PCH = AIG hmmmm. NO.

When I was approached with the topic for this week’s blog I honestly did not know what I was going to say. Who am I to criticize a company like Phoenix Children’s Hospital? Marketing and other departments in the hospital that don’t directly bring in revenue can sometimes be seen as “company overhead.” I know personally the affects of this issue because growing up my father was laid off numerous times requiring us to move because he worked in Risk Management for different hospitals. From what I have seen the processes that take place in the Marketing department, and the structure of the department here at PCH is far better than other marketing departments at hospitals, but the setup is also very different at every hospital I have visited. The issue of what positions, how large of a team required and which positions to hire comes down to demographics and costs. For example, PCH has a team of four individuals who work as Physician Relations as a part of the marketing team. These individuals bring in about 50% of our patients by developing relationships with Doctors not associated with PCH and creating referrals to our hospital by explaining the specialties in services we can provide (in a nutshell). Even though this team generates half of our patients by a referral program many hospitals, like the one I visited in Missouri, does not have this team of representatives. Should they? Probably not because there is not as much competition between hospitals, and the hospital I visited does not have as many specialty clinics. I could really go on for days talking about this so let’s move on.

Marketers are attempting to establish brand and rapport with its consumers. When it comes down to it, every decision that you make in purchases in products or services whether it be which grocery store you go to, or what hospital you take your child to, the company’s brand and reputation plays a big role. AIG is struggling right now after their recently publicity showing their spending of the stimulus money. All of their exposure deals with media and communications which, when it is out of control, like in their case, it can really hurt an established brand. To completely rule Marketing as complete overhead would be foolish but determining how much funding/positions you provide for a specific company is a trickier thing all together. So, considering all of this, what would I suggest for improvement? Take on more staff. I have noticed that a lot of time is spent on editing work; perhaps an editor in the office would be a good decision. That way more projects can get done. As for the marketing process itself at PCH it is very successful and I really don’t have very much to say about it. Disappointing I know.

Interview Time

This is an interview that I conducted with "The Invincible" Mark Tsuchiya

What types of challenges do you face?
My biggest challenge is managing expectations. People sometimes expect overnight results from a marketing campaign … it just doesn’t happen that way. There are those “lightning-in-a-bottle” ideas that immediately have an impact, but true results take time, and I’m always sure to explain that.

How do you deal with deadline stress, difficult people, and internal politics?
The most effective way I can recommend to deal with deadline stress is to always meet your deadlines, then you don’t have to stress over them.

Difficult people are a part of life, and work life is no exception. I’ve found that listening and delivering on promises are great ways to mitigate the chance of ticking people off, even those who are sometimes difficult.

As far as internal politics go, effective internal communications strategies can go a long way towards quelling organizational politics. That’s why our administration is so supportive of our efforts to keep our employees informed. From “Breakfast with Bob” to STAT, we make a strong effort to keep the lines of communication open with staff.

What do you like or dislike about their positions?
I truly love my job. Sure, sometimes things get tough, but there’s no job out there that’s conflict free. Everyday is a challenge. I work with smart people who work hard, but aren’t apologetic about enjoying a laugh every once in a while. I have a manager and director whom I know I can count on. Most important, I think in a very insignificant way, I’m helping sick kids get well. I may not be doing the surgery, but if mom heard about our world-class surgeon from her child’s pediatrician who read a story about our surgeon in a publication I manage and disseminate, then I take that as a victory.

What do you feel can be done to make work go smoother?
I’m fortunate to have colleagues who work hard and are committed to their responsibilities. When those you depend on deliver on deadline, life is good.

How do you feel about working with others?
I enjoy collaboration … there’s nothing better than a successful brainstorm with great contributions from creative minds.

How do you separate the personal from the professional?
Easy … a 35-mile commute home. I leave work at work. It’s always there when I return in the morning. I do have to admit, I will check the BlackBerry in the evening and on weekends from time to time, but I’m pretty good at turning the “work switch” off and on at appropriate times.

Do you enjoy working on group projects?
When you work with a team of dependable professionals like I do, yes, group projects are great.

What is your ideal work environment?
My ideal work environment is one where I’m given the latitude to develop my own ideas, take initiative, manage projects, and where I can be trusted to deliver a quality project on deadline. That’s why I enjoy my work at Phoenix Children’s … I’m given space to do what I do best, but always have colleagues I can lean on when I need help or some constructive criticism.

“The Invincible” Mark Tsuchiya

The work environment at Phoenix Children’s Hospital and the Marketing/Communications department is very unique in my opinion. A lot of work gets accomplished during each and every day and numerous projects continue to become refined. Mark Tsuchiya, the Communications Specialist, one of my many bosses, has a variety of responsibilities. Everyday seems to be entirely different than the next, and I believe he prefers it to be this way. This is a very basic list of some of his set responsibilities:
Producing a variety of Informative Newsletters and External Publications on a weekly, monthly and quarterly basis provided for our audience of Physicians. These publications being most or our entire external outflow.
Managing Interns. (And apparently I am a lot of work!)
Scheduling Meetings / Press Conferences.
Producing Marketing ideas for a variety of Medical programs and Specialties.
Take part in the Creative Process during meeting with Agencies and PR companies.
There are many things that I have learned from shadowing Mark, most importantly being that being a member of this team requires that you be flexible in what projects need to be accomplished. Also, determining what projects deserve priority over others, and knowing what projects are worth our efforts.
I have not worked too much in a corporate office environment, and there have been many times when my college critique voice kicked in and Mark had to tell me to be careful how I talk. During college you are told to critique functions and processes without regard of audience and regard for the other members of your office. This is something that I had to work on, but with the help of Mark, was able to get much better at. Also, it is Mark’s birthday today!