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Marketing Mix Strategy 119

articles in the newspapers and on the Internet, and radio programs aired regular
slots on TB. A short documentary about the achievements in the fight against TB in
Peru was shown on TV; seminars for health workers and medical staff addressed
planning and mobilization strategies; and awareness-raising events took place in
the main squares of the major cities with activities including theatre, street drama,
and placing stickers on cars. Street theaters, card games with question and answers,
and focused group discussions using flipcharts were also used frequently through-
out the years to bring messages directly to hard-to-reach audiences such as those in
shanty towns and other hotspots.

Videos
The program replaced the traditional flipchart presentations with video spots
that were developed for healthcare providers to show in healthcare facility wait-
ing areas.
One-on-One Communications

Health workers were considered the linchpin of the TB strategy. They were
trained to provide an informative and welcoming first contact for those seeking
diagnosis and were encouraged to reach out to other visitors in the health facil-
ity as well, helping to spread communications regarding tuberculosis symptoms
and treatment available. In addition, private practitioners were instructed that
when they found a patient with TB, they should send him or her to the TB clinic
with a written note so that the patient would be treated.

Community Mobilization
In 1995, NTCP established community organizations called “Community
Surveillance Units” to help detect TB and follow up on treatment, playing an
important role in linking the health team to the community. Other important
community groups included mothers’ groups, churches, patient and family sup-
port groups, and Family Parents Associations.
Advocacy

The program used advocacy to secure political commitment and involvement at
all levels and to keep the TB issue in the national spotlight. Local groups were
formed to mobilize patients and their families, provide peer education, learn pa-
tient rights and responsibilities, defend them with political leaders, and then
gain coverage for them in media. Political leaders and the media were invited to
attend seminars and presentations organized with international experts.
Table 5-1 summarizes marketing mix strategies for downstream target
markets.