This research project will focus on how selected marketing strategies, tools, and media can enhance conversations between various stakeholders in healthcare, specifically, cancer research, prevention, and treatment. According to the World Health Organisation cancer remains a leading cause of death worldwide, accounting for nearly 10 million fatalities in 2020, or about one in six deaths. Studies further highlight differences between people from different ethnic backgrounds and gender when it comes to cancer incidence as well as cancer screening attendance. Most of these differences are due to non-genetic factors such as smoking and overweight and obesity rates. This project will be jointly undertaken with Cancer Research UK (hereafter, CRUK) the world’s largest independent cancer research organisation. CRUK keeps identifying pivotal tasks in cancer research and treatment considered to make the biggest difference to achieve progress. Beyond the medical and scientific research related aspects all of them encompass barriers and opportunities related to marketing such as communications content, targeting, timing, and delivery. Extant research on health marketing interventions tends to focus on the broader public, and patients. In most instances, such studies cast them as message receivers although they have long emancipated themselves through omnipresent digital media into pro-active message senders or at least co creators. While these insights collectively contribute to better conversations between healthcare sector stakeholders, a multitude of perspectives remains underexplored. Using a multi-methods approach, i.e., a mix of qualitative and quantitative elements, the project provides an opportunity to unpack marketing intervention particularities related to age, gender, socio-economic, or national culture. It specifically investigates marketing mechanisms to a) understand awareness and behavioural change in healthcare provision, and b) identify selected interventions enhancing it among selected stakeholders. The project further aims for societal and economic impact. Specifically, it aims to support CRUK and cancer charities more broadly in better reaching selected audiences, creating higher awareness for preventable cancer causes, and bringing about behavioural change by increasing appreciation of healthier lifestyles and attendance of cancer screening programmes.
The studentship is available full-time only. This url directs applicants to a detailed PhD project description with specific application details:
https://bit.ly/PhDKBSxCancerResearchUK