Influence of Cardiologists’ Demographic Profile on Overall Satisfaction Towards Marketing Mix Strategies

Abstract

This study aims to investigate the influence of cardiologists’ demographic characteristics on their
satisfaction towards marketing mix strategies (MMS) employed by pharmaceutical industries in Bangladesh.
Cardiologists (156) were asked to rate the importance of variables of MMS indicating their degree of agreement with
satisfaction statement using a 5-point Likert scale. The variables of marketing mix (4Ps) that can be ranked as top 5
out of 14 variables according to their Spearman correlation coefficients are - brand image (r = 0.532); selling skill of
medical representatives (r = 0.507), place of retail pharmacy (r = 0.484), promotional policies (r = 0.476) and
continuous medical education program for doctors (r = 0.345). Though the overall mean satisfaction score of females
(M = 4.06, SD = 0.87) is higher than that of male (M=3.84, SD =1.02), the difference is not significant; p = 0.260,
Cohen’s d = 0.217 showed the effect is small. Experience above 10 years was labeled as high (41%), otherwise low
(59%). Experience had substantial influence on perceived satisfaction towards promotion. Finally, overall satisfaction
scores varied based on academic qualification of cardiologists; p < 0.05, and Eta-squared = 0.068 implies medium
effect. The highest overall satisfaction score was attained for D. Card and others (M = 4.32, SD = 0.82) and the
lowest is for MD (M = 3.57, SD =10.9). Cardiologists’ satisfaction score towards product (the lowest is for MD and
the highest is for D. Card and others); p < 0.05; Eta-squared = 0.05 (small effect) and promotion (the lowest is for
MBBS and the highest is for D. Card and others) vary significantly according to their academic qualification, p <
0.05; Eta-squared = 0.095 implies medium effect.