needs to maintain a healthy lifestyle, their appropriate positioning will help them attract more customers in their market segment, and help them lead a fit lifestyle after they are provided with the services to maintain their healthy body weight.

You may also read more samples from below links - 

Skills And Characteristics Of A Travel And Tourism Entrepreneur

How Productive Is This Distinction In The Social Sciences?

Role of Manager and Leaders

Stages Involved In Creating Holiday For Trailfinders Ltd

Report Based on Decision Making Process, Pros & Cons of Investment Appraisal Method

REFERENCES

• Esposito, K., and et.al., 2011. Mediterranean diet and weight loss: meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Metabolic syndrome and related disorders.
• Jakubowicz, D. and Froy, O., 2013. Biochemical and metabolic mechanisms by which dietary whey protein may combat obesity and Type 2 diabetes. The Journal of nutritional biochemistry.
• Kushner, R.F., 2014. Weight loss strategies for treatment of obesity. Progress in Cardiovascular Diseases.
• Larsen, T.M., and et.al., 2010. Diets with high or low protein content and glycemic index for weight-loss maintenance. New England Journal of Medicine.
• Li, Z. and Heber, D., 2012. Sarcopenic obesity in the elderly and strategies for weight management. Nutrition reviews.
• Mason, C., and et.al., 2011. Dietary weight loss and exercise effects on insulin resistance in postmenopausal women. American journal of preventive medicine.
• Neve, M., and et.al., 2010. Effectiveness of web‐based interventions in achieving weight loss and weight loss maintenance in overweight and obese adults: a systematic review with meta‐analysis. Obesity reviews.
• Rastmanesh, R., 2011. High polyphenol, low probiotic diet for weight loss because of intestinal microbiota interaction. Chemico-biological interactions.
• Sarwer, D.B., Dilks, R.J. and West-Smith, L., 2011. Dietary intake and eating behavior after bariatric surgery: threats to weight loss maintenance and strategies for success. Surgery for Obesity and Related Diseases.
• Teixeira, P.J., and et.al., 2010. Mediators of weight loss and weight loss maintenance in middle‐aged women.
• Walsh, B.T., 2013. The enigmatic persistence of anorexia nervosa. American Journal of Psychiatry.