Brittany L.

Keener, PharmD, BCPS, NCPS

HLTH 634 e-Portfolio 7

BRIEF MARKETING PLAN OUTLINE

I.

Executive Overview
A.

B.

C.

The proposed plan is a suicide prevention interactive blog targeted towards

Alaska Native youth, aged 15 to 24 years old.
1.

Suicide Prevention in the Last Frontier is a collaboration with the Alaska

Native Tribal Health Consortium (ANTHC) and Indian Health Services
(IHS).

2.

Working together with local and national organizations lends experience

and lessons learned from pervious suicide prevention programs.

Alaska has one of the highest rates of suicide per capita in the country.
1.

The rate of suicide in the United States was 12.57 suicides per 100,000
people in 2013.1 The rate in Alaska during this time was 23.4 suicides per
100.000.1 The rate of suicide among Alaska Native peoples was 35.1 per
100,000 people in 2007.2

2.

Alaska Native Men aged 15 to 24 have the highest rate of suicide among
any demographic in the country, with an average of 141.6 suicides per
100,000 each year between 2000 and 2009.2 More than 90% of people
who die by suicide have depression or another diagnosable, treatable,
mental or substance abuse disorder.2

American Indian/Alaska Native youth aged 13 to 21 years old are reported to

have exceptionally common technology use, mirroring or exceeding national
rates.3 High rates of online health information seeking has been reported, with
over 75% searching online for health information.3 Even those living in the most
remote villages in Alaska have access to the Internet and social media. This
prevention effort will utilize social media in order to reach the target population.
By using the Internet, even someone in a geographically isolated location can
reach out for help, which may not be available locally in his or her community.
1.

The overarching goal of this prevention program is to reduce suicide and

suicide attempts in Alaska Native youth aged 15 to 24 years old. By
reducing the stigma associated with mental health and suicide, awareness
of this issue will improve.

2.

An interactive online blog which provides information on suicide

prevention including risk and protective factors, access to telephone
hotline numbers, and an interactive chat function so users may reach out

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Brittany L. Keener, PharmD, BCPS, NCPS

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to mental health providers that may not be available locally in his or her
community.
3.

The target improvement for Healthy People 2020 is to have a 10%

improvement in suicide rates.
a. Short term goal is to increase awareness of suicide in the Alaska
Native population so that 75% of the population are aware of the
high rates of suicide.
b. Long term goal is to decrease the rate of suicide in Alaska Native
youth aged 15 to 24 by 10%.

II.

The Customers (Market Review)

A.

B.

III.

The intended primary target audience is Alaska Native youth 15 to 24 years old
living in Alaska.
1.

BehavioralInternet and social media use.

2.

Culturalloss of traditional Alaska Native lifestyles, subsistence hunting

and gathering, 11 different languages and 22 dialects across the state,
strong family relationships with high respect for Elders.

3.

DemographicAs of July 1, 2013, Alaskas population was 15 percent

Alaska Native or American Indian.4 From 2009-2011 82.6% of Alaska
Native adults had completed high school and 44.3% had completed some
college, an associates degree, or achieved a bachelors degree or higher.5

4.

PhysicalAlaskas population is younger than the national average with

a median age of 34.3.4 The median age for Alaska Natives was slightly
lower at 28.6.4 The male-to-female ratio was 100 males for every 100
females for American Indian or Alaska Native alone.4

5.

PsychographicIn 2013, over 1 in 7 (15.2%) of Alaska Native high

school students had attempted suicide one or more times during the past
12 months.6 In 2013, 1 in 3 (31.3%) of Alaska Native high school students
reported experiencing depression.7

The intended secondary audience is the family, friends, and caregivers of Alaska
Native youth so they may become more informed on warning signs and risks for
suicidal behavior.

The Product (Product Review)

A.

Suicide Prevention in the Last Frontier

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Brittany L. Keener, PharmD, BCPS, NCPS

HLTH 634 e-Portfolio 7

B.

IV.

1.

An interactive online blog.

2.

Resources and information on suicide prevention targeted towards Alaska

Native youth.

3.

Provides a chat function for youth to speak with mental health

professionals via the Internet if they are not comfortable calling and
speaking to someone on the phone via traditional suicide hotlines.

Provides access for those living in geographically remote villages, which could
have little to no mental health care available. Online access provides 24/7
availability.

Strategies
A.

B.

C.

D.

Position
1.

Imaging: Calming, peaceful, and hopeful.

2.

Distinctiveness: The opportunity to use the online chat function and speak
with a mental health care provider without having to call a hotline.

Product
1.

Features: Online access to resources for suicide prevention and chat

capabilities.

2.

Necessity: This target audience has one of the highest rates of suicide in
the country, and even those living in geographically remote locations have
Internet access and/or smart phones.

Price
1.

Price: There will be no charge to use the website.

2.

Value: By providing access to health information and preventing suicide

attempts in Alaska Native youth, lives will be saved.

Promotion
1.

Selling points: Convenient, easily accessible, and discrete.

2.

Promotional places (Channels): Through ANTHC and IHS newsletters and

e-bulletins, pamphlets in clinics, e-mail list-servs, ads on social media
including Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, PSAs broadcast on local

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Brittany L. Keener, PharmD, BCPS, NCPS

HLTH 634 e-Portfolio 7

radio stations throughout Alaska and on Internet radio sites such as

Pandora and Spotify.
V.

Budget
A.

A one-year projection on costs associated with advertising and promotion of the

Suicide in the Last Frontier are estimated to be $6,000.
1.

Facebook ads $1 per day, Instagram cost per click $0.14, promoted tweets
on Twitter cost between $0.50 - $4.00, Pandora CPM (cost per 1,000
impressions) rate is $6.85, a 12 month price for a banner on Spotify is
$36, average cost for a 30 second ad on a radio station in Anchorage,
Alaska is $25, and the cost to print 100 full-color pamphlets starts at $45.
There is no cost associated with including information in electronic
newsletters or e-bulletins.

2.

Facebook ads: $365

Instagram ads: for 1,000 clicks $140
Promoted tweets on Twitter: $183
Pandora ads: $2000
Spotify banner: $36
Local radio ads: $2000
Pamphlets: $900

B.

The use of the above advertisements were selected specifically for the target
audience. Social media and online radio stations are widely used for this
demographic.

References:
1. Stop Suicide Alaska. Get Help Now. Stop Suicide
Alaska. http://stopsuicidealaska.org/article/get-help-now. Accessed January 27, 2016.
2. Alaska Department of Health and Social Services. Alaska Suicide Facts and Statistics. Alaska
Department of Health and Social Services.
http://dhss.alaska.gov/SuicidePrevention/Documents/pdfs_sspc/AKSuicideStatistics.pdf.
Accessed January 27, 2016.

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3. Rushing SC, Stephens D. Use of Media Technologies by Native American Teens and Young
Adults in the Pacific Northwest: Exploring Their Utility for Designing Culturally Appropriate
Technology-Based Health Interventions. Journal of Primary Prevention. 2010; 31(1-2). DOI:
10.1007/s10935-011-0242-z.
4. Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development. Alaska Population Overview: 2013
Estimates. Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development.
http://labor.alaska.gov/research/pop/estimates/pub/popover.pdf. Published February 2015.
Accessed March 4, 2016.
5. Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium. Statewide Data: Educational Attainment. Alaska
Native Tribal Health Consortium.
http://anthctoday.org/epicenter/assets/data/statewide/educational_attainment_statewide_5_14_13.
pdf. Accessed March 4, 2016.
6. Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium. Statewide Data: Adolescent Suicide Attempts.
Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium.
http://anthctoday.org/epicenter/assets/data/statewide/Adolescent_Suicide_Attempts_statewide_0
6_01_2015.pdf. Accessed March 4, 2016.
7. Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium. Statewide Data: Adolescent Depression. Alaska
Native Tribal Health Consortium.
http://anthctoday.org/epicenter/assets/data/statewide/Adolescent_Depression_statewide_06_01_2
015.pdf. Accessed March 4, 2016.

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